gsa103

As pointed out above, most roads are graded at <8% for any significant distance (>1 km). Short bursts require basically grinding it out. Mt. Diablo is the standard local torture test. The final wall is about 200m at 17% grade. With a 34/28 compact I can alternate between standing and spinning for the ~1 min climb duration, and I doubt I'm in significantly better shape that the OP.

I also mountain bike, and climbing on a road bike is significantly easier, because its totally non-technical. On a MTB, you frequently have local obstacles that require rolling over, where roads are basically graded smooth, so the average grade is a good representation. Think of it like climbing stairs vs walking up a ramp.

I suspect there's something wrong with your GPS. On a 30% grade, you're going to fall over backwards. A good number of pedestrians would literally be on hands and knees up a 30% grade. As a good estimate, what the total elevation gain and distance of the climb?

Shimagnolo

Oh, pulllleeease;
Fargo Street: 33% grade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW0e3FjB2t0

banerjek

No, but there's no rule that says you can't get an MTB crank for your road bike.

Get a MTB crank with an 11-34 or 11-36 and you'll be able to climb that 30% grade if you don't spin out.

Lazyass

But then you're going down that 30% grade with... a MTB crank. No, I would run a road triple with 52T big ring and a MTB cassette and rear derailleur. No one is taking into account that what goes up must come down.

banerjek

Gearing is completely irrelevant on the way down by the time grades are even 1/3 that. You need brakes (disc start making loads of sense) and tall gears are simply not an issue.

30% is stupid steep. We actually have a kicker that hits that (College St) a couple miles from where I live. There's another place that hits 22% not too far away (Brynwood ). Again, it's crazy steep. Under no circumstances do you need muscle power or gears to get going down steep grades. It takes way less than that kind of grade to bust 50mph and anything that steep will never have a long runout.

Raiden

Hes asking if it's better to modify the bike, or to just avoid the silly steep roads.

For flats and rollers, yes, the light weight and narrow contact patch of a road bike/road tires absolutely improves the act of turning your energy into forward momentum. For climbing a 30% road, however, the geometry of a road bike is wrong. Not impossible, just wrong.

The performance benefits of a road bike will be entirely lost on such a hill, you're going to be crawling it at less than 5mph. 15-20% grades are a fun kick in the pants (like the aforementioned last few feet of Mt. Diablo) but 30% is silly for most normal people. If you MUST climb that hill, just put slicks on your mountain bike (or some old steel mountain bike you find at a garage sale). Or carry a set of hiking or running shoes in a rear rack bag, change shoes when you arrive, and walk the bike up the hill. Leave your road bike with somewhat 'normal' gearing- swap the cassette (and chain) to a 28 or 30t big gear (any modern bike will accept it, just ask your shop) and call it good.

Lazyass

Wrong. If you want to go down a mountain with a mountain crankset, then whatever floats your boat.

Raiden

You can just freewheel down a slope you know....

CliffordK

Just try it out. There are lots of options available. 30% has to be quite steep. My driveway hits about 17%, and that more or less maxes me out, as well as maxing out my bike's traction whenever it gets wet.

In general, the road bikes will have a little more momentum, even with the hill climbs, so larger gears may be appropriate. There are a few places I'd rather not stop because it is dang hard to get going again. On an MTB, you may have to start and stop on a dime anywhere.

I am currently doing the short 17% section of my driveway with 41/19 gearing, but I have done it with 41/16 gearing.

I'd have to drop a lot of gears to double that slope (and probably have a special super low slung bike for balance). I do "Mash", especially on hills, but a lot of people recommend spinning.

For the majority of your rides, you'll probably be fine with something like: 52-38 front, and 11-28 rear, but those few exceptional rides might throw you over the top, so if you expect a lot of extreme hills, go for the triple.

Did you mention your weight? Heavier isn't always better for hill climbs, although it can't hurt for descents.

lsberrios1 

This literally made me laugh...

big john

I've gone to watch the annual event a few times, one of my friends climbed straight up that thing on a 42x23, unreal!
Last time a junior road racer went straight up 3 times and I think he was using 39x25.
Lots of people build bikes just for the event with absurdly low gearing.

lsberrios1 

When you say straight up, you mean without doing the sigsag?

Raiden

Just to reiterate what I said before: note that everyone (well, everyone who has handlebars, haha) is riding a flat bar bike of some sort. Drop bar road bikes are not the right tool for the job unless you're already a powerful cyclist.

big john

Yeah, I think his point was you can't pedal down something that steep, most of us would spin out descending a 10% grade.

Bandera

I would, and did, take 30% grades as a bit of hyperbole (or something).
Fact is if a municipal authority anywhere spent the moolah and effort to grade and/or pave a roadway it can be cycled up/down by a fit cyclist on a modern road bike.



Cyclists have been at this riding steep roads thing for quite a while now and have the hardware pretty well figured out.

OP: Yes, road bikes climb the hills and mountains that have roads constructed over them quite well, with the proper effort.

-Bandera

Raiden

The question is, should the OP shell out money to modify his bike to do such a thing

Those people in the vintage pictures did it that way because that's what existed at the time.

big john

Yes, without tacking. I saw a couple make it up on a tandem but they were tacking the whole way.

big john

Not to be pedantic, but it's 30%, not degrees. I have not tried to climb the 30% Fargo Street, but I would not try to descend it. In fact, descending is prohibited during the event, partly because there are others going up.
There is a 23% grade which I have gone up and down, and I really don't like descending it. A friend crashed on it this year.

bikemig 

Here is a table of climbs out east with average grade and steepest grade:

Northeastcycling.com - Hillclimb Races

There are a couple there with average grades of 12% and a max grade of 20%.

I rode up E. Burke mtn and I'm glad I brought my granny.

Bandera

Seems to me that the OP isn't quite sure what exactly "such a thing" as riding a road bike on his terrain is.
Local cyclists are his best resources to define what/how that works.
Ask them, Spanish climbers (even local lads) are among the best. Local knowledge trumps inter-web chatter.

That does get to the heart of the matter on tough climbs.
Maintaining momentum, being strong, determined, paying attention to cadence and standing when necessary gets it done. So it has always been, easier w/modern hardware but it still hurts.

-Bandera

rpenmanparker 

Huh what? Do you think road bikes are set up to do their normal stuff AND ride up 30% grades? Do you want a casssette on your road bike that has a 36 tooth cog but no 14?

rpenmanparker 

Are you gonna like that everywhere else besides the one 30% climb. Just find another way home. This macho BS is soooo absurd.

LesterOfPuppets

My favorite Fargo Hillclimb rig is the 7.5" low gear Ultraclimber.

Raiden

That bike is hilarious/awesome.

escii_35

Just buy what is good for you. (unless riding a Vintage bike that must be kept period correct).
What do consider escape velocity? For me it's 53x13
What gear density do you want?
What do you need for your normal hills?


As for 30% grades. Hardknott pass has a 29.x section.