ganchan

Can you guys help me interpret/evaluate this 2.91-mile route? I'm still too new at all this biking stuff to understand incline percentages, difficulty levels, etc. Thanks!

Machka 

It's rise over run. So that last little incline you've got there, if it starts at 2 miles and tops at 2.75 miles, you've done (50 feet (rise)/0.75 miles (run)) * 100 (to get percent).

Or ... (50 feet/3960 feet) * 100 = 1.3%

Or ... almost flat.

If you turned around and rode the route the other way, it looks like you'd get a bit more of a workout.

ganchan

Yeah, I think i'd get a free ride most of the way going out. It's that long rise on the way back that may take the wind out of my sails a bit. I've walked it before, and even on two feet, that final hump feels like a hump.

njlonghorn

The scale on your elevation profile is a bit odd, but I think I can give a reasonably close estimate on the slopes.

Riding in the reverse, you would climb about 100 feet over 2ish miles. Until the last little bit, the gradient appears to be 1% or less, which shouldn't even feel like a climb. Shift down 1 gear, and otherwise ride normally.

The final hump climbs almost 50 feet over 0.3 miles or so. This is closer to 3-4%, which is steep enough to give a beginner rider some difficultly. Most beginners tend to change fewer gears than ideal, resulting in a slower pedaling cadence. Instead, you should drop your gear more than you think is necessary, so that you can keep your cadence up. If anything, your cadence should be faster while climbing, not slower.

It won't be long until you are calling that hump an easy hill.

ganchan

Just bought a brand-new Giant Escape 3 and tried one of the "bumps." Not a problem!