Originally Posted by HolyInstantRice
Hi guys, new on BF with a quick question. If a 10% grade is ten feet of rise over a hundred feet, how is it considered hard? On my bike route there's a couple hills that rise at least 30 to 40 feet, and I can get through them pretty easily. I know that some of the 10% grades you guys talk about are sustained and long, but it doesn't seem too hard for me to climb. Can anyone post pictures of hills that are around 10%?
It's a little difficult to grasp elevations until you locate a few that are known so that you can them compare them. My common driveway is close to 10% but it only goes on for a bit over a 1/3 of a mile. Granted that I could be in better shape, but I'm breathing pretty hard at the top. Hard for me to imagine doing that for miles (where is that trainer?)
If you do a search on "inclinometer" here, there are some threads that reference a web site that shows how to make a crude measuring device from a CD case, string, etc. Then you measure some slopes to get a better idea.