Originally Posted by rcapilli
I'm really suprised that no one here has mentioned altitude. I live at 950' and it is quite a difference in the mountains. Some of you have no problems at this altitude but I fatigued quickly when I gave it a shot. Thus IMHO it is a little tougher than a 4% climb at 800 - 900 feet.
I live and work pretty much at sea level (I think my house is 120' and my office is about 30'). One of my favorite rides that I have done starts at about 200 feet but goes up about 1200 feet in 3 miles (7.5%). Then you get a break for a few seconds as it levels off and crosses a major road, before rising up another 1200 feet in 2.5 miles (9.5%). The next half mile is rolling and only has a net gain of 100 feet. A
fter all that you are on the mountain ridge at an altitude of 2600 feet, with a final NET climb of an additional 1200 feet in just over 7 miles (3.2%). In reality is 2 climbs with a downhill in between; the first is about 900 feet in 2 2/3 miles (6.5%) and second and final climb to the peak is 800 feet in 3 miles (5%), at altitude, from 3000 to 3800 feet.
Here is the ridge ride on gmap-pedometer (for some reason it had a blip in the altitude data)
Originally Posted by rcapilli
No one mentioned Cranks. I rode it on a traditional 53/39with a 12/25 Cassette. [...] For those of you that posted here and typically ride in the hills, such as California or midwest, what do you typically use for a crank/cassetts? I am a big believer in "You have to have the right tool for the job" So give me an idea of what you use to ride mountains.
I have a triple (52/42/32) with a 12-25 and I used the 32 a lot more when I first started riding but I did all but the steepest sections of this ride in the 42 (and the 52 for the descents). I do the first part of this ride (1200 feet/3 miles/7.5%) a lot, 2-3 times a week and either use my 32 or 42 depending on how I feel and what my goals are. If I'm going for pure speed I can get up it pretty fast spinning in the 32, but if I want a hard workout or am riding slower with other people I will stay in a harder gear like 42x21 or 42x19) and mash my way up, usually standing.