rumrunn6

I do not like Goodmans Hill Road. I have a new commute and this hill (actually a double hill with an intersection 1/2 way up) is now part of my commute. It is long and steep and I don't like it one bit. I know I have to come to terms with it and hopefully by summer I will no longer dread it.

Some riders have given me strategies for hill climbing and that was great. However, it remains on my commute. Yesterday by rear derailleur jump off the big ring and got jammed between my spokes. I know I have to adjust the limit screw - no big deal. Unfortunately though it happened partway into the hill and I had to get off and restart mid-hill ... yuk.

I do not like this hill and I just wanted to whine. Anyone else have a nemesis like this?

unixpro

Sure, I have one. Well, actually three if I choose to count. The big one is about 3 miles long and rises over 500 feet. It has a stop light at the bottom that I usually have to stop at, so I hit the hill from a cold stop most of the time. There is another light about halfway up, another at about 3/4, and a final one right at the top.

I ride a recumbent, so I can't even stand up when I'm climbing this little guy.

I've ridden this hill almost every work day for the last 6 months, since I started working here. It's at about the 2/3 distance on my commute, so I've already ridden about 12 miles just to get there. I really hate the hill when its cold, raining, and windy.

There's a car dealer about halfway up that tells me how late I am. It rarely tells me I'm early. It also tells me what the temperature is. So far, it's been cold, colder, and danged cold.

Yeah, I hate the hill.

I ride it, though. I'm getting better at it too. When I started, I was going pathetically slow up the hill. Now I'm just going pitifully slow. That's a big improvement.

woodway

I've got a few good hils on my commute. The largest one is a little more than 1.5 miles long and gains about 400 feet. While the average grade is not bad, it's got a couple of steep spots where I really have to put it down on my overgeared commuter bike.

My commute is 37 miles RT, and this hill comes at mile 34. I view it as a challenge and an opportunity for improvement.

DataJunkie

I have a mile long hill that tops out at 8% for a bit. It used to kill me for the first couple years. Now I barely notice it after riding in the rockies.
However, there is a very short and steep hill a mile a way from my work before I get a chance to warm up that irritates me to this day.

buzzman

the house I live in during most of the summer is at the summit of a very steep climb in the Berkshires. One particularly brutal section that pretty much ends every ride I do out there climbs about 700 feet in one mile. It has two short parts of 18% grade and an average grade of about 12%.

The most positive things I can say about it is that by the end of the summer I'm climbing a lot better than I was at the beginning of the summer and every ride starts with me hitting 40+ mph within 30 seconds of my front door.

but there are honestly times when I'm so burned before I get to that hill from a long ride and the very thought of climbing that monster makes me want to weep.- so I know that feeling of dread well but really the thought has to just be hunker down and climb that baby.

rumrunn6

STILL DON'T LIKE IT! Friday, as I was approaching the top of the first section I decided to stand for a few, but as I did, the rear derailer kipped 3 gears higher, ARGH! Had to stop and walk. I NEVER do that! ARGH! This hill is turning me into a pirate.

ian123

i just went on a ride today with a guy whose deralleur was doing the same thing. he has a triatholon in 3 weeks and was like i cant take it to the shop for a tuneup cause i have to train. i was like just turn the screw a little lol. it was especially bad on the one 15% grade hill that was in our route. his bike was shifting back and forth between gears the whole way up

rumrunn6

What screw? the one on the friction **** lever?

DataJunkie

Adjusting a derailleur is not terribly complicated.
https://www.parktool.com/repair/

ian123

You possibly have a different problem than my buddy but all his bike needed was to adjust the limit screws (the two little ones close together.) My guess is that, if this is your actual problem, your low limit screw (usually has an L by it) is a bit loose. I say that because your chain jumped in towards your spokes. After rereading your post though i noticed that you said it kipped three gears and the fact that your chain jumped three gears makes me wonder if this is the real issue. and sorry if you know more about this than me already just trying to help

unixpro

I'm going to recommend that you visit the late, great Sheldon Brown and check out his excellent articles on adjusting and maintaining your ride. He's helped me on more than one occasion, despite his departure from this realm.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/

thirdin77

I thought you were going to say the hill is steep and riddled with dangerous, high-speed traffic. If it's just steep, get lower gearing, find a way around it or just continue to get stronger.

rumrunn6

I drove up and down this hill with my car this weekend due to errands with my kids. I explained my situation with the hill but they couldn't appreciate it.

BTW: I cleaned my chain - yeesh what a mess. I also tweaked the front derailer alignment. I'm optimistic about my trip home up this hill tomorrow. Using a different bike than I did last week. Got my hybrid ride back after I installed the steerer tube extender.

I tweaked the front derailer so it easily drops into the lowest front ring. I made need to tweak it the other way a bit more because it now takes another second or two to get into the largest ring.

Today is the day I have no issues with this hill! :-)

rumrunn6

I had no issue going home last night. Just cursed a little. :-)