Hilly commuting...I'm thinking about quitting
06-13-12 | 04:42 AM
#26
Bike addict, dreamer
Joined: Nov 2009
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From: Queens, New York
That's pretty hilly for a commute. Heck, that's just pretty steep climb generally speaking. I'm not sure I'd want to ride that hill every day. Any way to detour around it? A few extra miles may be worth it. Anything above 10% is a big effort for most riders. When I plot my rides I try to avoid anything above 10%. I stalled on a longish hill with grades over 15% and walked, and that was on my road bike.
06-13-12 | 05:57 AM
#28
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From: Raleigh, NC
Bikes: Waterford RST-22, Bob Jackson World Tour, Ritchey Breakaway Cross, Soma Saga, De Bernardi SL, Specialized Sequoia
Stick with it and the hill will get easier -- or you will get faster and it will be just as hard! Like others said, your best option is to reduce weight -- on your bike, tires, the gear you carry, and yourself. My commute route is very hilly. Although there are no hills as long or as steep as yours, my route is about 15 miles each way with repeated climbs and downhills. In the morning, most of the final 3.5 miles is uphill and it used to really blow my average speed. However, at some point this spring, all of the sudden my average speeds jumped about 1 mph, mainly due to faster climbing.
Does your bike have lightweight folding tires? That can make a huge difference in climbing. Also, keeping the amount of gear you carry at a minimum in something like a Carradice bag can really help. If you are not bike commuting every day, carry extra gear such as clothes, towels, food to work on the days you drive so you will have less to carry on cycling days.
Does your bike have lightweight folding tires? That can make a huge difference in climbing. Also, keeping the amount of gear you carry at a minimum in something like a Carradice bag can really help. If you are not bike commuting every day, carry extra gear such as clothes, towels, food to work on the days you drive so you will have less to carry on cycling days.
06-13-12 | 07:18 AM
#29
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From: California
Bikes: 2012 Civia Prospect, 2012 Specialized Sirrus Sport, 199x Canondale M800
If you don't want to do racks, is their anyway you can leave your stuff at work until you take a automobile in? I don't commute by bike everyday so I try to leave stuff at work and bring it home when I am in the car (and bring supplies into work when I'm in the car). That makes the load lighter.
06-13-12 | 07:51 AM
#30
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From: Albany, NY
Bikes: 80's Treks, cargo bike, Lugged LeMond, Eddy Merckx 7-11, Ciocc resto-mod, All City MM disc, and some more
I had the same issue. The first mile or so of my commute is hell... the rest is comparatively flat. The alternative route is to get on a state highway for about 2 miles which my wife did not like. I did the hill a few times and now I do the state road. I told my wife I could get hit by a car or die on the hill... either way.
06-13-12 | 08:56 AM
#33
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From: Teaneck NJ
Bikes: Jamis Ranger 1.0 (Mutilated !!), Trek Portland
That is very nastily hilly ! Wonder how messed up it would be to even walk the bike up that hill !!! But being a regular commuter I can totally imagine how mentally demotivating it could get to get up that hill day in and day out.
I will say one thing .. The OP asks if he is just weak for averaging 10 mph on good and 6 mph on bad days -- No way ! Just being able to ride the bike on hill like this is an achievement. 6mph is not bad at all. It is a very decent speed. And besides, being a regular commuter, I would say this - DO NOT fall into the "how fast am I going" trap. It will lead to burn out pretty soon. It is commute. There are good days, bad days, and then it could be raining on bad days and stuff like that. On a hill like that, I would even consider walking your bike for very steep sections if you don't feel like it every once in a while. It will still be better than driving !
I will say one thing .. The OP asks if he is just weak for averaging 10 mph on good and 6 mph on bad days -- No way ! Just being able to ride the bike on hill like this is an achievement. 6mph is not bad at all. It is a very decent speed. And besides, being a regular commuter, I would say this - DO NOT fall into the "how fast am I going" trap. It will lead to burn out pretty soon. It is commute. There are good days, bad days, and then it could be raining on bad days and stuff like that. On a hill like that, I would even consider walking your bike for very steep sections if you don't feel like it every once in a while. It will still be better than driving !
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06-13-12 | 11:39 AM
#35
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Also, dont be afraid to cheat if you cant make it all the way - stand on your bike. Aside from extra power from your weight, it will also give your legs a bit of a reset by focusing on different muscles. I did that when I first started hitting hills, until over time I needed to stand up less and less, and now I can do it without standing at all.
That being said, your hill is much more of a pain than mine was; how long is the climb? And is it just bursts or one long steady heavy climb? (sorry your graph is a little hard to read)
06-13-12 | 12:18 PM
#36
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From: North County San Diego
06-13-12 | 12:35 PM
#37
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I live in the Alps which is about as hilly as it gets. My commute is 43 miles round trip with a little over 3000 ft of climbing. Like the OP, I'm 43 yrs old and ride a Trek FX (although mine is a 7.7, and it shares commuting duties with my surly crosscheck and cannondale touring bikes). I swapped the rear cassette on the FX to an 11-34 and the RD to a Deore XT, which made a big difference on the days when I'm tired. The hill climbing gets easier, but it takes time. Keep at it.
06-13-12 | 12:49 PM
#38
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Thanks mega...thats' what I thought, but wasn't sure. 500 feet of elevation in 4 miles doesn't really sound all that bad to me, and it sounds like the O.P. is actually climbing it pretty well. If there are parts that are 18%, then there must be flattish parts too, no? I just had a hard time interpreting that graph...thanks.
06-13-12 | 01:33 PM
#39
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I'm a newbie in the forum and also a noob bike commuter. I started to bike commute last year with a newly acquired Trek 7.5 Fx but because this is a snowy area and I also don't have to go to my office everyday, I only bike commute twice a week on average between late spring and early fall. From my house to work, it's all downhill, about 3.5 miles on roads with fantastic pavement. I wish it was longer
My problem is the way back home. I can't take the same route for various reasons (traffic, one-way streets, steep hills, lack of shoulders). Depending on the route I take, it's between 4 and 5 miles. Regardless of the route, I have to deal with long climbs. On top of that, pavement is bad in all routes, which greatly irritates me when I'm crawling up hills inch by inch. Here's how my Strava ride report looks like for one of the return routes. The steepest section is like 18% grade, and about half of the route is in the 5-12% range. On a good day, I can average 10mph coming home; 6mph on bad days especially when wine or beer is involved after work like this evening.
My legs are slowly getting stronger but in many sections the gear is dropped to the lowest (26 front 26 rear) and I'm basically completely spent by the time I finally reach my house. I'm beginning to doubt my ability to continue bike commuting.
Do I simply live in an area with bike-unfriendly topography? Or are my legs/lungs simply too wimpy and they will get stronger over time? I'd like to hear how those of you who have hilly commuting are coping with the challenge. By the way, I'm 43 and overweight.
My problem is the way back home. I can't take the same route for various reasons (traffic, one-way streets, steep hills, lack of shoulders). Depending on the route I take, it's between 4 and 5 miles. Regardless of the route, I have to deal with long climbs. On top of that, pavement is bad in all routes, which greatly irritates me when I'm crawling up hills inch by inch. Here's how my Strava ride report looks like for one of the return routes. The steepest section is like 18% grade, and about half of the route is in the 5-12% range. On a good day, I can average 10mph coming home; 6mph on bad days especially when wine or beer is involved after work like this evening.
My legs are slowly getting stronger but in many sections the gear is dropped to the lowest (26 front 26 rear) and I'm basically completely spent by the time I finally reach my house. I'm beginning to doubt my ability to continue bike commuting.
Do I simply live in an area with bike-unfriendly topography? Or are my legs/lungs simply too wimpy and they will get stronger over time? I'd like to hear how those of you who have hilly commuting are coping with the challenge. By the way, I'm 43 and overweight.
06-13-12 | 01:51 PM
#41
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From: You have really nice furniture
In short, keep at it. You'll get there!
06-13-12 | 01:55 PM
#42
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From: Fort Worth, TX
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yes it is! I would keep at it. You couldn't ask for a better workout for that mileage. Losing weight will make a huge difference and you'll turn into a sexy cycling beast doing that daily (OK sexy and cycling my be an oxymoron, but you get the idea).
06-13-12 | 03:56 PM
#43
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From: Eugene, Oregon
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I don't have a hilly commute but my folks lived at the top of a 1/2 mile measured 18% grade. I don't think I could ride a bike up a grade that steep, so you're already an official bad*ss for being able to accomplish it. *brofist*
Last edited by kookaburra1701; 06-13-12 at 04:04 PM.
06-13-12 | 05:42 PM
#44
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From: Springfield, MA
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SlimRider,
3 pounds a week? That's a calorie deficit of 1,500 per day! Easier said than done, and I keep reading that it's not good to exceed a 1,000 calorie per day deficit (your body can go into starvation mode). Lately I've been losing at about 1 pound per week. I could do 2, but 3 is pretty ambitious.
3 pounds a week? That's a calorie deficit of 1,500 per day! Easier said than done, and I keep reading that it's not good to exceed a 1,000 calorie per day deficit (your body can go into starvation mode). Lately I've been losing at about 1 pound per week. I could do 2, but 3 is pretty ambitious.
Last edited by Spld cyclist; 06-13-12 at 05:46 PM.
06-13-12 | 05:54 PM
#45
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From my house to work, it's all downhill, about 3.5 miles on roads with fantastic pavement
because you will not be getting in trouble with the job, arriving on time.
on the bike going home there is no time-clock to punch .. take the long way..
06-14-12 | 01:14 AM
#46
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Just to clarify, the 18% incline lasts only about two blocks in one of the routes. I've mostly given up on this route because the steep sections are beyond my ability on most days and more importantly the route coincides with heavy car traffic.
I had to dress more properly at work today and there was a forecast for thunderstorms so I drove in. But on my way home I looked for an alternative route...I might have found one! The pavement still sucks in many places but the climb can be broken up into smaller chunks by traversing between hilly streets using flatter streets that run perpendicular to the hill's fall line. I can't wait to try this route on bike
MattFoley, I'm in Spokane and my commute involves South Hill.
I had to dress more properly at work today and there was a forecast for thunderstorms so I drove in. But on my way home I looked for an alternative route...I might have found one! The pavement still sucks in many places but the climb can be broken up into smaller chunks by traversing between hilly streets using flatter streets that run perpendicular to the hill's fall line. I can't wait to try this route on bike
MattFoley, I'm in Spokane and my commute involves South Hill.
06-14-12 | 07:51 AM
#48
On the lam
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From: The Village
Electric pedal assist bike could be an option for the OP, why completely knock oneself out just to get to work? Turn up the power on the badass hills, and down or completely off on the moderate to lighter ones. Cycling to work should be somewhat enjoyable, and not a training prep for the Ironman.
06-14-12 | 08:09 AM
#49
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Just to clarify, the 18% incline lasts only about two blocks in one of the routes. I've mostly given up on this route because the steep sections are beyond my ability on most days and more importantly the route coincides with heavy car traffic.
I had to dress more properly at work today and there was a forecast for thunderstorms so I drove in. But on my way home I looked for an alternative route...I might have found one! The pavement still sucks in many places but the climb can be broken up into smaller chunks by traversing between hilly streets using flatter streets that run perpendicular to the hill's fall line. I can't wait to try this route on bike
MattFoley, I'm in Spokane and my commute involves South Hill.
I had to dress more properly at work today and there was a forecast for thunderstorms so I drove in. But on my way home I looked for an alternative route...I might have found one! The pavement still sucks in many places but the climb can be broken up into smaller chunks by traversing between hilly streets using flatter streets that run perpendicular to the hill's fall line. I can't wait to try this route on bike
MattFoley, I'm in Spokane and my commute involves South Hill.
06-14-12 | 08:37 AM
#50
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From: Sioux Falls, SD
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Borrow someone's fixie for a couple of weeks. After doing your commute on that, switching back to your geared bike will feel like a dream!
jk
jk