View Poll Results: What Terrain do You Prefer?
Flat
24
25.26%
Hilly (rolling)
59
62.11%
Mountainous
19
20.00%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 95. You may not vote on this poll
Poll: Your Terrain Preference
02-10-15, 04:31 PM
#1
Seat Sniffer
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Poll: Your Terrain Preference
On another thread, the subject came up as to whether we prefer riding in flat or hilly terrain. So I'm curious ... as a group, what do we prefer?
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02-10-15, 05:40 PM
#3
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While I like a few rolling hills in the early stages of a ride, I really like a gentle downhill slope with the wind at my back for the latter stages. Hey, I'm just trying to be honest. ;-)
Ride On!
-Spoke
Ride On!
-Spoke
02-10-15, 07:22 PM
#7
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Poll:Your Terrain Preference
That's the reality of cycling, to me known as the concept of The Road. You may be able to pick your destination, but once you do, you have to travel, within certain choices, on the roads that are, and deal with what is. That’s particularly true for commuters, whose choices are further limited by destination and starting point.
FYA, I started a thread on the Commuting Forum, ”Describe Your Commute” on a template, and one of the Items is “Hills.” Few examples:
FYA, I started a thread on the Commuting Forum, ”Describe Your Commute” on a template, and one of the Items is “Hills.” Few examples:
Route: Reverse commute from downtown on four different routes of a minimal distance of 14 miles, each defined by a different hill; can expand to about 30 miles to train
Environment: In order of hill difficulty: Gritty urban, pleasant suburban, pleasant urban, ritzy suburban
Hills: One moderate hill on each route, then smaller hills; estimate only about 1-2 miles flat...
Route::….7 miles, hilly, 2 to 6 lane arterials, 1/3 bike lane the rest VC, short section of single track abandoned road.
Hills:…nothing but
I go-pro'd it the other day, and posted high speed version of it on youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CLSyQLrxJI
Hills: If I go through a scary tunnel, minimal hills. If I avoid the tunnel (which normally I do), there's a 1 mile 4% climb, and then a nice steep quarter mile hill (maybe 12% at the steepest) up to the building I work in, no matter which way I go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CLSyQLrxJI
Hills: If I go through a scary tunnel, minimal hills. If I avoid the tunnel (which normally I do), there's a 1 mile 4% climb, and then a nice steep quarter mile hill (maybe 12% at the steepest) up to the building I work in, no matter which way I go.
02-10-15, 07:26 PM
#8
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Flat is okay with a tailwind, but I hate flat roads into the wind. I like rolling hills but that's the terrain I have, so I could be biased.
02-10-15, 07:58 PM
#9
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Central IN is generally flat, so I was very recently excited to figure out a ten mile loop from home that includes three short but steepish hills.
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02-10-15, 08:19 PM
#10
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All of the above, but if I have to choose one, rolling hills. Mountainous would be a fairly close second with flat way behind in last place. No climbing means no coasting and that's not my idea of fun.
02-10-15, 08:26 PM
#11
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^^^ +1 what BD said.
02-11-15, 01:14 AM
#12
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After twenty years in the Central Valley, where we had to ride a century just to get a few hills in, I feel I've done enough flat stuff for several lifetimes. Give me mountains and hills and I'm a happy cyclist.
02-11-15, 06:04 AM
#13
a77impala
Last edited by a77impala; 02-11-15 at 06:08 AM. Reason: add photo
02-11-15, 06:06 AM
#14
Beicwyr Hapus
Any ride has to have a mix. I live on the coast so there's plenty of flat riding on coastal routes, which I love, but the hills start near the coast so most inland rides have a fair amount of climbing and some lovely scenery, and nearly all local MTB rides are hilly.
I don't mind hills, and ride a lot in the Brecon Beacons including one called 7 mile pitch for obvious reasons, but definitely don't love them! I'm not a great climber though and doubt whether I'd be able to do the huge amount of climbing some of the guys on this forum take in their stride, at least not without more than doubling my annual miles and including a lot of hills as part of that increased mileage.
At the moment I'm injured following ruptured quadricep tendons and am unlikely to get on a bike outdoors for another 4-5 months, but what's worrying me is the way in which my right quadricep is visibly shrinking post-op due to the brace and inactivity. Even when back on the bike I think I'll be staying away from hills for a while due to the need to build my leg strength back up and to avoid the potential of a re-injury.
I don't mind hills, and ride a lot in the Brecon Beacons including one called 7 mile pitch for obvious reasons, but definitely don't love them! I'm not a great climber though and doubt whether I'd be able to do the huge amount of climbing some of the guys on this forum take in their stride, at least not without more than doubling my annual miles and including a lot of hills as part of that increased mileage.
At the moment I'm injured following ruptured quadricep tendons and am unlikely to get on a bike outdoors for another 4-5 months, but what's worrying me is the way in which my right quadricep is visibly shrinking post-op due to the brace and inactivity. Even when back on the bike I think I'll be staying away from hills for a while due to the need to build my leg strength back up and to avoid the potential of a re-injury.
Last edited by Gerryattrick; 02-11-15 at 10:53 AM.
02-11-15, 06:55 AM
#15
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My terrain preference is good asphalt, not concrete, not chipseal, but good asphalt. Up here where I work, it's hilly. At the permanent residence, it's flat. As longs as there's good asphalt, I can handle it.
02-11-15, 07:09 AM
#16
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Despite living on the Central Gulf Coast, there are plenty of rollers to ride, as you move inland, to the north of the county (Escambia County, Florida.) Its pretty flat right on the coast, you can lay a marble down, and unless the on-shore winds come along, it won't move. Up county it starts the rolling part that is fun to ride along. Put several together and you don't get enough momentum to just ease up the next, you end up working a bit.
I'd like to live further north, into Alabama, or Georgia, where the foot hills start to make things honest. The Georgia Piedmont is where we can go and get a fix, ask Blues Dawg about them.
Bill
I'd like to live further north, into Alabama, or Georgia, where the foot hills start to make things honest. The Georgia Piedmont is where we can go and get a fix, ask Blues Dawg about them.
Bill
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02-11-15, 07:15 AM
#17
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Jacksonville, FL doesn't offer much in the way of hills, particularly near the beach, so my riding is pretty much all flat. I do prefer pavement or hard packed gravel or dirt. I used to be big into off-road riding, singletrack and the like, but as I've gotten older, I'm gravitating more to long stretches of asphalt.
02-11-15, 08:24 AM
#19
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I enjoy riding the hills. Rather than a terrain preference, I very much prefer tailwinds....
02-11-15, 09:58 AM
#20
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Too bad I could not pick all three. There are times I like each one. In north and west Phoenix there are long gradual climbs, and flat routes. Not much hilly. We do have mountain riding around Prescott, Flagstaff, Tuscon, and in the White Mtns in eastern AZ. None of those are too much like the Sierras in CA or the Rockies in CO though.
02-11-15, 10:41 AM
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02-11-15, 11:35 AM
#22
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02-11-15, 11:55 AM
#23
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I enjoy a mix, although truth be told I could do without the 10%+ grades. Flat is great for speed runs, but tends to be boring, while too hilly leaves me slogging up hills forever - which is also boring but in a different way. So I guess my vote would be "hilly." To me, that would be somewhere between 1500 ft/century and 4500 ft/century. Less than that is pretty darned flat, and more than that starts being "very" hilly instead of "rolling."
02-11-15, 12:35 PM
#24
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Vic (Biker395),
You already know I love the mountains but I answered your poll anyway!
Rick / OCRR
You already know I love the mountains but I answered your poll anyway!
Rick / OCRR
02-11-15, 12:58 PM
#25
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All three so no vote.
Leave the house and go North to the San Gabriel Mountains.
Go West to the San Gabriel river trail and a hundred miles of flat round trip.
Go south east to the Whittier Hills and rollers on wide roads with good bike lanes.
Leave the house and go North to the San Gabriel Mountains.
Go West to the San Gabriel river trail and a hundred miles of flat round trip.
Go south east to the Whittier Hills and rollers on wide roads with good bike lanes.