spingineer

Being from So Cal, I had a double, so it wasn't completely geared up for hills around the Bay Area. However, once the club rode out to Quimby, I finally had to get off my bike, and walk it. That was so demoralizing. Now, I am not ashamed to walk my bike ... no pride broken now.

So I thought I would start a list of climbs that would warrant a triple. If anyone has more, feel free to contribute:

- Quimby
- Joaquim
- Swett Rd.
- Summit Springs Rd.
- Crestview Rd.
- Hicks
- Redwood Gulch

I'm sure there are more ...

t4mv

Bohlman Road/On Orbit
Metcalf Road
Upper parking lot of Mt Diablo

Edit: I don't know about you, but, legs-o-jello make any incline a triple in my book.

spingineer

Maybe I should have called this thread legs-o-jello.

Never done Bohlman/On Orbit. But I've heard of it.

Oh, one more to add to this ...

Welsh Creek

law_in_motion

i haven't done it personally, but a friend of mine tells me there's a stretch of centennial road in berkeley leading up to the lawrence hall of science that might merit being on this list.

scottmorrison99

Mix Canyon

Dchiefransom

Kilkare in Sunol.
Harder in Hayward going up to Cal State East Bay.

jonathanb715

Going up to Calaveras Reservoir from Milpitas.
Tunitas Creek.

+1 on Mt. Diablo

Swampy1970

It all depends on your fitness... or lack thereof and the effect of midlife ballast around the waistline. Increase the first and decrease the second and two rings will be more than enough.

uspspro

There are lots of small street segments that make me glad I have a triple.

Here's one at random. Anyone ever try Ascension Drive from Polhemus up towords CSM?

spingineer

Can't say that I have ... another one, although not as intense as some of the other ones ... Lakeview Dr, coming from Edgewood

blueskytheory

I rode up South Park Dr. in Berkeley (around 10-11% grade for a mile I think) a week ago and can't imagine doing it in a double. I foresee a distant day where its possible, but in the extremely LONG transitional period between now and then, I'll be happily using my triple. The whole line of argument that you just "shouldn't take on a hill until you can do it in a double" would suck the life out of cycling for me, since almost every long route in the bay area involves some significant section of climbing.

Personally, anything greater than 7-8% = automatic triple, unless its a very short climb... then I'll just stand.

spingineer

Personally, I don't think riding a triple makes you any less of a cyclist. I like my knees, thank you very much.

uspspro

Heh, especially when you have a triple and a 11-23 cassette, it's a good combo with the triple.

cantdrv55

Shoot, 11-23 cog w/triple isn't enough for me. I'm looking at a triple and 12-34 cog with a wider RD. I like my knees too.

uspspro

yeah. I got myself a new (need a new one anyway) Ultegra 12-25 Cassette

I probably wont need the 30/25 too much, but still more useful than the 53/11

I am mainly switching to get the 39/25 so I won't use the small front ring as often.

t4mv

+1 The nice thing about a triple is that you can stick a corncob back there, which you can't do w/ a (compact) double.

So, that said, why don't you just run a compact double, Ron? Depending on the large cog on the back, you could get just about as low a gear as a triple.

spingineer

I think everyone was missing my point. I guess I should have titled this thread "the steepest, gut wrenching climbs you could find"!

t4mv

No, we just got derailed by the technical aspects on our way to the "the steepest, gut wrenching climbs you could find" Hey, this is the Silicon Valley...if there's a perceived problem, 'guaranteed someone's ready with a solution.

Red Rider

Me, too.

I like visiting Granny every now & then.

dauphin

You haven't been up a hill until you've gone up Iowa Hill Rd out of Colfax...

CJ_Clyde

Mines Road south of Livermore. Miles 5-10 make the following 15 miles uphill feel like you're going downhill...

bigbossman 

+1

The tired old advice that you should struggle with a double so you will improve is bunk. Believe it or not, some of us are as good at climbing as we're ever gonna be. Triple's are a Good Thing. I don't use mine much, but it would be foolish for me not to have one. With it, I can go anywhere I want. Without it, I have to be more choosy about my routes. There was a time when I could mash 42/27 up Palomares, but that time is past. Like spingineer says - "I like my knees, thank you very much".

And about compacts being almost the same as triples - "almost" does not equal "the same", and that difference is why I'll always have a triple, at least around here in the Diablo Valley.

Currently, I ride a triple with a 12/27. I just built a Campy equipped bike that has a triple and a 13/29. I Like It.

bigbossman 

or Del Puerto Canyon out of Patterson, or Wildrose Summit over by Mono Lake, or Heartbreak Hill out of Lockwood Valley, or........

platypus

This is my "low gears" setup. I have a 30-40-50 triple and a 13/29 in the back. I can go up almost anything, but you go up it awfully slowly.

Bostic

There are a lot of steep hills that I used to ride in San Francisco. Now that I have a bike again I'm going to start hitting them up on Saturday when I'm usually there. The six hills on Divisadero from Lombardo up to Broadway. Dalewood by the Mt. Davidson Cross. From Parnassus and Clayton up Twin Peaks Blvd to the top. If you want disobey the law, 22nd street from Church is one way going down. I used to have to use a triple on the mountain bike to not pop a wheelie from the incline.

I bought my bike used and the 9 speed 12-25 was quite worn so I replaced it with a 12-23. After getting discouraged from 39/23 kicking my butt up some hills (Moody Road) I tried a 12-27 but found I was getting more spent spinning the 39/24 & 39/27 than 39/21 & 39/23.