When someone describes a course and says it has a "false flat". What exactly does that mean? something that looks flat to the eye but is actually slightly uphill or downhill at 1-2% or whatever?

That, or a flat(ish) section of road between two steeper sections of the same hill.

Personally, I would only use the term false flat to describe a road that was slightly up hill, therefore making it surprisingly difficult to ride up than if it were perfectly flat and therefore (again) making you slower as a result. If it were slightly downhill, I would just call it a pain old flat, and marvel at how fast I'm able to make myself go on the flats... note, if I ever post anything like, "I was crusing along at about 22 mph average on the flats", it probably means I was going down hill

yeah, basically it's those 1-2% grades. it's really hard to determine from street level but just glance over at a building or a row of parked cars and you should be able to see if it's really flat or not.

that's what i always thought! we have a couple.. they LOOK flat to the eye.. but ya.... my edge shows them with a 1 or 2 percent grade! evil things, they are!

yeah - I go on some of these things and feel like an absolute slug

A "false flat" is when you're slower than you think you ought to be and you've already offered up as excuses (1) under-inflated tires, (2) a sticky brake caliper, (3) a slight headwind, and (4) poor sleep/nutrition/work stress/etc. What you're left with, dismissing these other causes of slowness, is an obvious "false flat."

There were at least three different times on my Blue Ridge Parkway ride last weekend where I was struggling to ride along on what appeared to be flat ground only to look down in frustration to see that the Garmin was reporting the sustained grade to be anywhere from 3% to 5%!! It was an amazing optical illusion.

--Steve

When you look around and cannot understand why you're only going 16mph at 300 watts.

^ or roughly 19mph at 400W

A false flat is any road that looks flat when it isn't. Ride in the desert and you'll find that sometimes even 4% grades look like they're flat.

nevermind..... not everyone is a big, bad racer like you.....

A false flat is an optical illusion when your eyes tell you that you're on level ground (or even going slightly downhill), but your legs protest that this isn't the case. Of course, in of itself, it could just mean that you're tired. But if you turn around and suddenly find yourself flying along, and it's not because of strong winds, then it's a false flat. (You don't have to actually turn around to make it a false flat, of course.)

or if your computer (edge or 720) tell you that you are indeed going UP in elevation!)

That could also be a low pressure system and ensuing bad weather moving in.

I actually do the opposite. If I can convince myself that a "false flat" is actually flat, I will find myself pushing a little faster, thus increasing my average speed. But yes, I can see how you might be disappointed with a lower speed when you think you're on a flat.

Um, ok.... Trying to join me in the jackass club? We're taking applications, and yours looks like it's guaranteed for acceptance. Please keep the ad hominems directed to me in the appropriate thread or PM them to me, if you must sling your barbs. Thanks.

Mission accomplished. You got your chance to use that smiley!

I feel like there's one of these on a stretch of mup that is about 1.1 miles long, from 75th to 86th street. When I used to commute that way I called it "the hardest longest mile".

Zombie thread; 6 yrs old.

+1

Whoops.

On my Kancamagus ride recently there was one section where I thought I was gassed (cause I was on the flat and having a hard time) but on looking at my Garmin realizing I was on a 2-4 % section. There were no visual clues that you were on a hill.