best gear ratio for the famous cat's hill climb?
04-27-08, 07:42 PM
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best gear ratio for the famous cat's hill climb?
best gear ratio for the famous cat's hill climb in los gatos?
Last edited by diko617; 04-28-08 at 03:21 PM. Reason: proper location
04-27-08, 08:12 PM
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I think we'd need to know about the climb (for those of us who don't know it) and more about your fitness. If you can climb it in a 39 x 23, that's the right gear, isn't it?
04-27-08, 08:23 PM
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04-27-08, 08:51 PM
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If it's a short sprint climb, 50x26 should be just fine.
EDIT: I have no idea what this "climb" is. Provide a link? Some of us here may not consider that to be a "climb" at all, mind you.
EDIT: I have no idea what this "climb" is. Provide a link? Some of us here may not consider that to be a "climb" at all, mind you.
04-28-08, 06:25 AM
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There's no correct answer for any climb. Depemds on your legs, how you feel that day, the weather etc etc
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04-28-08, 07:45 AM
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This really is impossible to answer, but I can give you a process to answer it.
1)Find the steepest sustained gradient of the climb. Plug that into Kruezotter with the power you can maintain, and your weight. This will tell you the speed you can hold on that grade.
Then go to Sheldon Brown's gear chart, and figure out what gear gets you to that speed at your desired cadence.
Or, 2) just go ride a similar grade with the gears you plan on using.
1)Find the steepest sustained gradient of the climb. Plug that into Kruezotter with the power you can maintain, and your weight. This will tell you the speed you can hold on that grade.
Then go to Sheldon Brown's gear chart, and figure out what gear gets you to that speed at your desired cadence.
Or, 2) just go ride a similar grade with the gears you plan on using.
04-28-08, 12:55 PM
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I believe it's a 24% grade that goes for a quarter mile or so.
When I was a junior, Stephen Spielman rode away from the field on that hill pounding away at a 42x19. He was atypical though.
I'd say plan on spinning as much as you can to save the legs. Around the fifth or sixth time you go up that hill, it starts to seriously suck. Also, it's a fast frigging race, fairly technical, and the pavement is a mess. Man, I love that race.
If you're running a 12-25 and you're fit, you should have a light enough gear for the hill.
GB
When I was a junior, Stephen Spielman rode away from the field on that hill pounding away at a 42x19. He was atypical though.
I'd say plan on spinning as much as you can to save the legs. Around the fifth or sixth time you go up that hill, it starts to seriously suck. Also, it's a fast frigging race, fairly technical, and the pavement is a mess. Man, I love that race.
If you're running a 12-25 and you're fit, you should have a light enough gear for the hill.
GB
04-28-08, 02:01 PM
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There are several courses of the race posted at Motion Based. Here someone went up the hill twice. The race announcement estimates the grade at 23%.
.
04-28-08, 02:55 PM
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it depends. if you want to go real fast then use one of them big old fancy gears.
if you just want to get up the hill, pedal as hard as you can then hop off and push the rest of the way up.
why do you gotta ask me about this.
if you just want to get up the hill, pedal as hard as you can then hop off and push the rest of the way up.
why do you gotta ask me about this.
