Best climbing bikes?
 

What bikes out there are known to be great climbing bikes?

Try the ones with two wheels. Get one with an engine and you will have no problem getting up hills/mountains.

Colnago Extreme C, Cervelo R3-SL, Scott Addict.

The one under my butt.

If there was truly a great climbing bike, it would morph into a terrible climbing bike the moment I sit upon it.

...light bikes, with skinny people pushing the pedals.

One that fits, and is a hair under 15 lbs.

fixed

However AC is not that skinny, not Rasmussen or Pantani like but oh man he can climb!

140lbs and 5'9.5" is pretty skinny

RBA had a profile of a custom made climbing bike that weighed some ridiculous weight like 9 pounds, was in their magazine last year. I will look for the URL if I can find it and make an addendum.

Thanks for some of the serious replies as well as the humour!

I am curious because I find I can climb way better on my older Litespeed Ghisallo (which is very light at just over 14 lbs) versus my Tarmac (heavier at just under 17 lbs). Obviously lighter weight helps, but I'd like to understand what other factors are at play - geometry, etc.

The engine is being worked on very hard this season! :)

In high school (the peak of my cycling career) I was 5'10" at 120 lb. I couldn't climb worth beans back then either.

Short wheelbase and light.

I put a lightweight single-speed drivetrain on one of them Ebay carbon bikes, cost me about 700 bucks and climbs like an elevator.

Stiff frame to put the power down without wasting it flexing stuff....light wheels for low rolling resistance.
Oh and if anyone has ever read "The Rider" you know that on climbs you have to put your bottles in your jersey to make the bike lighter...
Riff, I think I'm doing the Grand prix of Gatineau this Saturday (speaking of climbing) and there is a 5km climb per lap (21km per lap, total 105 for my group). You going?

Thats great if you live in an Escher drawing.

:roflmao2:

Darn - I had forgotten about the water bottles!

Lucky you - I sure miss Montreal! Hope to be back in the Laurentians in August though!

Re some of the other comments: short wheelbase = very responsive handling as well?

I thought I was supposed to throw them in the bushes.

I too am vertically challenged... and live in the mountains! 185lbs. (lean) just does not go up fast. So I ride a bike that fits great, is comfortable, fast, and durable. Right at 16lbs.

i spit on the side of the road to drop weight and tape up vent holes in my helmet for aero

Don't forget low rolling resistance tires. Wind resistance is minimal at climbing speeds, so rolling resistance becomes more important.

http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/rolres.html

Cervelo r3

Short wheelbase!!!??? For what? An uphill criterium?

The wheelbase needs to be such that the bike has the right weight distribution when climbing in or out of the saddle -- front end stays planted while in the saddle, back wheel maintains traction while out of the saddle. Might be short, might be long.

The weight of the bike doesn't matter at all, unless you are about 4% body fat.

If the bike fits you it is fine.

The best climbing bike I have, my "pass hunter" if you will, is 21 pounds.

When I am 4% body fat I will worry about the weight of the bike.