Hi everyone,
I need some advise…
I plan to cykle up the mount vounteux in September. It’s Wiki: “South from Bédoin: 1617 m over 21,8 km. This is the most famous and difficult ascent. The road to the summit has an average gradient of 7.43%. Until Saint-Estève, the climb is easy: 3.9% over 5,8 km, but the 16 remaining kilometres have an average gradient of 8.9%. “

I have two bikes and I don’t know which one to pick:
One is a mountain bike hard tail (Cube). The advantage is that I get very low gearing which means that I can use high cadence to scale the mountain. I have done a lot of climbing before with mountain bikes. Disadvantage: Weight and stiffness.

The other one is a bike I just bought for this task, namely a specialized s-works from 2009. Advantage: extreemly light and stiff. Disadvantage: the lowest gear is still comparably heavy compared with my mountain bike and I fear that I will wear out due to this fact. I asked the bike shop if I could change the gearing but he said that I could only add one cog at the back-not really worth it I gather.

I am currently not very fit and should obviuosly train more, but my end goal is to climb the mount vonteux without having to stop.
Which bike should I use?
How big difference is it to climb a large mountain with a mountain bike compared with a high end race bike?

Your advise much appreciated.

Cheers,
Daniel

If you just bought a new bike specifically for this task, what is the point of now asking whether it is suitable?

Ventoux is an iconic climb. Clearly it is climbable on a road bike, because many thousands of amateurs ride up it every year just to be able to say they have done it.

To answer your specific question, if you put slick tyres on the MTB, and the combined weight of you and the MTB is (say) 10% greater than the combined weight of you and the road bike, then the MTB gearing only needs to be >10% lower to give you a mechanical advantage. You'll be slower, but potentially be able to continue for longer without climbing off. You can work out the relative gear ratios for yourself, but in practice the MTB gearing will be much more than 10% lower than that of the road bike.

However, the real issue is your fitness. "Currently not very fit" could mean anything. Do you mean you are a regular rider used to doing long hard climbs but not currently in peak condition, or just a recreational rider who is pretty much starting from scratch as far as training is concerned? If the latter, you have more to worry about than choice of bike.

I'd suggest checking with the bike shop again. Did "adding one cog" mean going from 9 speed to 10 speed or from 10 speed to 11 speed? More to the point, was he talking about adding more gears (which you don't need) or switching to lower gears (which you do need)? There would generally be a possibility of going smaller on the front rings and larger on the rear rings, with possibly a longer derailleur required on the rear.

Thank you for your great answer.
Yes, I felt almost feel a bit stupid asking this question as I sort of knew the answer.
And yes, I don’t really deserve such a nice road bike - I am sure its embarrassed having me riding it.

Anyway, I understand that I will be quicker on the road bike. I have already compared it on a few shorter hill climbs. But the reason I wanted to ask was that I was surprised how big difference it was regarding gearing between the mountain bike and the road bike. I am sure I will make it on a mountain bike without stopping. I sense that it will be harder on the road bike due to the gearing.
All I need to do now is to gain some confidence with the road bike (which is new to me) by training. Preferably on some similar hills here in Switzerland where I live.

Cheers,
D

Last year 19 of us went into the mountains fro two days of climbing with miles of 15% and climbs up to 10K feet. One of he guys who is a good climber brought a hardtail mtb with road wheels and he did great. I used a 30x30 low gear on my road bike and some used 34x34.

What is the low gear on your road bike?

I've ridden up Ventoux twice. It's never incredibly steep, but it's very long. I'd definitely do it on your road bike.

Most folks would want either a compact or a triple for it. A 50/34 front, and 11-28 rear would be adequate if you're in reasonably decent shape.

Find a 10% grade somewhere, and see if you can ride up that in your lowest gear, without an uncomfortably low cadence. If you can, you're set.

If you can't, then you need to get lower gearing, by going to a compact, a triple, or a bigger cassette in the back.

Bigger cassette in the back may require a new rear derailluer. You might be able to borrow your MTB rear derailleur, and then you'd just need a cassette and chain.

What are the specific cog & chainring sizes on your road bike ?

Avoid a mountain bike whenever possible.

This is the key, and it all really depends on you -- how much you weigh, how much power you can put down for an extended period, how comfortable you are at the cadence that your gearing and the climb will dictate. If the gearing on the road bike isn't low enough, take the mountain bike or change the road bike gearing to something adequate. It might be the difference between riding and walking.

I have not ridden Ventoux but I have ridden and raced many similar (or even more difficult) climbs.

Use the road bike. Put appropriate gearing on it. Merlin's suggestion of testing on a 10% grade is good but then you need to remember that you'll be doing a long climb and it'll be at altitude. It's also often windy on Ventoux, and head winds make climbing harder. So you want a lower gear than you find comfortable on a short 10% climb.

I strongly recommend a 50/34 "compact" crank. Since you are inexperienced with big climbs and say that you're not fit, I suggest relatively low gearing, such as a 12-34 cassette. You will need a 9sp MTB derailleur (Shimano) or Apex long cage (Sram) to shift it. A 9sp Shimano derailleur works with their 10sp road shifters.

Practice eating and drinking while climbing. You can't wait until you get to the top.

If you don't learn how to actually spell Ventoux you may never find it. I think it's in France.

I've done similar climbs, although yours is a bit steeper. A road bike was fine for me, but I've been riding a road bike for a while. It sounds like you're coming (very recently) from an MTB background, and just got a road bike for this specific climb. In that case, I'd go on the bike you're used to, with slick tires, as Chasm54 suggested.

What goes up must come down: which bike will you be more comfortable descending on?

True, it goes on a long way, and IIRC, there are a few kilometers that average 9-10% for the km (there are signs each km, counting the km's and giving the average grade for the next km)

The altitude is not too big of a problem, however. Ventoux starts pretty low, and tops out at around 6200, which for me was only touching on the area where I start to notice the altitude at the end.

As for wind, it can be extremely windy, and cold when you get above tree line, so taking at aleast arm warmers and a vest are in order, even if it's hot when you start out.

I rode up Ventoux last month from Bedoin. The steepest sections were about 11-12%, but there were a lot of them and they were long. The other challenge is that it can get extremely windy at the top so even though you're going slowly, the non-aero position on a MTB could be a factor.

I would suggest leaving both bikes at home and renting a road bike instead. Shipping bikes is expensive (~$700 per bike each way) and you'll have to deal with the logistics of dealing with a bike when you're there. You could bring it with you on the plane. That will be cheaper, but the logisticial hassle will be greater.

There's a large LBS in Bedoin and they have a small warehouse of bikes. We ended up renting Madone 4.5s for about 40 euros a day. The best thing is that they come with triples and 11-28 cassettes.

Ventoux is truly epic, but the riding around Alpe d'Huez was far more scenic and inspiring. We rented bikes at the foot of AdH in a town called Bourg d'Oisans.

Daniel, this question/discussion is fairly pointless without knowing what your gearing is on both bikes. MTB vs Road tells nothing about what either will entail for your intended climb. Post up the gearing so people know your ratios and can give more useful answers...

Just went out and counted...
The mountain bike weights 12.5kg and has front 22 back 34 in its lowest gear.
The road bike weights 7.5kg and has front 34 back 27 cogs in its lowest gear.

The reason I am asking is because I have quite a lot of experience climbing the Swiss alps with my mountain bike but virtually none with a road bike.
I suppose a road bike is optimal for almost everything on tarmac, but perhaps not the best option for a VERY long climb where there is a lot of 8-10% gradient. No?

Or perhaps I just need to get in better shape.... :-)

For a great scenic ride in Provence, start in Crillon the Brave. Ride to Bedoin. Climb Ventoux from Bedoin. Descend down the other side to Sault, then return to Crillon the Brave through Gorge de la Nesque.

Different scenary from the Alps, but the combination of bucolic countryside, Ventoux, lvender fields and the Gorge make it one of the most amazing rides I've ever done.

Besides the food is better in Provence.

Definitely use the road bike. The issue is whether you want to put an MTB derailluer on it and run an 11-32 or 11-34. THe 27 may be low enough, just depends on your fitness, and riding style.

Take the mountain bike. The road bike will put you in a different posture, with a lot more weight on the front wheel. If you're not used to this, the descent could be kind of nerve-wracking.

you can get a cassette with a 28 in the rear.

with a 34x28 you could ride up the side of a house.

should you think you need more, go with Merlin's suggestion and use the MTB der and get a 32 or 34.

Corrected

Exactly

A mtn bike with 1.25" slicks is excellent for climbing.
It is on the descents where a road bike is far superior.

hey, similar question here. I'm a Clyde who wants to do Mt. Washington. my two possible setups:

Xootr Swift (20" folding bike) with 24t chainring and 11-32 cassette. 14 gear inches.

spec Roubaix with 24t chainring and 11-36 cassette. 17.4 gear inches.

the folder theoretically has a smaller low gear but for some reason doesn't seem to have the same power transfer as the road bike. not sure which is more important on the final 22% grade. I'm not looking to race, just to finish.

I'm sure most of you would be fine with the standard 30x28, so no need to remind me of that :-)

honestly, if you can't turn over the 24/36, it may be more efficient to forgoe the weight of the bicycle and walk. That works out to 3mph at 60 rpm.