Ben FR

I rode up from Santa Monica to the Grimes/Balcom area today. Climbed Balcom Canyon Road for the first time. Climbed it from the North going south. I had never read about this climb so I had no idea what to expect. Man, that last 1/3 of a mile was brutal! The last 1/3 mile averaged ~20% with some 25% pitches. I was 70 miles into my ride so I wasn't exactly feeling too great, but made it.

Info on Balcom I should have read before my ride:
https://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6...4162-1,00.html

Ride ended up being 127 miles, ~10k ft. Riding time was 7hr25min. Climbed Latigo, Grimes, Balcom, Portero, Decker. Fun....

Here is the one pic I took once I got to the top. Sorry for the image quality. There was sweat all over the lens!

umd

Balcom is a a b!tch, but in some ways I think Potrero is worse. Balcom is steeper but the steep part is short, Potrero is still steep and it's steep for much longer. I've never done both in the same ride though, I usually take one or the other to get into the Conejo Valley from Santa Barbara.

Biker395 

Balcom is a nasty climb. It's a wall that just goes up and up.

Which is worse? I think Potrero is a nastier climb. It's not quite as steep, but the steeper section is longer, and the road is narrow and has significantly more traffic. Balcom is very wide a the steepest part.

For me, the hardest of the climbs is Deer. Not as steep as either Balcom or Potrero, but it's 13-16% with no relief whatsoever from the bottom to the top.

My back hurts just thinking about it.

WhiteCarbonDude

Yes Balcom is a B!tch!, especially 125 miles into the Mulholland double. I think Decker is harder after 158 miles and 13k+feet in your legs.