5 to 6% grade... tough going for most?

[stormer94]

I finally did some calculating on some small local hills. I figure the way I suffered, they must be 20% grade maybe even 50% !!!!.......................

Well (I.. uh.. er, found out they are not that big), the longest of them is right on the money 5.6%

Is that a pitiful hill for rookies, or is that a pretty dang good workout? Cause I gotta tell you, I suffer up that baby at 158-165hr 75-80 cadence and about 10 mph in the ole' 39-23. Gonna try a 39-27 tomorrow.

You know what they say, "misery loves company". ...heheh...

 

[darnok]

I finally did some calculating on some small local hills. I figure the way I suffered, they must be 20% grade maybe even 50% !!!!.......................

Well (I.. uh.. er, found out they are not that big), the longest of them is right on the money 5.6%

Is that a pitiful hill for rookies, or is that a pretty dang good workout? Cause I gotta tell you, I suffer up that baby at 158-165hr 75-80 cadence and about 10 mph in the ole' 39-23. Gonna try a 39-27 tomorrow.

You know what they say, "misery loves company". ...heheh...

5-6% is not too difficult, however I've wondered about some %% quoted in the forums. 13% is about the maximum I can do with my road bike and only for a short distance.

 

[Rompinrhino]

I find the most difficult hills are arround 5%. The long sloping ones really take me down, but once it turns skyward, I'm a champ. On a club ride recently we do this 8 mile hill. It is a Cat 2 climb. The first 4 miles are a long 5% slope. I got droped by the group and ended up a mile back. After 4 miles, the climb jumps up to like 9-12% At that point, a mile back, I started to make up time, and in the remaining 4 miles, I passed everybody in the group, and was in a sprint finish with 1 guy at the top. This happens every time we do this ride. I really wish I could become better at those sloping ones cause it puts me in a lot of pain.

 

[tanggoman]

I have tried a 22% grade and let me tell you it is a religous experience!!! I also live near a hill and its an 11mi climb (~4000 ft summit) with an average grade of 6% and the most fun part is that on those 11miles, there is NO level surface for your heart to take a break, its all uphill!!! Good workout!!!

 

[Carrera]

I still won't forget to take my camera out and upload you all a pic of my own training hill. It is truly a sight to behold. My ambition is to get all the way up but not to find myself lying on the floor at the top as has happened before.
From the moment the climb begins every revolution of the pedals demands maximum effort to keep the bike in motion. Breathlessness starts to creep in after a few minutes of this effort. Gasping sets in at the completion of the first stage where there is a merciful drop in the gradient for a few minutes. All hell breaks loose when this lighter stretch ends and the steepest stage is encountered. This final part is where panic sets in and an overwhelming urge to quit.
Lance Armstrong says this kind of experience builds character and I guess I can see what he's driving at.

I finally did some calculating on some small local hills. I figure the way I suffered, they must be 20% grade maybe even 50% !!!!.......................

Well (I.. uh.. er, found out they are not that big), the longest of them is right on the money 5.6%

Is that a pitiful hill for rookies, or is that a pretty dang good workout? Cause I gotta tell you, I suffer up that baby at 158-165hr 75-80 cadence and about 10 mph in the ole' 39-23. Gonna try a 39-27 tomorrow.

You know what they say, "misery loves company". ...heheh...

 

[stormer94]

<----(wimp)....

 

[Aztec]

That's a nice grade for a long climb. Of course, your description of intensity isn't clear because we don't know your max heart rate. That climb, at that speed, would put my HR well above yours, but my max is 196.

I have a 16%+ grade leading up to my driveway (nice way to finish...), and I can tell you that's nasty, even in a 26T rear.

Carrera, you are losing credibility about this supposed monster climb. It had better be miles of 20% grade!

 

[tmctguer]

i have a number of 5% - 8% grade hills from 1 mile to 1.6 miles in length. they all hurt when climbing them. i attempt to maintain 315 watts with a cadence of 70 - 80 in my small front chain ring & 25 in the rear. i'm thinking about going from a 12/25 in the rear to a 13/26 to see if i can get more cadence up the really steep ones. my speed varies from 8 MPH to 12 MPH.

there are a few short but very steep hills that i climb that make me turn 55 RPM and 340 - 370 watts. i'm only doing 7 MPH up these. thank god they are short.

 

[stormer94]

i have a number of 5% - 8% grade hills from 1 mile to 1.6 miles in length. they all hurt when climbing them. i attempt to maintain 315 watts with a cadence of 70 - 80 in my small front chain ring & 25 in the rear. i'm thinking about going from a 12/25 in the rear to a 13/26 to see if i can get more cadence up the really steep ones. my speed varies from 8 MPH to 12 MPH.

there are a few short but very steep hills that i climb that make me turn 55 RPM and 340 - 370 watts. i'm only doing 7 MPH up these. thank god they are short.

tmctguer, while riding, how'd you get the watts numbers? Powertap?

I went from a 11-23 in the rear and today tested a 12-27 on my favorite steep hill. Wasn't a good test because I had a 20+mph blowing straight down the dang road today, Still, instead of climbing and wheezing out the top at 160-165+, I rolled out at 157 today, albeit about 12-15 seconds slower than yesterday, but I can't get a good comparison because of the wind. I'd be willing to bet I would have been faster with less suffering.

Obviously the real goal would be to be strong enough to pull the 23 instead of having to go to the 27. But hey, the tour guys will use a 27 on some of that nasty ****.

 

[tanggoman]

...Obviously the real goal would be to be strong enough to pull the 23 instead of having to go to the 27. But hey, the tour guys will use a 27 on some of that nasty ****.

Its what you call energy conservation, making sure you still have enough left to finish up the climb.

 

[tmctguer]

stomer94: i use a polar power system.

 

[stormer94]

stomer94: i use a polar power system.

I've got the rest of the polar stuff, I can't help but think that chain tension is a bizzare way to track power... You've had good luck though?

Be a dang site easier to go the polar power route than power tap. Cheaper too.

 

[tmctguer]

i went the polar route for that very reason.........least cost & best fit into my existing monitoring system. i have had good luck with mine (see my posts on this topic).

 

[Aztec]

It doesn't matter what gears you use -- you still need to generate a certain amount of power to get up the hill. Of course a lower gear will make it 'easier' but you'll need a faster cadence to get the same speed, hence the same power output. Now, you may find that a cadence of 80 is less tiring than a cadence of 60, and that's where the lower gears come in.

Me? I dig the 26T and 27T I have on my 2 bikes, and only very rarely miss the 29T I had before (and put on my wife's ride).

 

[steve]

It doesn't matter what gears you use -- you still need to generate a certain amount of power to get up the hill. Of course a lower gear will make it 'easier' but you'll need a faster cadence to get the same speed, hence the same power output. Now, you may find that a cadence of 80 is less tiring than a cadence of 60, and that's where the lower gears come in.

Me? I dig the 26T and 27T I have on my 2 bikes, and only very rarely miss the 29T I had before (and put on my wife's ride).

Plus a lower gear is better for the knee's

 

[velomanct]

5-6% is not bad if the climb is short. most hills around me are less than a mile, but some are up to 22%. luckily i can sprint up that one.
the hardest climb in my area is 2km at an average of 11%, some sections are 18%.
that is considered a mountain in my area.