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When do you tap out on climbing gradient?

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#41 ·
I don’t recall I said anything like that.
And no I’m not one of those people, but after years of having been an elite rider and giving clinics I just wondered how many guys try (or not) to improve their performance.
Nothing more nothing less.
 
#42 ·
MSU Alum said:
I do. The usual method from the PC side was to go up "Powerline" to the base of Jupiter lift and then go up the access road. I haven't been up the route you describe (but I have hiked it with my family many years ago). Routing options have definitely changed for the better! Sweeny's-John's to "The Steps" to the Yurt (Man I still hate The Steps) then the road to Keystone over to Jupiter and up was another joyful route.
I have, on several occasions, gone up Rob's-Collins MM up to Murdock and then up to the Crest and rode it towards Puke (so backwards).
I've been out of action medically, but my meds have caused me to lose about 15 pounds, so it's probably time to try Puke again!
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Man I need to explore the trails you describe - big pedals. You are correct, so many options now days.

Hope you get back out there. It is currently hero dirt btw :) - PRd Armstrong to Spiro/Seldom Seen yesterday. And I was out medically too for a thumb injury, so the dirt is fast
 
#43 ·
Noob1999 said:
I don’t recall I said anything like that.
And no I’m not one of those people, but after years of having been an elite rider and giving clinics I just wondered how many guys try (or not) to improve their performance.
Nothing more nothing less.
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I'm sure we have every kind here. As a side note, you may be interested in the Nutrition/Hydration/Fitness sub
 
#44 · (Edited)
plummet said:
At the risk of being called a pedant 15° = 16.6666666% gradient.
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At the risk of calling others innumerate 15° = 26.8% gradient.


For me max gradient comes in 3 flavors:

Sustained non-technical climbs: something around 15-18% is where I eventually die, but can hold out for 10 minutes+.

Short anaerobic climbs: there are few 25-30% pitches around here of maybe 100-200 feet that I can usually make, but I'm right at my limit.

Technical climbs: much shallower - maybe 10%. Throw some baby heads and miscellaneous chunk into even a moderate climb and I run out of gas fast.
 
#45 ·
lefthanded said:
And e-bikers often spread the myth that cyclists would be envying them for the motor.

Great example here that it is the e-biker comparing their "performance" of their machine to the performance of humans. Not the other way round as often narrated.

If it makes you feel better plummet, you do outperform me on my bicycle with your motor in every aspect - until we need to carry the bikes though :)
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On an e-bike I love tackling stupidly steep/impossible to climbs to see if it can be done. It is such an interesting technical/physical challenge.
 
#46 ·
C Smasher said:
Man I need to explore the trails you describe - big pedals. You are correct, so many options now days.

Hope you get back out there. It is currently hero dirt btw :) - PRd Armstrong to Spiro/Seldom Seen yesterday. And I was out medically too for a thumb injury, so the dirt is fast
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Thanks. Yeah, this rain has really helped. Hopefully this weekend!
 
#47 ·
Wabatuckian said:
This thread has taught me two things:

1. I'm a wuss.
2. I'll need a lower granny gear before trying any serious climbs.

😆
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Eh, its not being a wuss.

Its more like, it depends on what the local terrain is. If all you have is steep hills, eventually it becomes "normal".

Noob1999 said:
Makes me wonder how many of you do H.I.I.T?
(For those not familiar with the abbreviation, it stands for high intensity interval training)
It will for sure make you a better climber.
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Broadly speaking, I try to do polarized training, which I think incorporates much of the principals of H.I.I.T on the intervals.

(for those that aren't familiar, Polarized training basically means do ~80% of your riding time really easy, and the other 20% really hard. The 80% builds your cardio base, while the 20% builds your muscular strength. And so training plans that use it generally feature some intervals at near max/max/above max efforts for 3-5min at a time, while the rest of the ride is "pretty chill").
 
#49 ·
no idea the exact gradient % but once im down to 1st.. and feel like my heart is about to pop out of my chest i let off.. if things dont get more normal in a minute or two at that effort.. i walk.. very few climbs here are that that steep for that long.. but one that got me walking at the steeper pitches is 22% according to the roadsign ;) theres a couple loops i do that dont have a sign for the %.. i walk also.. i keep trying to get further up each time i attempt thru a summer.. this summer so far.. im 0 for 3
 
#50 ·
LMN said:
On an e-bike I love tackling stupidly steep/impossible to climbs to see if it can be done. It is such an interesting technical/physical challenge.
Click to expand...
+1. One of my hardest rides ever was on a 2300’ climb (in 2 miles) via an ebike. All very technical climbing as well. It is easier to push a normal bike up that route, but great fun to try to clean it all on an E. I had to stop several times because I was about to black out.
 
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#51 ·
ocnLogan said:
Eh, its not being a wuss.

Its more like, it depends on what the local terrain is. If all you have is steep hills, eventually it becomes "normal".



Broadly speaking, I try to do polarized training, which I think incorporates much of the principals of H.I.I.T on the intervals.

(for those that aren't familiar, Polarized training basically means do ~80% of your riding time really easy, and the other 20% really hard. The 80% builds your cardio base, while the 20% builds your muscular strength. And so training plans that use it generally feature some intervals at near max/max/above max efforts for 3-5min at a time, while the rest of the ride is "pretty chill").
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Excellent training, but it’s crucial to know your HR zones. (And in a lesser way your FTP)
Using a HR monitor is mandatory and a powermeter would be welcome too, but it’s less important since your HR is the key factor.
It’s safer to do so and you”ll achieve the optimal results using a HR monitor.
HIIT is when done properly very good for your heart, resting HR, bloodpressure, poweroutput aso, but it MUST be done in a proper way otherwise it can be really dangerous, even lethal.
Personally I’m a fan of Gallaghers method, I do that two times a week for an hour indoor on my Fitbike.

A good read on the subject

www.redbull.com

Interval training sessions for cyclists

Use these sessions to bolster your cycling fitness or prepare for your next long-distance sportive.
www.redbull.com www.redbull.com
 
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#52 ·
Marty01 said:
no idea the exact gradient % but once im down to 1st.. and feel like my heart is about to pop out of my chest i let off.. if things dont get more normal in a minute or two at that effort.. i walk.. very few climbs here are that that steep for that long.. but one that got me walking at the steeper pitches is 22% according to the roadsign ;) theres a couple loops i do that dont have a sign for the %.. i walk also.. i keep trying to get further up each time i attempt thru a summer.. this summer so far.. im 0 for 3
Click to expand...
Good mindset! Have fun 👍
 
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Discussion starter · #53 ·
cookieMonster said:
+1. One of my hardest rides ever was on a 2300’ climb (in 2 miles) via an ebike. All very technical climbing as well. It is easier to push a normal bike up that route, but great fun to try to clean it all on an E. I had to stop several times because I was about to black out.
Click to expand...
+2 on that. I climb shjt on the ebike until it loops out infront of me. Hilarious as fark. I've got one climb that is balls to the wall to get up. As you say its near black out territory. I'd like to take the e haters on one of those rides and laugh heartily at them as they tap out....
 
#54 ·
Noob1999 said:
Excellent training, but it’s crucial to know your HR zones. (And in a lesser way your FTP)
Using a HR monitor is mandatory and a powermeter would be welcome too, but it’s less important since your HR is the key factor.
It’s safer to do so and you”ll achieve the optimal results using a HR monitor.
HIIT is when done properly very good for your heart, resting HR, bloodpressure, poweroutput aso, but it MUST be done in a proper way otherwise it can be really dangerous, even lethal.
Personally I’m a fan of Gallaghers method, I do that two times a week for an hour indoor on my Fitbike.

A good read on the subject

www.redbull.com

Interval training sessions for cyclists

Use these sessions to bolster your cycling fitness or prepare for your next long-distance sportive.
www.redbull.com www.redbull.com
Click to expand...
Yep. I'm using a smart trainer with power meter and HR monitor for almost all of my "training". When outdoors I just have my GPS watch, which does have HR on it, but no power/etc, and I really only look at the HR to see about how close to redline I am :).

I built a lot of my training methods around stuff I learned watching Dylan Johnson (Marathon XC rider/Gravel rider, competing in the 100 mile races) youtube videos on the subject (which also spurred more research on my part).

What Polarized training is.

A few interval types:

Sorry, fellow sort of training nerd here :D (although, really just looking to stay away from the "jabba the hutt" dadbod, as I don't race).
 
#55 ·
noapathy said:
This thread got me curious. We have one very short "trail" that runs along the power lines. It starts out in the 20-25% range, mellows out to 5-15% and then turns steep again and peaks at 33% near the end just when I'm about sapped. I'm not usually in the top 10 on anything popular, so pretty much ignore that. It's usually not mowed and there's a pretty deep rut running through it so not a lot of people ride it. For longer steep stuff I don't mind walking.
View attachment 2109241
This was on a Trance 27.5 with 11spd 32/11-46.
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Wait it’s literally a trail called “where I meet your mom”?
 
#56 ·
nwberm said:
Wait it’s literally a trail called “where I meet your mom”?
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That's just the Strava segment name. 🤣 It's not technically a trail on any map, but just maintained for access to the powerlines. Locals call it "Cow's Face" after one guy said it looked like one...no idea why. 🐮
 
#58 ·
LMN said:
On an e-bike I love tackling stupidly steep/impossible to climbs to see if it can be done. It is such an interesting technical/physical challenge.
Click to expand...
Is this becoming a moto trial forum now?
 
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#59 ·
Noob1999 said:
Good mindset! Have fun 👍
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thanks :) im sure those words of encouragment come from a good place.. but on my side.. this 'midset' comes out of nessecity lol first time i attempted that loop i though i was still as fit as when i was in my 20s lol yeah.. nooope! lol at least the next time around i saw improvement.. which meant.. yeah.. you guessed it.. i gotta suff.. umm .. try again lol
 
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#60 ·
My son raced the Old Fort 50 last weekend, and one segment of the trail is closed throughout the summer so we hadn't ridden it before. While he was out doing openers I rode it backwards to see where he would turn off the road and get on the trail. Just went back and checked, the stuff I rode was up to 25%. I came around one corner near the top, looked up, and just got off the bike and started walking. Just found it on Strava, it says 45%. For reference the steepest I see on Kitsuma is 25%.
 
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