What is maximum angle of elevation your all-mountain bike can climb?

wilsonblur · May 17, 2012

chris9888 said:
Thanks all for the comments and video. I am amazed how one of the riders in the video clip hopped up the rocky slope. I can't help to wonder if someone still has the energy to hop up the rocky slope after miles of abused ride and climb.

Agree that rider's skill play a more critical role than bike geometry. With the same rider, I am sure a 4" bike can climb steeper than a 6" bike. I just want to clear my mental block that my 6.3" fork's Nomad can climb a steep slope that I always wanted to climb. Whenever I almost did it, I always feel the whole front wheel going to topple backward if I made one more push. Trust me, I leaned almost flat on the frame with my hands pushing down the fork. The slope is very steep but smooth with excellent traction. I thought this might be the maximum angle of elevation my bike can go. I would have cleared the slope if I was one a 4" bike.

Chris, the Nomad has longer chain stays by almost an inch over the BLT which I actually think is more important than HA. None of us asked if your bike fits right, how long your stem is etc. Those are all important questions. I had a BLT before my Nomad and I can climb things on the Nomad I never made on the BLT. Some of it was the bike and some technique. The shorter stays on the BLT made it easier to manual and easier to wheelie out on steep things. Do other guys in your area make the climb you are trying? Watch them, how are they doing it? What are you doing differently?

I may be reading too much into what you are saying by pushing down on the fork. In steep climbing you actually slide forward on the saddle in the crunch position and pull backwards and down on the bars to keep the bike under your body weight.

Edit: so in the article he says not to pull on the bars, what I am doing is keeping my body over the stem and my chest down.

You might check out this article.

MTB Skills Tip w/ Pic, Technical Climbing w/Andy Winohradsky - BetterRide.net

Pableras · May 17, 2012

That depends on your lungs, not on the bike!!

chris9888 · May 18, 2012

wilsonblur said:
Chris, the Nomad has longer chain stays by almost an inch over the BLT which I actually think is more important than HA. No of asked if your bike fits right, how long your stem is etc. Those are all important questions. I had a BLT before my Nomad and I can climb things on the Nomad I never made on the BLT. Some of it was the bike and some technique. The shorter stays on the BLT made it easier to manual and easier to wheelie out on steep things. Do other guys in your area make the climb you are trying? Watch them, how are they doing it? What are you doing differently?

I may be reading too much into what you are saying by pushing down on the fork. In steep climbing you actually slide forward on the saddle in the crunch position and pull backwards and down on the bars to keep the bike under your body weight.

You might check out this article.

MTB Skills Tip w/ Pic, Technical Climbing w/Andy Winohradsky - BetterRide.net

Thanks Wilson.

So far, I only saw one hardtail XC rider climb the steep slope successfully. I have yet to see any long travel bike did it, but that does not mean none has done it. The article on technical climbing is awesome, will give it a try this weekend. Cheers!

Will Goes Boing · May 18, 2012

There's this hill that I can climb on my AM bike that people have trouble walking down.

xenon · May 18, 2012

Will Goes Boing said:
There's this hill that I can climb on my AM bike that people have trouble walking down.

There's this hill that I can climb on my AM bike that people have trouble looking down.

saturnine · May 18, 2012

There's this hill that I can climb on my AM bike that eats people and spits their remains out, adding another obstacle to the climb. it's like an angry bear. this one time, i saw a guy get beheaded and i had to j-hop over his head.

ehigh · May 18, 2012

The human limit is almost always reached before the limit of the bike. The rest of this thread is just hokum.

neex · May 19, 2012

I thought the rest of this thread was maturing like a fine wine.

A.:thumbsup:

natzx7 · May 19, 2012

Mtn-Rider said:
Varies by bike, rider, trail, food, and shorts.

this. here on our Florida trails, we've got some pretty sick short climbs, just depends on how fast you descend before the next little hill.

Chopliker · May 19, 2012

This like "how long is a piece of string?"

SimpleJon · May 19, 2012

If you wanna climb hills get an Epic

chris9888 · May 19, 2012

wilsonblur said:
Chris, the Nomad has longer chain stays by almost an inch over the BLT which I actually think is more important than HA. None of us asked if your bike fits right, how long your stem is etc. Those are all important questions. I had a BLT before my Nomad and I can climb things on the Nomad I never made on the BLT. Some of it was the bike and some technique. The shorter stays on the BLT made it easier to manual and easier to wheelie out on steep things. Do other guys in your area make the climb you are trying? Watch them, how are they doing it? What are you doing differently?

I may be reading too much into what you are saying by pushing down on the fork. In steep climbing you actually slide forward on the saddle in the crunch position and pull backwards and down on the bars to keep the bike under your body weight.

Edit: so in the article he says not to pull on the bars, what I am doing is keeping my body over the stem and my chest down.

You might check out this article.

MTB Skills Tip w/ Pic, Technical Climbing w/Andy Winohradsky - BetterRide.net

Wilsonblur, for the first time I managed to clear the steep slope after using the technique described in the article you recommend. My buddy who was riding an XC bike cannot even reached half the slope. I only re-learned two techniques:
1. Instead of elbow-in, I elevated by elbow
2. Instead of lean forward my weight on handlebar, I moved far forward off my saddle with my butt just touching the tip of the saddle. I would lightly seat on the tip of the saddle if my rear tire loss traction.

I used the same technique for all other steep climbs, and cleared all with breeze. Next, I will be targeting at another steep slope which I thought was impossible to climb. It is chronically muddy with a sphere shape perimeter. The angle of elevation is more than 45 degree.

I thought I have tested the limit of my Nomad in term of maximum angle of elevation it can climb. I think I have to re-test the limit again. Thanks :thumbsup:

Fuglio · May 20, 2012

I like you cause your ising my number one rule. Always blame the bike first. Cant climb a hill? Head angle too slack. Cant do a down hill section? Head angle to steep. Trouble railing switch backs wheel base too wide. ... i remember being outa breath pushing my bike up hill thinking to my self the whole section was unrideable. Then a pair of dudes on unicycles came down through and over all kinds of rocks. Grabing the seat in one hand hoping all crazy.... so i think you need a unicycle

markymark · May 20, 2012

I have octopus tentacle suction cup tyres, I can ride on the ceiling.

chris9888 · May 20, 2012

Fuglio said:
I like you cause your ising my number one rule. Always blame the bike first. Cant climb a hill? Head angle too slack. Cant do a down hill section? Head angle to steep. Trouble railing switch backs wheel base too wide. ... i remember being outa breath pushing my bike up hill thinking to my self the whole section was unrideable. Then a pair of dudes on unicycles came down through and over all kinds of rocks. Grabing the seat in one hand hoping all crazy.... so i think you need a unicycle

Fuglio, thanks for your comment.

I know where you are coming fro, and I wish to put that in right perspective. The evolution of bike enables bikers to jump higher, drop lower, go faster and perform stances that were once considered impossible. The evolution of bike has also made an average rider like me to clear obstacles with confident and ease, compared to a unicycle that needs the skill of a circle's performer to do it. Yes, l agree that a skillful biker can climb and drop any mountain with any bike given to them, compared to an average rider like me who needs bike that perform the tasks.

Well, let me give you another perspective. What is the maximum angle of elevation a Rangerover can climb compared to a Suzuki Vitara? Can a skilled driver do the same with a toyota corolla?

One Pivot · May 20, 2012

. The evolution of bike enables bikers to jump higher, drop lower, go faster and perform stances that were once considered impossible.

It really hasnt. Bikes havent changed all that much honestly. Riders have improved drastically. If anything, bikes have only changed to accommodate what riders are capable of, or willing to try. It seems like you're putting a ton of emphasis on the bike unfairly.

chris9888 · May 20, 2012

One Pivot said:
It really hasnt. Bikes havent changed all that much honestly. Riders have improved drastically. If anything, bikes have only changed to accommodate what riders are capable of, or willing to try. It seems like you're putting a ton of emphasis on the bike unfairly.

Let me share with you the video taken on old school downhill race in 1992. I am pretty confident that those same riders that crashed would perform better with any current models of DH bikes.

Old school 1992 downhill mountain biking race events! LOTS of Crashing!! - YouTube

Fuglio · May 20, 2012

Its all you dude. If you come to a steep hill are you going to bust out a plumb line and say nope hill is too steep. I understand the question and without a doubt some bike are better climbers then others. And while there may be a formula that determines maximum climbing angle, it would be completely useless.
Terrain bike setup and rider ability will determine the maximum angle first...... lets use a real world example..
. im about to change from a bike with a 69 degree HA to one with 67.. while climbing will be harder there is no hill on the mountain that will go from possible to impossible ...
.. forward momentum will do alot to keep you going uphill and from tipping over..... ... are you thinking of getting a new bike?

chris9888 · May 20, 2012

Fuglio said:
Its all you dude. If you come to a steep hill are you going to bust out a plumb line and say nope hill is too steep. I understand the question and without a doubt some bike are better climbers then others. And while there may be a formula that determines maximum climbing angle, it would be completely useless.
Terrain bike setup and rider ability will determine the maximum angle first...... lets use a real world example..
. im about to change from a bike with a 69 degree HA to one with 67.. while climbing will be harder there is no hill on the mountain that will go from possible to impossible ...
.. forward momentum will do alot to keep you going uphill and from tipping over..... ... are you thinking of getting a new bike?

My Nomad carbon is the best bike I can ever get, it climbs like XC and dives like DH. I cannot think of any bike that can do the same or as forgiving. For now, the limitation is me, not the bike. Cannot disagree with what you wrote dude.

wilsonblur · May 21, 2012

chris9888 said:
Wilsonblur, for the first time I managed to clear the steep slope after using the technique described in the article you recommend. My buddy who was riding an XC bike cannot even reached half the slope. I only re-learned two techniques:
1. Instead of elbow-in, I elevated by elbow
2. Instead of lean forward my weight on handlebar, I moved far forward off my saddle with my butt just touching the tip of the saddle. I would lightly seat on the tip of the saddle if my rear tire loss traction.

I used the same technique for all other steep climbs, and cleared all with breeze. Next, I will be targeting at another steep slope which I thought was impossible to climb. It is chronically muddy with a sphere shape perimeter. The angle of elevation is more than 45 degree.

I thought I have tested the limit of my Nomad in term of maximum angle of elevation it can climb. I think I have to re-test the limit again. Thanks :thumbsup:

Nice WORK! :thumbsup:

What is maximum angle of elevation your all-mountain bike can climb?

wilsonblur

Pableras

chris9888

Will Goes Boing

xenon

saturnine

ehigh

neex

natzx7

Chopliker

SimpleJon

chris9888

Fuglio

markymark

chris9888

One Pivot

chris9888

Fuglio

chris9888

wilsonblur

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