Impressive hill climber

[email hidden] wrote:

[snip]

:: I'm certain that I can't get up that hill on a single-speed. Even
:: worse, her bike was probably far heavier in relation to her body
:: weight than my bike is to my weight.
::

The main difference is she didn't think she couldn't do it! 🙂

Roger Zoul said:

[email hidden] wrote:

[snip]

:: I'm certain that I can't get up that hill on a single-speed. Even
:: worse, her bike was probably far heavier in relation to her body
:: weight than my bike is to my weight.
::

The main difference is she didn't think she couldn't do it! 🙂

Dear Roger,

Well, in addition to a positive attitude, she also looked 40 years
younger and 125 pounds lighter than I am.

Watching her strain up that hill in slow motion was like watching a
mouse doing bench presses--you expect scampering, not quivering
effort.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

I'm certain that I can't get up that hill on a single-speed. Even
worse, her bike was probably far heavier in relation to her body
weight than my bike is to my weight.

Surly it depends on the gearing chosen. And I'll lay money on the line
to say you can given the appropriate gear. 😉
--

"Artoi" wrote: Surly it depends on the gearing chosen. And I'll lay money
on the line to say you can given the appropriate gear. 😉
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
When I use my lowest gear, people walking up the hill pass me.

Leo Lichtman said:

"Artoi" wrote: Surly it depends on the gearing chosen. And I'll lay money
on the line to say you can given the appropriate gear. 😉
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
When I use my lowest gear, people walking up the hill pass me.

Which leads one to wonder why you need such a gear, if you could also walk
up the hill faster.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Do not worry about your difficulties in mathematics, I can
_`\(,_ | assure you that mine are all greater. -- A. Einstein
(_)/ (_) |

David L. Johnson said:

Leo Lichtman said:

"Artoi" wrote: Surly it depends on the gearing chosen. And I'll lay money
on the line to say you can given the appropriate gear. 😉
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
When I use my lowest gear, people walking up the hill pass me.

Which leads one to wonder why you need such a gear, if you could also walk
up the hill faster.

He didn't say "people walking BIKES up the hill pass me." Or in bike
shoes, for that matter.

My bike's low end is 18.6", but I rode every hill on my tour of the
Alleganies this summer. I've walked hills in the past, and it's easier
to ride if you can still balance. I seem to be able to do that with a
loaded touring bike down to about 4 kph if I must, but try to keep it
above 6. I can't walk a bike up hills like that better than 3 kph, and
need to take more frequent rests.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

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There's a steep concrete bicycle and pedestrian bike path

leading up

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one side of narrow gully from the Arkansas River to the City

Park on

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the top of the bluffs:

http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=2&S=11&Z=13&X=1324&Y=10588&W=1

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It's the south-heading gully from the "Gaging Station" to the

"Lake"

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at the bottom. It's about a 40-foot rise in about a hundred

yards,

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there's no approach to get speed up, and it gets steeper at the

top,

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over 10% grade when I measured it once.

I'm no climber and rarely use this path, but I secretly pride

myself

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on using second gear sitting down, not first, when visiting

friends

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are struggling up it in 1st gear, standing.

I was trudging up this steep path today on foot with a dog

that's

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recovering from surgery when a little girl, about 10-12 years

old,

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came up behind us, standing up on the pedals of her kid's

single-speed

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from WalMart, heaving on the cowhorn handlebars, and doing

about 20

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rpm.

To my astonishment, she passed us.

I kept watching her, thinking that she would soon stop or

topple over,

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but she just kept heaving and moving the pedals in agonizing

slow

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motion until she reached the road at the top. She stopped

there,

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grabbed her water bottle, and gasped and guzzled while waiting

for her

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mother, who was out of sight below on a multi-speed bike.

"Very impressive," I told her when I reached the top, "climbing

a hill

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this steep with just one gear!"

Her smile was as broad as the one I carved on my Halloween

pumpkin.

Quoted message said:

I'm certain that I can't get up that hill on a single-speed.

Even

Quoted message said:

worse, her bike was probably far heavier in relation to her

body

Quoted message said:

weight than my bike is to my weight.

Carl, check out the latest Velo News that has one of those
parting shot articles at the back about the English and their
penchant for short (less than a km) climbing time trials ridden
on fixed gears up the local village wall. Finishing spots are at
places like "the corner of the pub." -- Jay Beattie.