[Closed] What's the steepest stuff you ride up on a singlespeed?

Not got a SS MTB but on the road I'll tackle roads with a single arrow but double arrows are a bit beyond me. Running 39:16.

I've ridden my fixie up the lactic ladder at Golspie but it's not something I'd like to do regularly.

I regularly ride up a hill with 2 x 15% sections - 42/18.

I would say (for me), the length is more limiting. I can get up 25+% no bother, but struggle with longer climbs of <10%.

My mantra is keep it short and keep it steep.

Vert ramps.

they're only 12ft tall though

Long isn't a problem, short and steep needn't be a problem depending on the run in. Combination of long and steep is a killer.

I can get round Glentress easily enough on a 52" gear.

3 passes from Staveley a few years back. Pushed only a wee bit more than the boys with gears 😀

I find that the limiting factor is muscle endurance - I can get up a hill that's 100m at 16% then 900m at 10% but would struggle on one the other way round.

I only converted the bike three weeks ago so still getting used to it and the efforts required.

Oops, posted having only seen the cropped title. But still.

Road, about 10% on 42x14 (78").
Off-road, it's geared for about the same. I can ride up the climb at Cwmcarn OK on 32x16 and a 26".

To be honest, the road gear is a bit big for anything more than rolling lumpy stuff, but I managed 240 km. It would not be suitable for Devon Hills, athough 42x16 would allow me to get out of Widicombe (and die at the top!) it's 20-25%.

I broke a mech hanger at the start of a ride once, with a mate who rides SS. I SSed the bike with I think 32:18 and proceeded to heave my way up a huge steep road hill. I was pretty slow but I was quite surprised it was ok.

However there was no way I'd have been able to do that off-road on anything other than fire road. A few wet or loose rocks and I'd have been stuffed.

One of the most impressive bits of climbing I've witnessed was Javier Simon on his SS Lynskey climbing out of a greasy Roych Clough (N-S) on the Peak 200. He pulled away from me on a geared HT with plus tyres as if I was standing still.

Hi Joe

I've got one that I ride locally, mostly just for solo rides or when out with the family. I've ridden it a few times up at the Nevis range with mates and not been left behind pushing up the hill. I love the simplicity and low maintenance and I'm considering going rigid for winter.

Currently 32:16 with an oval ring

I'd have struggled on most of the climbs I did with you guys though! Definitely needed all the gears for that one!

Yes well you push a bigger gear on SS so you cover the ground more quickly. The limiting factor is whether you've developed the techniques to keep popping the pedal over the top.The trouble is if you're used to using gears you tend to want to keep your cadence up whereas actually you need to develop a big range of cadences.

To answer the question though, probably a combination of steepness and technicality. If the climb is not so steep that you can't ride up it then you can just keep churning away until you get to the top IME.

The HT550 has been won on a single speed.

Not a single speeder, although sometimes I like to not change gear. Did Dunmail Raise in 53/19 the other day, and it wasn't [i]too[/i] bad. Max gradient is only around 10% though, average is closer to 6%, although it is about 2km long. Stood up all the way. Coming back over Red Bank is worse, even though it's loads shorter and I used an easier gear, it's 25%. So I'd say gradient is the limiting factor. As long as it's not too steep, you can generally keep on top of your gear for as long as you want stood up. When it gets steep, it feels loads harder cos your body is in a more awkward position relative to the bike and the ground.

So gypsy glen with Janet's brae to end. To be fair my arms gave out at the end but that was back when I was ss fit.

depends if it's wet or dry

Cheers.

Hi Chris, how's it going?

That's good to hear, it was those sort of trails I was thinking of!

you need to develop a big range of cadences.

This is key and even more critical on a fixed gear. I can be spinning at 200rpm one minute and then grinding up a hill at 30 rpm the next minute.

tomhoward - Member
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN68zwAdhNQ
Oops, posted having only seen the cropped title. But still.

Imagine getting to the top of a great descent like that and having to go down it on a road bike 😉

My general rule of thumb is that I can ride up anything that I could just about do on my middle ring and largest gear at the rear on my old 3*10 set up. The length of the climb doesn't matter so much as I have developed a technique over the years that keeps the heart rate down and the pedals churning at a slow rpm on steep stuff.

I used to get around local stuff and remember getting round Mabie and Kirroughtree (Except for mcmoab but I don't think I've ever not dabbed on that anyway).

As others have said, steep plus long is a killer, but there are weird pedaling techniques you can adopt at really low RPM.

Mostly anything locally, but I am in the soft south and running 32:18 on a 29er. I used to run 32:16 in the Peak on a 26er and that was mostly ok too. I suspect I would gear down a bit if I was anywhere steeper though.

@Davidtaylforth - Red Bank's hard even with gears as it's under the trees and nearly always greasy so getting traction can be tricky.

@Rotor Stern - as a singlespeed newbie it's going to take a while to get all that sorted. Undoubtedly pacing is key on steeper or varied stuff, see my previous comment about climbs that steepen.

The comment about "a big range of cadences" is probably key and seems more relevant than "oneness with the road/trail" BS that gets bandied about by SS/fixie afficionados.

10% is about my limit on my Plug on 42:16 - rather not find out my exact limit as walk of shame with road shoes on is even worse than walk of shame in MTB shoes.
Have done 15% off road on my Cooker(b+) on 32:18, but did my back in in the process

@fifeandy - I use SPD pedals and shoes on the road SS for that very reason 😳

What is wrong with walking?

fifeandy - how is that Cooker SS'd? I have a 1x10 version, and thinking of converting it for winter .. but I hate tensioners for aesthetic reasons (i.e. I'm a ponce) - does it have an eccentric bb, as I suspect the frames aren't different?

Don't have too many issues round here - usually lungs give out first - but a bit of damp on the chalk and you're walking an awful lot. Bigger tyres and lower pressures really help out (hence the above wish - haven't tried that bike over the winter yet).

What is wrong with walking?

When you are my age, nowt!

I have to climb a long hill to get home from whichever direction I choose to approach. The one from the village is on my commute and isn't too bad, there's one from the opposite direction that's hard but doable. Then there's the rest! I tried the next easiest one last week and had to walk about 100 metres where it got to 20% though it's also a bit greasy at that point. It's a target - when I can do that then I'm probably ready for a bigger gear 😉

fifeandy - how is that Cooker SS'd? I have a 1x10 version, and thinking of converting it for winter .. but I hate tensioners for aesthetic reasons (i.e. I'm a ponce) - does it have an eccentric bb, as I suspect the frames aren't different?

UP?

A necessary evil before the fun bit I'm afraid.

Different frame I think, its Cro-Mo vs 6061 Aluminium on the geared versions.

I did not know that. Mines a 1 (I think, picked it up 2nd hand on local classifieds from a non bikey owner) and it's alloy. All sorts of fun though, the tyres hide any harshness.

29er on 32:18 lets me do 83m over 600m which is an average of 14% and an average cadence of 41. Slower than gears as the lower cadence hurts power even though I'm closer to throwing up than with gears.