Mountain ride on my 7-speed folding bike (pics & video)

[luv2climb]

I rented a car for the weekend for two trips to the mountains to do some climbing. Since it is a PITA to put a full-size bike in a typical sedan, I took my Dahon Speed D7 folding bike, which only has a 7-speed drivetrain.

The first climb was the Lake Tahoe side of Kingsbury Grade, which is about 3.5 miles long with a max grade of 12%. The steeper parts were a sufferfest and I had to ride out of the saddle on the first steep part. I got passed like I was standing still by a female triathlete (judging by the type of bike she was riding) who said "Good job". I barely heard her, so unfortunately the camera didn't pick it up. Female cyclists are so encouraging!

After I reached the top at Daggett Summit I climbed to the real summit at the top of Bigler Circle. After that I checked out another nice steep climb. It showed grades up to 17%, yet somehow I was able to ride the whole thing in the saddle.

Next was Ski Run Blvd, which has a 21% section on the last block. I had to ride that section out of the saddle, barely turning the cranks. Good suffering!

Garmin Connect data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/97993729

Here's the Kingsbury Grade video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CN4gLzL29g

Here's the Ski Run Blvd video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS-UJulWIec

Top of Kingsbury Grade:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6136/5920743480_a6bf54e4bf.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5920743480/)
Dahon Speed D7 at Daggett Summit (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5920743480/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

View from Daggett Summit:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6029/5920742798_eabce70843.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5920742798/)
view from top of Kingsbury Grade (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5920742798/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

I saw a couple of these signs:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6142/5920180895_a01085a052.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5920180895/)
'please share the road text later' sign (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5920180895/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

Some nice mtb art:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6121/5920743662_83e06c035a.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5920743662/)
mtb art in Lake Tahoe (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5920743662/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

I saw several of these in different colors:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6008/5920180739_7f9e074a18.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5920180739/)
Dahon Speed D7 next to bike sculpture in Lake Tahoe (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5920180739/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

View from the top of one of the climbs above Kingsbury Grade:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6123/5920180361_250c65ae23.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5920180361/)
snow-capped mountains around Lake Tahoe 7-9-11 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5920180361/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

Top of Ski Run Blvd:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6010/5920180031_b578d3b4c6.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5920180031/)
top of Ski Run Blvd climb (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5920180031/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

[Jiten]

Thanks for sharing another of your climbing adventures. Awesome views from the top of those climbs.

I looked up the specs of the D7, and it seems that the lowest gear is only 34 gear inches (woo, pretty high). The highest gear is a pretty decent 92 gear inches, though.

Well done! (And it's also nice to see how the Dahon folder held up.)

[luv2climb]

Thanks for sharing another of your climbing adventures. Awesome views from the top of those climbs.

I looked up the specs of the D7, and it seems that the lowest gear is only 34 gear inches (woo, pretty high). The highest gear is a pretty decent 92 gear inches, though.

Well done! (And it's also nice to see how the Dahon folder held up.)
Thank you. :) As I was suffering up the climbs, I was wondering what the gear inches were LOL! I might as well start saving up for a Bike Friday triple. That would handle these climbs no problem.

[laura*]

How is your rear wheel performing and holding up during serious climbing?

When I climb steep hills* in the lowest gears of my Speed TR, the drivetrain feels a bit "flexy". The flex is sometimes accompanied by metal pinging sounds.

I don't think the pedals, cranks, chain, nor cassette could have any springy flex. That leaves just the lacing pattern of the rear wheel: 28 spokes in a half-radial pattern. The driveside is laced 2x, while the non-driveside is all radial. This means that all pedaling force is applied via just 7 spokes. :eek: Scary!

Maybe this is why the stock gearing on the TR is so tall...

* A steep hill where I noticed this: According to Google Earth, it climbs 175 feet in 1235 feet. That's a 14.1% average. Trimming the tame bottom and top... it climbs 110 in just 550 feet for a 20% average!

[Jiten]

Thank you. :) As I was suffering up the climbs, I was wondering what the gear inches were LOL! I might as well start saving up for a Bike Friday triple. That would handle these climbs no problem.

Yeah, I'm also trying to convince my wallet to part with the cash to get me a Bike Friday. I'm eyeing the BF Pocket Companion Select (24-speed); its stock configuration has a gearing range of ~20 gear inches to ~88 gear inches.

Anyway, I hope you get your BF someday soon. We'll be waiting for videos of you climbing all sorts of mountains in a steel Bike Friday. ;)

[luv2climb]

How is your rear wheel performing and holding up during serious climbing?
So far, it's doing fine. The only noise I've heard is the occasional handlebar creak when climbing steeper sections. You can hear that in the video a few times. Luckily it doesn't do that all the time.

[luv2climb]

Well, today I took the Dahon on its longest climb yet, Geiger Grade in Reno, NV. It's a 7.7 mile climb. I went up there to record video of the riders in the Geiger Grade Hill Climb TT. Here's video of them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GW0V9m97bk

After watching that I couldn't wait to do my own climb, at my own pace of course. I suffer on my own terms. :p

Right away I noticed that I felt stronger and I didn't need to use my lowest gear. As the climb went on I struggled periodically, but then I'd start feeling stronger again. I yo-yo'd back and forth like this for the last half of the climb. Part of that was probably due to me being stubborn and refusing to shift out of 2 and into my lowest gear. I guess I wanted to see if I gained any strength after yesterday's sufferfest.

Garmin Connect data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/98313244

Here's video of the Geiger Grade climb: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKgpqyhsQeY

Here's where I recorded the riders:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6021/5924436529_ac367a483c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5924436529/)
view from Geiger Grade facing downhill (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5924436529/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

View from that same spot. You can see Mt. Rose, the sufferfest of all sufferfests, still with snow.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6018/5924436347_939a8a4154.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5924436347/)
view from Geiger Grade (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5924436347/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

Made it!

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6010/5924436451_8773f84303.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5924436451/)
Dahon Speed D7 at Geiger Summit (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5924436451/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

[Jiten]

Another inspiring climb! I looked at the Garmin Connect data (that's pretty cool, BTW, and I should try to make my old Garmin work with that service) and noticed that the temps were in the 90's. That and the facts that you were cycling in thin air from 4600 feet to 6600 feet, using a folder, and not using the lowest gear make your effort even more impressive. Thumbs up!

BTW, what did the guy in the car say? Was he being supportive or heckling?

[luv2climb]

Another inspiring climb! I looked at the Garmin Connect data (that's pretty cool, BTW, and I should try to make my old Garmin work with that service) and noticed that the temps were in the 90's. That and the facts that you were cycling in thin air from 4600 feet to 6600 feet, using a folder, and not using the lowest gear make your effort even more impressive. Thumbs up!

BTW, what did the guy in the car say? Was he being supportive or heckling?
Thank you. :) Actually, Garmin's temperature readings are wildly inaccurate. The temperatures were probably in the 70's to 80 at the most. My Ice House Road climb temp readings showed temps in the 100s when they were actually in the 80s.

If you are talking about the car on the side of the road starting at 2:07, that was an older couple who were outside of the car walking around. I heard the man say something like "are you out of breath already?" That's when I replied that I only had 7 speeds on the bike. He told me not to overdo it and that it was a beautiful day for a ride. Very friendly. :)

I have a feeling he heard me breathing hard even before I toned it down when I saw the couple. When I recorded the cyclists on the hill climb TT, some of them could be heard from 200 feet away. When there was no traffic on that mountain it was very quiet, so you could hear everything.

There were no hecklers. Lots of friendly descending cyclists and one friendly climbing one. I even heard one descending cyclist say "Good job". You can see all the cyclists I encountered in the video. I included every cyclist I saw. ;)

[hebe]

Wow. Stunning photos and amazing climbing!

[luv2climb]

Thank you :) I wish I could find a way to take the wonderful mountain smell and air home with me too.

[Jiten]

Thank you. :) Actually, Garmin's temperature readings are wildly inaccurate. The temperatures were probably in the 70's to 80 at the most. My Ice House Road climb temp readings showed temps in the 100s when they were actually in the 80s.

If you are talking about the car on the side of the road starting at 2:07, that was an older couple who were outside of the car walking around. I heard the man say something like "are you out of breath already?" That's when I replied that I only had 7 speeds on the bike. He told me not to overdo it and that it was a beautiful day for a ride. Very friendly. :)

I have a feeling he heard me breathing hard even before I toned it down when I saw the couple. When I recorded the cyclists on the hill climb TT, some of them could be heard from 200 feet away. When there was no traffic on that mountain it was very quiet, so you could hear everything.

There were no hecklers. Lots of friendly descending cyclists and one friendly climbing one. I even heard one descending cyclist say "Good job". You can see all the cyclists I encountered in the video. I included every cyclist I saw. ;)

Ah, glad to know there were no hecklers. I didn't see the couple outside the car, I just heard your reply. And, yeah, I did notice there were quite a few cyclists going up and down on that beautiful day.

Thanks for the heads-up about the Garmin temperature readings. Bad Garmin! :)