what do YOU call a hill????

[runnergirl]

Wow, the biggest hill we have here is about 8% grade for 200 feet or so. The longest incline is about 1/2 mile long, maybe a 3% grade...

We are thinking of going to the "mountains" once a month for some climbing work, otherwise I'll be in trouble for the spring college season.

[bikerchick68]

I have no idea how to measure percentages either.... but I DO know that if it's steep at all, I granny gear it! I ride a double and have thought about switching to a compact but I seem to be able to climb anything I want... just reeeeeeally slowly! There's a 3 mile climb that is part of my training route that I climb at about 7mph...

when I did the Solvang Century there is a climb 85 miles in that is about 1 1/2 miles long and freaking steep... I was doing 3.7mph and was concerned that if I slowed any more I was gonna fall over and make an *** of myself... I would've laughed about it but I was too tired...

[Veronica]

I have no idea how to measure percentages

My HRM calculates altitude and distance. Using those two numbers it calculates the grade. You can do the same thing if you know the altitude you started at and the ending altitude - either from a map or a GPS.

For example I climbed a hill with Jo on Tuesday. It climbed 1280 feet in 3.3 miles. Convert the feet to miles or vice versa, but you need the units to be the same. I climbed .24 miles in 3.3 miles. Divide .24 by 3.3 and you get 7%.

For me a hill is fairly short in duration - under 5 minutes to get over it. A climb is any ascent that takes longer than that.


V.

[RoadRaven]

My son says that he thinks you measure grade this way

The distance travelled in height/altitude every 100 metres... therefore, the hill just before I get home which climbs at about 11 metres per 100 metres is an 11% gradient.

It makes me feel like vomiting by the time I get to the top... but at least I can get to the top... now... at about 7km/hour (about 4 1/2 miles per hour)

Then a gentle 1km slope to get rid of the lactic acid before I reach my gate

[SimpleCycle]

when I did the Solvang Century there is a climb 85 miles in that is about 1 1/2 miles long and freaking steep... I was doing 3.7mph and was concerned that if I slowed any more I was gonna fall over and make an *** of myself... I would've laughed about it but I was too tired...

Yeah, that thought has occurred to me at points. : ) I also learned the hard way that it's not a good idea to stop on a very steep part of a hill. When I went to start again, I didn't have enough momentum/coordination/whatever to clip in on the first shot, and over I went at zero miles per hour.

Last week I went on a ride that was a 3% grade or so (I'm guessing) for the 30 miles out, and then the real climbing began. Or so I thought. Then I hit mile marker 1 of the canyon and it starts getting steeper, and think, oh, this must be it. 11 miles later, it becomes seriously steeper, and I slow to about 5 mph. One of my ride partners pulls off into a picnic area, and I say, shouldn't we keep going? He says, "Oh, I've never actually been to the top. Way too much work." Our other partner climbed to the top. This guy was born to climb, and had said he didn't think it would be too hard for me. (I'm still a newbie) On the way down, he says "I take back everything I ever said about Madera Canyon." He said he was pretty sure he was going to fall over for lack of momentum at points. I was really glad I turned around at the picnic area.

[CorsairMac]

Just as an aside: if you stop on a hill, ride partway Down the hill to get yourself clipped in then turn around and go back to your climb.

[Lynne]

LOL, I'm glad I started this thread! Some of the posts are pretty funny. Plus, it helps me understand everyone else's perspective.

BikerChick...one of the women I was riding with yesterday said the same thing...how slow can you go before you fall over? That's too funny!

And, I was able to gauge the incline because I temporarily had a computer that measured incline. Otherwise I'd have no idea either...It's a wonderful idea to check the mileage and speed, but honestly I'm just trying to keep my lungs in my chest and can't focus on the average speed and distance (and I won't reset my computer to get it because then I won't have the stats for the whole ride).

Oh! And I forgot, I learned on my 3rd ride on a bike (in December or so) about not starting on an incline. That was my second fall...yep, zero miles per hour with some construction workers behind me who could see the whole slow tip over. It was like I was a cow and someone had just pushed me over (hehe, just kidding-about the cow thing, anyway). My third and last fall (I swear, it's my last!!) was about 1 ft from the side of the car at the end of the ride-I was just too tired to stay upright and just flat fell over...that one was about 2 mph, as I recall

[Steph_in_TX]

Ok, I'm in North Texas and while there are certainly hills that are 6-7%, they are generally pretty short. To give you an idea...I did a ride Saturday that is considered to be fairly hilly in these parts and in 29 miles I climbed a total of 1100 feet. DH did 55 and climbed 1800 feet. I'm in awe of you that do this in one climb. It's just not the terrain I live with...

[RoadRaven]

Lynne... your 2mph... LOL... I think it was about 3.8km that I sloped sideways...

[nuthatch]

how slow can you go before you fall over? That's too funny!

I know you can't do this on an incline, but can anybody here do that "track stand" thing? I saw the boys at a crit race doing it the other day and I want to learn too!! Wonder if I can overcome my natural lack of balance??

[bouncybouncy]

Track-stands are very helpful...practice in thick squishy grass and move to harder surfaces slowly...it is worth the practice!

All this hill talk is making me nervous!!! I live in S Florida now (we have an old garbage dump gone park that we call a mountain ) and moving to N Carolina (Asheville to be precise) I will LOVE hills, right? My average is going down huh???

[mom2twins]

and that's all I have around here. I don't know about grades but I do know about going so slow you fall over I'm getting better about hills. The first 3 times I rode this year all I did was go down this 2 mile hill that I live on top of and then struggle back up. I had to walk up the last 1/8 of a mile or so to the top the first 2 times. The 3rd time I was able to stay on my bike the whole way and that is when I knew I could branch out. Now I have 3 additional big hills in my normal morning ride and each one I just tell myself the whole time that even 4 miles an hour up hill is faster then walking and pushing a bike up hill so I keep going.

I might have to look into one of those new polars with altitude. My husband will probably kill me if I buy another gadget but a girl has to know what grade the hill is...right???

[alison_in_oh]

A sprinter's hill is a short bump in the road, usually something you stand and mash over. Rollers are a series of short uphill bits, or any incline up to a half mile or so.

A climb lasts a mile or two, we have a bunch of climbs around here that I'm told are in the 3-6% range, in the 8% range, and even a couple with stretches of about 12%.

A mountain lasts many miles! I got to ride in the mountains in Vermont on our vacation at the end of last month! Whoo-ee, that was crazy, of the longest climbs I did I would guess that one averaged 6% with stretches up to 12%, for about 7-8 miles! Another was a little longer and a little shallower, maybe 5% steady.

bouncybouncy, look into a computer with altitude. Replace your average speed stats with vertical gain stats, and stay proud!

[SadieKate]

I know you can't do this on an incline, but can anybody here do that "track stand" thing? I saw the boys at a crit race doing it the other day and I want to learn too!! Wonder if I can overcome my natural lack of balance??

I can do a trackstand for a second or so on a single bike and for a tad longer on our tandem. I learned by doing slow races as recommended by Ned O, the ageless wonder. Slow speed riding skills can really enhance your ability to stay clipped it at traffic lights, clipping in when mounting, or on the trail while assessing your line. Bubba and I have slow races in parking lots at the end of trail rides all the time.

http://www.boure.com/slowspeed.html

[CR400]

Anything that I can't make it up without using my triple and only going 4mph. Or a hill I can't make it up. If I can maintain at least 8 to 9 mph without the triple I don't consider it a hill just a bigger rise where the road isn't quite flat.