What Does 25% Grade Look Like?

[Bluetree]

This one is an annual event in L.A.:
Fargo Street Climb

Baxter Street is another challenging street.

[mimitabby]

This morning teigyr and I were admiring the local toughie--what we refer to as Claimjumper Hill (at the bottom of Southcenter for the locals). It's a 21% grade.

I've ridden down it, and I've seen people ride up it. Slowly. Very slowly .

East Hill

augh! my husband admires that stupid hill all the time. my first experience on it was in winter fog in an old PU truck with weak brakes. AUGH! horrible.
now I just glare at it when i drive by.

[mimitabby]

PS Jiffer, you can't tell from a 2 dimensional photo what the percent inclination of a hill is, sorry. And I know there are much steeper hills than 12% right here in town, and I'm not using a flakey Garmin. Photos are deceptively, well, FLAT!

[SouthernBelle]

There is a hill on a route I ride regularly which runs 21-23% (it's a little oggly-goggly). Because of the way it's made it's pretty much impossible to photograph it and give the true impression. It's also been a road for well over 150 years.

[Eden]

cyclists coming up a 20% hill

[East Hill]

I can tell I am going to have to do a test ride up the thing and let everyone know how much fun it is. Perhaps I can get teigyr to video me one day struggling up it . It has grooves in the road base, though, to make it easier for cars to climb. Harder for bikes!

East Hill

[silver]

The Garmin Edge uses GPS + a barometric altimeter to determine altitude so it is supposedly a lot more accurate than the Forerunner that just uses GPS. The Forerunner is very often *way* off. For example, I climbed a hill this morning that is marked as a 12% grade. The forerunner told me it was -- get this -- a 427% grade! Somehow I got up to 14,000 some feet in less than a mile...

Now that was a particularly egregious error but I do find that it regularly gives me readings of 18+% on a hill that I know to be 8% at its worst.

That said, it is a steep hill! The good thing about grades that steep is that it is difficult to make them *too* steep. (They never do seem so steep in the photos though, do they?)

Solobiker, I think I need to ride with you! I seem to run into steep grades anytime I head west!

Anne

Mr. is using the Garmin Edge 305. However he has not yet downloaded this info to the computer, and I do think that when that is done, that the software to do some sort of verification of accuracy.

I showed him this hill after hearing some of the guys at the LBS talking about it. Several very strong riders said they couldn't make it up. They all agreed that it had the highest grade in the area.

I won't even try it on my double. But it is my goal to do a lot more hill work and maybe take the triple Trek 1000 over and give it a try before the year is over.

We live on the Ohio River and this is something of a bluff here on the Indiana side. As Mr. said this hill is just 2 blocks off the historic towncenter. The Town of Newburgh was a bustling river town in the 1800's Can you imagine the horses pulling a cart over this?

http://www.newburgh.org/

The street that you see (where the first up picture is taken) is the main street through town and you cannot cross it without stopping. So there's not too much room for a flat start.

[teigyr]

I can tell I am going to have to do a test ride up the thing and let everyone know how much fun it is. Perhaps I can get teigyr to video me one day struggling up it . It has grooves in the road base, though, to make it easier for cars to climb. Harder for bikes!

East Hill

You scare me

Honestly, I don't even like driving up that hill let alone down... ...we ALL know how I feel about downhills!

[IFjane]

True that they don't build road grades that steep now, but they used to build roads just up and over anything. We've got roads around here from early 1800s, long before we were a state. So the original roads might have just been paths, but now they are maintained roads.

Susan - you are right. Here in the east (and in the west) early highways are simply paved cart paths through the mountains and over hills. That's what makes them so tough. By the time the engineers got to the Rockies they had learned how to make roads. They had much longer climbs but at much less grade.

[SouthernBelle]

This morning will out taking some docs to be signed by a client I had cause to think of this thread. I decided to check out a rode I had never ridden or driven on to see if it was suitable for a ride. At first it was your normal 2 lane country road. Then it suddenly turned into a single lane, curvy, up and down hill roller coaster ride! I was concerned that I would meet a vehicle coming the other way.

But it was newly paved.

[Mr. Bloom]

they used to build roads just up and over anything. So the original roads might have just been paths, but now they are maintained roads.

About 100 years ago, in a land far, far away (that is, The University of Alabama), the UofA decided to put sidewalks on campus.

The school of engineering was engaged to design a layout for campus sidewalks.

The engineers came up with a magnificent plan that was going to efficiently guide the campus foot traffic.

The University's Dean looked at the elaborate plan and simply commented:

"Why don't you simply put the sidewalks where paths are worn in the grass?

I guess this explains why:
- the Stadium still bears Dean Denny's name , and
- Auburn has the good engineering school in Alabama

[BadgerGirl]

I am curious as to where you are at in Colorado Solo. I am sure I can find some good rides for you if you wanted a little steeper.

[Tuckervill]

Auburn has the good engineering school in Alabama

Ha! Good one.

Karen

[SouthernBelle]

I want you to know that I am restraining myself from comment.