How Steep is...'Steep!?'

[mickwood]

As many of you know I'm a newbie, just bought the bike last month and am slowly building up my distances and fitness in and around the Peak District.

Whilst asking about distances etc people talk about 'hilly' rides and 'steep' sections but...isn't it all relative? If your from Norfolk then your perception of hilly and steep will be different than if your from the Lakes?

I was doing my weekly 40 mile commute between nights and noticed that one of the hills I have to get up was signed as a 12% incline and I wondered how this faired with others? Is that steep? (feels steep to me, obviously!) again...just trying to get a benchmark!

 

[asterix]

It is relative as you say. However, 12% is a definite incline in anyone's opinion I'd suggest.

If you want really steep then we'd be talking about 20% e.g. Winnatts or 25% White Horse Bank, even 33% Rosedale Chimney Bank.

The continental climbs are less steep but go on for a lot, lot longer.

 

[mickwood]

Thanks asterix! Nice to have an idea in my head now, at least when conversations start I'll have a bit of an idea!

 

[marinyork]

I think Winnats is about 23%. 12% is definitely steep. That said there's no escaping them for some people. All my routes back from town have a gradient of around that (12%) or steeper, except one. My regular loop has a 10% on it, although overall that isn't a bad climb at all. There are a lot of 15%s knocking around in Derbyshire on more obscure country lanes. You won't meet them on every hill but will bump into them. Whenever I talk to people about the Snake they seem to prefer Winnats to an 8 mile gradual slog on the Snake Pass.

 

[Eat MY Dust]

The highclere challenge boast 2 climbs, one of 20% and the other 30%. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but there was a lot of seasoned cyclist walking up them (the 30% one anyway) I managed to grind my way up (just!!)

 

[mickwood]

I think Winnats is about 23%. 12% is definitely steep. That said there's no escaping them for some people. All my routes back from town have a gradient of around that (12%) or steeper, except one. My regular loop has a 10% on it, although overall that isn't a bad climb at all. There are a lot of 15%s knocking around in Derbyshire on more obscure country lanes. You won't meet them on every hill but will bump into them. Whenever I talk to people about the Snake they seem to prefer Winnats to an 8 mile gradual slog on the Snake Pass.

That's cool info, so I can be fairly proud of doing the 12% then. Not the steepest out there but hard enough to be an acheivement

I'm getting close to trying the hill out of Beeley onto the moor (don't know how steep but it's long), I normally go down it and everytime I'm asking.....could I get UP it? I did see a couple of bikers walking up it a while ago and it sort of put me off for a bit but I think I may give it go!

 

[xpc316e]

Ditchling Beacon on the London to Brighton route climbs 158 metres in 1.6 km, so it averages 10%. I reckon that is steep, and fairly long for a British hill. It has that awful way of each turn ahead appearing to be the summit, until you get to it and find that the road climbs further still.

 

[marinyork]

That's cool info, so I can be fairly proud of doing the 12% then. Not the steepest out there but hard enough to be an acheivement

I'm getting close to trying the hill out of Beeley onto the moor (don't know how steep but it's long), I normally go down it and everytime I'm asking.....could I get UP it? I did see a couple of bikers walking up it a while ago and it sort of put me off for a bit but I think I may give it go!

Yeah definitely on a long ride.

They are all regarded as nasty round there. Baslow hill is regarded as bad, probably as it's a more common route. Beeley and Sydnope are nasty, especially Sydnope. Looking at the other hills you've done recently I don't think you'd have any more trouble doing Beeley. They are all about 600 or 700ft, just plain hard but you've already done a few like that.

 

[a_n_t]

depends how fit you get!
10% seemed steep to me at first, now they are easy!
15% still not "steep" but getting harder.
over 20% is steep for me now but do-able
done a few 25-30% and they're horrible [but strangely addictive!]

 

[fossyant]

Steeper than 1 in 5 gets nasty, especially if you don't have granny gears.

12% is a good climb.....

 

[Randochap]

Whilst asking about distances etc people talk about 'hilly' rides and 'steep' sections but...isn't it all relative? If your from Norfolk then your perception of hilly and steep will be different than if your from the Lakes?

Here in Canada, riders from British Columbia and western Alberta tend to be good hillclimbers, for good reason -- we live in the mountains ... big friggin mountains.

On the prairies, it's as flat as a pancake. But then they have to contend with some serious headwinds.

Here on the coast, we have constant rollers and headwinds!

Just up the coast from here, we have a set of 21 degree switchbacks that you have to hit just right. If you miss a shift, you have a long walk to the next spot you can get on the bike and achieve enough momentum from a stop to get rolling. There are few cyclists who can actually ride the whole set of three switch backs. I missed the shift to my granny the first time I tried it. Last summer, I made it all the way up in a 23" gear. It was a hot day with the sun reflecting off the cliffs. Tough! They came at km 140 of a 300 km (186 mi) day, with 3900 metres (12,795 ft) total climbing.

Different climbs have different character and effects to boot. There are plenty of 12-16% grades around here which soon total up to the same as you'd do on the gentler, longer climbs in the Rockies, which obviously lead to much higher elevations. The rollers seem to hurt more.

 

[jimboalee]

12% is steep.

Here is the sheet out of my Dawes Giro 500 workbook. Notice I end the range at 12%. At this gradient, I grovell at 6.8 mph.
Notice also the two framed cells at the top of the sheet. These are from months ( years ) of riding. 'Cruising speed' is for a whole day, not just an hour or two.

Some of the figures, such as 'Max power available' might look a little adrift, but the calcs work and I get less than 1% error when estimating a 200 km Audax.

A gradient steeper than 12% is worthy of a slow walk if it is midway through the said 200 km Audax.

The hills in San Francisco were within an hour's ride, so I gave them the whole works, and beat them.

 

[fossyant]

Jim, you need locking up...... you are worse than me.....and I don't have your data........

 

[LeeW]

For me I'd say anything steeper than 1:10 is steep, anything over 1:5 is very steep and anything over 1:3 is stupidly steep (yes, I have ridden one, hardknott).

 

[RedBike]

I think it is relative. I did a ride in Liverpool at the end of last year. A few of local riders in the group were moaning that we were going an un-necassarily hilly way. As far as I was concerned we hadn't seen a hill all day!

The hills in the peaks are generally short, sharp and steep. For example, I belive the maxium gradient on Mount Ventoux is only 10%. So in theory Ventoux is never as steep as your 12% hill. (Probably 20 times longer though).