On what hill did it force you to ride at your LOWEST cadence ever ?

[fossyant]

Slight route mis-calculation took me up a very steep (15-20%) gravelly lane a couple of times in Wales - on 39x26 - I walked - took shoes off and pushed. Gone are the days doing 20% on a 42x21 with 30 rpm - I'm not 20 anymore.

Hardest recently was Mam Nick that's about 16% and windy, but again it's on a 39x26. It was a grind, but I got up. I've got a CX bike now, as well, with a 34x32, which will get up most stuff quite easily, far easier than my two road bikes.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I have low gearing and don’t think I seen such low cadence. On 25-30% grades I’d say I don’t drop below 40 rpm.

Edit just looked at a ride with a few 25% grades, plus some more over 15%. Min cadence I can see is 53 rpm

 

[Dogtrousers]

When going up hills of that nature I'm generally not looking at my GPS, and if I did I'd probably be unable to focus on it.

However, going back through my GPS records I had a look at Yorks Hill in Kent - venue of the Catford CC hill climb (supposedly the oldest cycling event in the UK, or the world, or something like that). Lowest cadence I could find in my cursory search was 32 but there is probably a lower value out there if I could be bothered to keep searching. I was probably scarcely moving. (34/32 I think on that particular ride)

 

[Sharky]

stalling with straps & shoe-plates was something to be avoided if at all possible

A recent thread, discussing the benefits of clipless. This scenario is very much safer using clipless, as you don't need to bend down to release the straps.

 

[Sharky]

You can turn off auto pause to stop that annoying feature.

True, but I am happy with the function most of the time, as it eliminates real stoppages for junctions and traffic conditions. This gives me more reasonable comparisons on my training loops.

 

[Ian H]

A recent thread, discussing the benefits of clipless. This scenario is very much safer using clipless, as you don't need to bend down to release the straps.

Dunno about safer, but it could occasionally be awkward. Releasing the strap for a normal halt was pretty much automatic.

 

[Jameshow]

High hill Lane coming out of Settle.

It's a 20% climb on The Way Of The Roses C2C route. No idea on cadence but I was zig zagging with loaded panniers just to stay upright.

Yeap that's a steep one and usually at the end of a ride too!

Devils staircase is steep too! As is the first half or Norwood edge and greenhow hill!

Not the mention the North York Moors!

 

[PapaZita]

Gone are the days doing 20% on a 42x21 with 30 rpm - I'm not 20 anymore.

That’s what came on my first good road bike too. It never really occurred to me that you might be able to change it, so I just got on with it and rode it over everything, while scoffing at my brother and his friends on their mountain bikes with their enormous 28 tooth sprockets!

 

[wiggydiggy]

Yeap that's a steep one and usually at the end of a ride too!

Devils staircase is steep too! As is the first half or Norwood edge and greenhow hill!

Not the mention the North York Moors!

It was closing in to our first stop yes! In fact we were racing to the top at Airton to visit the Town End Farm shop for food (bacon) and drinks (gin). Worth it though.

 

[presta]

On hills of about 1 in 5 or steeper I cycled at the lowest speed I can balance the bike, which is about 2.3mph, probably no coincidence that that's the speed my Cateye computer cuts out as well. With a 17.5" lowest gear that's 44rpm, and with the 25.2" gear I had before that, 31rpm.

When going up hills of that nature I'm generally not looking at my GPS, and if I did I'd probably be unable to focus on it.

I bought a clinometer because I was interested to measure the exact gradient of the steepest hills I was climbing, but the reality is that when I'm riding at ~2.3mph on a steep gradient I lose my balance if I don't concentrate on the patch of tarmac in front of the front wheel.

you don't need to bend down to release the straps.

I don't tighten mine.

 

[cyberknight]

Don't know, as I was going so slowly, my garmin went into auto-pause.

i had that on sunday

 

[Jameshow]

It was closing in to our first stop yes! In fact we were racing to the top at Airton to visit the Town End Farm shop for food (bacon) and drinks (gin). Worth it though.

Might do that up there a couple of weekends time.

 

[wiggydiggy]

Might do that up there a couple of weekends time.

The shop was on a TV show a while back:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfzBorcs5TU&list=PLS7q1EFlLfJPDMWv1W6L8ccuWdsFNWtwT

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Yeap that's a steep one and usually at the end of a ride too!

Devils staircase is steep too! As is the first half or Norwood edge and greenhow hill!

Not the mention the North York Moors!

Then there’s the Harlech hill, which I’ve only ridden past the top of, seen the sign and entertained no thoughts of trying to ride up or down it.

 

[icowden]

Every b**dy hill I go up (unless it's really gentle)?

😤