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

[Guitars and Bikes]

I remember riding up Rocky Road in Belfast, which is like a vertical wall and 20%for about 200 metres. It wasn't a pretty sight because at the time I was using a compact with 11-25 cassette,and no way in hell would I ever try it again using that combination. I swayed more than a towel hanging from a washing line on a windy day and my cadence dipped to a horrendous 30rpm, I can only imagine what my heart rate was.
Tell us the gradient of your slowest ever cadence climb and the gearing you used to get up it.

 

[Sharky]

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

 

[I like Skol]

I guess my only climb defeat (and I use the term loosely) was cycling up Hardknott Pass east to west. I was on a 50/34 semi compact with 11-25 cassette. Stalled about 2/3rds of the way up. Wasn't about to start pushing so took a 60s breather then climbed back on and pedalled to the top. Don't know about cadence, but that is the one and only time I can recall stopping on a steep road climb.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Rosedale Chimney with a 25" gear. Was dead pleased to get up that (at about 700km, afternoon D3, into a 1000km ride) without a foot down. Cadence? On the stupid steep corners, dropped close to teens (rpm) I'd guess, desperately trying to get the crank over top dead centre and avoiding the classic toe overlap 'fail'.

 

[PapaZita]

Climbing Chapel Fell out of Weardale a few years ago. Not terribly steep at about 15%, but we had quite a brisk headwind that day. I was going 4 mph, and my heart rate hit 190, the highest I’d seen in a while. I was probably on a 34-27 gear, so that makes a cadence of 40 rpm.

 

[steveindenmark]

Monte Grappa in Italy. Even the TDF don't use it. Its a case of aim at the next hairpin and keep going. The fact that it is 19km long does not help. The worse part for me was the couple of 3% that appear on the climb. The legs are suffering for miles and then they get a short respite before they have to suffer again. The starting off again just kills. I found Stelvio easier to Monte Grappa.

 

[ianrauk]

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

I know that feeling....

 

[ianrauk]

Funnily enough..this came up on my Facebook memories today from 2016.
We climbed the Pico de Valeta in Spain.
A 30 mile climb up the highest paved road in Europe, on loaded touring bikes.
It wasn't quick I could tell you that. A slow cadence spin up to the top. Coming back down though...that was another matter.

 

[rogerzilla]

We did Dragon Hill (Uffington White Horse) on fixies. That is pretty much the limit of being able to turn the pedals at all. Cadence was probably 25-30rpm.

 

[rogerzilla]

Climbing Chapel Fell out of Weardale a few years ago. Not terribly steep at about 15%, but we had quite a brisk headwind that day. I was going 4 mph, and my heart rate hit 190, the highest I’d seen in a while. I was probably on a 34-27 gear, so that makes a cadence of 40 rpm.

I did that on a Brompton S3L. I didn't walk, but I stopped a lot!

 

[taximan]

Rosedale Chimney with a 25" gear. Was dead pleased to get up that (at about 700km, afternoon D3, into a 1000km ride) without a foot down.

The last time I climbed Chimney Bank was in 1963 on a Sun Snipe 5 speed. There was still a chimney there then. (Good grief, that was 60 years ago)

 

[Slick]

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

Mine did the same fully loaded going round Arran last weekend. Even I laughed when I noticed.

More to do with how I was feeling but I think the worst I've felt on a climb was trying to get over Glen Mason heading for Dunoon coming out of Colintraive. Some very steep ramps but most of it should have been reasonably easy enough but I heard at of creaking and cracking and I lost all strength in my right leg. That was over a year ago and whilst I am back on the bike, its still far from right and I've since found out that can happen with a bad adductor injury. Didn't even know I had an adductor.

 

[wiggydiggy]

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.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

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

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

 

[Ian H]

I used to be able to cope with a shortish 20% on a 67" fixed, and much longer 14%ers. Cadence was anything down to stalling point (and stalling with straps & shoe-plates was something to be avoided if at all possible).