who has ridden these climbs

[theloafer]

http://www.bikeadventures.co.uk/supportfralps.html
made my mind up and signed on for this tour anyone got any advice on the selected climbs...cheers...

 

[vernon]

http://www.bikeadventures.co.uk/supportfralps.html
made my mind up and signed on for this tour anyone got any advice on the selected climbs...cheers...

Yes. Make sure that you have a 22 tooth granny ring and an 11-34 rear cassette.

 

[Cathryn]

I haven't but I want to.

 

[psmiffy]

All the named ones apart from Huez - my only advice is the same as vernon and you probably will not need a map

 

[Crankarm]

Gears

I found a 39 front and 25T rear sprocket were fine for me if I felt I needed them . The Alpe-d'huez is the one to beat . Take lots of water and a hat.

 

[ASC1951]

Yes, done them all, including the Glandon, Croix de Fer, Telegraphe, Galibier and Alp d'Huez in one go.

I wouldn't think you would need to go as low as 22 x 34. In fact I couldn't stay upright with that gear. I was fine on 30 x 26 and I'm no racing snake.

 

[psmiffy]

22 x 34 is 4.7km/hr fully loaded on the bits in xs of 10% -keeping upright is just a matter of concentration and knowing that if you stop in the wrong place then getting going again can be a problem - unloaded judging by the speed people were passing me then they are "easy" enough with compact doubles

In july it can be very hot until you get near to the top - my first go at Isere was in July and it was in the regoin of 35degrees until it stated snowing about 150m from the top, Galiber was very windy - enough to push me along on the downwind hairpins - not nice going the other way - eat lots drink lots

 

[rich p]

Unloaded you'll be fine with a 30x25 if you're reasonably fit. If you can't manage on that then maybe it's the wrong holiday!

I've done most of those and individually they're all okay but the hard part, I would say, is doing them day after day.
ASC1951 must have done the Marmotte, which I'd love to do, but I fear I may be past it

 

[andym]

Unloaded you'll be fine with a 30x25 if you're reasonably fit. If you can't manage on that then maybe it's the wrong holiday!

...or the wrong gears.

 

[rich p]

...or the wrong gears.

True, but I think signing up for a hardcore trip like that the organisers pre-suppose a reasonable level of fitness. There are plenty of cycling hols which cater for mere mortals

 

[inaperfectworld]

i think you will have to be very,very fit but mainly in terms of stamina as the uphills are very long and the days will be puninshingly long. i personally found a 32/32 eqivalent (i was on an airnimal) to be as low as i needed, carrying an sqr carradice saddlebag. take no unnecessary luggage: at the sort of speeds you are going say 4-8 miles wind resistance is not too significant but the enemy then is raising weight against gravity

 

[theloafer]

cheers for all your input ...would class myself been of reasonable level of fitness...getting back on the bike after a lay off{loss of interest} ...have done 2 lejog,s.. a month in venezuela on a ctc tour climbed up to 15,000 feet in 2002..done all the passes in the lake,s it just the length and of course weather will have a lot to say about it ...will be carrying only saddle bag and bar bag rest in surrport van extra skins for at the top so weight will be kept to a min..also would i kick myself if i did not give l'Alpe d'Huez a go

thanks larry

 

[Paul_Smith SRCC]

http://www.bikeadventures.co.uk/supportfralps.html
made my mind up and signed on for this tour anyone got any advice on the selected climbs...cheers...

I have ridden most of those climbs, although unlike the tours liked to under my signature not with Bike adventures, although the fact that many of those are with them maybe of interest to you.

The Col du Glandon, or Col de la Croix de Fer which effectively comes up to join the Glandon are traditional long gradual climbs, the Glandon is in places steep like l'Alpe d'Huez, this is simply because the gradual pass has suffered with landslides, so you zig zag down the valley and steeply back up again around the slide to rejoin, which can be a bit demoralizing as you grovel up only to drop down steeply losing all the recent gains. Forunately on the ‘Bikeadventures’ tour those land slides are on the side that you descend; I came up from l'Alpe d'Huez side, where as it looks like the route they send you on descends to it.

What I would say is that if this is your first high tour then take some warm clothing, I was so cold at the top of the Col du Galibier (one of the higher passes) that I wore every item of clothing I had; socks on my hands, spare shorts on my head; I look great; must do it again sometime, it was a great tour.

Paul_Smith
www.corridori.co.uk

 

[bonj2]

Yes, done them all, including the Glandon, Croix de Fer, Telegraphe, Galibier and Alp d'Huez in one go.

I wouldn't think you would need to go as low as 22 x 34. In fact I couldn't stay upright with that gear. I was fine on 30 x 26 and I'm no racing snake.

22x34 is a ridiculous gear, i've got that on my mtb and if you stop, it's impossible to set off again on it!

 

[Paul_Smith SRCC]

22x34 is a ridiculous gear, i've got that on my mtb and if you stop, it's impossible to set off again on it!

Gear ratios are a very personal choice, I have just recently written a response in another post about gear ratios that I will replicate here that may be if interest.

What you need to do is work out what gear ratios you like to use and then try and achieve them, making sure they are correctly positioned, no point if mathematically you can only get your most common used gear in largest ring largest sprocket.

By way of an example that is all I have done on my current tour bike, I use a 13t-29t Campagnolo 10 speed cassette set up with a chainset that 26-36-46t chainrings to give the the gear ratios I am after

I like gears of around 60”, you will see that I have got those on both middle and outer ring. I have done this essentially because this is a bike I use for two roles, solo rides of 15-20mph and touring rides of 12-15mph, to save repeated chain ring changes I can essentially use the big ring mainly for solo rides and the middle ring for more sociable rides. Even though it only has a 96" top gear I find that easily high enough for a mid 20-25 mph work out, for 15-20mph cruising I have ratios that I like available mid cassette on the 46 ring, this I find is the perfect set up for me. Of course everyone is different, some prefer a lower low gear and a higher high gear, horses for courses as they say

It does take a bit of thought as to what you need both in terms of ratios and then equipment choices to achieve them, but it can nearly always be done. In my case for example I did invest in a high quality chainset to get the ring combinations I wanted, as for me personally I find many road specific triples have ring choices too large yet the ATB chainsets too small for what I wanted.

Note I said 'wanted' not 'needed', my tour bike is used for tours, often I want to climb a long mountain pass with little effort to take in the scenery, so I chose lower gear ratios on that bike. Sportive bikes by comparison are normally ridden with no luggage, plus set up generally for riding at a higher speed than a touring bike, you can see from that gear chart above that a 34t inner chain ring with a 27t largest sprocket, a common combination on a sportive bike with compact transmission, will give a lowest gear ratio of approx' 34", on that style of bike that is low enough for most riders, even on a mountain pass.

To try and explain what a 34" gear ratio equates to you will see a red Audax bike in my tour write ups under my signature below, the 'Lejog' write up had a higher gear than that and I rode up every climb, in that specification I also toured the High Alps (as mentioned in the post above) with two full panniers and again rode every climb.

However, I realised when I was riding in a group I had to keep the gear turning on the climbs and ride quicker than many of my new friends, who were using lower gear ratios than me and able to ride at a slower more socialble pace, that along with wanting to take in the scenery is why you will now see that bike had a triple in some of the later tour articles. As I said gear ratio choices can take some thought, the decision may not always be down to ability.

Note my bike is an Audax bike, I have mentioned it purely to illustrate the thought process that can go into deciding what gear ratios to go for. As an Audax bike like mine is often used potentially for slower tours, many spec' a triple over a double, where as some of the bikes you are considering are set up more as fast day ride/sportive bikes, as I said above normally used for a slightly faster style of riding, as such they will normally have higher gear ratios than my Audax bike as a result.

Hope this helps.


Paul_Smith
www.corridori.co.uk