What's the steepest hill / mountain / mineshaft you've climbed?

p3eps

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
Dec 14, 2019
1,982
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Scotland
I had this one 2 weekends ago. Due to me stopping for the pic, the Garmin shows 0% rather than the 21% it was showing 2 mins before.

The surface is the killer here, as it’s dry and gravelly - and practically impossible to get any traction.
I never thought about setting the climb switch on my rear shock until I’d got to the top... maybe next time!

C897F55F-F5E7-4649-9E2D-F7A684449E61.jpeg
 

urastus

⚡The Whippet⚡
May 4, 2020
1,548
995
Tasmania
I have a couple of doozies - not doing them lately because it's pretty wet in that area. I climb up at least two of them each time I go that way. I also return via them - awesome downhills for me. I always go half way up "back o belbins", then take the blue to the left. They are marked as descents - emtb has changed that. I'm not a great rider, and it took me a while to get each one non stop - they're technical for me. All lung busters. I'm pretty sure no one has ridden a non ebike up them. One of the few times I use trail (low) mode - usually I'm in eco (med). I've never seen someone going up or down, I know they are used though. They are all old fire trails with monster washouts up to my hip in height, rock ledges, and lots of rock and loose stuff. Pretty wild and not often used. It's close to where I live so I can ride from home - less than 1km (all up monster steep but sealed road) to get to the start of tracks.
rocky tom.png


rill and gully.png


back o belbins.png
 
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DrStupid

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Patreon
Jul 10, 2019
1,464
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Pleasureville Ky
The climbs I encounter tend to be limited by traction, since the dust and sand gives out under the slightest amount of pressure due to being at the angle of repose. I can climb up far steeper pavement as long as my gearing is low enough, but dirt is another story.

niSYIDH.png

This is more like a 30% grade climb, which is a mere 15 degree angle. I just picked the steepest part registered by Strava. xD

kVytg4I.png

Fast mountain DH for reference... funny when I end up riding up steeper stuff and descending the tamer side. xD

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The latter is the one I found more challenging, since it had more traction issues that I couldn't do anything about. The rock in the one above gave traction...

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This is the view of it just a fraction of the way up. I was nervous even mounting my bike to ride back down, to try again, since there was hardly any traction. *Camera pointing a bit downwards
I've got the same trouble, but for me it's mud. I haven't even attempted nemeses this year! The run at the bottom is a foot of flowing water. Last year at this time was a dust bowl.
 

DrStupid

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Patreon
Jul 10, 2019
1,464
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Pleasureville Ky
With wet weather, and soggy terra being an almost constant this year, I may have learned something about traction while climbing serious slope or traversing off-chambers-

A shorter chain-stay bike will climb better when traction sucks, and spinning up the rear wheel, or sliding off the side of the off-chamber path is the issue.

A longer chain-stay bike climbs better if you have traction enough to lift the front?
 

urastus

⚡The Whippet⚡
May 4, 2020
1,548
995
Tasmania
With wet weather, and soggy terra being an almost constant this year, I may have learned something about traction while climbing serious slope or traversing off-chambers-

A shorter chain-stay bike will climb better when traction sucks, and spinning up the rear wheel, or sliding off the side of the off-chamber path is the issue.

A longer chain-stay bike climbs better if you have traction enough to lift the front?
a guy I used to ride with has a giant - he makes climbs look easy. He just sits up and pedals :ROFLMAO: He is a good rider. The giant has long chain stays - but that dude can manual it really well too. I have short chain stays, but seat pushed forward and trailbike geometry. I just focus on getting more skilful. Lots of dudes ride their enduro bikes up all sorts of stuff, and their geo is more downhill biased :) For me it's easy - I have one bike (well, one emtb) and I want to learn to use it as best I can - the rest doesn't matter - it's all relative. So long as I feel I'm improving.
 

DrStupid

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Patreon
Jul 10, 2019
1,464
2,128
Pleasureville Ky
a guy I used to ride with has a giant - he makes climbs look easy. He just sits up and pedals :ROFLMAO: He is a good rider. The giant has long chain stays - but that dude can manual it really well too. I have short chain stays, but seat pushed forward and trailbike geometry. I just focus on getting more skilful. Lots of dudes ride their enduro bikes up all sorts of stuff, and their geo is more downhill biased :) For me it's easy - I have one bike (well, one emtb) and I want to learn to use it as best I can - the rest doesn't matter - it's all relative. So long as I feel I'm improving.
I'm hip. This geometry thing has been on my mind becuase I must sacrifice one of my bikes to the mud. Lol.

With me as the constant in the comparison, it seems the KHS 6555+ will become the mud bike becuase of its shorter chain stays, and the Trance with it's long chainstays will be saved from mud riding.
 
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DrStupid

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Patreon
Jul 10, 2019
1,464
2,128
Pleasureville Ky
a guy I used to ride with has a giant - he makes climbs look easy. He just sits up and pedals :ROFLMAO: He is a good rider. The giant has long chain stays - but that dude can manual it really well too. I have short chain stays, but seat pushed forward and trailbike geometry. I just focus on getting more skilful. Lots of dudes ride their enduro bikes up all sorts of stuff, and their geo is more downhill biased :) For me it's easy - I have one bike (well, one emtb) and I want to learn to use it as best I can - the rest doesn't matter - it's all relative. So long as I feel I'm improving.
The Trance definitely climbs better! Provided there is traction?
 

Fingerpuk

Member
Apr 8, 2020
250
197
Kent
Yesterday I rode up a 1:2 gradient. Only about 20 feet but still almost killed me. Did it in the big gear in EMTB mode and struggled to keep the front down while the rear spun up. I’m not entirely sure why I did it.
 

Varaxis

Member
Founding Member
Feb 5, 2018
145
89
California, USA
WMA8br9.jpg

What's the term for this short steep part just before the crest? Cornice and scarp look similar, but not technically the same.

This is a climb that I can only do in the best of condition. Doesn't look that steep from the side.

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