There was a road at least that steep in Gallup, NM when I lived there 20+ years ago; it went right up the side of a mesa. I recall trying to climb it in a 42/24 wearing cleats for Sampson Stratics. (Gold star if you remember those. The cleats had 2 vertical extensions fore and aft that fit over the pedal, and had little surface contacting terra firma when you had to walk in them.
[image: Inline image 1] I made it halfway up, then bailed, and found that my cleats gave me absolutely no traction on the smooth asphalt. I did what any reasonable man would do in the circumstances: I fell over. Getting up was difficult, but I somehow made it to the top and never, ever again attempted that hill on a bike. In my 88 HP 1984 VW Passat wagon, it was a first gear hill. On Tue, Aug 25, 2015 at 9:59 AM, Kyle Brooks <[email protected]> wrote: > Here in the Akron, Ohio area, we actually have a lot of hills at 18% grade > or more -- a number of roads climbing out of the Cuyahoga River Valley are > about that steep, and some are steeper. I've never actually had a problem > with pulling an accidental wheelie on any of them, though I do recall > seeing someone do it once and come off the bike. I stand on the pedals, and > carry a lot of my weight on the front wheel. > > However - we do have one road in Akron, built in the late 1800s, that is > all brick and is at 28% grade at its steepest section. It's officially > called "Bates Hill" but it is locally known as "Cadillac Hill" because > there was (still is) a Cadillac dealer located at the top of the hill, and > local legend has it that back in the old days, the salespeople would prove > the power of the Cadillac's engines by driving people up the hill. It's the > ONLY paved hill that I have not been able to ride up - and here's part of > the complication: > > The bricks are laid in such a way that the alternating rows of bricks are > raised up slightly, making almost like a miniature "stairway effect" > (another older local nickname for the road was "Jacobs Ladder" for that > reason) -- it was done like that to help provide some traction for horses, > before cars became commonplace. But that effect actually limits some of the > traction one gets with a bike tire. On the edges of the road, or the > "gutter" if you will, the bricks lay flat -- and while you might think that > riding on the smooth sections would be better, the old bricks are so smooth > that traction is limited there at least as bad, or worse. > > I've made a few attempts to get up Cadillac Hill and here's what happened: > > I tried going up the smooth section on the right side, putting weight > forward like I usually do. My rear tire just started spinning when I got to > the steeper sections. > > I tried going up the smooth section again, but keeping my weight back a > little further to help rear wheel traction. My front wheel pulled up > immediately. I leaned forward to keep the front wheel down, and the back > wheel started spinning again. > > I tried going up the "ladder" section in the middle. Leaning forward, the > back wheel spun. Leaning back, I pulled up the front wheel again. > > I tried going up the "ladder" again - trying to keep my body low, with my > knees slightly more bent - and working it like a balancing act -- poised > delicately between the front and rear. If the front started to pull up, I > shifted *slightly *forward, but not too much. If the back wheel started > to slip, I shifted *slightly* back. Just trying to keep that balance. I > got pretty darn close, but again reached a point where the back wheel > started to slip, and at that point I was already going so slowly, that even > the slightest wheel slipping brought me to an immediate standstill, with me > trying unsuccessfully to get my foot out of the pedal -- and down I went, > hard, and bruising my hip on the raised bricks. OUCH! > > By the way -- that "ladder" or "stairway" effect of the bricks makes going > down Cadillac Hill every bit as difficult as going up -- only much scarier. > > I've heard of people saying they were able to get up the hill on bikes, > but I've never been able to do it myself, and I've never witnessed anyone > do it. > > Kyle Brooks > Akron, OH > > On Friday, August 21, 2015 at 7:29:29 PM UTC-4, Lungimsam wrote: >> >> So I rode my first 18% grade today and found myself poppin' a wheelie by >> accident. >> >> It was hard to get into a comfy position and just get into a rhythm. >> >> Do you lean forward a lot, into hoods, or sit up more on the tops with >> drops to get into the zone on those kinda grades? >> >> The only rhythm I got into was my anaerobic gasping. >> > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- Resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, and letters that get interviews. By-the-hour resume and LinkedIn coaching. Other professional writing services. http://www.resumespecialties.com/ www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmooreresumespec/ Patrick Moore Alburquerque, Nouvelle Mexique, Vereinigte Staaten ************************************* *The point which is the pivot of the norm is the motionless center of a circumference on the rim of which all conditions, distinctions, and individualities revolve. *Chuang Tzu *Stat crux dum volvitur orbis.* Carthusian motto -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
