# What type of bike do I need to cycle Wrynose Pass?



## frances99 (9 Jan 2011)

Hi

I am about to sign up to do the Great Lakeland Challenge in September - which includes 26 miles of cycling over Wrynose Pass. I am looking into buying a bike - but don't know what time would be best suited to this. I visited Evans today and they though road bikes (with racing style handlebars) would be best, however I have looked at the video from last year and most people seemed to be using standard handlebar bikes (perhaps hybrids?)

I am new to cycling so please excuse my ignorance!

Thanks!


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## aberal (9 Jan 2011)

The people at Evans probably gave you good advice. Drop handlebars are not necessarily "racing style" handlebars - they are used on all kinds of bikes used for commuting, touring, cyclo-cross or general road use. Their advantage is that they offer you a variety of places to rest your hands (5 or 6 different locations) which allows you to continually vary your position and so lessen fatigue. Flat handlebars don't allow as many positions. Some people prefer them as they feel safer and better able to access brakes and gear changers. More importantly though - you should be thinking about what kind of gearing you want. If you are new to cycling and are aiming to tackle some big hills, you might want to consider either a compact chainset or a triple chainset which will give you a good spread of gears, and in particular some low gears to take on the hills. Pure racing bikes tend to have very high gearing. In short, and assuming that you are going to be doing most of your riding on the road you might try googling audax or sportive or touring bikes and see what pops up - as bikes like that are likely to suit what you are looking for. A hybrid is likely to do the job for you too - just not as well.


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## SurlyNomad (9 Jan 2011)

+1 for the advice on gearing from aberal. I have a surly lht and the gearing is such that you could go up the side of a house if you would let it. I would go for something with good range of gears but it depends how deep your pockets are and how fit you are and maybe even go as far as saying how sane you are  because ive walked up wrynose pass and its one of them OMG momments. Hope you post some pictures up mate and good luck on your journey through the lakes.


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## frances99 (9 Jan 2011)

Thanks so much for the advice - I called them "racing style" as am not really au fait with the terminology! I tried out this women's road bike at Evans today:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pinnacle/aura-flight-2010-womens-road-bike-ec021922?query=womens road bike

Quite liked it but it's the first time I haven't used flat handlebars, and I think I will simply feel more secure with them. Would you say the gears on the bike above are along the right lines though?

@SurlyNomad - must be pretty insane. As the challenge involves rowing across Lake Windermere, then doing this cycle part before climbing Scafell Pike. All in less than 12 hours...


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## GrumpyGregry (9 Jan 2011)

if worried that you may not adapt to the position of the brake levers, esp if you have smallish hands, you can get things call cross tops which are a second pair of levers on the flat top part of the bars.

That's a very good bike for the money, as for gearing, a lot depends on your youth, leg strength and how much training esp quality climbing training you can put in. I wouldn't want to tackle anything in the lakes without a triple ringed chainset but I'm old fat and unfit.

Now is a good time for buying imo, as the 2010 model bikes are all reduced to make way for the 2011's.


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## ian turner (9 Jan 2011)

Wrynose followed shortly after by the Hardknott pass are two of the steepest hills in England if not the steepest (there's that one in Yorkshire).
What's your prior cycling experience?


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## Spin City (9 Jan 2011)

Frances 

It's very difficult to give advice about appropriate gearing because "What gears you require for particular terrain, conditions, level of fitness" is very personal and is only usually learnt after you've tried cycling up the climbs or someting similar. 

For example, experience has taught me what gears I need to get over Hardknott/Wrynose when I'm fresh and what gears I need to get over a particular Alpine pass after a long day in the saddle. 

The lowest ratio on the bike you're looking at is 34/25 = 1.36. Lower gears can be achieved either by reducing the number of teeth on the front ring or increasing the number of teeth on the largest cog at the back. If you bought a bike with a triple chainset which had a 30 tooth front ring and, say, a 27 tooth cog at the back you're lowest ratio would be 30/27 = 1.11


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## dodgy (9 Jan 2011)

Don't buy a bike specifically for one or two hills on a 26 mile route. Presumably you will be riding it before, during and dare I say it, after the event? IF this is true, think about what you want to use the bike for.

It would be folly to make your selection based on one fairly short event.

Any old bike would do as long as the gears are low enough. For an absolute novice, then a mountain bike with slicks might be the right choice for one event as described by the OP.


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## Garz (9 Jan 2011)

I cycled that last year on my boardman comp about halfway on a 112 mile route. Getting up it in 23x34 was quite tough but as Ian asked it is dependant on your fitness.

If I was buying a bike from scratch I would lean towards a touring drop bar bike as these can carry extra stuff and accommodate mudguards and usually wider tyres for rougher terrain.


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## aberal (9 Jan 2011)

frances99 said:


> Quite liked it but it's the first time I haven't used flat handlebars, and I think I will simply feel more secure with them. Would you say the gears on the bike above are along the right lines though?
> 
> @SurlyNomad - must be pretty insane. As the challenge involves rowing across Lake Windermere, then doing this cycle part before climbing Scafell Pike. All in less than 12 hours...



If you can take on that kind of challenge, I'd assume that you were reasonably fit, so that bike (or something like it) looks like the kind of bike which would suit. And it looks like a really good deal too! The bike has a compact chainset, meaning the small chainring at the front has 34 teeth, which will be absolutely fine for someone who has a decent level of fitness. Racing bikes typically have 39 or 42 teeth on the small chainring which makes it harder to use to climb. You will need to build up the mileage though. If you stay on this forum, someone somewhere will be able to point you to a training regime - but on a simple level I'd suggest that you start with runs of 10-15 miles and then depending how you get on, increase that distance weekly by about 5 miles a time. 

I honestly wouldn't worry too much about the bars - you will very, _very_ quickly get used to them. Drop bars are as safe as a safe thing. There is a perception out there that they are somehow more difficult to ride than flat bars - but they're not. The only time flat bars are an advantage on the road are for people who commute in very heavy traffic, otherwise drop bars tend to offer far more advantages.


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## frances99 (9 Jan 2011)

Thanks so much for all the advice. I am pretty fit generally yes, but not an experienced cyclist, which is why it is this part of the challenge that is worrying me the most (and giving me doubts about whether to do it). They do say that it's suitable for all levels - as long as you are fit and healthy.

Of course if I do decide to do it, I will throw myself into training over the next nine months, so should have plenty of time to build up the skill and stamina necessaru (and also get used to a different kind of bike). I think this site may become my saviour...


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## Cardiac (9 Jan 2011)

In my youth (I was 17 at the time) I took my bike over Wrynose and Hardnott passes (on different days). No special bike, no special gearing - I just got off and pushed for the really steep bits. Even then I passed a couple of cars with steam coming from their radiators (not that I wasn't steaming as well!).

I would take the advice - don't choose the bike on the basis of these two climbs - the bigger ride is more important.

Just go for it. It's a beautiful area, and the downhill stretches will be fun too.


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## mcshroom (10 Jan 2011)

Cardiac said:


> Just go for it. It's a beautiful area, and the downhill stretches will be fun too.



Definitely go for it (although fun is an interesting way of describing 1:4 descents with sharp hairpins and no barriers  )

I'm yet to build up the courage to take on Wynose/Hardknott on a bike, but I'm not exactly fit and have a decent amount of extra weight to haul up the hills. The views are stunning though: - 








This is a view from the top of Wynose looking *West* towards Hardknott.

With respect to a bike I think that the one you have looked at should be good enough to get up the passes, but you may want to change the cassette to have a smaller bottom gear (you can at least get 28t with the current equipment and 34t is possible but you would need to change the rear mech to a mountain bike one). 

That being said I won't take it on with a triple chainset and 32t rear (so 28x32 bottom gear or 0.875 ratio) but that's just lack of guts





[Edited as I managed to get East and West mixed up]


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## Sheffield_Tiger (10 Jan 2011)

ian turner said:


> Wrynose followed shortly after by the Hardknott pass are two of the steepest hills in England if not the steepest *(there's that one in Yorkshire).*
> ...



Rosedale Chimney


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## ian turner (11 Jan 2011)

Having looked at that website and done some figuring out myself as they seem to reluctant to actually provide a map I'm guessing it's from Ambleside or thereabouts at the end of Windermere to Wasdale Head for the Scafell Pike section. So that's Hard Knott as well  though that's shorter.
Just thinking about it is unnerving.


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## rodgy-dodge (11 Jan 2011)

we went over on the motorbike last year...pretty scary i should say  many of my friends have done it on mountain bikes though and said it was great...go for it then you can cross it off your list


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## rodgy-dodge (11 Jan 2011)

hope this works 
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJxa5B4LUvE&feature=related


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## frances99 (11 Jan 2011)

ian turner said:


> Having looked at that website and done some figuring out myself as they seem to reluctant to actually provide a map I'm guessing it's from Ambleside or thereabouts at the end of Windermere to Wasdale Head for the Scafell Pike section. So that's Hard Knott as well  though that's shorter.
> Just thinking about it is unnerving.




Well I have bitten the bullet and bought the bike... so training will begin when it arrives.

I know it will be utterly exhausting (guess that's why it's called a challenge!) but I have seen on last year's video that even the fittest looking men get off and walk parts of it - I will have no shame in doing that too!


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## aberal (11 Jan 2011)

frances99 said:


> Well I have bitten the bullet and bought the bike... so training will begin when it arrives.
> 
> I know it will be utterly exhausting (guess that's why it's called a challenge!) but I have seen on last year's video that even the fittest looking men get off and walk parts of it - I will have no shame in doing that too!



Excellent. I'm sure that you will not only manage the challenge but get many years of enjoyment out of the bike - you will love it.


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## Big John (12 Jan 2011)

I take it you bought a Harley 883 then?


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## fossyant (12 Jan 2011)

Just a bit of advice, you'll probably need to change the rear cassette nearer the time of the event to one with larger sprockets - 34 x 25 isn't that 'easy' a gear. 

Try as many steep hills as you can - those on the challenge are 1 in 4 territory so you need a bit of practice - you'll soon see why you may need a bigger rear cassette. 

Get the miles in, but also the hills.


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## PpPete (12 Jan 2011)

Get as much practice as you can on steep hills.... and get used to going up them standing up, Hardknott and Wrynose are so steep it's almost impossible to climb them seated, as your front wheel tends to come off the ground.

Also bear in mind the descending such things can be seriously scary. You can have both brakes full on, tyres on the very limit of skidding, and still feel you are going too fast for the sharper bends.


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## GrumpyGregry (12 Jan 2011)

frances99 said:


> Well I have bitten the bullet and bought the bike... so training will begin when it arrives.
> 
> I know it will be utterly exhausting (guess that's why it's called a challenge!) but I have seen on last year's video that even the fittest looking men get off and walk parts of it - I will have no shame in doing that too!




I suspect the fittest man simply ran out of gears long before he ran out of steam, or if he had enough gears simply, and sensibly, decided walking was faster than twiddling his granny. 

Though for me at that point the ride becomes too much like golf.


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## Garz (12 Jan 2011)

PpPete said:


> Also bear in mind the descending such things can be seriously scary. You can have both brakes full on, tyres on the very limit of skidding, and still feel you are going too fast for the sharper bends.



This is so true. Descending Wrynose in the wet I came close to sh*tting my pants as cars ascended close towards me. The chunky boulders between you and the edge get scary and when I did reach the bottom my hands/forearms were cramping for having them locked on for minutes. I probably could have cooked an egg on the brake pads or rims after!


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## frances99 (12 Jan 2011)

fossyant said:


> Just a bit of advice, you'll probably need to change the rear cassette nearer the time of the event to one with larger sprockets - 34 x 25 isn't that 'easy' a gear.
> 
> Try as many steep hills as you can - those on the challenge are 1 in 4 territory so you need a bit of practice - you'll soon see why you may need a bigger rear cassette.
> 
> Get the miles in, but also the hills.




Thanks for the advice - another guy on my team knows a bit about cycling and had said the same about the cassette.

And as for the going downhill part, duly noted - what goes up must come down. I can see why cycling uphill very slowly would be less scary than bombing downhill so will make sure I practise that too!


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## Arch (13 Jan 2011)

frances99 said:


> Well I have bitten the bullet and bought the bike... so training will begin when it arrives.
> 
> I know it will be utterly exhausting (guess that's why it's called a challenge!) but I have seen on last year's video that even the fittest looking men get off and walk parts of it - I will have no shame in doing that too!



Good on you, go for it.

If you want to sound experienced, remember to refer to walking as your 24" gear. Cycle gears can be referred to in terms of inches, and of course 24" is two feet...

I've been driven over Hardknott and Wrynose, and was terrified most of the time!


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## PpPete (13 Jan 2011)

I had to resort to Arch's *24" gear* on both Hardknott and Wrynose (West to East) last year...... even though lowest gear on my bike was 23" !

Working hard on leg strength & stamina already in the hope of riding all the way this year.


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## chriswoody (13 Jan 2011)

I'm currently training for an attempt at the four seasons Fred Whitton, which climbs Hardknott and Wrynose amongst others! Despite being based in the South Lakes I've never actually ridden either of these hills. Though I have ridden Lynmouth hill in North Devon on an old 5 speed clunker back in the day! If your based in the South Lakes then there are some cracking rides on quiet roads which take in some big climbs, all good training for the ride your looking at. Feel free to ask for any advice if you want. 

Good luck with it.


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## frances99 (13 Jan 2011)

Arch said:


> Good on you, go for it.
> 
> If you want to sound experienced, remember to refer to walking as your 24" gear. Cycle gears can be referred to in terms of inches, and of course 24" is two feet...




Ha ha - I like it. 

Started working on strength and stamina hardcore already this week - and the bike should be arriving in the next few days!

Live in the Chilterns so there are plenty of nasty hills to get practising on...


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## Sheffield_Tiger (14 Jan 2011)

Kudos to anyone riding it

Last time I drove it (in a clapped out MkII transit with a bunch of knackered campers from a week of walking Wainwrights - myself included) was in a pea-souper at night - I felt like I was in a special episode of _Ice Road Truckers: Deadliest Roads_


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## Headgardener (19 Jan 2011)

So what bike did you go for then Frances? Can you link to some pics of your new bike so that we can all criticize agree on how well it will cope with the two aforementioned passes.


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## Neil A (13 Feb 2011)

frances99 said:


> Hi
> 
> I am about to sign up to do the Great Lakeland Challenge in September - which includes 26 miles of cycling over Wrynose Pass. I am looking into buying a bike - but don't know what time would be best suited to this. I visited Evans today and they though road bikes (with racing style handlebars) would be best, however I have looked at the video from last year and most people seemed to be using standard handlebar bikes (perhaps hybrids?)
> 
> ...


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## Neil A (13 Feb 2011)

Hi

Wrynose is relatively easy from the west but a struggle from the east, if you are new to cycling and want to ride it all the way I would recommend a triple front with a 27 rear, or a compact if you are very strong, bear in mind that getting to Wrynose from the west involves hills, potentially Hardknott which is in its own gravity league. I am lucky enough to live here and actually went over Wrynose from the east on a 30/23 yesterday but I ride 200 plus miles a week around here. Please, dont try to be a hero, get yourself some nice low gears and enjoy the crack, you can always buy a more racy block as you improve.


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