Manchester - Llandudno: Saturday May 13

[nickyboy]

Sorry Nick, but the genie is out of the bottle!

View attachment 340587

Every time I see that photo I laugh. I think your group was the only one to notice the sign as it wasn't even illuminated when everyone else passed by hours earlier

 

[nickyboy]

We have a Caravan in "Press that in" - OK Gronant..... just down the road..

Can we put you down for a few miles Fossy?

Or at the very least you can stand by the road in Gronant with hot drinks and snacks in the "feed zone"

 

[gavroche]

I have just doublechecked every climb on the hilliest variation of the route and I reckon I might just about be able to get up all of them on my singlespeed bike, provided there is not a significant headwind on the steeper ones. If I have to get off and walk it should only be for a hundred metres or so here and there.

It will be nice to have somewhere quiet and scenic to ride it for a change. I do most of my riding on it up and down the fairly busy A646 and A6033 in the local valleys.

Just out of interest, what's the gearing on a single speed bike?

 

[nickyboy]

Just out of interest, what's the gearing on a single speed bike?

The answer is....not easy enough to get up that nasty short hill on the coastal path about 5 miles before Llandudno. Colin's walking up that one for sure

I've got a feeling that the steep 200m ramp out of Flint may be a challenge too far too

 

[si_c]

Can we put you down for a few miles Fossy?

Or at the very least you can stand by the road in Gronant with hot drinks and snacks in the "feed zone"

I'm sure he can join us for the trundle down the front to the hub. If last year's effort is anything to go by, we'll have trouble keeping up with him anyway.

 

[Crackle]

We have a Caravan in "Press that in" - OK Gronant..... just down the road..

So, were are you going to this weekend, Fossy?

 

[mythste]

The answer is....not easy enough to get up that nasty short hill on the coastal path about 5 miles before Llandudno. Colin's walking up that one for sure

I've got a feeling that the steep 200m ramp out of Flint may be a challenge too far too

I've done those sea front ramps since we last rode that way with about 25kg of camping gear, the trick is to hit them fast enough to break the worst of it!

 

[ColinJ]

Just out of interest, what's the gearing on a single speed bike?

52/19, which I make about 75 inches? It is a bit hard on climbs but it is perfect for flatter roads at 15-20 mph.

The answer is....not easy enough to get up that nasty short hill on the coastal path about 5 miles before Llandudno. Colin's walking up that one for sure

I know I can do 7% because I can get up the steeper middle part of the Cragg Vale climb on the bike and that is 7-8% for a couple of hundred metres. I think much steeper than that or more than (say) 300 metres at that gradient would start to be a bit much.

I never quite go to my limit on the bike because I am a bit nervous about standing up and using maximum effort in that gear - I saw one of my friends explode a chain on that Cragg Vale ramp doing something similar! ***

I've got a feeling that the steep 200m ramp out of Flint may be a challenge too far too

I was thinking of doing your original hilly route and if so I would be climbing up before Flint.

I looked at every hill on that original route and I think that some of them touch 10% for a short distance. If I could get a run at the steeper bits then I might make it up them but realistically I will probably end up walking the bike for a total of a mile or so on the ride. That wouldn't be too bad. I wouldn't ride the singlespeed if I were going to be spending hours walking up very long hills.



*** That reminds me - I was thinking about buying a stronger chain for the singlespeed to put my mind at rest. I'll order one ASAP! PS Hmm ... Sheldon Brown reckons that sticking with standard chains is the best bet for such converted bikes. Oh, maybe I will just carry extra master links and a length of spare chain. (Obviously, unlike on multigeared bikes, on singlespeed one does not have the option of just shortening a broken chain. It needs to be restored to its original length.)

 

[si_c]

Stuff

There's a section of last years hilly route on Kelsterton lane which is stupid steep for a section, first time I did it I was on a 42-28 low gear and I remember feeling like my head was about to explode. Having said that I was far less fit then than now. The pre-Flint route is nice, but tbh if it were me I would stick with this years run, it looks a bit more interesting, although I prefer heading to Dyserth and then into Rhyll directly rather than going through Prestatyn first, but that's just me.

The point on the front that @nickyboy and others have alluded to is around Rhos between Rhyll and Llandudno, on the coastal path, you ride along comfortable on a completely flat road, then it is about 15% for about 25m and then downhill again, if you have built enough speed on the flat then you should be ok, but tbh, on the single speed I'd just walk it, saves falling off. I recall that I was swearing vociferously about both the unexpectedness and steepness of it last year.

 

[mythste]

There's a section of last years hilly route on Kelsterton lane which is stupid steep for a section, first time I did it I was on a 42-28 low gear and I remember feeling like my head was about to explode. Having said that I was far less fit then than now. The pre-Flint route is nice, but tbh if it were me I would stick with this years run, it looks a bit more interesting, although I prefer heading to Dyserth and then into Rhyll directly rather than going through Prestatyn first, but that's just me.

The point on the front that @nickyboy and others have alluded to is around Rhos between Rhyll and Llandudno, on the coastal path, you ride along comfortable on a completely flat road, then it is about 15% for about 25m and then downhill again, if you have built enough speed on the flat then you should be ok, but tbh, on the single speed I'd just walk it, saves falling off. I recall that I was swearing vociferously about both the unexpectedness and steepness of it last year.

And the idea of building up anything resembling speed in that headwind was pretty optimistic!

 

[si_c]

And the idea of building up anything resembling speed in that headwind was pretty optimistic!

Tell me about it. I'd like to be optimistic about the possibility of a tailwind on the way in, but unfortunately experience tells me it's not likely.

 

[ColinJ]

There's a section of last years hilly route on Kelsterton lane which is stupid steep for a section, first time I did it I was on a 42-28 low gear and I remember feeling like my head was about to explode. Having said that I was far less fit then than now. The pre-Flint route is nice, but tbh if it were me I would stick with this years run, it looks a bit more interesting, although I prefer heading to Dyserth and then into Rhyll directly rather than going through Prestatyn first, but that's just me.

I'll consult with @Littgull and any other hill-fanciers who may take the detour with us. I'll probably put 2 or 3 variations on my GPS in case we change our minds on the day because of the weather, or for some other reason.

The point on the front that @nickyboy and others have alluded to is around Rhos between Rhyll and Llandudno, on the coastal path, you ride along comfortable on a completely flat road, then it is about 15% for about 25m and then downhill again, if you have built enough speed on the flat then you should be ok, but tbh, on the single speed I'd just walk it, saves falling off. I recall that I was swearing vociferously about both the unexpectedness and steepness of it last year.

It is hard to reliably spot very small climbs like that on my elevation profiles. It only takes the route plotted to be a few metres either side of the road and the indicated elevation can be way off. Some of the roads here can be next to sheer drops so a 5 metre lateral error could produce a 50+ metre vertical error! I always see a significant climb on the elevation plots featuring the A646 between Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd but that does not exist. The road is cut very close to a steep hillside and the OS map probably shows it a few metres away from where it actually is to have room to show the adjacent Rochdale canal and River Calder.

I would be chuffed to do the whole ride without having to walk but I might as well accept that it isn't going to happen and then I won't feel disappointed when I have to do my emergency dismounts. I might choose to walk up a climb early in the ride to remove any lingering reason for thrashing myself on something steeper later on.

 

[si_c]

I'll consult with @Littgull and any other hill-fanciers who may take the detour with us. I'll probably put 2 or 3 variations on my GPS in case we change our minds on the day because of the weather, or for some other reason.


It is hard to reliably spot very small climbs like that on my elevation profiles. It only takes the route plotted to be a few metres either side of the road and the indicated elevation can be way off. Some of the roads here can be next to sheer drops so a 5 metre lateral error could produce a 50+ metre vertical error! I always see a significant climb on the elevation plots featuring the A646 between Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd but that does not exist. The road is cut very close to a steep hillside and the OS map probably shows it a few metres away from where it actually is to have room to show the adjacent Rochdale canal and River Calder.

I would be chuffed to do the whole ride without having to walk but I might as well accept that it isn't going to happen and then I won't feel disappointed when I have to do my emergency dismounts. I might choose to walk up a climb early in the ride to remove any lingering reason for thrashing myself on something steeper later on.

I'd go with the expectation that you will walk for at least a short section here and there, Little Orme springs to mind, as I struggled quite a bit to get up there last year, partly due to my lack of hill conditioning and partly due to the fact I was pretty spent after tackling that headwind for 25 odd miles.

I'm leaning towards hillier is better for this ride, but equally I don't want to be on my own doing the hillier route, as I can head out to do it any time so I'll see who I'm with on the day to decide which route to do.

 

[nickyboy]

I'd go with the expectation that you will walk for at least a short section here and there, Little Orme springs to mind, as I struggled quite a bit to get up there last year, partly due to my lack of hill conditioning and partly due to the fact I was pretty spent after tackling that headwind for 25 odd miles.

I'm leaning towards hillier is better for this ride, but equally I don't want to be on my own doing the hillier route, as I can head out to do it any time so I'll see who I'm with on the day to decide which route to do.

I will be doing the 2017 Hillier route

It's better than the 2016 Hilly route. Admittedly you have to put up with a mile or so of busy road before you get to Flint that you didn't in 2016. But in return you get a considerably nicer climb (if folk remember from 2016 there was Kelderstone Lane then another tough climb with the cattle grid at the top).

I've no problem if participants want to freestyle it and do the 2016 Hilly route despite it not being officially on offer in 2017. But I will be doing the 2017 Hilly route

 

[ColinJ]

Ah, well I do like the sound of that so I'll join you for the 2017 version then. I'm sure that Littgull will as well.