On what hill did it force you to ride at your LOWEST cadence ever ?

[Dogtrousers]

I struggled up Yorks Hill again yesterday. Just had a look at my GPS details and the slowest I got was 33 rpm/ 4.4 kmh (2.6 mph). I think I'm going to stop including it in my rides, it's just stupid.

 

[Fredo76]

In my youth, someone bragged in the Tucson Wheelmen club bulletin that they had ridden up the back side of Gates Pass in a 82 inch gear, sitting down. I took that as a personal challenge, and the next time we were out that way, I put it in ninth gear (52x15, 93"), and with my riding buddy Alan Fischer as a witness, ground my way to the top, sitting down all the way. I had to stop just a few feet shy of the crest, because a slow moving car in front of me stopped in the road suddenly, and I barely got unclipped in time. Never mind - it counted - all the steep stuff was behind me.

https://www.dangerousroads.org/north-america/usa/4353-gates-pass.html

Not my video, but the back side starts at :41 with the guy descending it.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdQvJuq_oog&t=72s


I don't know what the steepest gradient is/was, but it was one of the steeper climbs around Tucson, hence the brag that prompted my "record breaking" successful attempt. I would estimate my cadence at 15 to 20 rpm, or 3 to 4 seconds per revolution.

 

[andrew_s]

Cleeve Hill, from Winchcombe towards Cheltenham.
The hill itself isn't much, but it was returning from the pub, and for some reason it seemed a good idea to leave it in the gear I'd arrived at the pub in. That was 48x11.
I got as far as a 10% bit just short of the top, but then stalled. Fortunately there was an adjacent driveway thas was flat enough to restart in.

 

[palinurus]

Some hill in the South Downs during a short tour on fixed (nice- started in London, out to Kent, followed the coast around then returned). Couldn't pedal any slower and then I couldn't pedal at all. Climbed off just as a bearded guy on a tourer came past downhill.

Once at a club hilly TT the racing secretary described the first hill as a 'big ring hill'
It was not a big ring hill. I was dying, but couldn't change out of the 54.

Then there’s the Harlech hill, which I’ve only ridden past the top of, seen the sign and entertained no thoughts of trying to ride up or down it.

I walked down that one.

 

[mjd1988]

I remember riding up Rocky Road in Belfast, which is like a vertical wall and 20%for about 200 metres. It wasn't a pretty sight because at the time I was using a compact with 11-25 cassette,and no way in hell would I ever try it again using that combination. I swayed more than a towel hanging from a washing line on a windy day and my cadence dipped to a horrendous 30rpm, I can only imagine what my heart rate was.
Tell us the gradient of your slowest ever cadence climb and the gearing you used to get up it.

Never been brave enough to go up (or down!) The rocky road fair play

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Trooper Lane in Halifax gets my vote

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/your-ride-today.173254/page-2027#post-6696462

According to veloviewer, a significant slice over 25%, and cobbled.

https://veloviewer.com/segments/3448719

 

[13 rider]

Just back from a week up Whitby way , climbed Old Boulby bank 14.5% average at 3.5mph cadence average 55rpm . It's the only climb I had to zig zag on to keep moving ,it's just a unrelenting straight wall ,did steeper ramps while up there and managed those easily compared to this , it was my last day so I was possibly fatigued. I do run biggish gears 36/30 being the lowest , I'm beginning to consider going down to a compact 50/34 front chainring

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I do run biggish gears 36/30 being the lowest

Maybe consider a smaller front chain ring to get that ratio down to 1/1 or lower.

 

[lazybloke]

From the late 90s I spent many years riding only MTBs with triple chainsets, and very easy gearing.
It was a hell of a shock to get back on a 1980s road bike in 2014, with a lowest ratio of 42/24. I wouldn't know my cadence back then, but my knees were sore for at least a day after a hilly ride. A series of upgrades fixed the knee issues, and I've not had that pain again since 2015 or so.

My main two bikes have ratios of 34/32 and 34/34. They're much better.

 

[presta]

I was once overtaken by a jogger on Frocester Hill, Gloucestershire.

Going up The Struggle to Kirkstone Pass from Ambleside, I was overtaken by walkers.

 

[Chief Broom]

As a relative newbie [2 yrs in] every damn hill! This year to help strengthen the old legs ive been attacking a hill which goes up to a windfarm. Theres posts at the side of the track by which i can measure my progress,,,which goes like this- pedal until my heart feels like its exploding and lungs bursting then stop and recuperate...and then set off again and repeat. Whether this might bring on a heart attack [im no spring chicken] fffftttt who cares, im fatalistic and gotta die of something.
Anyhow i can now ride 90% of it without stopping and could get to the top except it gets so gravelly i get wheel spin

 

[roubaixtuesday]

As a relative newbie [2 yrs in] every damn hill! This year to help strengthen the old legs ive been attacking a hill which goes up to a windfarm. Theres posts at the side of the track by which i can measure my progress,,,which goes like this- pedal until my heart feels like its exploding and lungs bursting then stop and recuperate...and then set off again and repeat. Whether this might bring on a heart attack [im no spring chicken] fffftttt who cares, im fatalistic and gotta die of something.
Anyhow i can now ride 90% of it without stopping and could get to the top except it gets so gravelly i get wheel spin
View attachment 712030

Beautiful pic, can I ask where it is?

 

[Chief Broom]

Beautiful pic, can I ask where it is?

Hi roubaixtuesday, its by the river Brora in the Highlands

 

[Ridgeway]

This was a bit tricky and called for the granny gear:

Slippy on the hairpins going up and wasn’t great going back down either 😳

These days i’m never afraid to use a lower gear, just happy to get up there👍🏻

Much harder than Hard Knott was Zoncolan though, constant ramping up and down, hard to find any rhythm and of course it’s a bit longer…

 

[slowmotion]

All my slowest cadences must have been on Ditchling Beacon, just before I could physically no longer turn the cranks in my lowest gear. Shortly after, I started walking, feeling like a hopeless loser.