Poll

Which is Britain's toughest climb?

Hardknott Pass
20 (27.4%)
Wrynose Pass
6 (8.2%)
Great Dun Fell
2 (2.7%)
Rosedale Chimney
10 (13.7%)
Fleet Moss
2 (2.7%)
Asterton Bank
3 (4.1%)
Bushcombe Lane
1 (1.4%)
Bwlch-y-Groes
5 (6.8%)
The Lecht
4 (5.5%)
Bealach-na-Ba
14 (19.2%)
The Mighty North Hill, Little Baddow
6 (8.2%)

Total Members Voted: 39

Author Topic: Britain's toughest climbs  (Read 11567 times)

Kim

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Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #25 on: 25 July, 2012, 06:47:29 pm »
My problem on anything steeper than about 1:7 is keeping the front wheel on the ground whilst retaining traction.

That's why you will eventually need to get out of the saddle, even if you have low gears.

To shift your weight forward.


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Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #26 on: 25 July, 2012, 07:11:39 pm »
I don't upshift. I just do a 'not downshifting to the 24" gear' instead.
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Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #27 on: 25 July, 2012, 08:37:55 pm »
From Lake Vwyrny, Bwlch-y-Groes is much easier than both Hardknott Pass, and Devil's Staircase, which isn't even listed. Bwlch-y-Groes from the west may well be harder, I dunno.
Oh, it is, believe me, though I think you mean the south (maybe a bit south-west) - from Dinas Mawddwy. I've only tried it once, nearly 35 years ago. I basically stalled half way up. From Lake Vyrnwy and from the north (Bala), I remember it as an enjoyable but not particularly difficult climb.

I've only done Hardknott once too (only a few years ago). From the west, it's harder than the Bwlch, which never reaches 1:3, partly because the latter doesn't have hairpins, which are always the steepest part.

Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #28 on: 25 July, 2012, 08:53:06 pm »
Yes, that's what I find too.
That's why you will eventually need to get out of the saddle, even if you have low gears.

To shift your weight forward.

I find that on the CoM, if I stay in the saddle, I'm right on the edge of lifting the front wheel esp. around the top bends where photographers hide.   If I put on any significant power, the front wheel will certainly lift.   I think the top section is around 16%, so not far from your 1:7.

So if I need to push on a bit, I have no choice but to get up and shift my weight forward.
That also requires a corresponding up-shift on the gears to take account of the lower cadence of an out-of-the-saddle rider.   It takes quite a lot of nerve to up-shift on a steep climb!

Feanor, is this the trick to prevent the back wheel spinning?  If, so, I'll have to try it but my set-up is very clunky and I often have to double-shift; chances of staying on are limited!  I've found that lately (depending to a certain extent on conditions) at about 1 in 4, if I can't keep the front wheel down (often on a bend) while I'm seated, when I stand up to throw my weight forward, the back wheel spins (even with new tyres) and I have to put my foot down because I've run out of options.  It's a heavy bike (33lbs with the bag) but I've got big gears - round about the 27" Simon was mentioning.  Is it poor technique, weight, or age?!

NB It's the short sharp ones at about 1 in 4 or greater that do this.  I have done Buttertubs and Fleet Moss (even in the same ride) from the hard side, just!

I've never got up Gorsey Brow, near Broadbottom, in the three years i've been aware of it!

Feanor

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Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #29 on: 25 July, 2012, 08:59:44 pm »
No, it's simply to maintain my forward speed.

When I get up out of the saddle, it's like going down a gear or 2.
It's easier pedalling, but the cadence drops.
If you leave it in the same gear, your speed also drops accordingly.

If the reason I got out of the saddle was simply to shift my weight forward, and not because I wanted to do an effective down-shift, then I pop it up a gear.

So for the slower cadence, I try to maintain the same forward speed.

Other than in winter with ice on the road, I don't suffer from rear-wheel spin on any climb.

On the climbs we're talking about, say 16%, I'd be using 30 / 21 ( leaving the 23 and 25 in reserve ).   That's about a 38 inch gear.   I don't think that's low enough to spin a back wheel.   At least, not with my bulk on it...

Karla

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Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #30 on: 25 July, 2012, 09:38:57 pm »
Hmm, let's see

Rosedale isn't even the hardest in Yorkshire.  Park Rash is like three slightly less steep Rosedales in quick succession.  Buttertubs may be slightly easier than Rosedale but it holds a special place of fear in my mind, gained from cycling up it into a screaming headwind.  Fleet Moss should really drop off that list to be replaced by Park Rash.

I haven't ridden Bealach na Ba but I have driven it; it looks like good fun but not as hard as Hardknott.

Wrynose isn't as hard as Hardknott either.

That'll be Hardknott then.  It's far too easy to overbalance on the crux hairpin when tackling the west face. 

Other notable mentions: Winnats Pass.  It's steep, it's unrelenting and it is an amphitheatre that softens you up with the climb up to the mine and then shows you everything it's going to do to you before hitting you in the legs.  The first time I got up it without resting was in the dark, when I didn't have the view of the rest of the climb to discourage me.

Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #31 on: 25 July, 2012, 11:56:01 pm »
Thanks Feanor. Lots to think about there.  I don't spin it on 1 in 7s, either, so maybe I'm expecting a bit too much on the steeper ones.  That said, I've only spun about three times, and always on 1 in 4 or so and always in the wet but it makes me nervous that it's going to happen!

Thanks again.

Peter

Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #32 on: 26 July, 2012, 08:00:29 am »
Buttertubs is a hard climb, but it's on the "When is this going to end?" scale, not on the "Am I going to make this?" scale, as far as I'm concerned. Winnats similarly - I hadn't done it for decades, so I made a point of including it on a ride the other year, and it was pretty much as I remembered.

Hardknott was off the top of ""Am I going to make this?" - I didn't ;D I had to walk some of the corners and the last straight. Not sure about the Bwlch, as I was a young, inexperienced rider when I tried it.

Toady

Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #33 on: 27 July, 2012, 11:06:26 pm »
My cycling mate and I have been ticking off the climbs in Simon Warren's book in our area, but as we're Londoners there aren't any on that list above, but we do have the Downs.  I think we've managed about five so far.  Some nasty sharp ones amongst them.

Topically - Box Hill was one of them.  It's nothing more than a longish uphill really.  A bit of a disappointment.

Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #34 on: 30 July, 2012, 02:11:32 am »
The climb from Polloch over to Strontian is as demanding as any, getting to it requires you to come on from Strontian, or to ride along the forest track from Glenfinnan. It's similar to Fleet Moss in the way that it leads you on with the possibilty of actually getting up it.
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Polloch&hl=en&ll=56.746417,-5.580196&spn=0.07135,0.123768&sll=41.023915,-72.155112&sspn=0.012206,0.015471&oq=polloch&t=h&hnear=Polloch,+Highland,+United+Kingdom&z=13

Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #35 on: 24 July, 2017, 08:28:07 am »
Resurrecting this thread to post something about Rosedale Chimney bank, which I've done a few times when staying in Rosedale (though not as many as some OTP & not forgetting Everester Mike M from 2016).  RCB is a good challenge, with a short sharp 33% section - though other climbs may well be harder due to being longer etc...  Fortunately on RCB one can go wide on the 2nd hairpin, if no vehicles.

A couple of videos of the steeper bits.  The cattle sheep grid is about 0.5km from the bottom of the climb...

Descent...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux7otgZd9Uw  (quite a brake tester!)

Ascent...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHWwnZcdOCg  (sorry about the wobbles n zig-zagging...  onna 16kg bike and 26x32 /22")

The sheep use the grit bin contents as giant salt licks... 
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Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #36 on: 24 July, 2017, 08:31:54 am »
Wow you climb that so quickly, I went up it at a snails pace  ;)
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Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #37 on: 24 July, 2017, 08:36:02 am »
 ;)  Yes x3 speed - saved people listening to me gasping for breath, and to get more in/ not over long.
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #38 on: 24 July, 2017, 08:56:31 am »
Whiteway just outside Dursley gets my vote.  As well as being steep it's ridiculously narrow, so you can't really weave to even out the gradient.  Because it's in the shady woods, the road surface is nearly always damp and slippery, so maintaining traction with both wheels is tricky.  I once met I car when descending it - although I managed to stop in time, dismounting was challenging!

Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #39 on: 26 July, 2017, 12:50:10 pm »
Never ridden any of those, and don't want to.

One of the hardest I've tried is Bwlch Penbarras - attempted it last Christmas (why?) and didn't make it even with a triple!

Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #40 on: 07 August, 2017, 10:11:35 am »
Having walked several of these my comments would be that Wrynose is no where near as bad as Hardnott.   I very nearly got all the way up Wyrnose at my heavier weight (Lost traction on front wheel right at the end and panicked).

The reason for this in my opinion is that you have enough line of sight and enough road to ride side to side to lessen the gradient.

Buschcombe lane for me is definitely one of the hardest climbs  for the same reason - its a horrible, narrow, bendy residential street and you have to stay tucked right in on the corners in case a car is coming around a blind bend.   Its just as steep as Hardnott in places and has the incredible tight corners to match.   Its horrible!


Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #41 on: 07 August, 2017, 11:26:55 am »
Have done Buttertubs from the south which was "fine" but is it harder from the north? Also recently did Botton Bank (with some walking and resting) which claims to be 33% - how does this compare with other North York Moors climbs? Agree with others that the Bealach na Ba isn't so steep (I was defeated by the combination of a headwind and the steepest section). I've only done The Lecht from the north and think coming from the south looks harder.
Not done any of the Lakes climbs.

Mr Larrington

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Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #42 on: 07 August, 2017, 11:50:36 am »
I did actually make it up Bushcombe Lane on a recumbent trike, in spite of the gloomy prognostications of my fellow Audaxers at the start of the Cotswold Corker.  Fortunately there hadn't been rain for a few days so I didn't wheelspin myself to a standstill.
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Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #43 on: 07 August, 2017, 08:48:05 pm »
Buttertubs from the south north (oops) is quite hard, but not on the scale of Hardknott or the Bwlch y Groes near Bala.

Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #44 on: 07 August, 2017, 08:51:29 pm »
Have done Buttertubs from the south which was "fine" but is it harder from the north?

Yes.

Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #45 on: 14 August, 2017, 10:14:25 pm »
Whiteway just outside Dursley gets my vote.  As well as being steep it's ridiculously narrow, so you can't really weave to even out the gradient.  Because it's in the shady woods, the road surface is nearly always damp and slippery, so maintaining traction with both wheels is tricky.  I once met I car when descending it - although I managed to stop in time, dismounting was challenging!
That raises memories of going up there one November afternoon, dead leaves all over apart from the car wheel tracks (about 12" wide each), and after 3 pints of Old Peculier at the New Inn, Waterley Bottom :thumbsup:. I failed when the front wheel just carried straight on at the first sharp bend, despite being aimed about 30 degrees right.

My memory of Wrynose and Hardknott is that whichever you do first is the harder; not surprising given that the middle is 100 m+ higher than either side. Hardknott from the west was harder than Wrynose from the east, so that will get my vote.
I've not done Bwlch-y-groes, Great Dun Fell or The Mighty North Hill, have done the others. The hard side of Bwlch-y-groes is from Dinas Mawddwy, to the SW.

I sometimes got an early start on the Corker (to be the secret control at Guiting Power), so I got to ride Bushcombe Lane on my own, without being balked by walkers, like I usually did when I wasn't the control.

Winnats is OK with proper gears as a regular cyclist, but it sticks in my mind from when I was a potholer rather than a cyclist, and rode my commuting bike back from Sheffield to Manchester Uni that way. 5-speed pseudo-racer (flat pedals, suicide levers and all), on 46x28. I was surprised the handlebars didn't break, and I collapsed in a heap by the top cattle grid for about 20 minutes before I was fit to carry on.

Pedaldog.

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Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #46 on: 14 August, 2017, 11:59:06 pm »
Admittedly 11 years ago, and 8 stones lighter. I did Wrynose and Hardknott both with Full Camping load! This thread has reminded me, in a Horrific way, just how far I've fallen. The friend I was camping with was Gobsmacked that, as I was going up Wrynose, I was chatting to the people in a car alongside me.
I couldn't even get up there on an unladen Trice these days.
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Re: Britain's toughest climbs
« Reply #47 on: 15 August, 2017, 07:56:06 am »
And then you came down Hardknott with a full camping load?  :o