Hills. I hate them. What Would Dirt Do?

[DismalScientist]

No problem. Just got on my old touring bike and put in a 26 x 32 gear. I can climb walls with that gear.

[jrenaut]

@Dirt 13949 wrote:

48×16 is just too tall a gear for that hill. I’m not man enough for it at least.

I have a few more gears than that. I’ve never ridden a fixie, though I’d like to try. My wife would probably leave me if I brought home a second bike.

[consularrider]

@Dirt 13949 wrote:

48×16 is just too tall a gear for that hill. I’m not man enough for it at least.

Hey, 34X28 wasn’t enough to get me over the last 20 yards! I can do it on my old rigid mountain bike (28X32).

[americancyclo]

@Tim Kelley 13951 wrote:

Wow, americancyclo sure has a lot of KOMs on Strava.

Many of them local…nothing like a little competition!

oh shoot. good bye KOMs. it was nice while it lasted.

[DaveK]

@americancyclo 13961 wrote:

oh shoot. good bye KOMs. it was nice while it lasted.

Do not poke the Tim Kelley. It gets angry.

[dcv]

@Dirt 13949 wrote:

48×16 is just too tall a gear for that hill. I’m not man enough for it at least.

how about 48X19? now i feel like i must try

[jabberwocky]

I was 44-16 on my first attempt. The second was 48-18. Those were marginal for me. To keep the bike moving, I was hauling on the bars so hard I was afraid I was going to break them.

Man, you guys are making me want to go back and try it again.

[rcannon100]

As it turned out, blah , more inner suburbia – and more hills.

Whadyatalking about? That hill leads into nirvana! aka Arlington. Oh the places you can go. Turn left, and follow the road across Glebe Rd. Now, choices. This is a corner of Arlington – and from this corner you can do a great road circumnavigation of Arlington!!! Turn East, and go down Military Road, through Bellview Forest, Donaldson Run Park, Lee Heights, and past my favorite Windy Run. All on nice Bike Lanes – with killer hills the whole way. At this point you are in Lyon Village and can hop on the Custis Trail.

Or go South-West along Glebe Road until you hit Williamsburg. Bike lanes. Hilly but more slopey. This is taking you towards Falls Church. When you hit the circle, you take Sycamore South to 66. Now you can hop on the W&OD trail.

And at that corner on the top of the hill, that’s civil war Fort Ethan Allen. Not well marked but it is there, as well as some of the old fort walls. Just west, from the bottom of the hill, up a dirt path, is Fort Macy.

I am not sure what the “official” circumnavigation trail is – but every weekend the spandex kings are out on Military in droves making the tour.

And personally, the hill in question, I walk up in – I have never really attacked it as its so steep I fear falling over.

[Dirt]

@jabberwocky 13977 wrote:

Man, you guys are making me want to go back and try it again.

It is mocking you, sir.

[vvill]

@americancyclo 13923 wrote:

Tim has 3 lungs.

Yeah if I recall correctly, he went back and did several hills twice on the Kill Bill ride while waiting for the rest of us to make it up once.

[Marcella]

@rcannon100 13981 wrote:

Turn East, and go down Military Road, through Bellview Forest, Donaldson Run Park, Lee Heights, and past my favorite Windy Run. All on nice Bike Lanes – with killer hills the whole way. At this point you are in Lyon Village and can hop on the Custis Trail.

I don’t think Military has killer hills. You need to get off the main road onto the side streets for the real inclines.

But then again I wear spandex shorts, and I sense that is considered a bad thing.

[jabberwocky]

@Marcella 14022 wrote:

I don’t think Military has killer hills. You need to get off the main road onto the side streets for the real inclines.

Military itself is a nice grinder, decently long though not that steep. You’re right that the really fun stuff is off to the side.

@Marcella 14022 wrote:

But then again I wear spandex shorts, and I sense that is considered a bad thing.

Spandex represent.

[DaveK]

@Marcella 14022 wrote:

But then again I wear spandex shorts, and I sense that is considered a bad thing.

It all depends what you do with it – when I’m commuting in the summer you’d better believe I’m wearing spandex. Nobody would want to see what happens if I ride in at 90 degrees in work clothes. I think the anti-spandex crowd is more focused on getting people to understand that you don’t have to spandex up just to ride down to the store.

[rcannon100]

But then again I wear spandex shorts, and I sense that is considered a bad thing.

😎 He He 😎 Nah…. I wear spandex shorts… It’s just that, well, its just so cute to see the noobs come out on the weekend, you know, the matching young couples, in their perfectly matching, brand new, spandex. On their bikes where all the equipment is original and there are no scratches on the paint. And they gleefully cycle down the MV trail, side by side – making it dangerous to pass – and they are not sure what the bell is for on their handlebar My favorite is the guys I see recently wearing full spandex pants, and matching jackets et al…. when its 50 degrees out.

When I see a guy whose equipment, 50 percent of it doesnt match, and his bicycle looks like its been through the ringer, and he’s wearing pretty much whatever he found on the floor (or his Bike to Work Day shirt from 8 years ago)… that’s a commuter.

[vvill]

I wear spandex for almost any ride. You just might not be able to see it. Spent too many years riding and sweating without “technical” fabrics.

[Author]

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