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Defeated by Blaze Hill, gears for 25% incline

Variety is the spice of life they say so I thought a bit of hill climbing would help my all round strength for my sportive ambitions. That is how I found myself tackling Blaze Hill on the edge of the Peak District. I am used to battering my way around the north Cheshire plain between Mobberley and Middlewich in my biggest gears 53/11. In seconds I found myself on my smallest gear 39/25 and struggling.
10kph, 9,8,7,6,wobble. And I was off. After a quick breather I tried to get on again. I couldn't get enough pressure on the crank and hop on with my left; I couldn't get going again. I had to walk my bike up the last 100m like a kid. I had been defeated!
I found out that Blaze Hill has an incline of up to 25%, just as steep as some of the worse finishes on the Vuelta.
Umm, so I don't want say that I couldn't ever get up there on 39/25, but I ain't no pro. So what size cogs at the back would get me up that hill or anything else? There can't be many other steeper roads in the UK.

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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52 comments

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smiley_boy2501 | 9 years ago
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Blaze hill and the further slog up pym chair is probably one of my favourite hills and here. I ride a compact with 12-28 because i love to go up, love to spin and i'm not all that fussed about having the extra cog on the down. I'm between 11-12 stone.

Now you've done that....Pym Chair, Marple to Mellor and from Errwood Reservoir up 'The Street'.

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notfastenough | 9 years ago
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I'm fine with Blaze, but Pym's chair was a bit much in March. Then again, this is probably because the new babies robbed my fitness. Suspect I would have been fine this time last year.

@Smiley_boy2501 - I'll check that out, sounds like a plan!

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Maggers | 9 years ago
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A few months of slogging away on my 70s vitus steel racer with 42/25 around surrey hills and suddenly the 36 semi compact ring on my new build seems like I'm flying.

I guess it's just about practce.

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Leviathan | 9 years ago
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I wish I had the legs that this thread has!

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700c | 9 years ago
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When considering gearing options for steep climbs, I'm surprised nobody has pointed out that a 11-32 10s will give you some big jumps between gears, which, for undulating terrain could get very annoying and could break your rhythm..

Having spun out at over 48mph on a compact, I'm not quite sure people really need standard chainsets, but that's just my opinion!

Oh, and 29t compact i used for hardknott was not enough to get me up, but then I still had 135 miles to go at that stage!

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backflipbedlem | 9 years ago
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I just got a planet x pro carbon, came with SRAM Rival and their WiFLi system, which is basically an 11-32 on the back. 28 tooth before the 32 gets me up most, but got an extra cog to go to in emergencies!

But yea just keep grinding away man, you'll get there.
I had an uber budget bike for a year, rubbish gear ratios, took me 4 attempts to get up my local beast! each time getting a little further, But what a feeling when I finally did!!
Love the climbs! So painful, but so rewarding!!

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mace1961 replied to notfastenough | 9 years ago
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 7 trouble is with theese climbs is when your doing them regularly i e once or twice a week big bad blaze and the evan more brutal pyms chair are no probs but give it a miss for say a month and ime blowing like a billy goat halfway up and my head(chimp) is telling me i cant do it, and i have to really dig in ignore my head and keep going,, the sweet reward at being victorious over myself "" is an amazing feeeling and that what makes cycling addictive to me..  35

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mace1961 replied to backflipbedlem | 9 years ago
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 41 wat to go, thats what its about doing it for yourself none of us are going to make the tour !! perseverance and beating your last effert is enough and as you rightly say eventually you conquer what joy  36

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mace1961 replied to backflipbedlem | 9 years ago
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 41 way to go, thats what its about doing it for yourself none of us are going to make the tour !! perseverance and beating your last effert is enough and as you rightly say eventually you conquer what joy  36

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shmooster | 9 years ago
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105 5701 short cage will take 30t max and medium cage will take 32t, I've used both with success (though it still didn't get me up hardknott).

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-105-5701-10-speed-rear-mech/r...

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PurpleDog | 9 years ago
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No macho posturing from me... I'm 15 stone, 50 years old later this year with a dodgy knee (amongst other things!), and I like to keep the revs high - it would be pretty stupid for me to have a bottom gear 39/25 or something like that when I've got plenty of 10-20% hills to tackle, so my old bike has a 9-speed triple bottoming out with a 30/27, the new one is an 11-speed compact double with an even lower low gear 34/32, and I'm not fussed what anyone thinks of me, I get up the hills.
Doing the C2C a couple of years back, when everyone else in our group (aside from one guy on a mountain bike and one 8-stone climber on a roadie) was walking up the hill out of Settle, I was riding. Only just, but I stayed on the bike to the top!

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harman_mogul | 9 years ago
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Cannot see why all are so proud about eschewing the triple. Rode an Alpine pass recently, my first (Gavia, 2652 m) and used the 30x28 a lot. My companion, an experienced Alpinist, did not even notice, but did observe that I was pedalling easy.

No doubt Shimano has introduced the 32 sprocket so as to avoid the development and stocking cost of a triple option in its 11-speed line-up. 34x32 gives you about the same bottom gear, so that's OK.

(I weigh 60-odd kilos and am more than two decades older than the oldest rider in the TdF this year.)

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Flying Scot | 9 years ago
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I run 40 x28 and weigh about 14 stone, 50 yards of anything more than 15 % and I'm well into the red.

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truffy replied to Flying Scot | 9 years ago
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Flying Scot wrote:

I run 40 x28 and weigh about 14 stone, 50 yards of anything more than 15 % and I'm well into the red.

It's a good point that you make. Anyone posting their F/R ratios should also post their weight (and perhaps general level of fitness), otherwise it means very little.

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russyparkin | 9 years ago
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39/28 here, i live on dartmoor and we have savage 25% hills

never needed to walk a hill yet so that should get you up anything

alternative is go semi compact 52/36 you still get the power gear on the big ring and its a bit more sensible in the lower ring

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mace1961 replied to russyparkin | 9 years ago
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 3 25% in dartmoor not bad, weve got some real brutes in the peak district winnets pass and the pyms chair that hits 28% in parts but of course us northeners are real men and do it on a 53, 39,  8

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Scrufftie | 9 years ago
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How about a semi-compact? I run 52/36 with an 11-28 cassette for hilly days. This means I rarely spin out but I have a nice bail out gear, too, to get up anything. Works fine with a short cage rear mech. I had gone to compact (50/34) but it spins out too easily.

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joemmo | 11 years ago
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FYI - Shimano do Tiagra, 105 and Ultegra short cage mechs in an 'A' version that will take a 30T rear cog. I struggled to find one in the uk though so ordered it from Rose in Germany.
http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/shimano-ultegra-rear-derailleur-rd-67...
I compared it to the standard max 28T 105 mech and it's just got a slightly different placement of the upper jockey wheel. If you want bigger than a 30T you can fit a medium cage XT mech that should run to 34T

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giff77 | 11 years ago
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Well done mate!

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captain_slog | 11 years ago
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That looks glorious. Don't know if it counts if you stop to take pictures, though.

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Organon replied to captain_slog | 11 years ago
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captain_slog wrote:

That looks glorious. Don't know if it counts if you stop to take pictures, though.

Thanks, wait, hey, I'm not allowed to stop at the top? If we take that argument to the extreme; if I had just climbed Col du Tourmalet I'm still not allowed to take a pic? I should just plough on over the other side. Well this is just training, you'll know when your in a race, and there is no stopping.
Stopping on the slope was were it all started.

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Organon | 11 years ago
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I did it! Blaze Hill it earns it's name on a magnificent late Saturday afternoon. It doesn't look like 25% and this is only the end of the first part, there was another 20% section above it up to the Macclesfield Road. Proves I need to learn how to maintain my bike to do anything challenging.
So the 39/25 was enough but only just, fortunately all of 'Britain's Steepest Roads' are well away from me. But I've signed up for the Etape Cymru 2013 so I have a year of hell in the Peak District to get ready.

cheers, G

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giff77 | 11 years ago
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Just remember when your lungs are burning and your legs are turning to jelly 'dig in' mate. Hoping you can conquer it. Look forward to hearing all about it.

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Organon | 11 years ago
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Well I am going to try it again tomorrow or Thursday. It turns out I was actually trying to do the hill in 39/23. My gear alignments were off and shifted inwards to favour my smaller cogs (I've had shifting issues before and need it to go to the top ring.) But it is now tested, aligned and shifts through all 10 gears. Will it be enough with a bit of determination?

I am amazed this thread is still going by the way!

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simonsti | 11 years ago
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I have never found I need anything more than 39/25 for any of the local climbs around me.
That includes any of the macc forest climbs, mow cop or south peak district climbs.

It is just a matter of practicing climbs in a big gear to get better at them.

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mace1961 replied to simonsti | 9 years ago
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 39 for me cycling is about crossing personal boundries and of course that means pain and endurance then convert that pain into adrenalin thats the fun, its only a hill guys just get over it !!

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paulrbarnard replied to mace1961 | 9 years ago
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mace1961 wrote:

 39 for me cycling is about crossing personal boundries and of course that means pain and endurance then convert that pain into adrenalin thats the fun, its only a hill guys just get over it !!

You've captured it perfectly  41

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JediNeo | 11 years ago
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I too have an 11-28. With it I can get up most of the hills in the local area. Worst we have is about 20% at the top.

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Gkam84 | 11 years ago
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What abouts in Moray are you? I used to live in Elgin, pretty flat around there though. Give me an idea where you are and i'll try to suggest some for you. I have a good knowledge of that area  3

Hit my name and click on contact. Fill in the stuff and that'll email me and I can reply  3

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a_to_the_j | 11 years ago
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if your running shimano do what i did and get xtr long cage rear mech and xtr rear cassette - super light, crisp shifts and great gearing for 25%

GKAM84 - i;m new to morayshire area, would be keen to do some great "mountain passes" around scotland - if you could list some places to climb ? many thanks!

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