What gear inches for Catford Hillclimb

Anyone got a gmap ref for the hill? Recce time.

dude, you must be short!

kilgore_trout the 56kg me should (theoretically) do well in this.

56kg? Change your nick to Pantani! :)

lpg, was that at me?
i'm actually 6'0 (183cm)
i'm a scrawny fuck, barely capable of lifting my own body weight.
when i first got a road bike this summer, my dreams of being a sprinter road racer were dashed and everyone pretty much said that hill climbing is the way to go for someone of my build.

Yeah, hillclimbing would suit you better i agree. I can't lift my body weight, either (don't worry!).
Still man, my ex-gf weighed 55kg ...do some sprinting, it'll help you on hills too!

yeah, hills or sprints, having a HUGE lower body helps. i should probably start cross training/winter training/weight lifting this winter.

but back to the topic: is this fixed only and what's the average grade?

kilgore_trout i'm actually 6'0 (183cm)
i'm a scrawny fuck, barely capable of lifting my own body weight.
when i first got a road bike this summer, my dreams of being a sprinter road racer were dashed and everyone pretty much said that hill climbing is the way to go for someone of my build.

56kg at 183cm! Fkn 'ell.. sprinter?! hahaha dude you would practically levitate over mountains..

kilgore_trout yeah, hills or sprints, having a HUGE lower body helps. i should probably start cross training/winter training/weight lifting this winter.
but back to the topic: is this fixed only and what's the average grade?

No it's not fixed only.. the Mountain Bike class kinda gives the game away there :P
http://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/startsheets.asp?Month=200610&Page=1&ID=610

"The Hill is 652 metres long and has an average gradient of 12.5% with 2 stretches of 25%. The Hill has a good surface, but treaded tyres are advisable in wet conditions."

highgate west hill is av. grade 10% and it's about the same length...

:s ?

Not so sure about that.....does it have a 25% section? there is no comparison between the two, definitely follow bringmemyfix's advice on gearing....and he's right with tyre pressures too......he did come fifith after all, that's very impressive.

lpg highgate west hill is av. grade 10% and it's about the same length...

:s ?

In North London, Swain's Lane is a bit like 'Diet Catford'. Flatish at the bottom, but still awkward to sit down and keep ticking over; not quite steep enough in the middle to cruise out the saddle; evil final section; rubbish road surface; leaves; 2+minutes.

Highgate West is 1km, and probably hits 12% at its steepest - doesn't feel like it averages 10%...

Arrow points to the finish.

man thats polo bike gearing dudes. should come along with chopped bars and all. tried going up muswell hill on my commuter the other day, 44:16 but had to bail 1/2 way. hard on 1 ft flat bars. but surely with only 67kgs i'd go ok, geez, lpg disappeared up through kentish town last night :p

whats cressida?

Rough version of the Catford

(I think)
I might do the "have a go" version if I'm feeling good after riding down, but will be on gears that day (sorry!)

Yeah, looking at where it is, that's gonna be a fair amount of kays for the day. I'll probably Ribble it up.
"More gears, less tears" as winston says. :)

You trying to get me killed?...only just survived Scotland....

Gears might be good if you're inexperienced in hill-climbing, and low , low gears too....so at least you know you'll have "options" as you slave away.

For those with the luxury of more than one bike and are thinking of doing a recce....do it on a geared bike, you can try the hill a few times in different gears (without changing) and make a note of which gear feels comfortable, then altering your fixed gear bike to that gear before the race....resisting the temptation to put a slightly higher gear on your fixed!

hippy Yeah, looking at where it is, that's gonna be a fair amount of kays for the day. I'll probably Ribble it up.
"More gears, less tears" as winston says. :)

I'm planning on riding down there fixed but probably getting the train home, unless the legs are feelign good.

and remember a bunch of us are gonna ride down to see this - meeting at Borough market. i will bump up the thread nearer the time.

mr. smith - can lend you a 20 cog if you still need one

Nice one JW, was just thinking about that.

winston You trying to get me killed?...only just survived Scotland....
Gears might be good if you're inexperienced in hill-climbing, and low , low gears too....so at least you know you'll have "options" as you slave away.
For those with the luxury of more than one bike and are thinking of doing a recce....do it on a geared bike, you can try the hill a few times in different gears (without changing) and make a note of which gear feels comfortable, then altering your fixed gear bike to that gear before the race....resisting the temptation to put a slightly higher gear on your fixed!

LOL! It's okay winston, with our gears we're faster than this lot anyway. Fixed.. pffft! ;)

I'd like to check it out. I've not entered and I'm hardly gonna win so there's no pressure but I'd still like to see this climb and it gives me somewhere to ride to.
I think I've missed the last month, month and a half of club runs. The Ribble is getting dusty! I've got one more weekend of partying carnage before it should all settle down.. at least that's what I keep telling myself..

No easy A-rode straight to the hill unfortunately. This will no doubt mean I'll end up in Scotland should I attempt to navigate there alone.

30-35mi from Ealing.
Google Map

MrSmith i'll get a cheapo 20 and try it
i wonder if you pump the tyres up or let them down a bit for grip on the wet leaves to stop wheelspin?

Have you got a Twenty yet? I'm sure I've got one in the shed you can borrow, I'll look for it tomorrow.
cheers
Steve

Search so far has only turned up a 22 in the large sprockets, I'll have another look to try and find it

thinking of doing the catford cc hillclimb, what gearinches do you think is best?

Anyway, to get back to the point:
I'm doing it on an MTB with slicks and a 32:16 setup.

Toodle pip

i'm not doing it now so you can close this thread.