London's Toughest Hills

streetmap?? how quaint!

So my daily commute is up One-Tree Hill between Honor Oak and Peckham Rye. I can manage it on a road bike, but do you think it's doable on a fixie when combined with the added weight of a laptop in a rucksac?

Stamford Hill.

At risk of sounding like somebody who makes generalisations at best, and at worst a racist, the Hasidic Jewish population are the worst drivers I've ever encountered.

Every time I see a badly dented Volvo around that area I get off the bike and walk

^ Defeatist!

Yep - I think.
If you are coming up from Forest Hill train station, and turn left at the Horniman.
It's a fncker. my mate lives halfway up.
That whole area is a bastard.

You'd get used to it - I live up at the top of the hill behind the Horniman when I first ditched the variable transmission in about '96 and now commute over most of the bumps in SE23, SE4, SE26 etc quite happily as well as Dog Kennel Hill. I've not managed to ride over Canonbie Road on fixed yet; on the other hand, Ive not tried for a few years.

And fandango, One Tree Hill is actually quite agreeable on fixed, as the gradient actually slackens off long before you're at the top. In the other direction it's a bit harder though...

Steepest hills in SE London are those roads around the Horniman - there's the short one up to Sydenham (with Kirkdale on the other side), and there's the residential streets to the E of the Horniman, Honor Oak Road, and then go left.

I go home via Greenwich and use Maze Hill as a short lung-buster. Vanbrugh Hill is shorter and steeper.

Pepys Road and Jerningham Road in SE14 are both effective ways to tire the legs.

The slopes up to Crystal Palace are quite fun. The main roads are too busy to be very safe, but I use to do 6 1/2 minute reps on College Road (turning at the roundabout). Do a few of those and your legs know about it!

I live in Forest Hill and have found a back way all the way to Old Kent Road that barely goes near a hill...

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Forest-Hill-to-London-Bridge

The annoying is your somewhat restricted speed cos its back streets...

@dulwich rider +!, I tried a couple of the side streets around Annerley Hill, good training stuff.

@dulwich rider +!, I tried a couple of the side streets around Annerley Hill, good training stuff.

Hi 50, Now that you are a regular at North Drinks ( though I haven't been for a while) how do these hills compare with the variety of hills leading up to the flask?

I think Gypsy Hill is roughly equivalent to Highgate Hill and Annerley similar to Swain's Lane, although the former has a bit of a respite before you get to the hard part. Happen to be working at Gypsy Hill at the mo.

Biggin Hill is a doozy, never done it fixed as I only just mashed through with gears.. (heading south, heading north would be a doable but very very long climb)

my commute only hits beckenham hill which isn't bad just looks like a long way. I avoid the whole crystal palace area as there's more traffic and I don't get to go as fast

I have been riding a geared bike on some longish rides for a couple of weeks now. I have to say it is easier to climb fixed than it is geared. I have started to go up Highgate Hill instead of Archway to get a bit quicker/ stronger on the hills. For what is acctualy a few minutes of pain and brethless exautsion I always really enjoy hill climbing.

I have been riding a geared bike on some longish rides for a couple of weeks now. I have to say it is easier to climb fixed than it is geared. I have started to go up Highgate Hill instead of Archway to get a bit quicker/ stronger on the hills. For what is acctualy a few minutes of pain and brethless exautsion I always really enjoy hill climbing.

You like that hill do you? Race up it! Hahahaha! Thats if the 214 bus doesn't try and run me off the road like the other week!

I raced up swains in the death TT. Mike only took a minute and a half off my time. Rubbish. When its dry the Death TT will be resarected. Sprint down West Hill, sprint up Swains lane.

I live in Forest Hill and have found a back way all the way to Old Kent Road that barely goes near a hill...

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Forest-Hill-to-London-Bridge

The annoying is your somewhat restricted speed cos its back streets...

I have a route up from Como Road (small world!) that avoids hills; up through Crofton Park, Brockley and New Cross Gate and then OKR. It's a whisker over 8 miles to my work but the extra distance is easy compared to the hillier routes. On my way home I sometimes go over Herne Hill and over College Hill and down through Sydenham, sometimes over Champion Hill and through E Dulwich and up past the Horniman.

Why would anyone want to avoid the hills? They just make you stronger.

Yep. Thats what we were saying when we got to the top of Ally Pally on Saturday morning!

Oh, I think I know the one you mean - the surface is pretty rubbish, and it's a crash hotspot on Dulwich Paragon rides. I nearly got wiped out by a car cutting the blindish bend at the bottom, although I was riding far too fast :O

I've done it in the big ring (going back up the steeper side), but clearly I only did it to show off, and I'm only recounting it for the same reason. I'm a complete failure in every other aspect of my life.

It's Hesiers Hill, but gets referred to as Beddlestead. Unless you mean somewhere else...

Only just seen this. I live only a few miles from this so its quite a regular route. The VCL club run uses it a lot because it cuts out that busy top road. I've got up it on 69" fixed before, but it nearly finished me off!

if this thread were a tv programme it would be presented by phil mitchel

or at least dany dyer

oiii?

It would be presented by Marco Pantani, coked off his tits.

more appropriate probably but the title "london's toughest hills" just sounds like it shold be presented by someone wheezy standing in a dramatically lit warehouse.

YouTube - Britain's Hardest

Pretty new to London and still trying to find my way around, the thought of a "London's toughest hills ride" sounds pretty appealing, has it been done before?

Yeah, at least in North London. Try searching for Colapaluza.

Can we have Danny Dyer please. I like his funny little cover coats.

there were a few races in the summer when the forum first started , up highgate west hill + round hampstead, i'd be up for some more when it gets warmer.