Advice for climbing
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Thanks! I do feel slightly more confident on steeper climbs now.
I have also decided to upgrade the stock aluminum wheelset with a carbon wheelset with a dt350 hub. It's not necessarily to improve my climbing but for overall aero gains and weight savings (they are about 1500g) I know this isn't going to dramatically improve my performance here but what do you think would be realistic expectations from an upgrade to good carbon wheelset on hills?
If they are decently lighter than the stock rims, they will feel snappier and easier to accelerate and climbing may feel easier. With lighter wheels, there will less of a flywheel affect at speed. If deeper, they will be a bit faster at speeds above 20mph. Also if deeper, you will probably feel crosswinds more - assuming shallow depth stock aluminum wheels.
So while I have PR'd multiple times on this climb and have improved my climbing generally, I also wanted to know what's the general gear set-up that people are using here. I am currently running a 50/34 and a 11-spd 11-34 cassette. I am thinking of putting a 11-32 to help with cadence on steep climbs. Currently my cadence drops to about 55-60 on the really steep sections (>10,%) and I wanted to know if an 11-32 will actually be helpful.
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You must not be from NYC? I live near that river and my usual ride is 25 miles 2,000 feet AND I avoid the final climb at the end of the park as I'm a bigger guy, that would put me at 25 miles 2,500 feet.
I'm a pretty big guy at 200lbs + and never thought of myself as a climber but with that exact route (albeit shorter) being my normal ride I've really developed my short term climbing abilities. I think nothing of rides which are 1,000 feet per 10 miles.
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I'm with Got Time, confused by your cassette question. What's your cadence on the climb now and what do you think you want to do?
Like people mention earlier in the thread, gearing choice is all over the map. I'm too heavy and don't have the time anymore to invest in becoming a spectacular cyclist. But I enjoy climbing more than anything else and ride 53/39 and 11-28. It's probably not the best gearing for me and I may switch to 52/36 in the front soon but it's what I'm used to.
Nowadays there are pros riding 50/34 and 11-28, 11-32, or even lower in grand tours on climbing stages. But there are others who stick with more old school higher gearing.
With gravel bikes becoming popular there are people road riding with super duper low gears...
With your gears if you continue to ride, you should be able to climb just about anything. And probably easily, no need to kill yourself every time on hills.
Like people mention earlier in the thread, gearing choice is all over the map. I'm too heavy and don't have the time anymore to invest in becoming a spectacular cyclist. But I enjoy climbing more than anything else and ride 53/39 and 11-28. It's probably not the best gearing for me and I may switch to 52/36 in the front soon but it's what I'm used to.
Nowadays there are pros riding 50/34 and 11-28, 11-32, or even lower in grand tours on climbing stages. But there are others who stick with more old school higher gearing.
With gravel bikes becoming popular there are people road riding with super duper low gears...
With your gears if you continue to ride, you should be able to climb just about anything. And probably easily, no need to kill yourself every time on hills.
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No I am not, why?
List a address or section of that road that has a constant climb of 1000', not this up/down 50 times BS.
His profile of elevation lists 3 of them, so it should be really easy to identify.
Are you from NYC? What difference does that make. If your from NYC, are your feet in a different dimension?
My bad for the typo..I have a 11-28 cassette and thinking of either a 11-32 or a 11-34. Tempted to go 11-34 for that 1x1 ratio but again concerned about bigger jumps in gears, cadence on flats etc..
FWIW, I have no inclination to ride with you on your 1000' feet sojourns. I will stick to my relatively bunny climbs...lol.
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I asked if you're from NYC because you came across as very sure about the area ("Show me a spot in Yonkers that...") and both in disbelief that a route along a river could generate that much vertical. Nothing more than that really... you seemed like you were both from the area and simultaneously dismissive of the widely known local routes, nothing more.
Anyhow. below is a head on shot of the cliff face of the Palisades, visible from the west side of upper Manhattan. I live behind the buildings on top, more of less, and when I'm trying to round out my climbing before finishing a ride I'll dip down from the road (in the middle of the cliff face obscured by trees) and ride down to the visitors center visible in the photo and then back up to the buildings up top. Over the course of nearly ten miles in each direction this road winds down from sea leave to nearly cliff level and then back down and up. Along the way there are multiple 250' feet climbs and it terminates with a +500' climb out to a road which leads from NJ to NY and points north. One other thing, at this particular juncture from which it is photographed, the cliff is 400 feet lower than it is ten miles north of here, when the final climb is from sea level to top of cliff (+400 higher than here).
All of this just mere miles from midtown Manhattan.
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From looking at your wattage output on the Strava you linked to and it seems like you are lighter guy, yes? I went from 28 to 32 and am much happier on the climbs in the park, but I was simply running out of gears with 28.
Yes, I am 156 lbs (that power output is strava generated; not from a PM). Appreciate the local perspective. I think the Strava segment you are referring to is the 'Full Alpine Climb' and I dread every time I have to climb it. hahaha..
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Yes, I live in the vicinity of Strictly's so the whole route is right there. I'm about fifty pounds heavier. I guess I thought it was all about power to weight and at 156 I would have no problem sailing up that climb. Sorry to put you on the spot, hah!
How are you planning to deal - or dealing with the colder temperatures - I'd like to keep riding but man, it's tough to go out in anything lower than 50F. WFH makes it possible to go out at the high of the day in sunlight but still.. it's just demoralizing when it gets cold.
Please consider the need to get a longer cage rear deraileur when you upgrade the cassette. I had to swap out my SRAM RD when doing from 28 to 32.
Cold weather is indeed a bummer plus the high winds these days make it doubly tough to go up these climbs especially when heading north on 9W. These days I prefer to just do laps in Liberty State Park as its close to where I live and if its 55+ or so outside I will do and out and back to Alpine which is like 40-45 miles round trip. I honestly want to do longer rides but have been waiting for these carbon clinchers to come in which are taking forever to get shipped because of covid.
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... and you still haven't shown me a spot where there is 1000' elevation climb. Is that wall of rock 1000' high?
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I'm sorry. I think you have me confused with someone else.
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I'm not confused. I posted a question to show me where near NYC/Yonkers there is a 1000' climb. You stated that there are climbs all over and posted a picture of a rock overlook.
The OP posted the elevation of his ride up that road that looked to me to have (3) 1000' climbs, where are those climbs?
It's just that simple, paragraph after paragraph about how I'm not from NYC and I don't understand is unnecessary.
The OP posted the elevation of his ride up that road that looked to me to have (3) 1000' climbs, where are those climbs?
It's just that simple, paragraph after paragraph about how I'm not from NYC and I don't understand is unnecessary.
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