Cycling uphill

Zipp SL + SLC Handlebars

September 30, 2014 by tejvan

I’ve been looking into handlebars for the hill climb bike. I need to buy another pair because I want to chop the ends off (I won’t be using drops in upcoming hill climbs). It’s not the most efficient way to save 50 grams, but it might be easier to pull on the hoods as well.

I looked at the Zipp handlebars, as usual there is a confusing array of names Zipp SL, Zipp Contour SL, and Zipp SLC. There’s not a huge variation in each. Zipp SL the lightest. Zipp SLC the most rigid. Also, be careful – Zipp sizes are centre to centre. A 42cm ZIpp (Centre to centre) is a 44cm in most other brands.

Zipp SL

Zipp SL is the lighest handlebar it is 31.8 only in the middle of the bars allowing a more aerodynamic profile away from the centre.It means that you can put clip on aerobars on them. Zipp specificially say you can’t – it isn’t built with suitable clamping point. This is more of a climbers bar, with focus on lightweight, but they are still reasonably stiff.
Features:
• Weight (SS 42 cm): 170g
• Clamp Diameter: 31.8
• Clamp Width: 48mm
• Short-Shallow Bend: Yes
• Clip Compatible: No
• Max Brake Lever Torque: 8NM
• Max Torque Clamping to Bar: 8NM
• Drop style: SS

RRP €313 – Zipp at Zipp.com

Combe Gibbet

September 30, 2014 by tejvan

Combe Gibbet is number 25 in 100 greatest hills. It is a fairly short climb, averaging just under 10% to take you to the top of Combe Gibbet / Walbury hill.

I rode up Combe Gibbet on Sunday purely by accident. I was racing up Walbury hill which is an alternative ascent to the top of that hill. The weather was too hot to warm up on rollers so I preferred to warm up on roads instead. I took the road from Inkpen and went in any direction that was uphill and not on the race course. From Inkpen there is a gradual ascent, and then a bit of downhill before the short, sharp shock of Combe Gibbet. It averages 9% for 0.5 miles. But, towards the end of the climb, there is a good section of 16%. Pre race I was trying to ride up the climb, without going over 300 watts- which is a bit difficult to do without going at low cadence. I don’t like warming up too hard, I prefer to keep it fairly steady.

The weather was perfect so I enjoyed the climb and view from the top. The climb was quite quiet, very few cars, and the odd horserider. If I’d known I was riding Combe Gibbet I may have taken some photos. But, I also had a race to concentrate on.

Combe Gibbet

Distance 0.5 miles
Average gradient: 9%
Max Gradient: 16%
Summit Height of 889ft / 270m
Height gain 259ft / 79m
Strava segment – official 100 climbs of Combe Gibbet

After the race I went back up Combe Gibbet to do a bit more training. From the top of the hill, I headed south in the general direction of Andover. It was a strange descent, you kept thinking you would come to the bottom of the descent, but it kept on going down. One thing about hills in this part of the country is your never sure where the starting point is. It’s a great part of the country to cycle around. Quiet lanes, interesting roads, decent climbs, but nothing too taxing.

Combe Gibbet points of interest

Combe Gibbet is a popular tourist attraction. Wikipedia tells us a gibbet was erected in 1676 for the purpose of gibbeting the bodies of murderers – George Broomham and Dorothy Newman. The gibbet was placed in such a prominent location as a warning, to deter others from committing similar crimes. So if you want to see a replica of a Seventeenth Century Gibbet, there’s an added motivation to climb the hill.

Walbury hill is the highest point in Hampshire.

Combe Gibbet from the south

Combe Gibbet from the south is a good climb. If you want there is a several mile incline averaging about 1%. But, the climb proper only lasts for the last 1km.

The last 0.7 miles averages 7% and it gets steeper towards the top. The last half a mile averaging 10%

Distance 0.7 miles
Height gain: 240ft / 73 m
Max gradient: 12%

Related

Veloflex record tubulars review

November 22, 2015September 29, 2014 by tejvan

Veloflex Record and Veloflex Sprinters are a top of the range tubular good for track, time trials and hill climbs.

The Veloflex Record is made with a high TPI (350) which is one factor giving a potential high quality fast supple tyre . The Veloflex Record is perhaps best known tub, but the Veloflex Sprinter is also a good choice for a fast tub with an extra layer of puncture protection.

The Veloflex Record weighs 190 grams, the Veloflex Sprinter 225 grams. The Sprinter is the better all rounder choice, the Record is more of a specialist front wheel tyre.

In rolling resistance tests, I’ve heard the Veloflex Record gives good results, though I couldn’t find any studies.

Veloflex Record

Use: Time trial – Track
TPI: 350
Pressure: 9/10 bar
Protection Belt: Calicot puncture resistant layer
Casing: Compressed Pes/Co corespun
Rubber tread: Natural rubber exclusive compound
Inner tube: Latex low rolling resistance
Valve: Presta 36mm with changeable core
Claimed weight: 190g
Calicot puncture resistant layer
Veloflex Record at Wiggle RRP £97.00

Veloflex Sprinter

Use: Road Racing / timetrial
TPI: 350
Pressure: 7/10 bar
Protection Belt: Calicot puncture resistant layer
Casing: Compressed Pes/Co corespun
Rubber tread: Natural rubber exclusive compound
Inner tube: Latex low rolling resistance
Valve: Presta 36 mm with changeable core
Claimed weight – 225 grams
Veloflex Sprinter at Wiggle – £72.68 RRP £90.

The Veloflex Sprinter is a development from an older version called the servizio corse.

It is 22″ width, which would be close to my preferred choice – perhaps would prefer a 23″ or even 24″ – given trend towards wider tyres. For hill climbs 22″ is a pretty good width.

The Record seemed a good choice for a rear wheel in time trials. Rear wheels tend to wear more quickly (due to more weight on rear of bike) and also seem more prone to puncture. If you want to go all out for speed, you could put Veloflex Record on both wheels, but I tend to be more risk averse – you can’t win if you have to walk home with a puncture. I put the Veloflex Record on my disc wheel for a few time trials in the summer, and have now moved it to my Zipp 202 rear wheel that I use for hill climbs.

It feels faster than a Continental Competition (which is the tub I’ve used most frequently in TTs). It is also lighter. After doing several races over gravelly roads, the tyre still looks in good shape, without any scratches.

I’ve chosen this tyre for hill climb season, though a couple of weeks before national, I may switch to a lighter rear tyre like the Vittoria Chrono. At this stage in the season, I’d rather have the puncture protection than 25 grams of weight – even if it is rotational.

Like many high quality, low weight tubulars, it seems to lose air pressure pretty quickly. In a four hour race, this could be a bit of a problem. In four hours it can easily lose 10 PSI. It means I tend to blew it up slightly more than my targeted PSI before a race. But, since it’s a guess what tyre pressure to use anyway, it’s not such a big deal.

Tread. smooth running tubular.

It looks good – black and gum coloured. Simple design like a tyre should be. I believe there is a Veloflex Extreme which is same tyre but black sidewall rather than gum coloured – don’t know why you need a separate model for different coloured sidewall.

It’s actually slightly muddy after yesterdays race. Despite driest September on record I still managed to find a muddy puddle at the top of Walbury hill.

Conclusion

I bought the Veloflex Record on the recommendation of a fellow tester, and so far I would be happy to recommend too. No punctures and good performance in time trials and hill climbs.

The big drawback to the Veloflex Record is the cost at a RRP of £90, it’s a case of hoping that the price justifies it’s value. The old law of cycle racing is never skimp on a good tyre / tubular. But this still stretches the wallet a little more than I would like. Still if does offer good combination of rolling resistance, weight and puncture resistance it will be money well spent. The Veloflex Record costs £97.00 and seems to be interesting in getting record for most expensive tubular. I may try it on front wheel next year though.

Related

Newbury R.C Hill climb – Walbury hill

September 28, 2014September 28, 2014 by tejvan

The Newbury R.C. hill climb on Walbury hill was the first time the club had made the climb an ‘open’ event. But, it still felt like the atmosphere of a local club event. Newbury CC were out in force with 30+ entries from the promoting club. It meant another good start sheet with 70 riders, including quite a few juniors and juveniles. When I got into hill climbing a few years ago, it was quite common to have entries of 10-20 people – entries were so low, you kind of thought hill climbs were a real ‘specialist’ / ‘nutcase’ type of cycling. But, in the past couple of years, entries have really been on the up. Perhaps it’s a combination of British cycling success, and the popularity of GPS tools like strava segments. These days, courtesy of Strava – everyone’s become hill climber; so I guess it’s only natural to make the next step from virtual competition to real competition.

It was a good friendly event, with enthusiastic support. If you like chasing Strava records on your own, you will be surprised at how much more fun it is doing it with other people.

After just one short – but intense – effort yesterday at Leith Hill, I was relatively fresh, and I had the luxury of a short 45 minutes drive. It is one of the closest hill climbs to Oxford, and saves a drive up the M6. Although it’s fairly close, I haven’t been on these roads before, so I took an opportunity to ride Walbury hill, just before the race got underway. I did take some tribars after looking at the profile of climb. But, after a warm up on the climb I thought there was no point in using them.

There is a 7% gradient to start off with, then a very shallow gradient of just a couple of percent. As you turn left near the top, it starts to get properly steep, giving a hard test for the last minute or so to the top of the hill. The average gradient for the hill is 5.5%

Perhaps because of the shallow gradient, I again didn’t go too hard in the middle section, but as the hill became steeper I tried to give it everything. Unfortunately, my gears have been playing up. I had to put on a new chain last night, but it still gave a horrible change at the start of the steep bit – a bit of a knock to the momentum, but fortunately it stayed in place for the remainder. Just when you crested the hill – there was still a short flat bit before the line. I stopped the clock in 3.55 – beating the course record set by James Wilson VC St Raphael CC (4.09) just a few minutes before.

It was another great day for a hill climb. The weather was perfect and the view from the top of Walbury hill excellent. There was a good crowd of spectators at the top. I even got interviewed by a local radio station – I hope I was able to say something useful.

There was an excellent prize list with sponsorship from a variety of sources, including Newbury News, which gave a good first prize. I also won a copy of Mountain High for breaking the course record. I must admit to being doubly relieved not to end up with the Lantern Rouge prize. As a strict vegetarian I think I would have struggled to spend a £20 voucher for a local butchers.But, I don’t think I was ever favourite for Lantern Rouge. Maryka Sennemya (Kingston Wheelers) was first lady so it was the same result as yesterday.

It was good to chat to the Newbury locals, and great to see so much enthusiasm for a hill climb.

After the race I put on training wheels and went up Walbury hill a steeper way and over the top down into Hampshire. There was the longest gradual descent of 1% I’ve ever come across.

Combe Gibbet #25

A bit of an unexpected bonus was riding Combe Gibbet. I rode it before the race warming up and after the race. I didn’t realise it was one of the 100 climbs, until I got home. 100 Climbs

Photos, results, and possibly even videos to come soon after I’ve watched Men’s world road race

Kingston Wheelers CC hill climb

September 27, 2014September 27, 2014 by tejvan

Kingston Wheelers hill climb on Leith hill.

It was another balmy September day. 22+ degrees as I was warming up on the turbo. It was almost too hot and sweaty for the turbo – not usually a major problem of the hill climb season. As I was driving to Forest Green, I saw lots of cyclo sportive riders having a good time cycling up the Surrey hills. There was part of me slightly jealous of the sportive riders – it was definitely a good day for a five hour steady ride, instead I was facing the timekeeper and three and half minutes of hill climb hell.

The day before, I put on a new chain, I tried to take off outer chain ring, but you seem to need two of those hexaganol wrench things so I was unable to do it. The new chain wasn’t so good job either. Firstly, I made it too short, then I had to put some links back on. It was working well on training wheel, but when I put Zipp 202 racing wheel on, shortly before the start, it started to jump a little. I don’t know why because it has a fairly new cassette. Still the bike was quite stripped down and light for the time keeper. I saw my minute man go off with great gusto. He probably set off faster than I planned to start.

This is the third time I’ve done Leith hill climb. Previous times were 2012 (3.33), 2013 (3.33.1)

Distance 0.9mi
Avg Grade 8.0%
Max Gradient – 18%
Height gain 115m

I took the race quite seriously – because it’s a similar distance to the national on Pea Royd Lane, if not quite as steep.

I set off fairly steady, and seemed to hold back for quite a while. Then as you turn left the gradient increases a little and it was time to increase the effort. Round the corner there was a great crowd of people cheering you on. I just saw a sea of white and blue Kingston Wheelers jerseys.

watford-velo-leith — Photo: Thomas, Watford Velo photos

By this point it was getting a bit of a blur, I was able to hold quite a good pace and speed all the way to the line. As I crossed the line I had quite a bit of momentum – it was here after the finish line, I caught my minute and two minute men who were rolling slowly over the line. I thought I hadn’t paced it so well, I wasn’t as dead as last year. I felt I should have tried to go faster earlier. I also thought the course record was 3.23 for some reason.

Anyway back at the HQ I found I had taken six seconds off course record with a 3.27. From being slightly miffed at not getting the pacing right, I was quite pleased. It was definitely a quick day – no tailwind, just warm and muggy which seemed to make it fast. It would have been really interesting to have power meter from last year. I paced it a bit differently, but perhaps this year was better strategy, I don’t know. Still the finish seemed to come along a bit quicker than expected.

Compared to last year, at half way point I was 8 seconds slower. In the last half I must have been 14 seconds quicker. Quite a different race.

Anyway it was a great event, and good to see a strong club like Kingston Wheelers encouraging so many to take part in a relatively minority cycling discipline. Markya Semenya (Kingston Wheelers) was first lady, so there were two national hill climb champions winning in the same race – not so common, I imagine – we both had a national jersey, which was good.

There were some good times from quite a few people, and quite a few novices to hill climbs having a go for first time.

Afterwards I rode up Coldharbour hill.

[photos, results and proof-reading to come later]

Related

Leith Hill no. 17 – 100 climbs

Wiggo – the bearded wonder

September 25, 2014 by tejvan

Recently I wrote a post on how to improve aerodynamics in time trials – amongst many other things I suggested shaving off your beard will add a few seconds. So just for the record – it shows how little I know about time trials.

Bradley Wiggins was in imperious form to win the World Time Trial Championship yesterday – I was really pleased to see Wiggins win. He has one of the most impressive all round palmeres in cycling. It’s a rare defeat for Tony Martin – and after seeing him repeatedly drop the entire peleton in the Tour de France it’s almost comforting to know that even Martin says of himself – ‘I’m not a machine’

The good news is that the World time trial championship jersey may be riding up and down a dual carriageway near you in 2015. Wiggins cheekily hinted he might be riding a few domestic British time trials – so watch out! BBC Interview with Wiggins

Result:

1. Bradley Wiggins (GB) 56mins 25.52secs

2. Tony Martin (Ger) +26secs

3. Tom Dumoulin (Ned) +41secs

4. Vasil Kiryienka (Bel) +48secs

5. Rohan Dennis (Aus) +58secs

Selected other:

20. Alex Dowsett (GB) +2mins 35secs

Benefits of shaving legs (cycling)

September 24, 2014September 24, 2014 by tejvan

Many people asked about the benefits of shaving your legs. I was surprised by the aero benefits of shaving legs. According to this video, in tests at Specialized wind tunnel, one rider saved an estimated 82 seconds saved in a 40km time trial. The average for less hairy cyclists was still close to a minute. I suppose it’s always worth remembering that an estimate 90% of aero drag comes from your body not bike. The good news is that a razor is an awful lot cheaper than buying a new bike. You would have to spend a lot money to get 82 seconds saving from a new bike.

Would be interesting to know about shaving arms. Something never done in the pro peleton. Though, I know Chris Boardman said he shaved his arms for the world hour record attempt.

I’ve updated my posts – ways to improve aerodynamics, which had nearly 20 ideas, but no mention of this – which has probably highest benefit / cost.

Just in case you need it:

Other reasons to shave legs include:

Porlock hill climb 2014

March 2, 2019September 21, 2014 by tejvan

Sunday 21st September was the Tanks Direct Porlock Toll Road Hill climb organised by Minehead CC. After its debut year in 2013, it has grown into quite an impressive event, with both the main hill climb and supporting Go Ride events for youngsters and the Porlock Pedal for families.

Porlock Toll road was closed for the day, thanks to Porlock Estates. It meant a great venue for the race on completely closed roads. The road is a gradual 6% gradient, with a couple of hairpins. Mostly it is in the shadow of trees, though near the top you get some great views of the sea down below the hill.

Porlock Hill climb (toll road)

Distance – 4.1 miles
Avg Grade – 5.5%
Max gradient – 8%
Lowest Elev 160ft
Highest Elev – 1,360ft (414m)
Elevation gain (370 metres)

This year 101 riders entered, making it one of the biggest hill climbs in the country. The organisers have really made an effort to make it in a comprehensive event, which feels much more than just entering another race. There was a very generous £3,000 prize fund courtesy of the main sponsors Tanks Direct. There was also a starting ramp, personalised numbers and plenty of people around the HQ. Teas were provided by the local Women’s institute, and the village of Porlock seemed quite happy to invite lots of cyclists – which is always a bonus. Perhaps the best aspect of the event, is to see junior riders encouraged to come along and participate in the opportunity to ride a closed road event.

After the main hill climb and prize presentations, 40+ youngsters rode up the hill as part of the British Cycling – Merlin Go Ride event. To finish the day, a Porlock Pedal allowed all to cycle up the hill at whatever pace they felt. There was quite a buzz around the HQ with many bikes and people of all age.

Helped to lower the average age from your typical time trial.

Though a few of the usual suspects were out in force too.

Good to see a few of the Bristol South riding fixed.

Britwell hill

September 28, 2020September 17, 2014 by tejvan

Britwell hill is a short 0.6 miles hill, averaging 9% and having 85 metre of height gain. It is 15% at the steepest, near the top. It has been used in local club hill climbs for quite a long time. It is a simple hill – going straight up the Chiltern ridge with no attempt at devising any kind of hairpin – it provides an imposing view as you approach from the village of Britwell. It is similar in length to hills like The Rake and Streatley (though not quite as steep as these hills) It is a good test for a short two and half minute kind of climb. It gets steeper as you go up the hill. The 100 Climbs version includes a section of false flat at the top, where the gradient becomes very gentle, you have to aim for just after the house and garden at the top of the hill on the left.

- Distance: 0.63 miles
- Average gradient: 8%
- Maximum gradient: 15.0%
- Elevation gain: 83 m

The road surface is good and traffic is light. Though a big drawback is that the road is quite narrow at the bottom, in places it can be hard for a bike and car to squeeze past. I was able to do several intervals without any problems, but you might be unlucky.

A windmill near Britwell hill was apparently featured in the film ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ Maybe the car starts flying when making the descent of the hill. You can certainly get a good speed going down, though watch out for approaching cars on the narrow bit.

I rode out Tuesday to have a go at a few intervals. Irritatingly I got the theme tune to ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ in my head. As much as I admire any film with the lead character of Dick Van Dyke and a person called ‘Truly Scrumptious’, it’s not a theme song you particularly want going around in your head when you’re trying to do all-out 2 minute intervals.

Fortunately, when you do an intense effort, everything gets blocked from the mind – even the most catchy song lyrics. That’s another bonus of hill climbs I’d never thought of before.

Snap hill climb

September 16, 2020September 13, 2014 by tejvan

Snap Hill from Aldbourne

Distance: 5.1 km / 3.16 miles
Average gradient: 2.3%
Maximum gradient: 10.0%
Elevation gain: 134 m
Elevation change: 116 m

Snap Hill (climb 2)

from Ogbourne St George

Snap Hill

Distance: 0.9 km / 0.54mi
KOM VOM: 2,171 m/h
Average gradient: 9.2%
Maximum gradient: 16.6%
Elevation gain: 80 m

Race Report 2014

Sat 13th September was the Cotswold Veldrijden triple hill climb near the village of Aldbourne. It makes a change to have a local hill climb and not a long trek up the M6. Because it was local and early season I was quite relaxed. In the morning I got absorbed in writing an economics essay (on Scottish independence of all things) and suddenly realised I was well behind schedule. I ended up in a mad – pack everything up in 15 minutes kind of panic – which primarily involves throwing anything you see into a bag and hoping for the best.

Inevitably this speed packing meant forgetting several things. The most irritating thing to forget was my Garmin. After the race, I felt bereft at having no power meter file to look at.

Nevermind, I remembered my bike, shoes and wheels, which is the main thing you need to do a cycle race. It was such a nice late summer day, it was a little hard to imagine the hill climb season has really started. When the wind and rain return, maybe I’ll find it easier to get in the hill climb mindset.

It’s been quite a big week of training since the last hill climb at Buxton last week. Thursday I did several repetitions up Chinnor hill before watching the Tour of Britain go up the next day. I didn’t feel tired, but it’s been a lot of hill climb intervals in the legs this week.

The first climb was something of an unknown. It was the first time it had been used in competition and I don’t think anyone knew what to expect. I didn’t have time for a practise run, I just descended and thought this is quite short and not too steep. Even so, the finish still loomed quicker than expected. I managed an impressive sprint, but with still the feeling there was more in the tank – many other riders said the same thing. Next year, I recommend putting it in the big ring and sprinting from the start. I set a course record (by virtue of being first to win an event) in a time of 1.35 – but it’s definitely a course record for the taking.

An hour later was time for a different climb, a fairly steady (3%) climb from Aldbourne to Ogbourne St George. A little steep at the bottom, there is then a steady gradient before quite a fast downhill section near the finish. If it was the only hill, I might have bought my time trial bike. But, with a tailwind, I didn’t think it worth bringing. I rode the hill quite well and set a new course record of 8.11. I overtook my minute man – Robert Borek of the Bristol South CC who was gamely entering all three climbs on a fixed gear bike. I always admire people who ride fixed, even if I’m not so keen to emulate them. There were many other very good times with quite a few riders getting under 9 minutes and a few sub 8.30. It was a good day for that climb.

After two climbs you begin to feel a little fatigue and it was time for the last short, sharp shock up Snap Hill.

I was quite happy waiting at the top and watching some of the early riders finish the climb. It was nice to be a spectator in hill climbs for a change. The top of the hill offers great views over Malborough Downs.

There was a light headwind on the climb, which made it a little harder. It is also the most testing of the three climbs with a solid 16% gradient for much of the middle climb. Only towards the end does it level off, allowing a short sprint for those with anything left. I did 2.36 – 6 seconds slower than when I rode the hill two years ago – but that day was a tailwind and I used a TT bike.