After a bit of a break I decided to give the one and only hill climb that we have in this city another try. This involves me getting on a train with a bicycle in a very populated area so the only way I can get this done is by going in the heat of the afternoon, which isn't ideal but there is no way I would be able to get on one of the trains otherwise. I don't even know if it is legal for us to bring bicycles on the train but I don't think anyone cares in the afternoon so even though I know I am going to sweat buckets and get seriously overheated, this is really the only time of day that I can go there.
This time the results were a bit similar to the time before but I was a bit more conscious of my heart rate along the way.
To those of you that live in properly mountainous areas that a 51 meter gain in elevation isn't much at all and it isn't all at once either. Most of this and all the trail leading up to it is basically flat and at sea level. We are right next to one of the largest lakes in the States after all. I remembered how I was seriously pushing it as far as my heart rate was concerned so this time I stood up more and focused on maintaining a speed that is enough to keep me upright instead of attempting to compete with the other boys and girls that are there on 21 speed bikes.
Outside of this one hill I don't really see the purpose in having a bike with that many gears here. To me and with bicycles I have ridden in the past it just seems like this is unnecessary gear to have malfunction or outright break. In my situation the only thing I need to worry about is the chain breaking completely and I have a tool in my little gear bag to sort that out should it happen.
175 BPM is about as high as someone my age should ever venture as far as heart rate is concerned and I remember that portion of the trail very well because I was "in the zone" but knew that my heart was beating really fast. This is during the steepest part of the climb and it is really tough and really the only time out of anywhere that I go where I wish I had more gears than just one. If the 726 calories is even remotely close to accurate I would say that this trip is a good one because outside of the 9 minutes or so of actual difficult climb that is necessary to complete this course, it is relatively flat and easy going. I think one day I will try my hand at riding up there and only taking the train back because that could add another hour to the journey for me and all of that will be completely flat. The only downside to this is that there is no bike path between where I live and where this climb is, so I'll have to contend with crazy urban traffic in order to make that happen.
As I get a bit better at this I'll see what I can do. I only have about another 2 months of this before the streets start to end up covered in snow and sleet so time is of the essence.
That 40km/hr part towards the end was seriously fun but it is really dangerous since you depend on trail courtesy that not everyone actually has. There are signs informing people that they are not to stop on the sides during descent but as you might expect, there are plenty of people that do exactly that anyway!
You would basically be out the saddle for the entire ride on a single speed bike and the pressure you would be putting on the chain would be quite serious. I think you are a little crazy in a good way to go back and try again lol.
i hadn't thought about all the pressure on the chain. That is going to be quite shocking and perhaps dangerous on the day that it does finally snap.
Climbing with a single gear bicycle. That's quite tough. I wish I had some serious hills in the neighborhood too, but we only have some dunes.
You shouldn't be 'in the red' too long, but when your fitness gets better, you can stretch it up.
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I think I am pretty happy with the bike but sometimes consider getting another bike with gears. I'm just not excited about the upkeep because derailleurs tick me off.
That's dedication to travel to the hill. It's fairly flat here, but there are some climbs nearby, some of them quite steep.
I'm not sure I could manage with a single gear bike. You at least need to be able to shift up as you gain speed and down for the hills. That has to make it harder for you.
I was reading about 'Everesting' where cyclists try to do the equivalent of climbing that mountain by going up and down a hill. That would be a lot of reps for you.
I'm not so keen on cycling on busy roads. There are some around here that I would avoid. Stay safe!
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I am not a fan of busy roads either and am happy the city has an extensive cycling track that technically no other vehicle or even pedestrians are allowed on. Of course there are some people that violate this but there are enough Karens and Chads around here to let the people know they don't belong there.
Hill climbs on a single gear bike certainly are difficult but seeing as how the rest of the city is completely flat it is just one less thing I have to worry about breaking since it has always been the derailleur that was problematic on any bike I have ever owned.
Oooh, I will not be doing this. :)
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