Riding Up the Steepest Street in San Francisco on a Recumbent Trike! Cycling Up a 41% Grade!
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- čas přidán 20. 07. 2024
- We travel to South San Francisco where Rich takes a crack at the steepest street in the city! Can he do it? Will he crack? Will he pull a hammy??
Music: Saving The World-Aaron Kenny - Jak na to + styl
Living on a hill, no 41%, I can appreciate the struggle. Three times! You're the man. Sure would be interested how you determined it to be 41%.
Hey, Tom! I took these folk’s word for it:
www.7x7.com/the-real-top-10-list-of-steepest-streets-in-san-francisco-1786501295.html
Fun video! In 2014, riding the Northern Tier through the Cascades I had to stop every 1000 feet climbing the passes to catch my breath (and pray that my heart wouldn't explode!) You're right that, on our trikes, we can stop without dismounting. BTW, my daughter, on a wedgie would just power up to the top of each pass to wait for me. Ah, youth!
I kept wondering how well I would’ve done on this street with a road bike, Jay. My guess is that I probably would’ve fallen over and broken my collarbone. Gotta love trikes! :)
The tops of my thighs were killing me watching this!
Wow awesome . My knees and back are in pain and the ticker is just tuckered out.
Me too, AZ, and stuff like this isn’t helping the situation! :)
Great job . i would have thought that it was impossible , but you did it !! 👍
When I heard about this street, Sirios, I couldn’t even imagine what a 41% grade would be like. It was bad, but not as bad as I had imagined. :)
Well done. I live in a hilly area and I'm glad to see this.
Thanks very much for watching, Mike!
WOW for a second ? i thought you were on your way backwards , well saved .I live on the Isle of Skye [ plenty mountain roads ] seeing this vid i am now not worried about my future climbing these on a trike , YEEEHAAAA!.
I thought I was on my way backwards also, Kollo! I had no idea what to expect from a 41% grade, but I was imaging a vertical wall. Thankfully, it wasn't that. :) Wow, the Isle of Skye! You're gonna have some beautiful scenery to look at while you're riding! :)
2:53 That's why brake levers with push pin locks are great for trikes and quads.
Amazing well done !
Thanks for watching, Bernard! That was a fun day! :)
Awesome display of strength and determination. I am quite impressed. I could feel your pain. I hope you get yourself a nice treat after that one!
After reading about the 41% grade, I really couldn’t even imagine what that would’ve been like. Now I know (and I’m still trying to forget) :)
@@bikestrikesrazors …who in their right mind even looks for a grade like that? That was an epic performance. You are a triking hero to all who watched this one.now I have to go find something similar near me. You have thrown down the gauntlet and I have accepted! . I will keep you posted.
LOL! Let me know what happens! :)
Thanks for the video. I'm thinking about a trike. I'm a fan of IGH too, so your trike was what I was looking for.
Thanks for watching, Stoutdog! That rear hub has been trouble free for 13 years (knock on wood). I've changed the oil a few times and that's about it.
I have a couple short steep spots on my daily trike ride. My goal is always not to stop. A running start really helps. Every now and then someone blocks the path and I start at the bottom from zero and grind it out. No e-assist for me at least not yet.
That's what I did on this hill. The first time up, I just slowly hit it, but after that, the running start really helped!
Congratulations... Third time was the charm. I think my Titanium parts would be screaming at me if I tried that!
I really kind of cheated on the third run, Tom. Made sure I got up some momentum while I was still on the 21% grade. Definitely felt it the next day. :)
I'm SO glad you did this! So timely! I'm looking in to buying my very first trike and take a longer 31% hill every day on my SF commute!!!! THANK YOU for helping me feel better that it won't be impossible as I've only done regular upright 2 wheel commuting before.
Jillo, if I had to ride up a 31% grade on a commute, I’d definitely want to be doing it on a trike. Worse thing that can happen is that you grab the brakes, stop and take a rest, then keep pedaling to the top. Of course, after a few weeks of that hill, you’ll be flying up like it’s not there! :) Just make sure you get some very low gears on that trike!
@@bikestrikesrazors Thanks! I've been considering the Azub Tricon 20 with a Rohloff (since it's much cheaper than the Tifly). I do the hill just okay on my carbon fiber road bike but have too much nagging wrist pain to keep in doing it. Still love cycling so I think it'll be a good switch.
@@KalJoao I hear you! Just did a road bike ride and my neck didn't like it!
41%! God bless you, Brother! Great job.
Thanks, Palm! I honestly didn’t think I’d be able to do it when I first heard about a street with a 41% grade!
@@bikestrikesrazors You looked like a boss!
Boy your brave ! Those crazy drivers in SF lol
Great effort! The third rep is always the strongest in strength training,...excellent work.
Thanks, Evan! I think I cheated a little here by getting up more momentum on the third try. :)
@@bikestrikesrazors That wasn't cheating, just good technique. My wife has a VTX and she is starting to close on me on the hills. ( I am on a road bike!) Once the trike pedal stroke is mastered that is a lot of core and leg strength working for you.
First i got dizzy at the part the camera was going around you...lol...then i was out of breath and rapid heart beats watching you climb hill...lol...just kidding but from riding myself for years i can relate and the feel...great video like always🍺🍺🍺
Thanks much, P Mag! (and thanks for the beer) :)
I'm sold
That is when I hand pump the front wheels like on a wheelchair! Mind you, not often since I have 84 gears. A 500/14 Rohloff in the back and a 6-speed pinion on the crank.
I’m pretty sure Rich was seconds away from going to the old “wheelchair” trick. :)
I have a catrike trail love it ❤️
The Trail is a beautiful trike, Cherl!
Impressive! I am challenged by gentle hills in my neighborhood, but then again I have a 3 speed grandpa trike. :)
They say that if you have the right gears, you can climb anything, but those hills in SF are crazy. Scary in a car. :) Thanks for watching, Dan!
Wow! Fine job!
Thanks, LaSan!
Good job👏 ...that climb is no joke
Thanks, Debbie! My legs agree with you. :)
@@bikestrikesrazors I bet they are protesting lol.
I did Baldwin Street in Dunedin in 2011 on my ICE Sprint RS with a 20" rear. Up that hill, I stopped a number of times but as I was in Dunedin I had to give it a try. That trike had a derailleur, though now all (2) my trikes now have Rohloffs.
Wow, that looks like a good challenge, Hermann! The low gears on the Rohloff come in handy on a street like that!
Great videos guys! I stumbled across these and as I was watching I realized It was my old High School friends Rich and Joe.
R. Kevin! Great to hear from you! Looks like you've discovered proof that we definitely have too much free time on our hands. :) How's everything going down there in Elk Grove?
@@bikestrikesrazors we are good! Wife just retired and I am still driving school busses. I have a older kmx venom and I was looking for maintenance videos when I came across your channel.
@@ralphburgess7371 There doesn't seem to be too many maintenance videos for trikes out there. There's a place called "Laid Back Cycles" in Fair Oaks that seem to know what they're doing. It's a trike only store.
@@bikestrikesrazors thats were I bought it! Good people there. I like to tinker on bikes and I found a couple of assembly videos that helped. We should get together sometime and catch up.
@@ralphburgess7371 Ha! Small world! If you're ever up in the Cameron Park area, let me know.
AWESOME!!
Thanks, Fred! We had fun checking that street out. :)
Nicely done! I’m considering getting an Ice Sprint X Tour once they start taking orders again. I’m not sure that I can get a Rohloff on it but it would be on my wish list. Curious as to what you think of the Rohloff?
Hey, Bill! I’ve been riding that GTO with the Rohloff for over ten years now and I’ve never had a problem with it. Certainly less trouble overall than a rear derailleur with the only possible issue being that it weighs more than your standard rear derailleur. If you’re not too concerned with weight and you can afford it, it’s a pretty cool upgrade. :)
Even that 24% section is impressive. 41%?!?! I wouldn't have thought it possible. I'll bet even cars struggle on that section.
Looking up that road, there’s no way I would’ve driven my van up there. :)
*Great for my son*
We need a dashboard display of speed and "engine rpm" :-). That was wild.
Great idea! Or I can just scream "RED LINE! RED LINE!!" :)
Impressive. We have some steep hills where I live, e-assist is a must for me.
I think this hill would’ve given e-assist a run for its money, Dan. It would be interesting to see how well it would work on something like this street.
@@bikestrikesrazors we have a hill that is so steep… (how steep is it you ask), it’s so steep that I really don’t like to drive it in a car. In the Pacific Northwest we have lots of hills in most cities, which made riding an upright, diamond frame bike virtually impossible for me. My assisted trike has enabled me and my wife to get out and ride places we couldn’t before. I really appreciate the time you take to produce informative and entertaining videos. Thanks 😊
Thanks very much for watching them, Dan! Yep, I think e-assist is really an amazing thing, although, even if I had e-assist, I still think I’d avoid hills like this. I know what you mean about driving up some of these hills in a car. While we were hunting for this street, we actually turned up a few streets in the van that were so steep, I was afraid to drive up. Just backed up and found another way. I could just imagine my transmission going and being stuck there for an hour, waiting for a tow truck, sitting at a 45% angle. :)
@@bikestrikesrazors I had my clutch go out on a very steep hill in Seattle back in the late 80’s, ever since I’ve been cautious on steep hills. I’ve only tried one steep hill on my Trail, lowest gear and highest assist level and I was ready for a break at the top.
@@bikestrikesrazors Depends on whether you are using a hub drive or a high Nm mid drive motor. A mid drive 250 watt Bosch , brose , shimano , nox motor with 85 to 110 Nms would easily conquer that hill .
Hub drives have less torque and would require very high wattage to get up . However ,it would drain your battery very quickly .
Nice job climbing that. I have 3 Greenspeed GTO trikes... two of them are identical aside from reverse color schemes. Both of those have Campy on the front... 3 chainrings, and Sram Dual drives in the rear 3 internal and 9 cogs... so 81 speeds and in the lowest combo you can do about 1mph at about 60rpm. Can climb pretty much anything with that as long as the rear tire isn't slipping.
Oh, and those two have drum brakes, so you can stop, engage the brakes and not roll back. My other one is newer with less gears and disc brakes but no parking brakes like the ones with drum brakes.
The GTO is a great trike! I was surprised that I didn't have any slippage issues at all on this hill.
Very very impressive,most high powered ebikes can't even do that... Brooklyn shout-out
Thanks for watching, Mr. Bezo!
That was great. Your legs are in pretty good shape. I did notice that your seat has a lot of give in it. Perhaps if you had a fixed seat, you would be able to get even more torque than you do now.
Thanks for watching, Sam! Yep, a hard-shell seat would let me transfer more power.
You Sir, are an Athlete!! I'd like to see someone on a light road bike try that hill. Thanks.(I subscribed)
Thanks very much for subscribing, David! I've had some comments from folks that ride these San Francisco hills on road bikes, saying that now they're considering getting a trike. I do like climbing on a road bike, but even with the compact crank I have on one of my bikes, I'd be afraid to even attempt this. :)
I'll stick with the flats... 😆
Sounds like a plan! :)
I just bought my first recumbent, a Greenspeed GT5 16" wheels. Three speed Sturmy Archer hub with 3x9 groupset. I can't seem to find a comfortable position, seat feels too low at the front and hurts my back in a short ride. Tbh, it feels more cranked over than an aggressive road bike. The seat it the same as the one in the vid, and help/advice welcomed and appreciated.
Hey, B! Some trike seats agree with some folks and some don’t. Some are adjustable for recline, so a rider can try a few different positions. On the Greenspeed GT5, you have limited adjustment. What you can try to do is to tighten the seat mesh cords or loosen the seat mesh cords to change the amount of support, and you could also try inserting foam pads in the gaps between the mesh, in the seat and back area. I’ve also seen folks place a large sheepskin over the entire seat area, which can help a lot. Good luck with it. It may turn out that you just can’t get along with that seat, and I know that can happen also. If you have a trike dealer somewhere near you, it would be a good idea to try some of their different trikes to see if there’s a seat that you’re really comfortable in. You could always sell the Greenspeed and hunt for something that might work better. Also, you can go over to the Bentrider Online forum and ask those folks about it- They may have some additional suggestions! Good luck!
With the motor is more fun much fun
There is a motor! Me! :)
You might find the videos for the "Dirty Dozen" ride in Pittsburgh to be interesting. Canton Ave. has a 37% grade.
Thanks Jackie, I’ll check it out!
Epic!
Thanks, KG!
Wow ⚔️💪😎🏴🇬🇧👍(stroke)
Personalized HIT trainer right outside his front door.
Bet you didn't fall off when you got too slow ! At least it doesn't snow much, have seen cars randomly sliding down some steep hills, parking brake ? I believe the windcheetah had a built in parking brake ? My challenge hill had a switchback at the top just as I was nearly dead that was regularly covered in grit from run off in the rain.
I have a parking brake on my VTX, Colin, but I wouldn't want to try this type of hill with the gearing on the VTX. :) That switchback sounds like a lot of fun! :)
@@bikestrikesrazors Long straight hill at about 30 degrees near the top (gets steeper as you go) inside of switchback very steep and gritty, made it up a few times, rarely in the wet, but liked the challenge and was shortest route, with many hills that were just hard work (fifty mile round trip with major rest at half way and much easier route back)
Your engine made 3000 watts, your heart heath is 100%
If only I could put out 3000 watts! :)
👏👏👏
Thanks for the applause, Nestor!
Impressive combination of muscle power, technology and determination. But no mention of that sweet octane red Dodge Challenger GT at the top of the hill?
I know, right? My cousin is a muscle car freak. I should've taken some video of the car when I got up there.
I think my heart would explode trying to get up that hill.
Next up (or down): Lombard Street?
Hey, Jim! Ooo...that’s a good idea. I’m thinking down Lombard with no brakes. :)
@@bikestrikesrazors Go with a buddy that can call for a hearse .
😉
That rear tire needs a bit of air
WOW
Hey, Glenn! Before we checked out the street, a forty percent grade seemed incomprehensible but it really wasn’t all that bad. Of course, I can say that because Rich is the one that had to make the three trips up the hill. :)
@@bikestrikesrazors There is an 18% grade that is about a half of a mile long near me and I think that is the steepest street I have ever ridden up. Cant imagine twice that grade even for that short distance.
3:09 Looks like knee overextension.
Hi Brauljo and thanks for watching! I've moved that boom all over the place and that's my "power point". It does look a little straight legged in the video, but I never fully extend my leg.
6:25 Didn't make it all the way.
Those Rohloff Speedhubs are around $1500 and up.
Indeed, very expensive. I bought the GTO used with the Rohloff already installed. I don't have any problem with it, but I wouldn't have spent the extra money if I were buying it new. :)
@@bikestrikesrazors I am wanting to go chainless and utilize a belt drive system. Thank you for the feedback.
MEATFRUIT
Macho!!
Install a Schlumpf Mountain Drive in your crank shaft. Rohloff officially forbids it, but should the plastic cogs break under tension. They can be cheaply replaced, because they are made out of plastic.
With the SMD engaged, you can climb a hill at 0.5 mph crawling speed. I had a SMD Rohloff combination too in my ICE Full Fat trike.
I definitely could've used the mountain drive on this hill, Mardiff! Unfortunately, I have the speed drive up front. Still, the combination got me to the equivalent of having a 36 tooth cog in the back and a 27 tooth ring up front. You'd think that would be enough for anything, but no, you're correct, I would've been better off with the mountain drive. :)
@@bikestrikesrazors On the other hand; a SMD is quite expensive, I guess some 900 bucks. I paid 800 Euros for mine. But it is great to see you climbing that monster hill. Big kudos.
@@sharkmentality9717 Thank you for your info, Shark Mentality. I glad for you that you live in Maine, I love the forests.
@@sharkmentality9717 Wooow, that is quite a climb. I am spoiled, cycling in my flat Netherlands.
@@sharkmentality9717 Yes, you fully correct, that is why the Rohloff Schlumpf combo would work better on a trike. You can lose you balance. Good luck with your cycling.
That was cool you can pedal backwards
Yeah, I can, but it doesn't help me get up the hill (I wish it did). :)
@@bikestrikesrazors no I was just stating I saw you pedaling backwards once u made it to the top.
@@pitmastertoby2598 Yeah, I got ya- I was just kidding. :)
I’ve ridden the wall in phila on my road bike not on my trike
I want to go to Alaska next year by trikcicle and I like meet you in California by by
Where are you starting, Juselino?
@@bikestrikesrazors Hi brother I want to go in January next year sorry but I not speak english very well thank you for call me good luck
Wahoo makes pedals that can record watts. I would love to see such tools used in you trike to seee how your performance is
I'd love to get a pair of those, Killerman! They'd help out with so many of these tests. Maybe soon!
Silly question for you... That surface appears to be concrete, am I right...? Here in the Victoria area of Vancouver Island, we have a number of paved slopes like the one depicted, that I cannot climb because my rear wheel actually begins to spin out. These surfaces are invariably asphalt. I don't even try on gravel, sand, or pea gravel. The least amount of moisture here also makes traction iffy at best, so to climb them you have to risk approaching them at high speed, and I do mean 'risk' as they are seldom flat, even, and whole, and don't let anyone tell you it's always sunny here. In fact, the temperature here today was somewhere in the vicinity of 45 F, and we got very high impact rain (hail) up to 1/4" across. Not conducive to hill climbs on asphalt. I expect that concrete, unless smooth, pebbled, polished, or degraded, would give a better coefficient of friction, even on steep slopes, even wet, than asphalt, unless it was a brand new shingle roof, and I don't cycle on the roof if I can avoid it. Also, I should have great traction, given that our combined weight, trike, triker, and tools, tops out at slightly over 1/8 of a ton. Yet, even a light skiff of dust will leave me immobile and turning the air blue, and not from burning rubber... This usually necessitates a periodic visit to the confessional at times.
Regards,
-Arthur
Happy Trails!
Hi AW! Yes, it was some kind of concrete just on that patch. I think it probably does have better traction than asphalt. My other trike has a 700c rear wheel and slips out much easier than the GTO. I'm not sure my other trike could get up that hill. :)
@@bikestrikesrazors tracks...? There are some nice ones for snow available from Quebec... 😏
I wonder if you could still do it with a 26" or 700 in back...
Hey, Dean! Sounds like an idea for another video! :) I’m guessing it wouldn’t be a problem with the right gearing but the question is do I have the right gearing!
Good climb! Do you know how many gear inches that bottom gear is?
Hey, Simon! The Rohloff in the rear was at the equivalent of a 36 tooth sprocket and the Schlumpf drive up front was at the equivalent of a 27 tooth sprocket.
@@bikestrikesrazors that's similar to my lowest gear. I use 11-42 x 24-36-48 on a 26 rear wheel. I have to admit, when touring, I regularly use bottom gear. I'm trying to save my knees.
@@Notagain640 Yep, there's no reason to put a lot of strain on the knees when you have the gears to avoid it! :)
In case it helps - I did the calculations on Sheldon Browns Gear Calculator & with the 27 equivalent up front & a 12 tooth sprocket the low was 10.6 G.l. With a 14 tooth sprocket the G.I. is 9.1 so that should give you a good idea of where you are sitting at.
@@daytriker Thanks very much for the information!
Bro which app.do you use for incline and decline roads,
No app. The information on the hill incline was from an article on the steepest street in SF. I think I mention the source in the video.
Maximum Cardio
Oh, yeah! Now I just have to figure out a way to keep climbing a 41% grade for 30 minutes (e-assist?) :)
could you try this test with an adult tricycle to see if they have one that could make it
Hey, Philip! If I can get my hands on an upright trike, I can give it a shot. I think it would be doable as long as you had some very low gears on the trike.
How is the neighborhood where that hill is located?
Hey, Jim! Gang tagging everywhere, homeless camps down the street, a busy ( long line) Covid testing station down the other street, an impound yard with police and tow trucks active on the corner and a 1600 square foot “box” house on the street is going for 1.4 million. 😯
@@bikestrikesrazors I figured as much from the video - the close proximity to the freeway, the graffiti on the wall at the bottom of the street, the sirens that can be heard at the beginning of the video...
your boom might need to be pulled in a cm or two
Good eye, Jorge! I have the boom out a bit further than normal. I was trying to get this trike to be as fast as my brother's VTX (so I could keep up with him) so I extended the boom so I could slide way down in the seat and get out of the wind. It worked, but I would've been better off shortening it for this challenge. Thanks for watching!
get the German way. Ride a cycled line uphill.
That would've been a good option, Otto! :)
what was you gear ratio?
Hey, Keith! The Rohloff in the rear was set at the equivalent of a 36 tooth sprocket and the Schlumpf drive up front was set at the equivalent of a 27 tooth sprocket.
@@bikestrikesrazors wow, i could see it was really low. :)
My Trail 4 MTB is 30chainringx46 lowest
I could’ve used that 46 in the back! :)
How many speed is your trike?
I believe the Rohloff has 10 gears and 2 in the front like a regular bike.
@@bikestrikesrazors 20 speed then... Thank you for your quick reply! Also, do you have any suggestions for a first trike for someone?
@@Unknown-hu4gf When I first started looking at trikes, I had to drive about an hour to get to the closest trike dealer, but it was worth it. The different trikes really have different feels to them so it would be great if you could try them out in person. If not, you can't go wrong with the major brands (Catrike/ICE/Greenspeed/HP) and Terratrikes makes a good low-cost alternative to the more expensive trikes. If you get lucky, you can save a lot of money by buying one in good condition second hand.
@@bikestrikesrazors Hey, I'll be taking your advice and thank you very much!
@@bikestrikesrazors P.S., what do you think about Trident Trikes specifically the Spike?
Glad I don't have your legs the day after!
I certainly felt it, Con! Thanks for watching!
@@bikestrikesrazors I live on top of a hill. Eight and a half miles in to work, (mostly down, but 1 mile up with a nasty steep bit to 'warm you up' on that cold morning :-), 5 hours of manual labor, then 8 and a half back, (more UP than down :-(, with a nasty hill at the end. The Pedal Assist on my Trike no longer likes hot weather, so I am using a Cruzbike Q45. (Worn-out Donkey Power IE me, on that). When I get home I am WRUNG OUT!
@@coniow Wow, that's a workout! I guess you save a fortune not having to pay for a gym membership! :)
I have always been able to stop when riding up hill on a conventional bike.WTF?
Thinking about folks with clip-in pedals. Yes, you can stop if you get in trouble, but you have to be pretty fast to unclip when the crank refuses to turn. :) Then, almost impossible to start up again on something like this 41% grade on a conventional bike. IMHO.
@@bikestrikesrazors That is never a problem with speed plays.
Suppose I can give you a 20% biophysical to mechanical performance increase with one mechanical change on any tadpole trike you wish. Are you willing to accept a challenge to your hill climb? Or any hill climb you chose. No power assist. Just guts.
What's the change, Resipso?
@@bikestrikesrazors I will provide the part. You use the part. Train, say, 7 miles, to adapt skills. Do the climbs. Tell your experiences. The part, I designed and developed is for adaptive sports. The R&D happened to make it a performance part as well.
@@resipso Hi Resipso. I'm hesitant to install parts on my trike. I'd really have to know much more about it.
@@bikestrikesrazors I respect that. Please email direct. Resipso😄gmail
I can tell you the part is pedal exclusive for recumbent trikes. A pedal's spindle is the trike's biophysical to mechanical transformation device. The more efficient the transformation, the better locomotion performance. Change your 9/16 with mine. More important is the short training.
I want a chirt this I live in Brazil you send me I pay
I like that shirt also! It was a gift, so I don't even know where it was purchased from.
What is it with cyclists and hills? Masochists?
Absolutely! :)
you need some mountain bike gears for that i think
That would help! :)