Canton avenue, 37% grade

[Prophet Zacharia]

On a rented Citi bike.

 

[shootingstar]

Where is that street in the US.?

Good grief, on a bikeshare heavy bike... and not great gearing proably,  Good for him.

[Prophet Zacharia]

5 minutes ago, shootingstar said:

Where is that street in the US.?

Good grief, on a bikeshare heavy bike... and not great gearing proably,  Good for him.

Pittsburgh. Part of the 13 climbs that make up the  annual Dirty Dozen hill climbing contest.

[Longjohn ★]

11 minutes ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

Pittsburgh. Part of the 13 climbs that make up the  annual Dirty Dozen hill climbing contest.

Have you ever tried it? I thought about it when I was younger but I hate cold. I don’t know why they have it in cold weather. There is no way I could do it now. It’s not a ride for senior citizens.

[Prophet Zacharia]

22 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

Have you ever tried it? I thought about it when I was younger but I hate cold. I don’t know why they have it in cold weather. There is no way I could do it now. It’s not a ride for senior citizens.

No, the actual ride is a zoo, way too many participants. This year they the broke up into about 4 groups, I saw a group of about 13 riders heading towards their final hill when I was on my way to the Penguins game. I’ve done many of the hills on the Dirty Dozen, but never Canton. I have gone down Canton in my car, it’s disconcerting to be unable to see the street below as you start to descend.

[smudge ★]

21 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

Have you ever tried it? I thought about it when I was younger but I hate cold. I don’t know why they have it in cold weather. There is no way I could do it now. It’s not a ride for senior citizens.

This from a guy who does a polar plunge in a Speedo.

[Square Wheels]

Impressive, not sure if I can do it on my bike, I know I can't do it on that tank.

[Longjohn ★]

I’ve watch the videos of the dirty dozen. It looks like a lot of fun but I would be done after the dirty couple.

[donkpow]

Part of being an experienced cyclist is avoiding hills. Rookie mistake.

[Longjohn ★]

Just now, donkpow said:

Part of being an experienced cyclist is avoiding hills. Rookie mistake.

You said that backwards. The inexperienced avoid them, the experienced seek them out.

[ChrisL]

Steepest in the US? 

There is a really short but steep hill in Laguna Beach CA, can't think of the name of it but it's gotta be at least that steep if not steeper.  I have driven up it and as you crest the top you are looking up at the sky and can't see the road in front of you.  Really creepy feeling.

I also stumbled upon a section of road in Encinitas CA that dips into a wash and then climbs back out.  We actually turned around as I didn't want to try to climb the wall on the other side. Not sure why they didn't build a bridge as it was crazy steep.

[maddmaxx ★]

8 hours ago, Longjohn said:

Have you ever tried it? I thought about it when I was younger but I hate cold. I don’t know why they have it in cold weather. There is no way I could do it now. It’s not a ride for senior citizens.

Not even going down!!!!!

[Airehead]

I suspect beer and a bet were involved at some point in that plan. 

[Longjohn ★]

2 hours ago, Airehead said:

I suspect beer and a bet were involved at some point in that plan. 

Maybe his regular bike was in the shop?

[Prophet Zacharia]

It’s a good story. This is his third year doing it.

Jeremiah: I started riding Healthy Ride bikes during my mandatory, hour-long lunch breaks (at easily the worst place to work in the city ? as part of a life change including diet and exercise. I hadn’t ridden a bike in decades and by the start of my change in diet in Feb 2015 I was 300lbs. By May 2015 when the bikes were introduced in the city I was down almost 50 lbs. I had just finished up the thesis for my Master’s (which I had been writing on my lunch breaks) and was looking to get outside more so a coworker agreed to test the bikes out with me as we had a station outside our office at 12th and Penn. I signed up for a monthly subscription of 30 minute rides and was so hooked on riding bikes again that immediately upon returning to my desk after lunch I increased my membership to 60 minute rides. I rode every day the weather permitted and would see either how far I could go or how high a hill I could climb  in that 60 minutes. I rode up a couple of the Dirty Dozen hills one day and thought “I wonder if it’s possible to make it up each hill individually.” After climbing several more, along with quite a few in the North Side that rival DD hills, I realized it was possible and was just a matter of stringing them all together. That’s when I started focusing my efforts on competing in the Dirty Dozen. I competed in the 2016 Dirty Dozen only knowing 1 or 2 people among the 400+ registrants but I met so many great people during and after the ride. It was on Hill 2 in Sharpsburg that I beat Aaron Stein and Katharine Jordan, the owners of the best bike shop in the city: Kindred Cycles, to the finish line, impressing (and embarrassing) them.

 

https://healthyridepgh.com/blog/2018/11/23/jeremiah-takes-dirty-dozen-3rd-year/

[donkpow]

I might as well go ahead and get it over by puking right now.

[bikeman564™]

I'd like to attempt  the dirty dozen some time

[Longjohn ★]

1 hour ago, bikeman564™ said:

I'd like to attempt  the dirty dozen some time

I’ll bet I could do it on a Tote Gote

[Parr8hed]

That's pretty impressive.  I rented one  of those in Nashville TN and rode it up a short steep hill.  Even though it wasn't as steep as that one in the OP, I regretted that decision almost immediately. 

[donkpow]

13 minutes ago, Parr8hed said:

That's pretty impressive.  I rented one  of those in Nashville TN and rode it up a short steep hill.  Even though it wasn't as steep as that one in the OP, I regretted that decision almost immediately. 

I'd think you would need to stand on the pedals for as much as you could take it.

[Prophet Zacharia]

2 hours ago, donkpow said:

I'd think you would need to stand on the pedals for as much as you could take it.

On wet cobbles that becomes an even greater chore.

[Longjohn ★]

5 minutes ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

On wet cobbles that becomes an even greater chore.

[donkpow]

28 minutes ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

On wet cobbles that becomes an even greater chore.

What tires are they using on that contest?

[Prophet Zacharia]

25 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

See? They’re not standing.

[Prophet Zacharia]

4 minutes ago, donkpow said:

What tires are they using on that contest?

I think the Citi bikes rock a solid 32 mm tyre. Or wider.

[donkpow]

Just now, Prophet Zacharia said:

I think the Citi bikes rock a solid 32 mm tyre. Or wider.

I'd think serious riders would do that even on their road bikes. I know just riding around the city I find good value in riding wider tires.

[Prophet Zacharia]

1 hour ago, donkpow said:

I'd think serious riders would do that even on their road bikes. I know just riding around the city I find good value in riding wider tires.

On the road bikes I saw 23-28 mm tyres, with some cross bikes with lower gearing and wider tyres.

[Razors Edge ★]

On 11/25/2018 at 10:53 AM, Square Wheels said:

Impressive, not sure if I can do it on my bike, I know I can't do it on that tank.

I wonder if that "tankiness" allowed him to stand more effectively?  I know keeping weight on the rear wheel is vital in those crazy climbs, so maybe a heavy bike carries an advantage on a climb like this one - short but steep.  I'm a guy who prefers to mix in standing with seated climbing, so I'd be much more likely to get over that climb if I could get out of the saddle for some or all of it.

[Further]

How long is the climb ?

[Square Wheels]

1 minute ago, Further said:

How long is the climb ?

All the way to the top.

[Further]

Just now, Square Wheels said:

All the way to the top.

That's if you do the whole thing.

[Razors Edge ★]

3 minutes ago, Further said:

How long is the climb ?

Canton Avenue, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Beechview neighborhood, is the steepest officially recorded public street in the United States^[1][2][3] and, according to some sources, the world.^[4][5]

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Baldwin Street in New Zealand is the world's steepest residential street. Baldwin Street is 1,150 ft (350 meters) long and is said to include a grade of 35%. Canton Avenue is 630 ft (192 meters) long (the hill is about 65 meters long) and is claimed to include a 37% grade 6.5 meters long. If accurate, this 37% gradient would make Canton Avenue the steepest in the world.^{[4] [6][7][8][9]}

[Further]

OK I UTFG, it's 630 feet.

[Razors Edge ★]

2 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

Canton Avenue, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Beechview neighborhood, is the steepest officially recorded public street in the United States^[1][2][3] and, according to some sources, the world.^[4][5]

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Baldwin Street in New Zealand is the world's steepest residential street. Baldwin Street is 1,150 ft (350 meters) long and is said to include a grade of 35%. Canton Avenue is 630 ft (192 meters) long (the hill is about 65 meters long) and is claimed to include a 37% grade 6.5 meters long. If accurate, this 37% gradient would make Canton Avenue the steepest in the world.^{[4] [6][7][8][9]}

Baldwin St seems more like @Square Wheels type of event:

The street is the venue for an annual event in Dunedin, the Baldwin Street Gutbuster. Every summer since 1988^[2][4] this exercise in fitness and balance involves athletes running from the base of the street to the top and back down again. The event attracts several hundred competitors annually and the race record is 1:56.^[5][6]

In March 2001, a 19-year-old University of Otago student was killed when she and another student attempted to travel down the street inside a wheelie bin. The bin collided with a parked trailer, killing her instantly, and causing serious head injuries for the other student.^[7][8]

Since 2002, a further charity event has been held annually in July, which involves the rolling of over 30,000 Jaffas (spherical confectionery-coated chocolate confectionery). Each Jaffa is sponsored by one person, with prizes to the winner and funds raised going to charity. This event follows a tradition started in 1998, when 2,000 tennis balls were released in a sponsored event raising money for Habitat for Humanity.^[2]

In November 2009, three men were charged with disorderly behaviour and dangerous driving after taking rides in a chilly binbeing towed behind a car down Baldwin St.^[9]

On 2 January 2010, Cardrona stuntman Ian Soanes rode down Baldwin Street on a motorcycle on one wheel.^[10]

On 26 January 2018, 11 year-old Harry Willis raised over $11,000 NZD for the Ronald McDonald House in Christchurch by ascending the street on a pogo stick. The climb took around ten minutes. Willis's effort has since been commemorated with a plaque at the top of the street. ^[11]

[Further]

Just now, Further said:

OK I UTFG, it's 630 feet.

That's about 600 feet beyond my skill level.