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Best bike for uphill

Old 07-24-21, 01:51 AM
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Bikerbloke
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Best bike for uphill

Hey!
Just wondering if someone has a recommendation for a uphill bike? What's the best? I've been using my Scott 16 gears hybrid bike for 3 years now.im planing to up my uphill game and invest in something better.
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Old 07-24-21, 03:50 AM
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Get this bike;

https://bikerumor.com/2021/06/02/che...de-france-v3r/
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Old 07-24-21, 04:46 AM
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It depends on a few things. If we are talking on road and you are reasonably fit, then a lightweight road bike with compact gearing is the best choice for climbing. But if you are less fit then the much lower gearing on a mountain bike makes climbing easier, but considerably slower. A gravel bike could be a good compromise between the two. They have lower gearing than a road bike and are lighter than mountain bikes. You could also go more old-school with a road touring bike with a triple chainset. Basically plenty of options, but the key points are low gearing and to a lesser extent low weight.
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Old 07-24-21, 04:52 AM
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Nobody buys a bike just for going uphill. Can you narrow down what sort of riding you're intending to do? Be a lot easier to make sensible recommendations if we knew what category of bike might best suit you.
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Old 07-24-21, 04:53 AM
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Originally Posted by Ghazmh

OK, that's just mean.
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Old 07-24-21, 05:12 AM
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
Nobody buys a bike just for going uphill. Can you narrow down what sort of riding you're intending to do? Be a lot easier to make sensible recommendations if we knew what category of bike might best suit you.
True, but no bikes are made only for riding uphill so other than road or off-road riding there isn’t a huge difference. Current bike is a hybrid so I’m going to suggest a gravel bike would be ideal for riding on hilly roads and trails.
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Old 07-24-21, 05:33 AM
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Best up hill... get a e-bike.
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Old 07-24-21, 05:36 AM
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
Nobody buys a bike just for going uphill. Can you narrow down what sort of riding you're intending to do? Be a lot easier to make sensible recommendations if we knew what category of bike might best suit you.
​​​​​
I live in a place with alot of hills and mountains so all I do is climb. I climb all from 500 mabsl to 1300 mabsl on grave and asphalt in one climb. My budget is approximately 2-4k$ at most. Thanks for answering 🙂
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Old 07-24-21, 05:36 AM
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Originally Posted by GlennR
Best up hill... get a e-bike.
I love the physical challenge part of the climbing uphill.
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Old 07-24-21, 05:40 AM
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Originally Posted by PeteHski
It depends on a few things. If we are talking on road and you are reasonably fit, then a lightweight road bike with compact gearing is the best choice for climbing. But if you are less fit then the much lower gearing on a mountain bike makes climbing easier, but considerably slower. A gravel bike could be a good compromise between the two. They have lower gearing than a road bike and are lighter than mountain bikes. You could also go more old-school with a road touring bike with a triple chainset. Basically plenty of options, but the key points are low gearing and to a lesser extent low weight.
Thanks 😊 du you have a suggestion? 2-4k$
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Old 07-24-21, 05:43 AM
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Originally Posted by Bikerbloke
​​​​​
I live in a place with alot of hills and mountains so all I do is climb. I climb all from 500 mabsl to 1300 mabsl on grave and asphalt in one climb. My budget is approximately 2-4k$ at most. Thanks for answering 🙂
Gravel bike it is then! Something like a Giant Revolt Advanced would be ideal for mixed road conditions like that.
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Old 07-24-21, 05:48 AM
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Originally Posted by PeteHski
Gravel bike it is then! Something like a Giant Revolt Advanced would be ideal for mixed road conditions like that.
Ohh nice, thst bike looks sweet 🤤🤤
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Old 07-24-21, 05:56 AM
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Originally Posted by Bikerbloke
Ohh nice, thst bike looks sweet 🤤🤤
Yeah would be a solid choice in that price range. Other big brands have equivalent bikes, but usually a little more expensive for the same groupset. If you are comfortable with online direct retailers then Canyon is a very good brand to consider too. Their equivalent bike would be the Canyon Grail CF.
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Old 07-24-21, 06:07 AM
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Something like this? When riding up a steep hill, it will feel more like a level road.
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Old 07-24-21, 06:14 AM
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Not to cloud the waters, but if your riding is majority asphalt, Trek Emonda is a climbing oriented bike.
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Old 07-24-21, 08:36 AM
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Originally Posted by Bikerbloke
​​​​​
I live in a place with alot of hills and mountains so all I do is climb. I climb all from 500 mabsl to 1300 mabsl on grave and asphalt in one climb. My budget is approximately 2-4k$ at most. Thanks for answering 🙂
I like to climb, and my favorite climbing bike is the Scott Addict.

Since you ride a combination of gravel and asphalt, consider a gravel bike. Scott makes a gravel Addict in your price range (MSRP $2,999.99). If you can find one.

SCOTT ADDICT GRAVEL 20

Or consider a used gravel bike, The Pro's Closet has a few.
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Old 07-24-21, 09:11 AM
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Traditionally a good climbing bike was light and stiff. I know you ride gravel also, but part of climbing is descending… what goes up definitely comes down.

That should be part of the equation.

John
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Old 07-24-21, 10:25 AM
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Originally Posted by Bikerbloke
I love the physical challenge part of the climbing uphill.
Then why do you need "the best"? A heavier bike is just more of a challenge.
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Old 07-24-21, 11:21 AM
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Originally Posted by Outrider1
Not to cloud the waters, but if your riding is majority asphalt, Trek Emonda is a climbing oriented bike.
Question here is whether or not you want race geometry and less versatility. Going from a hybrid to a dedicated race bike like the Emonda would be quite a step! I would have thought a gravel bike or road endurance bike with a slightly more relaxed geo and room for slightly wider tyres would be a better bet. Gearing on a gravel bike would be lower than the Emonda too, so actually easier to climb with at a relaxed pace.
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Old 07-24-21, 11:25 AM
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Originally Posted by GlennR
Then why do you need "the best"? A heavier bike is just more of a challenge.
That could be a challenge too far in an alpine environment! But I wouldn’t obsess over bike weight either. Gearing is more important to get right for extended climbing. I’d rather ride a 2 kg heavier bike with compact gearing than a super-light race bike on standard gearing.
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Old 07-24-21, 11:55 AM
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Originally Posted by PeteHski
I’d rather ride a 2 kg heavier bike with compact gearing than a super-light race bike on standard gearing.
Agreed... a compact with a 11-32 or even an 11-34 should get you up 99% of the climbs.
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Old 07-24-21, 12:12 PM
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Originally Posted by GlennR
Agreed... a compact with a 11-32 or even an 11-34 should get you up 99% of the climbs.
Yep, but I wouldn’t be afraid to go even lower too if I was spending all day on Alpine climbs. Cadence can soon get dragged down uncomfortably low on steep pitches even with a compact road setup. Gravel gearing is the next step down and quite sensible for a lot of road riders to keep their cadence up around 80 rpm on those big climbs. I did a big climbing event a couple of weeks ago (4000 m gain in 100 miles) with a compact 11-34. It was okay, but some of the pitches were up at 25% and I was struggling to turn the cranks over. Strong guys on higher gearing were forced to walk. But that’s fairly extreme. 11-34 on a 10% slope is just fine and I rarely use it on my local hills.
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Old 07-24-21, 01:35 PM
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Get the lightest bike you can afford that fits you well. Make sure it has low enough gearing - which you should be able to determine by comparing to the gearing on your current bike and whether it's currently working for you.
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Old 07-24-21, 01:43 PM
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Originally Posted by PeteHski
Question here is whether or not you want race geometry and less versatility. Going from a hybrid to a dedicated race bike like the Emonda would be quite a step! I would have thought a gravel bike or road endurance bike with a slightly more relaxed geo and room for slightly wider tyres would be a better bet. Gearing on a gravel bike would be lower than the Emonda too, so actually easier to climb with at a relaxed pace.
Makes sense PeteHski. The only thing I'd add is that the ALR-5 is the H-2 endurance geometry. It does though come with a compact crank, 50-34 and 11-28 gearing. It's priced right around $2K, and stock under 20lbs. At that price point, the OP can add some lighter wheels and tires. It will, however, only clear up to a 28 tire.
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Old 07-24-21, 02:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Camilo
Get the lightest bike you can afford that fits you well. Make sure it has low enough gearing - which you should be able to determine by comparing to the gearing on your current bike and whether it's currently working for you.
And that has tyres that can handle gravel.
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