Climbing Hills

That's a weird looking fork on his bike. Is it some kind of climbing fork? Or am I just out of the loop?

No idea, I just dig how he's standing up, mashing away, hands on the lower portion of his drop bars, and staying aero!!!

Pic of the hill:

http://www.kenpapai.com/racing/sf2003/pack0769.jpg

That does add some perspective to it.

WOW!

Looks like he's riding a Pinarello Dogma. It's got a really wierd curvy fork and seatstays. Far as I know, it's all about style.

I have never seen this fork before but I assume that it is shaped that less for style than for use.  Look at the Telekom rider's position on the bike going up that hill.  All his weight is centered on that fork putting a lot of pressure on it.  When I riding up my own local "monster" hill, which looks remakeably like the one picture in this thread, I feel my own fork "giving" ever so slightly because of the heavy demand made on it.  I could be wrong of course that seems a more plausable explanation for the shape of the fok.

Wow! that is one crazy fork! My first thought was that it may heve something to do with climbing or handleing too. it looks like it pulls the wheel beck under the headset.

I think I see Steve McQueen in that second picture!

I'm sure the best reward after climbing a hill like that is the decent! I'd pack my bike in my truck, haul it to the top of the hill, ride down, all day long....maybe actually ride it once if I could LOL.

Anybody want to do some hills and have the best week of their life... registration for Ride the Rockies is open


http://www.ridetherockies.com/




Edited by sjhamblin 2005-02-08 10:47 PM

That fork is supposed to be that way (Why Pinarello thought it was a good idea completely escapes me) Check out the chainstays, they're curvy too
http://www.pinarello.com/eng/dogma_01_scheda.php

Thats just pinarello's style, there are some performance benefits but I don't really know the specs. Its just to make their bikes unique, it makes them more noticable, so if you see a bike with that forck or seat stays i'll bet you that its a pinarello.

Colin

That hill begs the question...What is the steepest grade you have or climb on a regular basis? I live in Middle Tennessee, not a lot of long climbs but a lot of short sometimes steep stuff. The local "monster" here is rather short but a legit 15% grade. I have to ride about 15 miles to get to it but it makes for a very nice power training session on the bike. As far as long climbs I can drive about an hour and have my choice of several 3-5 mile long 5-6% climbs.

Wow, 13 posts and all anyone can talk about is the hill. I'ld be hauling it up the hill too if were wearing that outfit! Maybe it's pink bikes that are the fastest!

How can you test the % of grade for a hill if it's not marked? The only thing I ever remember hearing was that if your vehicle picks up speed without stepping on the gas then it's 6% or more...does that sound right?

wouldn't your vehicle picking up speed depend on a lot of things?

A vehicle in neutral (no power to the wheels what so ever) should roll if the grade is anything but level.

Whereas an automatic vehicle going up a hill and not "going" up the hill without any gas (seems like what you're talking about) would depend on a lot of things specific to each vehicle, I'd assume.

But either way, that's one heck of a hill :P

Well I seem to remember from my boy scout days a method called trianglation for determining an objects height, now however I just reley upon my trusty Polar 625.

latest issue of "Bicycling" has some pics of bikes with odd shaped forks.

Pinarello makes some of the most beautiful bikes on earth.  Leave it to the country that has given us Lobster Fra Diablo, Ferrari's, and Super Tuscans to build bikes that are functional works of art.

just an info re:those pics. that's san francisco and the race is the san francisco grand prix

Not exactly true, it takes a certain % grade to get a moving vehicle to continue to move or move faster than a given set speed otherwise friction coupled with weight causes the vehicle to slow down. LOL stupid stuff you learn from truck drivers, talk to one sometime, they really have all kinds of crazy stories.