mow cop

Andy Edwards 17
Andy Edwards 17 Posts: 9
edited October 2008 in The bottom bracket
Does anyone know of anything steeper than mow cop in cheshire(25%) i`m interested if theres anything steeper than that within about 50miles of north east wales.or chester.

Comments

  • redddraggon
    redddraggon Posts: 10,862
    Have you tried bwlch penbarras? Parts of it are steeper than 25%, there's a nasty hairpin halfway up. Worth a try anyway.
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  • Andy Edwards 17
    Andy Edwards 17 Posts: 9
    ye i`ve done that one but i was wondering if there was one any steeper like 30% or something because i like a good challenge
  • Bikerbaboon
    Bikerbaboon Posts: 1,017
    you could try getting a MTB and then trying a 25% off road over loose rocks the size of your fist.
    Nothing in life can not be improved with either monkeys, pirates or ninjas
    456
  • Andy Edwards 17
    Andy Edwards 17 Posts: 9
    ye but on a mountain bike you have much higher gears to compensate.
  • Bikerbaboon
    Bikerbaboon Posts: 1,017
    but you lose momentum over the rocks, you then with the lower gearing will find the front lifting. Put to much weight forwards to keep the front wheel down and you will loose the back end. Doing a technical MTB climb is hard work the lower gearing is just to let your legs keep some kind of momentum.

    If you dony want to do the MBT thing and cant find a local steeper hill, try to knock 10% off your climb time.
    Nothing in life can not be improved with either monkeys, pirates or ninjas
    456
  • Doobz
    Doobz Posts: 2,800
    yup like reddragon says the penbarras (old bwlch) is a pretty hard climb.

    I have done it few times in the last few weeks and in the DLMC - I did it last weekend and for some reason I really enjoyed it - I flew up (must have been the EPO) :o:o just kidding -

    Here is the motionbased summary which if you click on the Elevation section will show that the penbarras is actually 29.2 -

    http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6805556

    Ps: ignore the total time because the garmin logs till you press stop :(
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  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    edited September 2008
    How steep was that Rhosesmor climb - that was pretty steep, but not as much as Mow Cop -I thought my heart would burst on that in the Cheshire Cat.
  • idaviesmoore
    idaviesmoore Posts: 557
    cougie wrote:
    How steep was that Rhosesmor climb - .

    Nah, that's not steep, really.

    I kinda like the way Bikerbaboon is talking. I think there comes a time when, if you want a challenge like OP wants, you may have to take yourself out of the comfort zone. There's nothing around N.Wales that's going to offer the road challenge that he wants so maybe hitting the trails isn't such a bad idea.

    I'm getting an MTB for the winter because of this very problem. I'm not saying I'm a hard Gog climber but I struggle to find climbs that challenge me in differant ways. :)

    Don't quote me but I think the short road going up to Harlech castle is 28% average, but it is short (but not very sweet) and it twists quite nastilly.

    Oh...and there are a couple of similars around Blaenau but that's a hell of a way to go for a couple of short, sharp lifts :)
    'How can an opinion be bullsh1t?' High Fidelity
  • ColinJ
    ColinJ Posts: 2,218
    Andy Edwards 17 wrote:
    ye but on a mountain bike you have much higher gears to compensate.
    Lower gears!
  • Doobz
    Doobz Posts: 2,800
    Rhosesmor is a pretty weird place because it has climbs that go up to it from loads of different sides. A few other around that area are: the Shelf and London Bridge

    tbh in North Wales there are so many great climbs so we are quite spoilt for choice - sometimes its just nice to go and get lost and you know you will find your way back sooner or later
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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,666
    How about Hill repeats on Mow Cop, or doing it on a 39 x 23 or bigger...

    TBH, Mow cop is short and sweet, It may be worth driving out to the lakes to do Kirkstone from the North Side (Best climb I've done, along with the best descent (into Windermere) I've done - super smooth tarmac and sweeping bends) and then there is Hardknott and Wrynose passes...

    200px-Hardknott_sign.JPG

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrynose_Pass
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,666
    Good article here :)

    http://www.everydaycycling.com/edc/news/news2008/20080804_school_of_hardknotts.aspx
  • Andy Edwards 17
    Andy Edwards 17 Posts: 9
    thats a good idea i did mow cop in a 39x25 but i`ll see if i can get up in a 39x23
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    I did Mow Cop on 39*23. My only saving grace was that I didnt realise I had that block on the bike until after. I thought I had a 39*26 on.
  • swagman
    swagman Posts: 115
    What about the A52 between Froghall and Whiston, thats a bit of a bitch!
  • sicrow
    sicrow Posts: 791
    Not many miles from Mow Cop is Lamaload resevoir of the main Macc to Buxton road, theres a climb from there out to the main road thats steeper than 25% if you go the otherway past Jenkins chapel and pyms chair theres a steep drop to Eerwood resevoir and the road out the otherside up to Long Hill is tough also - round there its climb after climb so good tough training.

    just try from Lamaload to the main road you'll not be dissapointed
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  • a_n_t
    a_n_t Posts: 2,011
    sicrow wrote:
    Lamaload resevoir of the main Macc to Buxton road, theres a climb from there out to the main road thats steeper than 25%
    just try from Lamaload to the main road you'll not be dissapointed



    it registered 22% on my garmin the other week, plus its only short.

    info here http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6810868

    I always enjoy crowdecote myself [25% on the bends].
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  • flattythehurdler
    flattythehurdler Posts: 2,314
    That happened to me for a year :shock: :D
    Dan
  • a_n_t
    a_n_t Posts: 2,011
    not done winnats myself but it's meant to be a tough one.

    http://www.rural-roads.co.uk/winnats/winnats1.shtml
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  • andrewjoseph
    andrewjoseph Posts: 2,165
    Get an mtb and do whites level climb at afan, even some of the fireroads are steep around here.

    I find road hills much easier than mtb hills, the gradient is much less and usually more consistent.

    An mtb climb can have short steep sections over lumpy stuff or loose stuff or lumpy loose stuff. you have to go an-aerobic several times on any decent climb.
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  • CraigH
    CraigH Posts: 321
    isnt there a 40% in Harlech...
    There was an article in one of the Magazines a way back

    also
    http://www.everydaycycling.com/edc/news ... notts.aspx
  • antooony
    antooony Posts: 177
    2gx1hqv.jpg

    Ah Mow Cop, birth place of my dad. This is the view on the way down. My folks have a boat in the marina near Mow and I love going up to see them and cycling up to the castle from every direction. The roads seem so quiet compared to down here in sunny Surrey.
  • a_n_t
    a_n_t Posts: 2,011
    found another 25% climb on sunday, only 0.6 of a mile but bloody tough!

    gorsey brow in broadbottom

    http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/905669
    Manchester wheelers

    PB's
    10m 20:21 2014
    25m 53:18 20:13
    50m 1:57:12 2013
    100m Yeah right.
  • Steve I
    Steve I Posts: 428
    Will someone else who likes hills please go to trefriw in the Conwy valley in North Wales and attempt the lane that runs to Llyn Cowlyd reservoir. 420 metres of ascent in 3 kilometres, It's a real killer. I've done the Bwlch y Groes and it's definitely easier than this.

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