Steep Hill, Lincoln - passable on a bike?

rodgers73
rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
edited March 2012 in Road beginners
Hello,

If anyone has been to Lincoln they'll know this hill - cobbled and extremely steep. I was eyeing it up as a bit of a challenge last time I was there, but wondered if anyone has ever ridden it?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steep_Hill

Wikipedia describes it as unsuitable to any form of vehicle, but I've seen Tour of Britain cyclists riding on cobbles before...
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Comments

  • Peddle Up!
    Peddle Up! Posts: 2,040
    Best in the rain I would imagine.

    In winter...
    Purveyor of "up" :)
  • springtide9
    springtide9 Posts: 1,731
    Try it on an MTB first to work out if it's fine with the gearing on the roadie.

    If it's fine... then on a roadie. Don't forget to get a mate with a video camera capturing the event... and share any funny's on U Tube!
    Simon
  • sugarbeet
    sugarbeet Posts: 39
    Last week we rode up Michaelgate (also cobbled and running parallelish) at the end of the Lincoln Sportive. Made for a character building & impressive finish to a ride.

    I don't think Michaelgate would have been too bad without the previous 95 miles in the legs. But then again we were lucky, it was dry and we didn't have to go up it 11 times at speed. (Unlike the pros the next day.)

    Steep hill also looks...err...steep(er).

    Go on..you know you want to.
    Cylon cats - have no plan
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    I do! But I'm consdiering making the climb the end of a long ride and I dont want to end up with an anticlimax by trying to climb something thats actually unclimbable :D
  • peejay78
    peejay78 Posts: 3,378
    i rode the rosedale chimney the other week. that was quite steep.

    in fact, it was 33%.
    http://traumradfahren.wordpress.com/
  • Jamkite
    Jamkite Posts: 8
    Hey there,

    I live in Lincoln and have never seen anyone ride Steep Hill.
    They are right in saying that it is not suitable for any vehicle.
    The cobbled bit is sort of sectioned off and I'm not sure you would be allowed to ride it.
    Try walking up and down on the hill, you'll find quite a few people use the handrail.

    If you did do it, MTB on the lowest gear possible. :-)

    Good luck!
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    Jamkite wrote:
    Hey there,

    I live in Lincoln and have never seen anyone ride Steep Hill.
    They are right in saying that it is not suitable for any vehicle.
    The cobbled bit is sort of sectioned off and I'm not sure you would be allowed to ride it.
    Try walking up and down on the hill, you'll find quite a few people use the handrail.

    If you did do it, MTB on the lowest gear possible. :-)

    Good luck!

    It is pedestrian only but can't see it would do much harm when there aren't people around. It will be doable though - and with roadbike gears. If you are tough enough. I'd save if for another time though if you are doing it as part of a ride - as other say, Michaelgate is tough enough. Mind you, it only rates 4 out of 10 in 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs!
    Faster than a tent.......
  • tim_wand
    tim_wand Posts: 2,552
    Done it up all the Way from The Bottom of the High St up to Bar Gate. Totally illegal with the little one hanging out the back in her Burley trailer ( This really helped) Taking her to her Nan's in Riseholme. Pedestrians and rode traffic laws are the main obstruction Thats why 6 am is a winner.

    Will record it on the Muvi next time Pointing back off the seat post at the nipper. Fast asleep in her burley.

    Single speed in bred.
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    There's a sort of barrier halfway up that I saw but it has a narrow gap (4 or 5 ft) where you could nip through and I dont think there's a curb - think its smooth enough to ride straight through and on to the next section.
  • giant_man
    giant_man Posts: 6,878
    I walked up it last sunday for the Lincoln GP, not suitable on a bike imo ..
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Now this sounds like a challenge...

    (luckily I dont live near enough to Lincoln to give it a go !)
  • TrueBlueFan
    TrueBlueFan Posts: 12
    A group of us rode up it on the way to the start of the Lincoln sportive last weekend. Very tough but we got up using 39x25. Wouldn't have made it in the wet.
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    Did you get through that gap I mentioned ok?
  • tim_wand
    tim_wand Posts: 2,552
    The secret is IMO to hit it at as much speed as you can carry from the bottom section on the STRAIT and then stay as far over to the left (Against the railings) as you can until you get to the point where the benches face down the hill on the right and the railing runs across ( in front of Heavens gate (or something like that ) bookshop)

    . At about ten yards out from this point you need to move about 1/3 to half way out (towards the benches) and then eye the gap and cut in 45 degrees to the left nail it (take some of the kerb in if need be its flat to the cobble at this point) then move back out straight at which point your basically at the junction to Michealgate and you've nailed it

    Be aware if you stay to the left into the gap the flagstone before it is not plush to the cobble theres about an 8 inch gap which will throw you straight off and pringle your wheel.

    As I ve said its doable but you need to be going at Sparrows Fart as its always crowded.
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    Some excellent tips there - thanks a lot!
  • Scrumple
    Scrumple Posts: 2,665
    edited May 2011
    Michealgate is not very long or hard.

    Loads of us rode it last week during the Grand Prix. We'd got 47 miles under our belts when we scaled it.

    Too small to be difficult.
  • dodgy
    dodgy Posts: 2,890
    I've ridden up Steep Hill absolutely dozens of times, MTB and road bike. I lived there for the best part of 17 years. The tricky bit (from memory) is the bit at the top where you have to get over a gap in the path. It's not that hard, and I'm a poor climber.
  • fuzzbear
    fuzzbear Posts: 112
    The steepness isn't the real issue here, it's the railings & posts to stop vehicles.

    I've ridden it but, it was very early in the morning & some naughty on path riding was required.

    Michael Gate is a far better option. Not as long or steep but, it's a much better route.

    As already mentioned at the end of the Lincoln GP sportive... it was quite challenging .
  • MichaelW
    MichaelW Posts: 2,164
    Looks a bit like the Hovis hill.
    I have seen roadies ride up it but that was years ago when gravity wasnt as bad.
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    Finally tried this today - after 50 miles up from Skegness. I didn't try the bottom part as I wasn't sure about the railings getting in the way and I wasn't in the mood to do it twice. So I went up Danegate and then did the top half up to the Cathedral.

    Sadly, I arrived at 12 noon so the road was thick with shoppers and 10k runner. So, almost inevitably, I fell off trying to dodge some old codgers right at the top (I shouted twice but they weren't too alert, the poor sods) but I'd made it over the worst of it and I was in the last 30 yards (which is a bit flatter than the rest).

    Good fun - not as hard as you'd think, just a little lost traction occasionally - but best saved for a quite early morning ride!
  • mouth
    mouth Posts: 1,195
    looks doable to me. not by me though. hell, i'd have enough trouble riding down it never mind up.
    The only disability in life is a poor attitude.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Hill climbs are as much a mental challenge as a physical.

    Low gearing helps mind...

    The attitude should be "why the f*** not?!?!?"

    You should be insulted by the hill if it dare challenge your assured self belief that you can climb it.
    _
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    Mouth wrote:
    looks doable to me. not by me though. hell, i'd have enough trouble riding down it never mind up.


    Down it?! No thanks! :D
  • JustinLeeAtkinson
    JustinLeeAtkinson Posts: 335
    Probably worth pointing out again that it is illegal to do anything other than walk up Steep Hill, so whilst I agree that is is passable (I dont know what the % is, but it cant be higher than other notable steep climbs) I ride up Michaelgate when in Lincoln: not quite as steep, but interesting all the same with the cobbles, and it being the major feature of the Lincoln GP - the PREMIER Premier Calendar race :wink:
  • roger_merriman
    roger_merriman Posts: 6,165
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Hill climbs are as much a mental challenge as a physical.

    Low gearing helps mind...

    The attitude should be "why the f*** not?!?!?"

    You should be insulted by the hill if it dare challenge your assured self belief that you can climb it.

    people get defeated before they reach the hill, and frankly when it gets very steep i.e. over 20% it's folks balance at the low speeds that makes them walk.

    climbed up local nasty at barely walking pace, on my dads cheap BSO of MTB going up was better than down as half a mile and 500ft plus gives you 17% average grade with some highly amusing peaks and plastic V brakes I wasn't going to test going down....
  • wakou
    wakou Posts: 165
    MichaelW wrote:
    I have seen roadies ride up it but that was years ago when gravity wasnt as bad.

    Love this, I will adopt it as my motto.
    "I had righteous got my wheel backmost from a fettlin' at the LBS and was hunt transport to equitation it. As it was Refrigerated in the AM......"
  • shouldbeinbed
    shouldbeinbed Posts: 2,660
    wakou wrote:
    MichaelW wrote:
    I have seen roadies ride up it but that was years ago when gravity wasnt as bad.

    Love this, I will adopt it as my motto.


    + lots, great comment
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    I saw someone boshing up Hovis hill a few months ago on his boardman. Bit jealous,as I didn't have my bike with me. Looks exciting!
  • JustinLeeAtkinson
    JustinLeeAtkinson Posts: 335
    Just thought I should mention Burton hill which is just outside Lincoln, no cobbles, but it's 1 in 6. The Lincoln GP uses it as a descent, but it's much more fun grinding up it!
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,194
    This is a proper steep cobbled climb in the UK - bit far to ride from Lincoln though!

    2010-09-15-tour-of-britain-constitution-hill-cycling.jpg

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