Stevens Canyon Trail "Landslide" Climb

After this part of the trail washed out in 2017, I didn't think I could ever ride this section of trail. But I started to give it a try, lower gears helped although that revealed some ghost shifting issues. Also found on the steep 50% gradient, front tire lifting was a problem.

Moving the rear axle back 10mm in the dropouts helped with both those problems. Then I had to work on building the confidence in the bike and also the technique required to crest this climb. This climb starts out flat then peaks at 27° or 50% gradient at the top. I think my biggest problem was as I upped the force on the pedals as the grade increased I also inadvertently upped the cadence as well. I had to work on relaxing and keeping the cadence steady.

I've seen a few other riders climb this hill, mostly on mountain bikes. As I was catching my breath after this climb, a cross bike rider came up as well.

Stevens Canyon Trail, west of Cupertino, CA:
https://www.openspace.org/preserves/monte-bello

More to come...
Subscribe for more content like this
Comment, rate, share & click the bell icon
And as always, thanks for watching
#gravelbike #monstercross #partypace