A tale to encourage new riders, especially MUniists.
When I first had the 26 MUni, I took it to Black Rocks in Derbyshire and tried to ride up the incline on the High Peak Trail, up to Middleton Top. That’s 1/2 - 3/4 mile of 1:7 (14%) approx. slope with a surface which varies from embedded rocks to mud and slime, to loose ballast, and with kerbstones laid across it every few yards to divert rainwater run off.
My first attempt had me flat on my back with exhaustion half way up, after possibly 50 UPDs and countless attempts to remount.
My second attempt a week or so later got me 3/4 of the way up, and dead on my feet.
My third attempt a few weeks later got me to the top in maybe 15 stages, with numerous failed mounts.
A few months ago, I ‘sailed’ up on the 24 which has the same cranks as the 26 (150mm) with only 3 or 4 stops.
Today, on the 26, in one ‘go’ I made it to the highest point I managed on my first ride. I did the who distance in about 5 stages with only one point where I needed several attempts to get past a difficult section - and that was right near the top when I was exhausted.
And the biggest single factor in this improvement? Learning to freemount with the pedals in the 2 and 8 position instead of the 6 and 12 position. Second biggest factor: being confident idling and ‘still standing’, so that I could pause and pick my route. It’s amazing how much energy you can waste (physical and mental) on failed mounts, stalling and being unable to restart, and getting trapped up ‘blind alleys’ between the obstacles. And clearly, even a small difference in crank:wheel ratio can make an enormous difference.
