36 / 125s
I have not done this ride. But if I were to so up I think I would first try it on a 36 with 125 cranks then time that against a following ride on 110s. Looks like a fun hill.
A smooth tire would be easier to roll. A good, cheap (though not light at 920g) option is the CST Cyclops 2.4. I have one on a 24" wheel for cruising and like it very much. If I was buying a tire specifically for a hillclimb I might be inclined to give up some volume for a lighter tire. Maybe something like a Tioga PowerBlock 2.1 (520g).
8 miles? Uphill?? The furthest I’ve gone to date is 2.4 miles on a straight, and my legs were butter. OK, fine, I’ll start training. I guess Monson Rd will become my best friend.
For a steep ride, wouldn’t longer cranks (say, 150s) be better? I think that more leverage would deliver a bigger benefit (as a force multiplier) than getting less leverage from shorter cranks.
Greylock hill climb
Hey Kerv and others.
Hill climbs are great fun though very brutal, Just ask Stevyo!
I did Greylock last year. My time was 1:07:22. The race is very difficult on a uni. It would be puff for a 29" guni. The reason is that it
is very steep right off the start. It then has some down hills in it followed by a few steep sections, some down hill and then a very gradual last few miles. With out gears you need to pick the right wheel size
I used a 36" with 170 cranks. I use 170’s for all climbs but just change the wheel out between a 36, 29 or 25 " depending on the pitch. Washington is the 25". Whiteface is the 29". The 36" was brutal for the first 16% grade mile of Greylock. It was fine the rest of the way and perfect for the final few miles that where around 4%. It would kill you to do it with shorter cranks unless you dropped the wheel size.
If you have never done a hill climb before, pick a smaller wheel like a 24 or 29 with some larger cranks-150’s or longer. Rather spin fast for a while then try and gut it out standing up the whole time. Find a local hill with a similar grade and do lots of repeats.
I will not be at Whiteface or Greylock this year due to weddings and another race on the Greylock weekend. I’ll be at Okemo on June 25 if you want a steep shorter hill to try it out.
You have got to love a challenge…
Longer cranks are slow. I try to choose the shortest possible for the steepest section. I find it best to learn the technic/skill to ride steep with short cranks slow enough to keep your heart rate within range on the steep sections. Then spin it out on the not so steep sections. I use heart rate to limit speed like a governor so as not to burn myself out and ruin the rest of the ride.
Heart rate remains near the same for both 150s and 125s on the same incline at the same speed if your skill level and strength are up to the 125s. On long hill climbs the difference between 150s, 140s, 125s is amazing. 110s become a technic/skill challenge.
I ride 13% to 16% on 110s if it’s not a sharp switch back with camber. If they will allow you, ride the outside of the curves on the switch backs. There the camber will not be as bad and the slope is the least. One time trial I have done a couple of times has curves that are 16% on the outside of the corner, 20% at the center line and 25% plus on the inside of the corner. Makes a huge difference in required crank length.
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Here are three older pictures of taking a different line on the same corner on the same day. This is practicing on the hardest corner on the ‘Cougar Mountain Hill Climb’ (climb4cancer.net).
Unicyclist Joe Myers accomplishes more on one wheel than most of us do on two. - ESPN
The fourth picture is just a fun ride I do several times a year practicing for the Mount Baker Hill Climb. This trip is on a 43 Semcycle.
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Count me as Interested - ro
Psyched for all the interest.
Eric (scmojo) says 36/170s, Joe says 36/125s. I think somewhere in between. I’ll probably ride my 29/137 guni.
Roland, don’t you have something else that weekend?
I appreciate all the opinions on wheel size and cranks. I really liked BungeeJoe’s advice on minimizing slope by riding the outside of the curve. Any other advice for an aspiring hill climber?
So after accepting Steveyo’s challenge to ride in the Greylock climb, I have to back out. The tornado that hit Springfield, MA earlier in June really slammed by 81 year old Uncle’s house. I am spending all my free time (formerly reserved for training) at his property cleaning up and doing repairs (he has no insurance…kind of a long story). Anyway, I have not done any serious riding in 3 weeks and I realize that most of my July and August free time will be spent on this project. If I don’t train for the Greylock climb, I’ll be toast.
So good luck to any riders in this year’s event. I’ll pass until next year (when I will turn 50). A fitting goal for my 50th year!
Umm, sorry…the industry standard 50 bday male boondoggle is helicopter skiing! Common knowledge 
Unfortunately, mine occurred during the recession 
Oh, and for advice…think motorized assist…
OK, all you NE hill-climbers…
I just went to the Greylock site and signed up, and paid my money. It would be cool to get as many folks as possible to this race. When you sign up, there are starting time blocks to choose (riders go off every 30 seconds). In case us unis want to ride near each-other, I picked the 9:30-10AM block as first choice and 10-10:30 block as my second choice.
On second thought…I really don’t think anyone else should do it, so I can get the $50 prize as first unicycle. 
I’m probably in, need to double check the date…and train on a few hills 
I haven’t been getting in the practice I thought I would. My longest ride so far is 5 miles, hoped to be past 8 by now. If I can get to 8 by September, I will do a last-minute entry. I may just go and do it anyways, see how far I get.
OK, fine. I went out today with no particular destination or goal in mind. It was a no hills, just relax and go for distance ride. Keep in mind my longest ride just over 1 hour, 5.63 miles.
So 2 hours and 50 minutes later, I ended up at my mother-in-laws. Legs wobbly, muscles shaking. Running on just water from my graciously-donated camelbak, didn’t even have a protein shake before I left. Total ride was 10.63 miles. There was about a half hour worth of breaks, between the dentist and a friend’s house, plus all the little walking breaks when my toes wanted to go numb. One hard fall. Gotta love the sidewalks in Springfield, a never-ending source of pre-muni riding.
There was one hill at the 8-mile mark that got me. Its fairly steep. I know I can do the distance, I just gotta wonder about the uphill. I’m doing Greylock for sure, we’ll see how well I do when I’m done.