The Complete Guide to Climbing (By Bike)
The Complete Guide to Climbing (By Bike)
The Complete Guide to Climbing (By Bike) is the ultimate guide to cycling climbing and the most difficult hill climbs in the United States. Included in its 224 pages are sections on training for climbing, memorable climbing performances and other climbing resources. The most difficult U.S. climbs are described in great detail including: - Easy to read directions with maps - Accurate climb information including total elevation gain, length and average/maximum grade - Appendices include multiple climb rankings (most difficult, highest altitude attained, greatest elevation gained, steepest, etc) and profiles of the 100 most difficult American hill climbs. This book contains everything cyclists need to know to locate and tackle the toughest climbs in the U.S.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars A good list of great climbs
Just a short note about this fine little book. I have climbed a dozen of the described climbs so far, spread from California to North Carolina (another dozen to come this year). It is simple and accurate and a great resource. I don’t think it pretends to be more, and as a result I disagree with some of the criticism about the book in the reviews.
4 Stars Very welcome book, if not thorough
It’s about time someone finally got on the road on their bike all over the country, then sat down writing about the great roads in the United States that are a challenge to go up. Many of the climbs, that is. There’s no book like this anywhere, and if you’re into traveling with your bike, and riding up the big climbs, this is it.
The book does however fall short for me in a few ways. First, it’s layout is somewhat scattered, like it needed better editing in it’s organization, but also in it’s material. The climbs it covers, it generally does well. It’s also by all means not complete, there’s no way it could be, but the book contains 50 pages of route profiles at the end. These profiles all generally look similar, and are of little practical use to most riders who will look at them and think, “yep, the road goes up”. This space could have been much better used if it contained more climbs. Even if some of the descriptions were rudimentary. For example, in my home state of Oregon - a fairly mountainous state, there are only three climbs listed. But I can easily name 5-6 quality climbs that aren’t in the book*. These climbs could probably be summarized on one page. Multiply that by fifty, and 250 more climbs in the US could have been added simply by removing the unneeded profiles.
The author did his best to remain objective with climbs, creating a ratings system to rate them. But even this is bound to create controversy among riders. He often mentions altitude, but without factoring it in. For example, even though Mt. Washington is rated higher than Mt. Evans, Mauna Kea, or Onion Valley Road by his system, I’d rather ride the former as the 14,000′ altitude on Mt. Evans (close to it on Mauna Kea), and long steep gradient to 9,100′ on Onion Vally is just murderous…to me. And here’s where the book may be frustrating to some, sifting through the author’s opinions, coupled with his ratings. Adding to this, he lists Most Scenic climbs, which is bound to create some quibbling by riders as well.
Some reviewers are complaining about the maps. They are simple, but to me that is fine. No one in their right mind would drive around the country using the maps in this book as a guide. They are simply meant to show you were the road can be found. From there, it’s up to you to use a quality map, Topo!, Google Earth, and other maps or programs to find the details you need. I would however liked to have seen better quality photos of the routes.
Despite my complaints, the author is to be commended most of all for culling all this information, as there’s no easy way you could find this out otherwise. While I’m hoping that a second edition pressing will be better edited and more comprehensive, you could spend years going through the entire book, traveling throughout the country, riding these rides.
* Five Oregon climbs that easily could have made the book: Lolo Pass, Larch Mountain, Newberry Crater, McKenzie Pass, Elkhorn Byway.
5 Stars Vertical junkies Guide
If you enjoy the challenge of going vertical on your bike then this book is a must have in your cycling library. Good descriptions with directions, vertical profiles, and some pictures of many great rides in the US. The book can be good motivator to see what is out there and to challenge any rider to go big.
5 Stars US Climbs Bible
I agree with others that this is an excellent addition to the cycling library. Finally a place to find the big US climbs and to find out that they stack up well with those we have watched others climb for yrs. Most (but not all) of the big US climbs are out west which makes senses due to topography. The amount of data on each is quite good and accurate (I have done 20-25 of those listed) and the climbing categories and comparisons are very entertaining. The training sessions and memorable American climbing performances add to the value altthough if you are looking for a comprehensive training guide there are entire books devoted to that subject that you may prefer. As a climber I really like the way the data is presented as well. Maps and directions are clear (I do not understand prior reviews issues with this). I can’t wait to get out on some of these climbs!
I think any cyclist will enjoy this book and if you like to climb then you must get this guide.
4 Stars Review for Westerville Bicycle Club
John Summerson’s book Complete Guide to CLIMBING (By Bike): A Guide to cycling climbing and the most difficult hill climbs in the United States (Extreme Press, Winston-Salem, NC: 2007) offers a comprehensive picture of climbing in the United States. This is not a book about the technique of climbing or how to be a better climber. It is a book about where to climb, what to expect where you climb, and even when you can climb (e.g., he sites several roads that are closed to traffic until 5 p.m. or at certain times of the year, or open only during a once-a-year bike race).
What makes this book special is the wealth of knowledge. You can read about the climbs and learn where to start, when a paved road will become a gravel road and then a dirt road, what the percentage of grade is along the way, the overall length of the climb, climbs you can do back to back, and so much more.
What made the book readable, and would also serve you well if you intended to attempt these climbs, is that Summerson has ridden approximately 90% of the climbs he writes about. You can feel yourself grinding up the climb based on his details, the very things cyclists notice. He ranks the climbs, using a scale that perhaps is familiar to the climbers out there (but wasn’t to me), “hors.” It seemed like anything above 4 hors was a nasty climb. He expressed a certain reverence over other climbs, and when I looked, saw they all had a ranking of 6 hors or higher. Two that I noticed near the end were in Hawaii.
Then there were a few intense, .1-mile climbs, that made the book. The two I remember from that category were both in California, and boasted a 32% average grade (Fargo Street, with a max. grade of 35%; Eldred Street, with a max. grade of 33%). Egads! Early in the book, he provided a map of the US, with markings of where the climbs he included were located. Ohio was conspicuously absent from the list. Later, when I read a list he compiled of the organized rides with significant climbing, I thought it was pretty cool that I recognized names that WBC members have tackled: Blood, Sweat and Gears (NC), Assault on Mount Mitchel (NC), and The Mountain Mama Road Bike Challenge (VA). So for those of you looking for other challenges, see if what you want is on the list.
At the end of the book, Summerson provided still more data on the top 100 climbs. Using graphics, he showed the starting and ending elevation, the total elevation gain, mileage marks with a notation of the percent grade for stretches. Then there were the number of lists he provided–in addition to the one above, there were lists like “100 Most Difficult Road Bike Climbs in the U.S.,” “Most Difficult Climbing Sections,” “Greatest Elevation Gained Climbs” (where the minimum was 5,000 vertical feet), and “Highest Elevation Attained Roads.”
Filed under: Mountain Bike Book Reviews