Mt Diablo Vs Mt Hamilton
Sujee Maniyam
climb. now with the new inflated self confidence, I am thinking Mt
Hamilton. Can any one who done both compare?
- is the climb steeper than Diablo?
- how is the weather pattern? foggy / hot?
- vehicle traffic? There were quite a few cars on Mt Diablo yesterday
(probably week end traffic).
- road conditions? Top 1/3 of Mt Diablo road was full of cracks, and I
(along with my bike) was vibrating quite a bit, on my way down
- good day to do it. I can only do it on weekends. So is one day
better than the other?
thanks
../Sujee
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Eric Lafferty
The "front side" (i.e. coming from San Jose) of Hamilton coming up Mt Hamilton Road
is not steep at all. I don't think it ever gets steeper than a 7% grade. It's
long, but never steep (the steepest section occurs as you turn on to Mount Hamilton
Rd). Also, there's never much traffic on the road, so cars aren't a huge concern.
I rode up about a month ago and the pavement is good the whole way. Expect it to
be colder and windy at the top compared to the valley.
The "back side" of Hamilton (coming from Liver more) is steeper. Also, an
alternative route is to climb Quimby Rd to near Grant Ranch Park, which is quite
steep.
Best of luck.
Terry Morse
> Yesterday I did Mt Diablo! *yeahah* My first time I did any significant
> climb. now with the new inflated self confidence, I am thinking Mt
> Hamilton. Can any one who done both compare?
I just rode Mt. Hamilton last Thursday. Here are the stats for the ride:
Jack in the Box on McKee (our start point) to top of first climb:
distance: 7.0 mi
ascent: 1640 ft
grade: 4.5 %
First Intermediate Descent:
distance: 1.8 mi
grade: 2.8 %
Second Climb:
distance: 3.2 mi
ascent: 720 ft
grade: 4.2 %
Second Intermediate Descent:
distance: 1.1 mi
grade: 3.2 %
Final Climb to Top:
distance: 6.3 mi
ascent: 1880 ft
grade: 5.6 %
As climbs go, the front side of Mt Hamilton is nicely graded, with good
pavement and little traffic. It can get hot in the afternoon, so it's
best to ride it early. There is water next to the bench at the turnoff
to the observatory near the top. It's a long climb, but an easy grade.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/
Eric Murray
Eric Lafferty <laff...@eandsweb.com.nospam> wrote:
>
>The "back side" of Hamilton (coming from Liver more) is steeper.
Does anyone know the average grade of the backside?
I have not been able to find it.
Eric
Stella Hackell
> Yesterday I did Mt Diablo! *yeahah*
Congratulations!
> I am thinking Mt
> Hamilton. Can any one who done both compare?
> - is the climb steeper than Diablo?
It's less steep, but longer (about 19.5 miles). There are a couple
of downhill stretches on the ascent. The grade is very steady otherwise.
Last five miles are a littlw steeper (or maybe they just feel that way),
but not as steep as the last few miles of Diablo.
> - how is the weather pattern? foggy / hot?
Generally hotter than Diablo. I've never found Hamilton to be foggy.
> - vehicle traffic? There were quite a few cars on Mt Diablo yesterday
> (probably week end traffic).
Memorial Day is one of the busiest days. People live on the lower slopes
of hamilton, but traffic isn't bad. Hamilton seems to get more motorcycle
traffic.
You can visit the observatory on Hamilton, and there are more places to
hang out out of the wind. And a candy machine!
Have fun!
Stella
Doug Goodwin
According to Petersen's "Roads to Ride - South", the back side of Hamilton
has a stretch averaging 8.6% which starts just after the bridge/corral
[near milepost 5, if you're counting!] up to about milepost 3. It eases off
from that gradient just below the entrance to Sky Ranch - based on having
ridden it several times, I would say about 6-7% - and has many hairpin
turns in that segment. There are of course, the usual "steps" in those
turns that can break your knees!
--
Doug
YMMV
"We have met the enemy, and they is us." - Pogo
__o
_`\<,_
(*)/ (*)
Ken
> I have not been able to find it.
*Roads to Ride* says 8.6% for the lower half. The upper half is a little
easier.
Sujee Maniyam
> According to Petersen's "Roads to Ride - South", the back side of Hamilton
> has a stretch averaging 8.6% which starts just after the bridge/corral
> [near milepost 5, if you're counting!] up to about milepost 3. It eases off
> from that gradient just below the entrance to Sky Ranch - based on having
> ridden it several times, I would say about 6-7% - and has many hairpin
> turns in that segment. There are of course, the usual "steps" in those
> turns that can break your knees!
On the same note, what is the gradient of Mt Diablo?
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Daniel Connelly
Doug Goodwin
In its 3 segments:
Northgate Road = averages 5.75%, with a 10% section at the 1000' level.
Southgate Road = averages 4.5%
Summit Road = averages 6.9%, with the last .1 mile at 17%
These are from Petersen's book, and I would say that there are about right.
My former club rode [and still does as far as I know] Mt. Diablo several
times per week, whether from the Walnut Creek, or from Danville; with and
without the summit. I consider it the best ride in the area, follwed by
Redwood Road from Castro Valley, to Skyline, to Grizzly Peak.
--
Doug Goodwin
Sujee Maniyam
thanks for the info.
what is this 'petersen's book'? Is it a bike atlas or something?
googling didn't help.
:-)
./Sujee
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Ken
> googling didn't help.
*Roads to Ride* by Grant Peterson. There are 2 volumes covering the SF Bay
Area. The books have detailed elevation profiles for the most popular
bicycling roads (emphasis on touring, not commuting) as well as brief
descriptions of the roads (somewhat out of date, though). The books are out
of print, but you can find them at many used book stores and also in the used
books section of amazon.com. Highly recommend for SF area cyclists.
John Michaels
John Kluge. My copy was published in 1985 by Heyday books. I have had
my copy since at least 88 or 89. Bought it at bike shop down the street
from where Chain Reaction in Los Alto is that went out of business. The
book is a topographical guide of roads by counties. My was the edition
for South which was San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz. My pages are
wearing out.
Here is a description of the Roads to Ride series. I got it from the
Palo Alto Bike shop web site. I don't know if this means they have the
book.
Petersen, Grant and Kluge, John Roads to Ride: South Berkeley, CA:
Heydey Books, 1985. 132 pp. Elevation profiles, brief descriptions, and
photographs of good roads for cycling in San Mateo, Santa Clara, and
Santa Cruz Counties.
Peterson, Grant and Anderson, Mary A Bicyclist’s Topographic Guide to
Alameda, Contra Costa, and Marin Counties Heyday Books, 1984. 142 pp.
Peterson, Grant and Anderson, Mary Roads to Ride Berkeley, CA: Heydey
Books, 1989. 142 pp. Elevation profiles, brief descriptions, and
photographs of good roads for cycling in Alameda, Contra Costa, and
Marin Counties.
Doug Goodwin
>> These are from Petersen's book, and I would say that there are about
>> right.
>
> thanks for the info.
>
> what is this 'petersen's book'? Is it a bike atlas or something?
> googling didn't help.
>
>:-)
> ./Sujee
I bought my set [2 volumes] from a used book dealer -IIRC about $7 each. I
used a book finding site called Alibris - http://www.alibris.com/ . I don't
do biz with Amazon but they could be able to help you if you use them at
all.
Using Alibris allowed me to deal directly with the bookstore that had the
copies, and to arrange pay with them directly. I don't buy online; the
internet, in the 18 years I've been browsing it, has never proven itself
worthy of securing my financial info. My 2¢.
one of the six billion
"Sujee Maniyam" <nob...@spamthis.com> wrote in message
news:bb3vii$i16$1...@bob.news.rcn.net...
> > These are from Petersen's book, and I would say that there are about
right.
>
> thanks for the info.
>
> what is this 'petersen's book'? Is it a bike atlas or something?
> googling didn't help.
>
Excellent books, The first one I found at a yard sale. The second one I
got from half.com.
Sujee Maniyam
> used a book finding site called Alibris - http://www.alibris.com/ . I don't
> do biz with Amazon but they could be able to help you if you use them at
> all.
Just bought 2 volumes (San Mateo / East bay) at half.com for about $13
including shipping.
Amazon has them in their 'used section' as well. Slightly more
expensive, at $19
I am surprised a good book (from the newsgroup comments and reviews on
amazon) hasn't been updated. oh well!
thanks for all chipping in.
:-)
./sujee
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Douglas Landau
dl
John Michaels <hpn...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message news:<3ED59818...@sbcglobal.net>...
> The book is called Roads to Ride. The authors are Grant Petersen and
> John Kluge. My copy was published in 1985 by Heyday books. I have had
> my copy since at least 88 or 89. Bought it at bike shop down the street
> from where Chain Reaction in Los Alto is that went out of business. The
> book is a topographical guide of roads by counties. My was the edition
> for South which was San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz. My pages are
> wearing out.
>
> Here is a description of the Roads to Ride series. I got it from the
> Palo Alto Bike shop web site. I don't know if this means they have the
> book.
>
> Petersen, Grant and Kluge, John Roads to Ride: South Berkeley, CA:
> Heydey Books, 1985. 132 pp. Elevation profiles, brief descriptions, and
> photographs of good roads for cycling in San Mateo, Santa Clara, and
> Santa Cruz Counties.
> Peterson, Grant and Anderson, Mary A Bicyclist?s Topographic Guide to
Mike DeMicco
Good books, but unfortunately in need of updating. With unchecked
development in the rural areas of the Bay Area and commuters looking to
save a few minutes on their commutes, some of these roads have changed
their character.
--
Mike DeMicco <blaster186...@attbi.com>
Ken
news:pan.2003.05.30....@attbi.com:
> Good books, but unfortunately in need of updating. With unchecked
> development in the rural areas of the Bay Area and commuters looking to
> save a few minutes on their commutes, some of these roads have changed
> their character.
Yeah, especially the roads that were dirt in the book, but now are paved.
Still, if you know the roads and are looking for detailed elevation profiles,
this is a very informative. inexpensive resource.