Riding vs Pushing up Fromme

Read a thread the other day that mentioned how busy Fromme was (Bobsled) and how many people were pushing up the road. It got me thinking as I was riding up Fromme last Saturday.

First off I am an older rider who needs to be in better shape, but I still manage to ride up Fromme, although sometimes I need to stop and stretch out my back.

As I was riding up I passed this younger guy pushing up a very nice looking and very new Specialized Demo. He looked to be quite fit and seemed more that happy to push. I noticed the rear cassette was the DH racer style 11-26 type range. Not certain but I believe these bikes are single ring as well, so if you are running a 11-26 cassette, you would have to be extremely strong to be riding up. Here is where I finally get to my point about pushing vs riding vs marketing.

I know there are a wack of excellent young riders that can ride shit I wouldn't even consider, but I don't get the pushing vs riding up. That is until you factor in the marketing. The pro racers are running the smaller cassette for gearing and weight savings. This makes sense as these guys are pinning in down DH courses at Mach-5. Not that I would recognize them, but I don't think I have ever see these pro racers riding up/down Fromme.

I run an 11-34 cassette and use all the low gears and even my granny ring on the front (like I said - old and out of shape), why wouldn't these racer guys swap out a cassette or wheel on their bikes when riding the shore over the winter, then change it back when racing down A-Line at mach-5 in the summer. It can't be the money. If you can afford a $3K - $6k bike you can afford a spare cassette or spare wheel to beat on in the winter. To me this makes sense but what do I know.

Pros to doing this - riding ones bike rather than pushing, likely will get into better shape.

Cons to doing this - you no longer are riding the same bike as Sam Hill. Looks cool pushing your DH bike up the hill in jeans

what else am I missing …

was the "younger" rider riding with a ridgeback dog.. if it was i'll give you all the answers you need! :)

this has been beat to death every year for as long as I've been reading this forum

first you'll get all sorts saying why their bike is hard to climb, then the chest beaters will chime in on how if you don't climb you should end yourself, and it will go on and on and on for a few pages until the people pushing are out riding their bikes and the chest beaters are eating their hero cookies.

at the end of it all the conclusion was….who cares, ride your bike, have fun and don't worry so much about what someone else is doing.

the conclusion was….who cares, ride your bike, have fun and don't worry so much about what someone else is doing.

yeah! especially don't pick on the out of shape lazy moto guys with a granny and a 34T rear that are pushing up once in a blue moon! ;)

yeah! especially don't pick on the out of shape lazy moto guys with a granny and a 34T rear that are pushing up once in a blue moon! ;)

That's some pretty tall gearing. I'm rockin 12/48 :rocker:

I am way to tired from biking to do pushups as well. That said though I applaud anyone who does.

The only way to get fit enough to ride up the hill is to ride up the hill.

If I can stand and crank my Flatline (single ring with race cassette) up Fromme I think some of you blokes need to HTFU! ;)

I think some of you blokes need to HTFU! ;)

This.

Wasn't so much trying to ignite the why push as to look at the marketing of bikes and how they are built.

In the thread for the AM or FR or DH bike builds people have built up bikes specifically for their requirements. A burly AM / light FR bike like the Rune for climbing up Fromme and ripping back down, or full on DH bikes with 64 degree HA for laps at Whistler. Many people think out their build for what type of riding they do.

For someone pushing up a DH / Race bike up Fromme with 11-26 cassette and likely at 36T or 38T front, ring I think comes partly from the way bikes are built and then marketed that are riddeen by pro DH racers / riders. No judgement here saying what is right or wrong.

For many money is the kep reason and if someone has one bike it will get used for everything. But again it is surprising that a quick cassette change or swapping out a wheel (think more sales) is not seen as something good.

Oh well to each their own.

I think your point is that some people seem to have the wrong tool for the ride or rather there are better tools for the ride. Like people look at me going up on my pinner hard tail and wonder how I will get back down on such a "small" bike.

Different strokes for different folks.

I think your point is that some people seem to have the wrong tool for the ride or rather there are better tools for the ride. Like people look at me going up on my pinner hard tail and wonder how I will get back down on such a "small" bike.

sorta, but you're still taking trails

its more like seeing someone coast back down the road on an xc or cyclocross bike and wonder why they wouldn't take trails. They get their kicks from a certain aspect of the ride and the rest kinda falls by the wayside. UHers.

About time we got a rope tow installed on that hill.