Ollie
Member
This was my second attempt, last time my rear hub locked up in the frame and unscrewed itself shortly after entering the national park. I managed to get home on a very wobbly back wheel. I was lucky the chain stayed on.
This time I had some strong 36 hole, 12g spoked wheels and a new 'performance' carburetor. I had to give it a lot of assistance and five stops to let the engine cool down, but eventually it got me to Vista Chinesa ('Chinese View' in English), a pagoda-like structure built up in the mountains next to a fantastic view of the city.
From the start of the national park, the route climbs over 1350 feet in under 3 miles. The average grade is 9.1% and 14% at it's steepest.
I stopped whenever there was an area flat enough to re-start the engine, but at one point I stalled on a steep section. Starting the bike and getting enough momentum to get going again was nigh-on impossible so I had to push it to the next flat-ish section. I almost got hit by a car while trying to get it going on the narrow road.
Here's my bike half-way up:
My bike at the information board:
And the view from the pagoda:
It was a fun experience, but I doubt I'll do it again for the sake of the engine. A shift kit would have been ideal, but unfortunately I can't easily get my hands on one.
This time I had some strong 36 hole, 12g spoked wheels and a new 'performance' carburetor. I had to give it a lot of assistance and five stops to let the engine cool down, but eventually it got me to Vista Chinesa ('Chinese View' in English), a pagoda-like structure built up in the mountains next to a fantastic view of the city.
From the start of the national park, the route climbs over 1350 feet in under 3 miles. The average grade is 9.1% and 14% at it's steepest.
I stopped whenever there was an area flat enough to re-start the engine, but at one point I stalled on a steep section. Starting the bike and getting enough momentum to get going again was nigh-on impossible so I had to push it to the next flat-ish section. I almost got hit by a car while trying to get it going on the narrow road.
Here's my bike half-way up:
My bike at the information board:
And the view from the pagoda:
It was a fun experience, but I doubt I'll do it again for the sake of the engine. A shift kit would have been ideal, but unfortunately I can't easily get my hands on one.