Last week-end, I decided to check the climbing ability of my Strida LT equiped with a Schlumpf SD.
I went therefor to the closest town, Namur (Belgium) and climbed up to the “citadel”, which is a very old fortress located on a hill. This hill is known by cyclists and is chosen as finish place for some bike races.
I started my trip at river level (31m), stopped at the top of the hill at 132m and then pursued downhill to the other side. The average slope was 5% with peaks exceeding 10%. This for a total distance of merely 5.1 km.
Right from the start I engaged the small gear and with an average speed of about 13 kph, I reached the top. I did stop 3 times for a few seconds in order to take some pictures.
Well, I can say that my LT did the job very well, thanks to its low weight, its rigidity and to the well chosen gearing.
I also own a recumbent bike (Raptobike low racer) and I doubt whether I would have reached the top that easily with it!
Start of the climbing at the side of the Sambre river:
Almost at the top, view on Namur downtown:
At the top, there is a large open area where various events take place (it used to be the finish line of the famous Namur Motocross Grand Prix: