Of Hiking and Cycling Climbs and Descents

When you’re young and your knees are intact it’s fun to head down a mountain. It’s fun to run down. As you get older the effort of going uphill gets more and more habitual, and more and more comfortable. I often find that hikers prefer the climb to the descent.

While cycling I had the same thought. I found that while others were racing down on their bikes I was slower. I was more safety conscious, and more reasonable. When listening to a conversation yesterday I heard someone speak about how stable his bike was on descents, and how confident he felt.

When you ride an expensive modern bicycle down a hill you might have the luxury of descending faster. Having said this I like to descend at a speed where I can stop in half the visible distance. I also like to descend slower in case there is gravel on the road. Yesterday at one point I did see dirt on the road.

it’s also about familiarity. I’m willing to go fast, if I know the road well. I used to go down a hill regularly so I felt confident before. Recently I went down the barillette road slowly. It felt slow but it was still my personal record (pr).

Brake Wear

My slow descending is due to age, the bike, and confidence but it was also due to something more critical. It was due to the front brake pads being worn and in need of replacement, especially the front right brake. It’s when I heard a different braking sound than normal that I asked for a quick safety check.

Chain

I learned of the problem with the front brakes, but also that the chain has stretched and that it should be replaced. Usually it’s when the chain brakes that I replace a link.

And Finally

Swapping the brake pads made an immediate and noticable difference. When braking I could feel that my fingers needed to travel much less. Braking felt more responsive and I felt more in control.

After climbing almost 12,000 meters this month it makes sense to check that the brakes are in order. Yesterday alone I did 800m of climbing and around the same descending, on roads from part of the way up the Jura.