Yeah the 17% at 13K feet did me in on Mauna Kea. The elevation is a killer, at least it was for me. It would have been nice if the grade was something more manageable. I haven't done Pikes Peak, but comparing it to Mauna Kea, I would think your gearing should be sufficient.

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Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

thanks for the post, now I'm thinking about it.. have a compact crank, and a 13-32 cassette lying around..

biking at altitude is one problem, the adaptation to altitude is another. Typically the worst time to race is a couple of days after arriving at altitude, until about a week or more. The adaptations to altitude such as increased blood volume, increased red cells, etc all start after the first day, and have relatively high metabolic costs - meaning you will likely be more tired than usual.

http://www.runnersworld.com/...ou-cram-for-altitude

http://www.irunfar.com/...ning-and-racing.html

http://alancouzens.blogspot.com/...ronman-athletes.html

Only 3 people have broken 5 hours for this climb on Strava, so good luck with that.

I just did Mt Evans coming from sea level. From what I've read Pikes is a bit harder than Mt. Evans. It was one of the most difficult bike rides I've done, but epic. I'm roughly a 3.5 watts/kg FTP. I was fine up to about 12,000 ft. I rode an older CAAD9 and swapped it with a compact crank. I should have swapped the cassette too. I also did a 10 mile run the day before, so that probably didn't help.

50/34 with 11x28 should be alright for someone at 4w/kg.

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

I would have to disagree. I'm 5w/kg and used the 34x32 on the steep section starting at 13,000 ft. I probably _could_ have done it in the 34x28, but am glad I didn't have to. BTW, I won that day in 50-59.

You can always choose to not shift into the 32. But if your 32 is in the garage and you want it you're kind of fucked.

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Kevin

http://kevinmetcalfe.dreamhosters.com
My Strava

Pikes peak is much harder than Mt. Evans. The day after the national hill climb I did. 110 mile ride from Littleton to the top of Mt Evan and back. Awesome ride. I switched back to the 11x28 from my 32 for Pikes. I may have even swapped back to the 36 small ring I normally ride. That was fine for the Evan ride.

Referring to another post Mauna Kea is WAY harder than Evan or Pikes Peak. Probably at least partly because you been climbing at least two hours before it gets hard. That and the fact that it is really f'ing hard...

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Kevin

http://kevinmetcalfe.dreamhosters.com
My Strava

Fwiw,

The 32T cog will work on a Giant propel with a standard length SRAM Rival derailleur. Can even go 53/32 without a problem.

34T cog will not work.

May try a goat link/road link or a Sram MTB derailleur to see if I can get the 34T or 36T.

You climbed it? Wow, makes me feel wimpy now because I used a bike to get up Mt. Evans. The worst part of the ride was the cold at the top. Riding up it wasn't that bad (used my old QR TiPhoon tri bike with 53/39 front & 11-23 cassette, good enough gearing). It was in July too--brought warm clothes but obviously not enough of them. Space blanket comes with me next time I ride up...going by foot would be a long hike.