What happens when an ex-junior national hill climb champion races a Raleigh Chopper up one of the steepest climbs in London? That's the question we answer in this video. Joe Baker takes the 18.5 kilo bike up Swains lane in London at the Urban Hill Climb event which is organised by the London Cycling Campaign.
The climb is 900 metres long, averages at 8% but is home to a brutal 20% ramp. The Raleigh Chopper was created in 1972 and now has a cult following mainly from fans of E.T., The Goonies, and more recently Stranger Things. So, watch on to find out how this legendary bike fares against this legendary climb.
The climb is 900 metres long, averages at 8% but is home to a brutal 20% ramp. The Raleigh Chopper was created in 1972 and now has a cult following mainly from fans of E.T., The Goonies, and more recently Stranger Things. So, watch on to find out how this legendary bike fares against this legendary climb.
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00:00Oh, Jesus.
00:03Oh, shut my mouth!
00:06I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
00:13Hill climbing is probably the toughest discipline in cycling that you've never heard of.
00:17In the months of September and October every year in the UK,
00:20you can always find a group of cyclists racing up the most hellish gradient they can find
00:25in what can only be described as second-degree fun.
00:27And the format for these events is pretty simple, actually.
00:30Basically, it's rider against the clock up the steepest piece of tarmac that the organisers can realistically find.
00:36Which is why today we are here at Swains Lane in London for the nichest of niches, an urban hill climb.
00:43Sam has dragged me here today to Swains Lane, which is arguably one of the toughest climbs in the capital.
00:48900 metres, an 8% average gradient might not sound like much, but this one is going to hurt.
00:5420% maximum gradients, full gas racing, and Sam's even got a little trick up his sleeve,
01:00which is going to make my day even more painful.
01:02That's absolutely right. As an ex-junior hill climb champ,
01:05I think that you've already got enough of an advantage over pretty much everybody here.
01:10So, I've brought along this.
01:18This is the Rally Chopper.
01:20Now, it was created back in 1972 and then it went on to become really popular in the 80s
01:25thanks to films like E.T., The Goonies, and then more recently, Stranger Things.
01:30So, this bike really does have a proper cult following, which is why you're going to be riding it today.
01:37So, Joe, how are you actually feeling about this challenge?
01:39Well, as much as I'm not looking forward to lugging all 18 kilograms of this bike up Swains Lane today,
01:45I think it does fit the ethos of the event quite well.
01:47There's Brompton categories today. There's two categories for cargo bikes.
01:51So, I think, actually, I'm not going to be quite as out of place as I might be in a traditional hill climb.
01:57You're going to fit right in, to be honest.
01:58So, if you had a goal for today, though, what would you like to achieve?
02:02Well, to put things into perspective, I think the course record for this climb is around just over the one-minute mark.
02:08I had a look at what the best Brompton time was last year, and that was about 2 minutes 12.
02:12I will genuinely be over the moon with anything less than three and a half minutes.
02:16Three and a half minutes. OK, I reckon we make that the target for the day.
02:20And if you can get under three and a half, I'd be very impressed.
02:23And actually, to be honest, I'd be impressed if this bike makes it to the top in one piece.
02:46Oh, Jesus.
03:16Go, go, go, go, go, go!
03:46I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
04:13How are you feeling, Joe?
04:14Yeah, it's been a while since I felt like this, to be honest.
04:17Yeah, it was really good fun, though.
04:20I chucked it into gear two to start on the less steep bit, and it pinged into gear three.
04:25My legs were like, oh.
04:27Sat back down, knocked into one.
04:30Sort of measured my effort on the less steep section, and then when it kicked up, just...
04:35Full gas.
04:36Yeah, yeah, yeah.
04:37But it was good.
04:43So, Joe, how did you get on?
04:44You know what? All in all, not too bad.
04:46I think pacing, as I mentioned earlier on, Cameron, was pretty good.
04:51With hindsight, actually, I think the pacing was better than I realised.
04:54Initially, I thought maybe I went out a little bit too easy.
04:56But with hindsight, I think I got it pretty much spot on.
04:59So, happy with how I rode and pretty happy with the time as well.
05:03So, to put us out of our misery, what was your time?
05:05Two minutes 21 is the official time.
05:08But the thing is, I think we need to put some of that into context,
05:11because I think the winning time of the day, or the fastest time of the day, was 1.17 or 1.18.
05:17It was about that.
05:18So, essentially, you were a minute off the quickest of the day.
05:21And we know people have gone slower as well.
05:23Yeah, and in fairness, I'd be really interested to see how that compares to the Bromptons as well.
05:26Because, as I said last year, I think it was 2 minutes 12 or something was the quickest Brompton time.
05:32But, yeah, we'd have to see. I'd be really chuffed with that as well.
05:34To be honest, I'm pretty glad I made you come up on this bike,
05:37because the amount of love that the rally chopper has had today has been phenomenal.
05:40Absolutely.
05:41People have been throwing it back to their past. Kids have been loving it.
05:44So, all in all, a fantastic day at the Urban Hill Climb.
05:47If you guys enjoyed the video, then please do drop it a like.
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05:52And we will see you again very soon.