Cycling up San Diego's 3 Steepest Streets

[@Enigma-gu6iw]

My wife lived in San Francisco for 13 years and commuted on a bicycle. Looking forward to your climbs there.

[@MitchBoyer]

That’s a tough commute! I learned all about “the wiggle”

[@76vetten]

I’m a 67 year old San Diego native. I’ve never been on these streets. Too bad you missed the street in Claremont in front of the Catholic Church. The first time I crested that hill in my Baja bug, I stood on the brakes and slid for a few feet. Great video. You are incredible.

[@toddjones1480]

It's "only" 25% grade. The hills in this video are all steeper.

[@Revit7]

just stumbled into your channel, love it 🙌Looking forward to Frisco (I can say that, I moved there in 1981)

[@MitchBoyer]

Haha thanks!!

[@alexgomez9033]

No zig zigging up 24%?! Oof! Keep up the great content Mitch!

[@MitchBoyer]

Thanks Alex!

[@JohnnyAloha69]

We’ve got a few here in Honolulu. Putting aside the long killer climbs in the Koolau range there is one nasty one right in town in the Kaimuki district on Kilauea avenue. Not super long but bloody steep. We call it Kill Hill!

[@MitchBoyer]

That’s an epic name!

[@ceftx2375]

Howdy from TX. Just discovered your channel and currently binge watching this morning to catch up. (I should be working) 😎👍👍

[@MitchBoyer]

Haha, thanks for watching!

[@slondon61]

Look for Texas Street, which leads into Balboa Park, from Mission Valley. Scary Steep...

[@francescoavila6960]

I conquered both Texas st. and Laurel st. thirty years ago when I was a young Buck.

[@76vetten]

I bet he’d smoke up Torrey Pines.

[@buttermilch2490]

really enjoying your videos and the effort u put into them...glad to see its paying off with the new sponsor!

[@MitchBoyer]

Thanks! Appreciate it 🙌

[@gja2000]

Had to do a double take when I saw your tumbnail....Thought Cam from RCA was hanging out with your in CA. Great Video!!!

[@MitchBoyer]

Thanks Gabe!

[@ScottyCycles]

"Dictionary Hill" (Grand) is a beast. I still have 7th overall on that one 9 years later! The worst part isn't the wall after the dip, it's the effing dip which messes with your Rythm

[@MitchBoyer]

That’s awesome! Yeah that dip surprised me. I didn’t expect it to be so big

[@ScottyCycles]

@@MitchBoyer The downhill gets a bit hairy as well going through the dip. I hit 50mph and got a little "weightless" coming out of it. Scared the crap out of me lol.

[@cyclingzen]

Amazing effort Mitch!! Each video gets better and better. I feel like we’ve followed a similar journey as I started cycling at the same time you posted your Giant Revolt review. Keep going, you’re on your way to blowing up🎉 Btw, what kind of bottle cages do you have?

[@MitchBoyer]

Thanks dude, I appreciate it! I have the tacx ciro bottle cages. They're a carbon-glass composite, so they're lightweight, but still economical :)

[@luckygoldpanda]

can't wait for the SF video! Great job!

[@MitchBoyer]

It’s already shot, and it’s gonna be a good one! Thanks for watching!

[@norwegianblue2017]

Try going up B Street in Golden Hill. Maybe not as long, but there is some serious steepness going on.

[@spingus7091]

As a San Diegan, Yes!! we have lots of little guttpunch climbs here in actual San Diego! Nothing wrong with Spring Valley, it's just a fair ways out of city limits ;)

[@toddjones1480]

It peaks at 22.5% grade.

[@diegorobayo]

I can hear my legs screaming of pain watching you, even though I'm in bed 🥴 jajajajajajajajaajaja Grande Mitch!

[@MitchBoyer]

Haha thanks Diego! 💪

[@michaelpelkey9760]

I put a route together using all those streets and more on Ride w/GPS but nothing showed even 20%. I saw your determined effort on the bike and grade percentages, and you're a lot younger than me. I will drive the route I put together first before attempting, as I've heard of Dictionary Hill's treachery. I used Maria as a going down street after checking it and all others to see which were the steepest. I will drive over there to reconnoiter the route. I could not find that steep driveway off of Eucalyptus after you made the mandatory left from Maria onto Eucalyptus and I checked house views as well on Google Maps. Awesome, bro! Keep on with it! I like your 3 ingredients: finish, no paper-boying, and don't puke! Sensible! I have watched your KZbin of LA's steepest streets as well. There are some more down here in San Diego by the way!

[@TimLemonn]

If I didn’t know better I’d say you were training for next years British hill climbing season…..😏

[@MitchBoyer]

It’s not a bad idea 🤔

[@Powerwashincrocs]

Great efforts! The fact you only maxed out at 480 watts on the steepest hill boggles my mind. I guess being heavier makes a huge difference because on 20% grades around me I usually am around 750+w

[@MitchBoyer]

Oh man, yeah 750+w would cook me pretty quick!

[@guywithsocks]

Woooooo! Sponsored video!!! 🎉

[@MitchBoyer]

🎉🎉 thanks for watching!

[@MrTeff999]

Darn you. Now I’ll have to go climb Dictionary Hill. - SW in San Diego.

[@andreslabra8766]

Checked your strava and you had just missed Red Bull Hill Climb in SF by about a week. Try it next year 👍

[@MitchBoyer]

I was at Phil Gaimon’s Cookie Fondo the same weekend so I couldn’t make it, but I wanna do it next year!

[@robbo9229]

Good video. Kudos 👍

[@MitchBoyer]

Thanks!

[@InnuendoXP]

Slopes become real when the tarmac swaps for ridged rough concrete which says "why did you put a street here? why isn't it going around?"

[@MitchBoyer]

Haha so true

[@quarkonium3795]

I believe that there is a road in Italy that has that ridged concrete surface for 2 miles-20% average gradient for those two miles with ramps up to 48%

[@giovanniprudente5742]

@@quarkonium3795 where?

[@fattie2550]

You Da Man.

[@codyadam6048]

i live i florida so i dont ever have to worry about massive climbs

[@MitchellSains]

Hey good shit Mitch, great name too! keep it up. I live in SF and im curious which streets you decided to climb

[@MitchBoyer]

Haha thanks! Editing the SF video now

[@gumaanegillespie]

San Diego got the steepest hills I went down that hill on my bike the other way though easy as heck 2:09

[@sergeik.5]

Mt. Soledad / or ,,5 Faces of Soledad’’ the hardest challenge for climbing in SD

[@MitchBoyer]

Oh, I’ll have to try it next time I’m down there. Thanks!

[@michaelpelkey9760]

@@MitchBoyer Pacifica and Via Capri on Mt. Soledad

[@johnlucier5654]

I had heard its called dictionary hill because the original developers had to offer a free dictionary to anyone to climb the hill and look at a parcel. Who knows! Its one of the few places in the area that gets snow every winter. My brother in law lived there.

[@Cathy_MidwestHome_Hens]

That looks painful. Super cool story about Dictionary Hill.

[@MitchBoyer]

Thanks for watching!

[@jimbojones8435]

Awesome efforts and what is your gearing setup? Like the Rear cassette size. Thanks and keep going

[@MitchBoyer]

Hi! I have a 52/36 up front and an 11-34 cassette in the back. Most of the time On these hills I was in my lowest gear, 36-34, just above a 1:1 ratio. Definitely wished I had a lower gear 😅

[@cecilordono6326]

You definitely have some iron balls man, impressive.

[@MatheMattical]

Nice work! I have the bike mount for the Insta360 X3, but the puny GoPro screw mounts that it comes with always seem to make it slip lower and lower. How do you lock the mount strong enough to hold it in that angle?

[@MitchBoyer]

Thanks! I’ve had similar issues. I used a screw driver to really tighten it down, but prole the plastic part on a bunch of the screws 😬. That’s one of the reasons I switched to the motorcycle mount with selfie stick. It’s heavy, but very sturdy. I’ve been experimenting with putting the Insta360 tail mount on my handlebars and so far it seems to work well, but it’s only been a few rides

[@PRL1290]

How about Mt. Helix? Nice job btw 👍

[@shanson10]

What about Laurel St........and Ocean Beach Streets?

[@italianpizza9794]

Mitch, if you really want a challenge. Come climb Marin ave I’m Berkeley Ca, one of the toughest climbs around!

[@MitchBoyer]

Just looked at the Strava segment-it's even longer than the Grand Street/Dictionary Hill segment in this video! Ouch! I just finished filming the SF episode but it looks like I'm gonna have to go back up to the Bay Area soon for this one. Thanks!

[@italianpizza9794]

For sure, it’s one of the toughest hills I know around!

[@newoldsteel]

seriously when the hills get that steep it's so scary if you have to stop with the potential for your cycling shoes to not having enough grip and rolling backwards!

[@MitchBoyer]

Exactly! I think the fear gives me an extra 20 watts 😂

[@stevevarga8621]

Hey Mitch, If you insist on riding 20+% climbs that’s crap gearing you have. I routinely have to ride stuff that steep but I’m using 46/31 with 11-40 cassette. It’s still hard but you can maintain a proper cadence and be able to climb many more times. I think you already know this but just in case.

[@MitchBoyer]

Thanks Steve! Yeah for now I’m just using my standard setup, but if the series continues to do well, I think might have to build a hill climbing bike!

[@lunam7249]

gear ratios are everything!

[@catherinebrilmyer1982]

I fell on my face walking down this hill as a kid

[@jeffreylee5770]

What kind of spokes do you have that you were able to climb with that much force and there were no snapped spokes?

[@MitchBoyer]

Im riding the Scribe Core 42-D wheels. There’s built like a tank and pretty light too!

[@yusufaytac5263]

You should also see Ankara. Everywhere is full of serious slopes.

[@MitchBoyer]

I've seen a lot of people say I should check out Turkey. Might have to add it to the list! Thanks for watching 🙌

[@evamtbforptsd]

Missing Hill St in Point Loma in San Diego

[@themrqpz]

Nice video! How to you get high-res screen data from wahoo bolt? 🤔

[@MitchBoyer]

Thanks! DC Rainmaker has a really good step by step tutorial on how to record the screen.

[@themrqpz]

@@MitchBoyer thanks!

[@matthewkuhl79]

You say steep in SD and i think Dictionary Hill 😄 i've had to tow equipment (and park it) on those streets. They're no joke.

[@mellissanash7517]

Is there a reason you aren't running a 34t chaining in the front or a 36t cassette out back to make it 1:1?

[@MitchBoyer]

The only reason is that I don't have one :) The 36-34 ratio is 1.06 so I don't think it's worth the effort, but I am considering a proper hill climbing build with a sub 1:1 ratio

[@mellissanash7517]

@@MitchBoyer Shimano, IRD & Sugino all offer sub compact cranks in the 48/32 range & lower(including some 46/28 options from the latter two). There is also that company that makes sub-compact chainrings for Shimano crankset.

[@alexishernandez1280]

I have the KOM for oh Maria 😌

[@chrislehr07]

Legit health question.. I saw your HR crest 201 and 202 there.. I am NOT a doctor, but that's the max HR of an 18 year old per CDC guidelines! You concerned at all about continuing to exceed the 220 minus your age HR rule?

[@MitchBoyer]

Hi Chris! Thanks for the concern 🙏 I’ve had my lactate threshold heart rate tested and it’s 198bpm! My max heart rate is around 211 bpm. I’m consistently 200+ when I’m pushing it in races or max efforts like this. From what I’ve been counseled by my doctor, the 220 minus age is just a general guideline, and does not apply to everyone (similar to BMI numbers which give you a general idea, but don’t properly encapsulate the entire population). Turns out I just have a naturally high heart rate :)

[@michaelpelkey9760]

@@MitchBoyer There's hope for this 74 year old then! 😁

[@marcusvaldes]

I'm not going to lie. This makes me want an Insta360.

[@MitchBoyer]

Just wait for the San Francisco video tomorrow! I finally found a camera angle with the Insta360 that does justice for how steep these streets are!

[@marloulim6488]

How was the di2's shifting under heavy load?

[@MitchBoyer]

AMAZING! I still don’t like to shift while I’m sprinting or grinding up a climb because mentally it feels like I’m doing something thing bad, but it’s super smooth

[@TechieXP]

I don't know if you know, but standing up as you climb actually makes it harder. You should stay on the saddle and use the lowest gear you need, sit up as straight as possible, which means you use the top of your bars and not the drops.

[@MitchBoyer]

Yep! Thats why I was sitting the entire second hill-I was trying to conserve some energy before the third hill. The crazy thing is... I was in my lowest gear on every hill in this video! That's how steep these are 🤯 With my lowest gear (36-34) and my weight (77kg/169lbs), I have to produce a minimum average of 300+ watts (3.8 w/kg) just to get up any these hills. Theres a link to my Strava activity for this ride in the description if you wanna geek out on the numbers. Thanks for watching ✌️

[@matthewkuhl79]

Lol false

[@marcusvaldes]

How do you find the steep hills in an area?

[@MitchBoyer]

Some are sourced from the audience. Others are from online searching. For this one, after seeing a bunch of comments under the LA video mentioning Dictionary Hill, I dug up a great a great old blog, smorgcycle, detailing the steepest climbs in San Diego.

[@glennicol1361]

Have you broken a chain riding up the hills?

[@MitchBoyer]

Not yet! If it was gonna break in one, Baker Street in San Fransisco would’ve done it. It’s broken a few hubs 🤯

[@danielcarrillosantamaria6067]

How big is your cassette?

[@MitchBoyer]

11-34

[@TheThemattyo1]

Goal ? Do it on an 80's Roald bike..... At anyrate you have top notch cardio "

[@juanpablodiaz6828]

😮

[@ctawfiq]

Enjoyed your video. Keep it up Mitch. Is it normal to have your HR shoot up to 200? My HR also goes past 190 but most other ppl max HR seem to be in the 170s or 180s.

[@MitchBoyer]

Thanks! Yeah, my max HR is around 208, I have a humming bird heart, haha. Everyone is different ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@RPDeadlyWater]

Come to Italy. There are wayy steeper roads

[@MitchBoyer]

I want to! I saw GCN did a hill that has grades over 40% and is 7km long in Italy 🤯

[@brauljo]

This guy needs lower gears

[@MitchBoyer]

😂100%

[@izi941]

That’s world steepest street only if by “world” you mean USA. And even then, I don’t believe it is 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@toddjones1480]

He never claimed that a street in this video (or the US) was the steepest in the world. You must be confusing this with his New Zealand video.

[@thomasmarlow1254]

Do Pittsburgh