Raptobike climbing - part one

Today I took the raptobike on my commute route. I skipped the turn into the office so it is a wee bit shorter and I skipped one hill.

The ride was great, the raptobike climbed well though I did feel it in my legs. I need to adapt to the new position. I was able to keep it above my current gear 3, which is 21.8 gear inches. My new low will be 20.7 gear inches when the 13T cog comes in for the Rohloff hub, so I am pleased that I can handle my usual climbing with 21.8 GI.

The Raptobike accelerates well, which is nice for shorter hills, I can just power up some of the hills on my commute without much concern. The longer slogging up hills is also great as the Raptobike is very stable and handles well. The Rohloff is just amazing, any losses introduced are more than made up by the ease and availability of shifting. I am ruined for derailleurs.

With this result, I feel confident taking the raptobike out for a Lake Washington loop ride or up Juanita Dr/Finn Hill on my longer commute.