What's grade%

[Joe G.]

Steve, check this URL. It has another picture of the same sign:





http://www.chainreactionbicycles.com/sonora_pass2.htm

 

[SteveH]

Re: 32% grade

Originally posted by Thomas

I was going to wait until I took a photo of the sign on the steepest road in Los Angeles but decided to post a URL instead. After you click on the link, search the page for Fargo .





Fargo Street in Los Angeles

Hi Thomas,

I don't doubt that we can all find streets in different places that surpass the 7-8% grade. What we were looking for is some place in the 26% grade bracket we have heard about on a major state highway that is normally travelled by trucks and RV pullers. I saw one earlier that when blown up to 400%, the numbers on the grade are obliterated behind the numbers suggesting that they have been superposed. I superposed even higher numbers on this one and it looks "oficial" Just wanted some honest majoy travelled state highway postings of grades that are greater than say 10%. I personally do not believe a 26% grade on a major state highway, being a truck route, etc. Incidentally, when I search the above link for Fargo Street, the page will not load.

 

[SteveH]

Originally posted by Joe G.

Steve, check this URL. It has another picture of the same sign:





http://www.chainreactionbicycles.com/sonora_pass2.htm

Finally got the photos to open in Joe's post. That stretch looks like the Beartooths in MT.

 

[RWetmore]

I believe Whitebird in Idaho is 8% + for a few miles.

 

[Joe G.]

Steve,



I'm sure that Caltrans doesn't have 26% grade signs in stock like they do 6% so naturally the numbers are specially painted on that sign. They only need one of those. Might need more if the sign gets stolen once in a while. You will also note that the 26% figure appears in the text for the story on that page and also the other page about the same bike trip which has the other picture in this thread. It would be pretty tricky to fake the pictures and text on two pages. You certainly won't find an outfit like Roadway sending their trucks on that road, but I'll bet there are log trucks.

 

[SteveH]

here's what I was mentioning earlier on doped up photos showing unreal inclines.

 

[GMOSS]

Just wanted to say the 26% percent grade sign at Sonora Pass is for real and it is state highway 108. I have been over this pass several times while hunting on the Nevada side of the Sierra's. I would not attempt to pull a trailer over the pass without an exhaust brake, but I have encountered a few brave souls with trailer in Tow.

It's a kick in the pants to take the CTD over it.

 

[Ron Bissett]

Log trucks can take the grades some have water cooled brakes and who knows how ? 10 20 gears foward and operate on or off road don't try to be a loger for a day , it could be your last.

 

[Joe G.]

On top of all that, a logger does not get paid by the hour. He gets paid for how much wood he hauls to the mill. So it's pedal to the metal on roads where even jeeps take it easy. It's lots of fun to meet a logger on a narrow mountain road with smoke boiling out of both stacks. Most of the time he is overloaded too!