The Grind To The Top

The chance to test the XDS FA-20 to it's limits came. A road near my house. Only 600m from the bottom of the road to the it's highest point, but with an average of 10% elevation. Meaning, for every 100m of road, there is a climb of 10m, which is pretty steep.

Waiting for the rainfall to subside at the bus stop.

I had a good rest at a bus stop at the low end of the road while waiting for some sunbeams to appear amidst the heavy rainfall. Then I made the move, grinding my way up the dreaded hill. Though less then 1 KM, I had to stop several times to catch my breath, obviously I'm out of shape :P

Anyway, I found that the XDS FA-20's Shimano Tourney 7 speed gears with standard Shimano 14T-28T freewheel (yeah, freewheel unfortunately, not cassettes) worked well, though I felt that the 4th and 5th gear were a little too close together. I also wished that there are 1 or 2 more lower gears (since I am out of shape), not to mention several more higher gears (the bike has only a max of 55 gear inches). As expected, the XDS FA-20 bicycle's 7 speed gears is suitable for normal road use with lower slope gradients (lower than 10% gradient). However, I was surprised on how well the small 16" wheels were able to carve up the steep road, the steering was delightfully light and quick. Maybe because of the small wheels being much smaller and lighter than the standard 20" wheels I had several years ago and lower center of gravity? Perhaps. But despite the sweaty ordeal, riding the bike up that steep road was weirdly fun. And that awesome sense of accomplishment when reaching the top :)

The road uphill; the starting point is at
left in front of the red coloured house.

From the right, up to the left.

From the right, up to the left.

From the left, up to the right.

From the left, up to the right.

From the left, up to the right.

From the right to this corner in the middle of the photo. This is the highest
point of the road at the hill. On the left is the guard house.

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