RideLoop
How much elevation gain is a lot on a bike ride?
"1,200 ft of climbing" means little on its own: over 12 miles it's a hard ride, over 40 it's barely rolling. What tells you how hilly a route is: feet of climbing per mile.
Short answer: divide the climb in feet by the miles. Under 25 ft per mile is flat, 25 to 50 is rolling, 50 to 75 is hilly, 75 to 100 is very hilly, and over 100 is mountainous. In metric, divide meters by kilometers: 10 m per km is about 53 ft per mile.
How hilly is your route?
The hill scale
Clubs and ride organizers use bands like these to rate rides. The edges are rough, but most riders would agree with them.
| Rating | Feet per mile | Meters per km | What it rides like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat | Under 25 | Under 5 | Bridges and overpasses are the hills. Coastal plain, like the Pine Barrens. |
| Rolling | 25–50 | 5–9 | Short rises you can carry speed over. Farm country. |
| Hilly | 50–75 | 9–14 | Real climbs, a few in your easiest gears. |
| Very hilly | 75–100 | 14–19 | Climbing most of the time you're not descending. Ridge-and-valley country, like much of Sussex and Warren. |
| Mountainous | Over 100 | Over 19 | Long climbs. Pacing and gearing decide the day. |
Total climb vs steepness
Feet per mile tells you how much climbing there is. Grade tells you how hard each climb is: the rise divided by the distance, as a percentage. A 5% grade rises 5 ft for every 100 ft you ride.
| Grade | What it feels like |
|---|---|
| 1–3% | Gentle. You notice it on the speed, not the legs. |
| 4–6% | A steady climb. You'll shift down and settle in. |
| 7–9% | Steep. Easiest gears, and slow. |
| 10% and up | Very steep. Many riders stand, and some walk. Short pitches like this hurt more than a long gentle climb. |
Two routes with the same feet per mile can feel different: one with a long 3% drag, the other with three short 12% walls. If your legs or gearing don't like steep pitches, look at the steepest grade on the route, not just the total.
Why Strava and Garmin disagree on your climb
Ride the same loop with two devices, or plan it in two apps, and you'll get two climbing totals. That's normal:
- Barometric vs map elevation. Many bike computers measure air pressure to track height. Apps that correct elevation use a digital map of the ground instead. Weather changes pressure during a ride, and maps miss bridges and cuttings.
- Smoothing. Every app decides how big a bump must be to count. Counting every 3 ft rise adds up over 40 miles.
- Planned vs ridden. A planner's total is from its map. Expect your device to say something different on the day.
Differences of 10% or more are common. Compare routes in the same app, and you're comparing like with like.
How much time do hills add?
A rough rule for planning: about a minute per 100 ft of climbing (about 3 minutes per 100 m) on top of your flat-road time. The descents give some of it back, but never all of it. The riding time calculator does the sum for you.
Choose the hills, don't find them
RideLoop has a Hills setting, from Gentler to Moderate, Sporty and Climber, and every loop shows its total climb before you ride it. Want a flat recovery spin on Tuesday and a climbing day on Saturday? Change the setting and press Build again. Loops go on roads riders have graded for pavement, shoulder and traffic, and straight to your Garmin.
Questions
Is 1,000 feet of elevation gain a lot for a bike ride?
It depends on the distance. Over 10 miles it's 100 feet per mile, a very hilly ride. Over 20 miles it's 50 feet per mile, hilly. Over 40 miles it's 25 feet per mile, gently rolling.
How do you calculate feet per mile?
Divide the total elevation gain in feet by the distance in miles. 1,500 feet over 30 miles is 50 feet per mile. In metric, divide meters of climb by kilometers: 10 meters per kilometer is about 53 feet per mile.
Why is my elevation gain different on Strava and Garmin?
Devices with a barometric altimeter measure air pressure, while apps that correct elevation use a map of the ground. Each smooths small bumps differently, and small differences add up over a long ride, so two apps often disagree by 10 percent or more.
What grade is steep for cycling?
Up to 3 percent feels gentle, 4 to 6 percent is a steady climb, 7 to 9 percent is steep, and 10 percent or more is very steep for most riders.
Flat today, hills on Saturday
Pick a distance and how hilly you want it. RideLoop builds the loop and sends it to your Garmin.
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