Road Signs

[skeeter]

are posted for our benefit and benefit some more than others. I passed one such sign today and have passed it many times before as I drove down the Interstate. The sign had a silhouette of a truck on a downward slope with 7% printed under it on a yellow sign. I know what the sign means and who it's for. I ignore the sign for the most part as I am not significantly affected by the information it provides. I wondered as I continued to travel, how many people ignored the sign because they were ignorant of it's meaning. As a test, ( because I knew he traveled the highway) I queried one of my workers when I reached the job site. I simply asked if he knew what a 7% grade was. He paused for a second and told me " No I don't but, I saw that sign and wondered what it meant." Funny sometimes how your thoughts are answered.

The sign is a cautionary sign warning, not only truckers but, anyone who might have an issue with the steep grade ahead. In this case a downhill so, slow down and get it in the proper gear so you won't have a problem braking and controlling your vehicle.

A 7% downhill grade means the roadway drops 7 feet for every hundred feet traveled. 70 ft for every 1000 ft.

10 miles or so West there lies a 30% grade..... think of that one with a semi behind you.

Just a FYI. My friend is a flatlander and didn't know. I hope this helps someone.

[hammer]

Maybe he was thinking back to his high school marks and did not want to answer???? I thought that was part of everyone's Driver License test. Scary!!

[AlabamaNomadRider]

Once upon a time many years back I drove an 18 wheeler so the sign definitely has meaning for me. I have driven across the Rocky Mountains many times and always treated them with much respect. Thanks for posting Skeeter as there may be others that have never seen a grade sign.

[cactusjack]

We have a couple of 10% grades east of Phoenix, but I have never seen a steeper grade sign than that. Most are 6%, at least in my experience.

[skipper]

Here in South LA the only grades are bridges. LOL We don't have many hills only depressions.

Kip

Last Monday, we did have a 62 year old rider that was killed when his brakes locked on the down slope of the Mississippi River bridge. It's a fairly steep bridge. He probably went over the crest too fast, and tried to over compensate. Threw his wife off the bike v( moderate injuries), he lost his life. You have to respect incline grades especially down grades. It could cost you dearly if you don't .

[Idaho]

Originally Posted by skeeter

10 miles or so West there lies a 30% grade..... think of that one with a semi behind you.

Just a FYI. My friend is a flatlander and didn't know. I hope this helps someone.

That is the big reason why I pay attention to those signs. Trucks can have difficulty stopping on steep grades. Many mt passes here in the west have runaway truck ramps built off the side of the road with deep gravel to help them stop. Never seen a rig in one but have seen the tracks. You get used to the odor of brake lining when you go past a truck heading down one of those steep grades. Trucks crawl up and down those hills. If you plan to blow over a pass on the bike and don't pay attention you could wind up as a bumper ornament. If you are doing 50 to 70 on those roads (they usually have lots of curves and it is a great time to scrape the dirt off of the floorboards) and a truck is only crawling at 10 to 20 mph you can easilly be right on top him before you know it.

Pay attention and watch for out of control trucks when they are on the downside. Watch for them coming at you as you ascend the pass and watch you mirrors as you cruise down the backside.

+1, Idaho. One can find those runaway truck ramps in the Smokies as well. You really have to be alert !

[ken]

God, I had to confess ignorance, but I didn't know exactly what the sign meant. Now that I think about it, I confused percentage with degree. thanks for the info...I bit smarter now.

[Cajunrider]

The steepest grade I've seen was in SD on a narrow 2 lane asphalt road. It was 13% and I found it very steep. One thing I commented on while in the Hill Country is the strong emphasis Texas puts on highway warning signs. A "Bump" sign I went by slowed me down quite a bit only to be surprised with a very slight hump in the road. Maximum curve speeds, "Watch for Water on Road", Falling Rock, Livestock, Deer, etc. Much different from here next door in Louisiana. If you come up on a "Bump" warning sign, you'd better slow down to a crawl and hold on tight because it will be bad. Very few Deer warning signs. No falling rock signs because you will be hard pressed to find a rock anywhere in south LA. Another notable difference is you regularly see motorized street sweepers keeping the highways and paved shoulders free of sand and gravel. Over here we need "Alligator" warning signs. I'd sure hate to come up on a 12' gator on an asphalt road at night. You can't see them until you are nearly on top of them. They've caused cars and trucks to crash after running over them. I can only imagine how bad it would be on a bike. I knew the meaning behind the grade signs Skeeter and thanks for posting your explanation. You may have saved someone's life taking the time to explain it to us.

[dantama]

A dirt road in Colorado that I've been on a couple of times has a 30% grade warning sign. It has even more meaning on a gravel road.

[blowndodge]

I won't ride on rodes like that. That kind of grade on gravel is only courting disaster, not only with me but riding reckless could injury someone else as well!

[hammer]

I am with you on steep grades on gravel road particularly heading down. And you want to stay off your rear brakes....right???

The scariest moments I have had is on I90 crossing the continental divide and then steep double down lanes in Idaho. I was absolutely amazed at the speed big haulers were travelling on double digit down grades. You realize you need to be rubber necking all the time because they will just run you down.

[kenb]

Originally Posted by hammer

I am with you on steep grades on gravel road particularly heading down. And you want to stay off your rear brakes....right???

The scariest moments I have had is on I90 crossing the continental divide and then steep double down lanes in Idaho. I was absolutely amazed at the speed big haulers were travelling on double digit down grades. You realize you need to be rubber necking all the time because they will just run you down.

If I am not mistaken, use only rear brakes on downhills with gravel or other loose road surfaces. If you use the front and lock it up, down you go.

[dantama]

Originally Posted by KenBob

If I am not mistaken, use only rear brakes on downhills with gravel or other loose road surfaces. If you use the front and lock it up, down you go.

On a regular gravel road, you don't have to worry like going down a 30% grade in gravel. The steep gravel needs to be treated like a slick road. I like to challenge myself by riding in snow every now and then. You just do everything very calm like. No sudden inputs. You let things kind of drift, rather than sudden turns.

I use a combination of low gearing, and front and rear brakes. Just not too much of either. As long as the tires keep rolling, everything is fine. If you only used one brake, you would more easily exceed the traction available for braking. Using both lets you get more slowing, without over doing the amount of traction that's left.

As ken Bob said, it you lock the front you will go down easier than locking the rear. I'd use both, and just not lock them up :)

The challenge is kind of fun if you are into that kind of thing.

I hope next time I'm there, I have a camera.