Starting Up that Steep Hill

[kajero]

there is a very steep hill I have tried to climb several times. I won't even bother to say how far I get up before I walk. Just know it isn't much. :o

How do you start climbing a hill from its base? There is no way you can make a riding start on this hill. There is a four stop at the bottom of the hill and you have to obey it. The hill elevates approximately 35 feet in a tiny bit over .06 mile.

[Owlie]

Is the stop directly at the bottom of the hill?

Shift down a couple gears when you stop, more than you would normally when you stop. You'll have an easier time of it. However, much of it is just fitness and practice. Keep trying!

[ny biker]

I would shift to my lowest gear as a I approach the stop. I have to pedal a low cadence on steep hills to prevent an asthma attack -- it keeps my heart and lungs from being overwhelmed. It also means I may go as slowly as 3 mph, but I just keep pedaling until I reach the top.

[rebeccaC]

Since you’re starting the hill from a stop try your gears to see which one starts you up the hill comfortably. You may even need to start in a harder gear as you practice riding the hill more.

I find a constant effort works best for my climbing which means knowing my shifting patterns and more importantly when to shift. I’ll relax my pedal stroke for a brief moment and shift just before I have to to keep my effort constant. That just takes practice in getting to know the timing. It’s also one aspect of bicycling that I enjoy…..that bicycle/body/mind interaction can give me a perfect climb with smooth shifts done at the right moment. I got that connection back this year for the first time in a few years with all the climbing I’ve done.

[lph]

Your lowest gear, and work on pedalling as slowly as possible without falling over :-) It's easier (and safer!) to practice without traffic around. It's amazing how slowly you can pedal without stopping, once you have some practice, but you need to think about balance. And don't forget to sit up and breathe.

[OakLeaf]

I would want to know two things before answering.

First, do you have good solid footing at the stop sign ... i.e., do you have to stop on a steep crown, or does the climb not start until after you've crossed the other road?

Starting on a steep crown or hill ... I hate that. It's super, super dangerous, especially if the cross road is busy and/or sight lines on the cross road are short. And super especially when it's wet or icy. To the point that I would contact the county engineer and explain the danger to two-wheeled folks (not just bicyclists, but motorcyclists too. And I would have to think it would be pretty dangerous for Amish too - although they aren't in danger of tipping over, which is the greatest danger to two-wheeled vehicles, horseshoes don't exactly have the best traction, horses and harnesses are long so that the driver is well back from the intersection and may not be able to see well, and the buggy and occupants are just dead weight behind ...).

Honestly, what I usually do in that situation is pull slightly past the stop sign before stopping, with my bike turned toward the right as much as possible, to give me better footing and a flatter surface to start from. Then I turn right onto the cross road so I can get some momentum going, then make a U-turn when it's safe. (Or, and you didn't hear me say this, if sight lines are long and there's no cross traffic, I will just slow down enough to see clearly, and then blow the stop sign. To me that's way safer than tipping over, or taking a very long time to get momentum going, and then being immobile in the path of the next vehicle that *does* come along.)

Second, assuming you have a safe start, does the hill flatten out after that initial bump? I don't mean is it the top of the hill, I mean does it become less steep for a while before resuming the climb? The way you specify the initial distance and elevation gain suggests that that's the case.

In that situation, I would actually NOT shift down as much as the others suggest. I would not get into the saddle at all after starting from the stop sign, but stay standing all the way to the top of the bump. (Maybe that's still your low gear, which is cool.) Then when you've climbed that initial bump, you can get back into the saddle, downshift if necessary/available, and spin the rest of the way up.

But if it stays too steep for you to climb in the saddle with your current gearing, past that initial bump, then I would tend to agree with the others ... downshift before you stop, increase your cadence and downshift again as you start the climb, if you still have more gears available continue to downshift whenever your cadence drops, and then just power up as far as you can - you should get farther up as your conditioning improves, until eventually you can get to the top. :)

[Crankin]

I would approach it the way NY Biker does, except I might be in my 3d lowest or 2nd lowest cog, to give me some "escape" down to the very lowest. It might be just the perception in my mind, but, if I know I have at least one more gear, it helps. And, steady, even round circles on the pedals, as I settle into a steady cadence, even at a low speed. While I don't have issues with my lungs while climbing, I usually climb these types of grades as slowly as I can... especially if they are in the middle of a long hard ride.

[kajero]

Time for honesty . . . Even when starting in my lowest gear I only make it up that hill about 10-12 feet! It just seems so impossibly steep!

[rebeccaC]

Time for honesty . . . Even when starting in my lowest gear I only make it up that hill about 10-12 feet! It just seems so impossibly steep!

maybe find a less challenging hill to train on and then come back to this one when you're better able to climb it. Use that as motivation...or get a triple crank :)

There's a street in L.A. (Fargo St) that has a 30%+ grade and around 1000 feet long. It's a street I don't feel a need to try and ride even though I might be able to. Pick the right climbs to help you improve your climbing skills!!!!

[OakLeaf]

Even standing?

[Skippyak]

What is the actual grade? I Never stand and I am always happy to use my lowest gear in any hill (compact front, 12-28 back). I think steep for me is about 16% plus though, that might be lame, I dunno. The canyon here with a 22% is just not on my wish list, but I can climb all day on more reasonable grades.

[rebeccaC]

What is the actual grade? I Never stand and I am always happy to use my lowest gear in any hill (compact front, 12-28 back). I think steep for me is about 16% plus though, that might be lame, I dunno. The canyon here with a 22% is just not on my wish list, but I can climb all day on more reasonable grades.

16% isn't lame for me :) I do steeper short sections in the Santa Monica mountains though. I'll come off the saddle to crest a really steep climb or 20%+ short sections but most likely I'll stay seated, use my gears and conserve my energy as much as possible for a long steep climb.

[OakLeaf]

What is the actual grade? I Never stand and I am always happy to use my lowest gear in any hill (compact front, 12-28 back). I think steep for me is about 16% plus though, that might be lame, I dunno. The canyon here with a 22% is just not on my wish list, but I can climb all day on more reasonable grades.

The numbers she quoted say 11% overall, and over 6/100s of a mile, it's unlikely to have much steeper segments. I would normally spin up 11% too, from a riding start (not, for example, from changing a flat or dropping a chain in the middle of an 11% grade) and I have the combination of leg strength and low gears to do it. But, since the OP isn't able to get over the hump that way ... and since she's already out of the saddle for the stop sign ... and since the bump is apparently very short (though she didn't confirm that impression) - I still say the best way over is just not to get back in the saddle once she's across the cross street. Use body weight for that extra assist, it isn't long enough to run out of lung, and eventually she'll develop confidence and the leg strength to spin up it if that's her preferred way to climb.

[kajero]

Whew. Now I have to figure out how to stand. I am so scared of losing my balance!
It isn't that I really want to ride up the hill that much, it's just the another way to enter a trail I like to ride. There are two other entrances that are hilly but not as steep.
It's also the only hill I haven't been able to climb within 3 miles of my house! But maybe I am not meant to climb all the hills in my neighborhood.

[ny biker]

What kind of bike are you riding and are your feet attached to the pedals (with cleats, toe clips, etc)?

[OakLeaf]

Whew. Now I have to figure out how to stand. I am so scared of losing my balance!

From a dead stop is the easiest way, because you're already doing it! You just don't sit back down once you've got the momentum.

Nybiker is right, you do NOT need clips or cleats, but you DO need secure contact. No slippery shoes, no sandals that might pull off your feet. I stand to climb bridges, in street shoes on the OEM cheap flat pedals on my hybrid all the time.

[kajero]

Feet are not attached to the pedals. I am leaning toward toe clips.
2012 Specialized Ruby Elite size 44. No modifications have been to the original bike.

[Cyclingfun]

I've recently been persuaded to stay cleated when going up every hill, and have learnt (I think!) how to uncleat and get off at the last moment if my energy runs out before the top. Learning how to sit down and spin smoothly (i.e. pulling up efficiently so I'm pedalling in circles), however slowly, has been like a light-switch coming on. I'm not speedy up hills, but I just don't want to have to get off and push, unless I have to.
The other matter, about the road junction at the start of the climb... If I don't feel I've the technical skill yet to handle such a junction, I get off and walk across it and start from the other side, a few yards beyond the junction so cars coming round the corner get a good sight of me and have time to take avoiding action if I'm wobbling. Am I a bit of a coward? Maybe, but it stops me having any anxiety.
I've got a couple of local hills that used to get me off the bike... but it now gives me pleasure to see how much easier they feel, thanks to increased fitness and better technique (plus changing to a 30t on the Ruby & 34t on the Genesis!) Good luck! x

[shootingstar]

Kinda annoying when there is a red light at a busy traffic intersection at the bottom of a steep long hill.

Half of the time, I am usually hauling weight of something significant (groceries, my own clothing) while cycling.
I use toe clips and have for 2 decades. I could not imagine levering myself with double pannier weight up on bike from a dead stop to grinding steadily up a steep hill without keep my bike-shoe-shod feet connected and stable on the pedals.

And I don't stand up while spinning up hills. It's just my style of cycling up hills.

[OakLeaf]

Well, everyone has their preferred *style,* but the bottom line is, standing takes more cardio effort, sitting takes more leg strength and endurance. If someone is finding she doesn't have the legs to get up a hill but wants to try to tackle it without walking, then it doesn't make sense not to *try* using her body weight to assist.

Again: EVERYBODY stands to ride, because that's how you get a bike started from a stop with a foot down. Some people just prefer to sit down and remain sitting after establishing momentum with their first couple of pedal strokes. Nothing wrong with that. But no one should think they don't know how to stand, because if they can ride a bike at all, they're already doing it.

[lph]

Again: EVERYBODY stands to ride, because that's how you get a bike started from a stop with a foot down. Some people just prefer to sit down and remain sitting after establishing momentum with their first couple of pedal strokes. Nothing wrong with that. But no one should think they don't know how to stand, because if they can ride a bike at all, they're already doing it.

That's an interesting point, Oak. I was recently teaching complete beginners to ride, and that was one of the skills many struggled with on the way, raising the saddle and learning to start while standing.

I stand a lot, as I've said a bazillion times here, my legs just like it, or maybe my endurance just stinks :) . But come to think of it, most starts I do I only do a half-pedal before shifting my butt up onto the saddle, i.e. only stand long enough to get the pedal from 2 o'clock to 6 o'clock, if that. Pedalling a whole stroke or two while standing is a bit harder at low speed, as I'm reminded the times I need to lug something heavy on my back and have poor balance.

[shootingstar]

I'm standing off the bike saddle when I stop, and doing a half-pedal to lever myself /my butt up onto the bike to start cycling.

I cannot sit on saddle, rest for minutes and then start cycling, my saddle is high enough.. Unless there is raised curb to rest my right foot.

It is useful for learners to get to that stage, so that their saddle is at proper height and their legs aren't too cramped when cycling. Otherwise they can't cycle far without feeling uncomfortable somewhere.

[Karenanywild]

How DO you get unclipped safely of you are working up a hill and run out of gas? This is scaring me away from a hill on our ride route.

[lph]

I have my left pedal (spd's) set so loose that I just need to move my foot sideways with scarcely any pressure at all, and my foot just comes off. Easy to do in the same movement as putting my foot down. But this is something you can practice anywhere in a safe place, I should think, by slowing, then postponing the unclip as long as you can before putting a foot down.