Trouble with steep hills

Hi everyone!

I am a new rider and am having some issues getting up steep hills. I am a small woman (5 foot 110 pounds) and just do not have the strength. I've tried a few hills around my area and pushed as hard as I could until my legs gave out. Unfortunately, at this point it was too late to unclip and I scratched my bike, tore my tights, and cut up my leg.

I need advice on how to begin training/trying to get up those hills! If anyone has any helpful hints that don't involve me tearing up myself or my gear, please let me know!

PS-These hills are on every ride I go on because of where I live (Blue Ridge Mountains-Virginia) and I am starting to hate road biking because I either can't make it up the hills and have to walk them, or I try and fall/scratch bike/cut myself up.

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Originally Posted by mandinorris

Hi everyone!

I am a new rider and am having some issues getting up steep hills. I am a small woman (5 foot 110 pounds) and just do not have the strength. I've tried a few hills around my area and pushed as hard as I could until my legs gave out. Unfortunately, at this point it was too late to unclip and I scratched my bike, tore my tights, and cut up my leg.

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My first guess would be that you're not in the right gear. You shouldn't be pushing that hard. How steep are these hills and what kind of gearing do you have? I'm in Colorado, so I know climbs. I also ride a 'cross bike and don't have the widest range of gears. I would expect to hear you say you tire from spinning, not that your tired from pushing.

As for falling, if you're in the right gear and just need to build your climbing endurance, I'd put flat pedals on and do hill repeats until you build some stamina.

Keep at it! That's the only way it gets easier (once you have the shifting down!) It's common for beginners to get confused on shifting and not use the proper gearing for climbing.

What kind of gearing do you have on your bike? You need to have low enough gearing that you can pedal up any hill without killing yourself. I rode a fully loaded bike in the Adirondacks and only had to walk a couple of hills (at the end of LONG days in the saddle when I was just pooped). I am also small and lightweight, so should be a strong climber, but I don't have a lot of power -- it's all about power to weight ratio. My touring bike is geared very low -- a triple crankset in front with a 34T in back (i.e., mountain gearing), so there are no hills I can't climb in it.

Some of it is just training; you'll get stronger in time, but appropriate gearing for the riding you do most often is very important too.

Also, technique is important. Make sure to gear down before you hit the bulk of the hill. It can be very difficult to shift under strain as you need to ease off the pedals just a bit when shifting. If you shift under a lot of strain on a steep hill, you can easily lock up your chain -- I've done it. You need to anticipate and shift ahead of time.

I am sure others will chime in with even more good information and details. I was writing this in a rush, as it is bed time. Best of luck, and don't give up!

Ask your bike shop what it would take to put lower gears on your bike. The simplest and least expensive swap would be a new cassette (rear cog set). How low you can go with that, depends on your rear derailleur.

Training for hills is like training for anything - take them in small chunks at first and build. Do hill repeats. If there's a hill you can get all the way up, do it over and over again - if not, then just climb for two or three minutes, turn around and go back to the bottom, then do it again, and keep doing it until you're worn out. Do this once a week, and also make sure you schedule rest days into your training plan - rest days are when you actually get stronger from the stimulus of your workouts!

Make sure your nutrition is good, both off and on the bike. Women especially often need to eat something during a workout longer than an hour or two. Running out of calories (stored glycogen) during a workout doesn't usually feel like hungry, it feels like tired and weak. You might need extra protein while you're building muscle, depending on what your diet is like - especially after a hard workout.

Don't be ashamed to get off and walk when you need to. Most everyone does. Better to do that than to wait until too late to unclip, as you found out. (Hope you and your bike aren't too banged up!)

Being small and light is actually a big advantage on hills. Before you know it you'll be leaving the big guys in your dust. :)

And - welcome to TE!

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Originally Posted by JennK13

My first guess would be that you're not in the right gear. You shouldn't be pushing that hard. How steep are these hills and what kind of gearing do you have? I'm in Colorado, so I know climbs. I also ride a 'cross bike and don't have the widest range of gears. I would expect to hear you say you tire from spinning, not that your tired from pushing.

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Eastern hills aren't as tall as western ones, but they're steep. In the Blue Ridge, she probably can't ride without encountering a 15% grade at least every few miles, and 20-25% is common. On eastern hills, there really is no spinning at all. We don't have hills shallow enough to spin up!

I'm 5'2"... in the morning... and under 110. Size doesn't have to do with getting up hills. actually, being smaller, and having a larger power to weight ratio is good! little people have less to push up big hills! Its just getting that power up that is hard at first.

I am limited in my ability to change my bike's components. My bf made me a bike from his old stuff. so I have a double with... maybe a 12/25 cassette (possibly 12/23)? Basically.... there is no spinning on hills for me.

I basically push my pedals just enough to keep me upright. I've been told that as long as you're moving forward you should be able to stay upright.

I'm learning that going up hills, with my bike components, is SLOW, PAINFUL, But doable.

In all honesty, i hate it. The first couple of times riding I panicked and hyperventilated and cried. I didn't realize that I couldn't just sprint up a hill to get it over with. It's really psychological for me.

Also, if your gears DON'T go low enough, the low repetition high resistance will build the leg muscles to do everything better on the bike.

You should take my advice with a grain of salt. I mainly regurgitate advice given to me. But I thought I'd give it to you and let you know you're not the only one to suffer and struggle up hills.

I also think the most times I've fallen over has been trying to go up steep hills.

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

Eastern hills aren't as tall as western ones, but they're steep. In the Blue Ridge, she probably can't ride without encountering a 15% grade at least every few miles, and 20-25% is common. On eastern hills, there really is no spinning at all. We don't have hills shallow enough to spin up!

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Good to know!

Back to the OP, if you aren't sure of your gearing or if you're in the right gear, do you have someone experienced that you can ride with who can watch what you're doing? We have a friend who has complained for the last year that we've been riding together that she wants different gears because she can't climb. She's been riding some time, both road and mountain. She is a horrible climber and avoids road rides with hills (i've never ridden mtb with her). A couple weeks ago she and her husband joined us on a group ride where she complained about some small hills to my DH who looked down and said, "well, shift" She said she was in the lowest gear. My DH enlightened her by telling her she had a whole entire ring to drop down into - she's had this bike for like 3 years and had no idea that she wasn't using her gears right (i could have killed her hubby! He knows how to ride!) I guess my point is, ask someone. As a group ride leader, I keep an eye on my new riders, and if one is dying I look at their shifting. But I don't typically pay attention to that on "veteran" riders unless they ask. Right away we think they know what they're doing and must need different gears - well, our friend already had those gears! She just didn't know it :p

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

Eastern hills aren't as tall as western ones, but they're steep. In the Blue Ridge, she probably can't ride without encountering a 15% grade at least every few miles, and 20-25% is common. On eastern hills, there really is no spinning at all. We don't have hills shallow enough to spin up!

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what do you mean you don't have hills shallow enough to spin up?

However, I agree about eastern hills can be horrible because the roads were built without the grading requirements that were made 100 years later when we finally paved the western USA.

I think she means that while the hills in the west are long, the grade is shallow enough to spin up, although it may be long and arduous. Here, it's like ride up and down rollers, go through flats, climb a hill that goes anywhere from 4-25% for half a mile or mile, go down, and repeat.
I just get in a low gear at the base of the hill, leaving enough cogs to shift down as it gets steeper, in a gradual fashion. Sometimes even the granniest of grannies doesn't feel low enough, so then I slow my cadence and just tick the pedals over, just enough so I don't fall over. This strategy got me through the ten mile climb in Spain, as well as the other 2 category rated climbs on this ride, that were shorter.
I have only walked my bike 3 times. Two involved long-ish (half mile) climbs of well over 20%. One I think I could have done if DH had stayed behind me and coached me up; it was all in my head. The other, no way... when I got to the top, there was another long climb of over a mile with just slightly less steep grades, which I did, but if I hadn't walked the first one, no way. The third one was also in Spain. It was a short stretch of highway, which we did right after lunch, in the blazing sun, at about 100 degrees F. I was nauseous just walking up it. Of the 8 people on the tour, only 3 rode up it.

Slighty OT, but Bicycling Magazine did a short article on the steepest climbs in the lower 48 and all bar one (Onion Valley Road in CA) were in the eastern US.
IIRC the steepest 1-mile climb averaged 16%. Around here there are climbs that steep for only a few hundred yards and they're murder as you cannot rest at all and I have to ride on the nose of the saddle to keep the front wheel on the ground. I can look for the list and post it if anyone is interested.

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Originally Posted by emily_in_nc

What kind of gearing do you have on your bike? You need to have low enough gearing that you can pedal up any hill without killing yourself. I rode a fully loaded bike in the Adirondacks and only had to walk a couple of hills (at the end of LONG days in the saddle when I was just pooped). I am also small and lightweight, so should be a strong climber, but I don't have a lot of power -- it's all about power to weight ratio. My touring bike is geared very low -- a triple crankset in front with a 34T in back (i.e., mountain gearing), so there are no hills I can't climb in it.

Some of it is just training; you'll get stronger in time, but appropriate gearing for the riding you do most often is very important too.

Also, technique is important. Make sure to gear down before you hit the bulk of the hill. It can be very difficult to shift under strain as you need to ease off the pedals just a bit when shifting. If you shift under a lot of strain on a steep hill, you can easily lock up your chain -- I've done it. You need to anticipate and shift ahead of time.

I am sure others will chime in with even more good information and details. I was writing this in a rush, as it is bed time. Best of luck, and don't give up!

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It's not my gearing...I have a nice bike with a nice crankset/shifters etc.

It's my muscles/body ..I am not used to that type of activity and I am a small woman.

What do you mean by a "nice crankset and gearing?"
Do you have a compact double or a triple? Or a regular double? What's your lowest cog? There's a huge difference in these, for a beginning rider, no matter the level of your components.
I am a small person, too, 5' 1" <110 lbs. I am not the strongest person in the world, but after 10 years of riding and training in an area with lots of short, steep hills, I can get up almost anything. I may not do it at a high speed, but I feel confident I can get up the hill.
Nothing will improve your hill climbing ability like riding hills all of the time. You've been given great suggestions here. And don't forget that a good part of this is mental. Some people sing to themselves while climbing. I repeat a positive mantra, which changes from time to time. If I let myself get to the point of swearing, well, it's more likely I will want to give up.

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Originally Posted by Crankin

What do you mean by a "nice crankset and gearing?"
Do you have a compact double or a triple? Or a regular double? What's your lowest cog? There's a huge difference in these, for a beginning rider, no matter the level of your components.
I am a small person, too, 5' 1" <110 lbs. I am not the strongest person in the world, but after 10 years of riding and training in an area with lots of short, steep hills, I can get up almost anything. I may not do it at a high speed, but I feel confident I can get up the hill.
Nothing will improve your hill climbing ability like riding hills all of the time. You've been given great suggestions here. And don't forget that a good part of this is mental. Some people sing to themselves while climbing. I repeat a positive mantra, which changes from time to time. If I let myself get to the point of swearing, well, it's more likely I will want to give up.

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I guess my thing is that it is physical for me. I try as hard as I can and then I just can't push anymore.

I think from the advice given, my best bet is repetition to build the strength to get up the 12% + hills

and Mandi, for sure, your smallness is an asset. TRUST US on that.
It took me 3 years to build strength enough to ride anywhere, and that does NOT include steep hills. Someone just bragged that they have only walked 3 times.... I can't tell you how many times I have walked up hills. HOWEVER, I have gotten stronger (and darn, as I've gotten stronger, I've gotten heavier, I must have gained 10 lbs just in my legs, and it shows)
and I have actually done an 18 mile hillclimb and some other rides that were JUST all about hills. (and I still walk sometimes)

So I can promise you, if you keep working at it you will get better.

ps, can you put your bike in your car and start somewhere a little better? I don't envy your hills!

Mimi, I hope it didn't sound like bragging when I said I have walked only 3 times. The thing that helped me the most was not having any choice... walking up a steep hill in road shoes sucks almost as much as barely being able to climb it. Moving to a street on 10-15% grade, probably was the best thing for me, even though I had done a lot of climbing before that. The end of every ride, well, imagine it. The thing is, I am not a particularly fast rider, compared to others here. I just kept at it, like you.
And while it *is* physical, as in strength, it is also mental strength. You have to be able to endure some pain to improve and keep telling yourself you can do it, even in little improvements.
Mandi, it would still help people here to give you advice, if we knew what gearing you had.

Crankin, I just wanted her to know that she might need to walk more than 3 times.

and here's the statistic: take your height = 60 inches. now take your weight (in Mandi's case) 110 pounds. 110/60 = 1.83
if this ratio is smaller than 2, you are going to have an edge on climbing. Pick your favorite guy, say, 70 inches tall and 160 pounds. 160/70 =2.28 You have a big advantage over him. So once you get into shape, you ought to be dynamite!
and make sure your bike fits you!

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Originally Posted by Crankin

Mimi, I hope it didn't sound like bragging when I said I have walked only 3 times. The thing that helped me the most was not having any choice... walking up a steep hill in road shoes sucks almost as much as barely being able to climb it. Moving to a street on 10-15% grade, probably was the best thing for me, even though I had done a lot of climbing before that. The end of every ride, well, imagine it. The thing is, I am not a particularly fast rider, compared to others here. I just kept at it, like you.
And while it *is* physical, as in strength, it is also mental strength. You have to be able to endure some pain to improve and keep telling yourself you can do it, even in little improvements.
Mandi, it would still help people here to give you advice, if we knew what gearing you had.

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Lol I am not even ashamed to admit that because I am so new to cycling, that I have no idea what my gears are. My boyfriend is the bike wiz and got me into cycling/chose my bike. However, I did just buy a 2010 Kona Lisa Roadbike...and I have ultegra and 105 components. I'm sure if you guys look up the bike you can see what kind of gears/crankset it is. I would but I am at work!

http://www.konaworld.com/bike.cfm?content=lisa_rd

50/39 in front, 12-25 in back

The 2010 Ultegra SS RD will accommodate up to a 28T rear cog. So you can definitely go lower there. Three teeth WILL make a difference.

Unfortunately you won't be able to put a smaller chainring up front without some other modifications.

That bike is geared awfully tall for the Blue Ridge Mountains. Say it with me: it's not you. Most everyone I know in Ohio (which has hills not quite as steep and not *nearly* as tall as yours) has a 34x27 or lower as their lowest gear. Sure, racers run taller gearing in all but the most extreme terrain, but they also had to get strong before they started racing.

I guess if I were you I'd try a cassette with shorter gearing and see if that gets you where you need to be. If not, you'll probably need to change out some more components, which unfortunately can get expensive. You might sniff around the gear threads here, Craigslist, eBay, etc., for used components.

You can definitely get stronger - we all can - and that will definitely help, but starting out with a bike that's geared too tall is just frustrating, and actually makes it harder for you to get stronger. You wouldn't start out bench pressing 100 lbs if you'd never done it before, and tall gearing is the same kind of thing.

Thank you, Oakleaf. That's just what I thought might be going on here.
Mandi, you bought a bike that's really nice. I bet your boyfriend helped you. Sometimes people (not just men) who are strong riders and have been riding for awhile don't realize that some of us need easier gearing on the bike. Like, some of us have a triple! You live in an area with really difficult climbs... take Oakleaf's advice and see if you can get a rear derailleur with lower cogs. Believe me, those 2 or 3 lower gears will make a world of difference.

I've never seen a 50/39 combo. Isn't a 50T usually 110BCD? Maybe she could put on a smaller inner ring?

I'd say put on a cassette with a 27 or 28 tooth cog if you can't change the cranks. I ride around the Blue Ridge in VA, and I use a compact (34T or 36T small ring with a 25 or 27T cog as the lowest). There are some times where I am pedaling really slowly due to the grade. There is one climb in WV that I just cannot get up without walking. It's over 6 mi, and there are a couple of switchbacks about mid-way or so over 18% with some steep sustained portions in between. I usually have to stop once I get down to about 3mph and 40rmp. The bike I prefer to use for climbing needs a longer cage rear derailleur to accommodate a bigger cassette. Maybe one day I'll do it. I can ride a little farther on this mountain each year.

Another thing... take the paperboy route if traffic allows. Zig-zagging on a hill will mean you are covering more distance but you are putting your bike on a less steep grade. Stay to the outside on curves if the road is at all banked.

It takes some practice, but it is possible to unclip from a near stop on a steep hill and stay upright.

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Originally Posted by aicabsolut

I've never seen a 50/39 combo. Isn't a 50T usually 110BCD? Maybe she could put on a smaller inner ring?

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The specs says it's Shimano 105 (5500). Those are the smallest rings that will go on it. It'll accept a 42 small ring and a 52 or 53 big ring, but nothing smaller than what she has, unless maybe some aftermarket chainrings will fit.

I concur - your gears arent low enough for that kind of climbing. I have 36/46 up front and my stock cassette is 12-25 which makes for difficult climbs. I switched to an 11-28 and noticed an immediate change for the better!

remember, whether you ride or walk up the hill, the top will still be there when you get there. Hang in there and remember the value of practice and repetition.

Short way to say it -
Find a hill that's pretty easy to climb & just keep riding it daily. Once you start getting used to it & can climb up easily, start attacking from bottom to top w/ a larger gear & time yourself every time. Know your limit !

What helps -
hands on top of the bars
relax upper body, too much movement can tire you out
which method helped me (just got used to it after) = keep your heels down while pedaling
& the biggest one, stay seated

Goodluck !

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Originally Posted by marni

the top will still be there when you get there

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+ 1

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Originally Posted by aicabsolut

I've never seen a 50/39 combo. Isn't a 50T usually 110BCD?

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Somehow I ended up with this weird combo on my rain bike.... I asked for a standard double... I don't honestly get it. So I spin out down steep hills, but don't get any of the advantages of smaller gears???? It hasn't bothered me enough to care to change it, since I'm not exactly mashing out hard core sprints on my commutes or on rainy winter training rides.

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Originally Posted by f/64

What helps -
hands on top of the bars
relax upper body, too much movement can tire you out
which method helped me (just got used to it after) = keep your heels down while pedaling
& the biggest one, stay seated

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+1!

Then...
I remembered another kind of imporrtant mind thing. It never hurts any less, you just get faster. But what's good to know is that your body will keep going if you tell it to. For me its my mind that makes me stop. Kind of along with that is that you shouldn't ride outside of yourself. Its tempting to just rush up the hills but you won't be able to maintain it and it'll make the rest of your ride hard, too.

Today, I went on my usual loop. 3 steep but short hills. Still hurts, my legs were on fire, but I finished them faster than I usually do!

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Originally Posted by FunSize

+1!

Then...
I remembered another kind of imporrtant mind thing. It never hurts any less, you just get faster. But what's good to know is that your body will keep going if you tell it to. For me its my mind that makes me stop. Kind of along with that is that you shouldn't ride outside of yourself. Its tempting to just rush up the hills but you won't be able to maintain it and it'll make the rest of your ride hard, too.

Today, I went on my usual loop. 3 steep but short hills. Still hurts, my legs were on fire, but I finished them faster than I usually do!

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Actually for me it does hurt less, but I don't go much faster. Which is fine with me.

I totally agree with what the other ladies here have said, but I also want to add that it just takes time. You have to build your fitness. Even if you are fit, when you start riding you have to build your BIKE fitness. Just keep riding. It will get easier. Hills are always a bugger. It kinda cracks me up when people say, "just pick a gear where you can spin up." Well, that gear doesn't exist for me. Hills are simply tough and it takes time to build the bike fitness to just spin up them.

I got my MTB about 2 years ago and my road bike one year ago. DH and I do lots of hills and I have ridden a century. We just did one of our usual routes the other day, and for the first time I noticed I could go faster on one of the the hills.

You just need to be patient with yourself, not beat yourself up, and keep working on it.

I think we scared the OP away.