I am wondering which one is the best way or technique?. I do it sitting down but just wondering if there is any difference, pros - cons.
I should add which one do you preffer
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I am wondering which one is the best way or technique?. I do it sitting down but just wondering if there is any difference, pros - cons.
I should add which one do you preffer
Try it standing up - just to see what happens.
You'll probably want to use a harder gear than you would sitting. Don't try it on too long of a hill or a really steep hill.
Veronica
There is no one right or wrong way to climb a hill. If you get to the top, you've succeeded.
Climbing out of the saddle will work different muscles. That can be beneficial if your other muscles need a break. It can also be effective when you need a short burst of power or speed Sometimes, if you've otherwise run out of gears and the climb steepens, you may have no choice but to get out of the saddle. I often get out of my saddle on short climbs because it's kind of fun to power up something like that.
Some people--and a lot of women from what I've gathered from past threads--really prefer to do seated climbs. That's perfectly fine. Past discussions on TE suggest that some bikes have better geometry for out of the saddle climbing. Regardless of what you prefer, I think it's good to get comfortable with both if your body and bike allow. It's just another tool to have in your tool chest for tackling whatever the road throws your way.
I do it at times but for some reason I feel the bike a lot heavier than when I am sitting. :(Quote:
Originally Posted by Veronica
The bike's not heavier; you are. Well, not literally, but if you're seated, the bike is supporting your weight. When you stand, you're supporting your own weight.
Seated. Always :) I just shift down to an easier gear and keep spinning. I don't think there is a "best" way to climb a hill, just find the way that you like the best. The important thing is to get up the hill ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Giulianna23
:D yes that's what I thought....I try to alternate both but I do feel more comfortable seated in low gear spinning all the way up.Quote:
Originally Posted by indysteel
I climb with my heart pounding and my mouth gaping open like a fish out of water! Oh yeah, and usually sitting down. When I run out of grears, I stand but it is hard for me to transition at that point.
If you're watching the tour, notice how on many climbs, riders try to get away from Wiggins by standing and accelerating.
And Wiggins eventually catches up to them by keeping a good tempo while sitting, rarely standing out of the saddle. Seems to work well for him!
Yeah - I was noticing that: does he ever stand? Obviously standing works well for some, Armstrong, Contador, etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by jobob
I do a bit of both, mostly to use different muscles and give the butt a break. It also helps to get you over smaller rollers, etc., without shifting down.
I find myself climbing out of the saddle now with my compact crank than I ever did with my triple. With short rises, I sometimes just don't feel like shifting into my small ring. I'm lazy. Plus, I think I've gotten better at it over time. I really like rocking the bike underneath me and using a lot of power on the upstroke. It's fun. Maybe not always efficient, but fun. Still, if the hill is pretty steep, I typically stay seated because I struggle to transition between seated and standing climbs when the road on steep pitches.
Once in a while. For instance, during today's stage he stood for a brief amount of time near the summit of the final climb because he needed to accelerate a bit. But he hasn't relied on that. Now, that could be because he hasn't really needed to ... but I was noticing this in the earlier climbing stages as well, when Cadel was trying to get some time on him. Cadel would put in a strenuous attack and get a bit of a lead, but eventually Wiggins would show up, patiently spinning along at a fairly consistent tempo, looking (relatively) relaxed and unperturbed. I was rooting for Cadel, but Wiggins really impressed me with that.Quote:
Originally Posted by maillotpois
ETA: That said, if he were up against stronger competition in the mountains this year, or had a weaker team, I imagine his climbing style would have needed to be quite different to keep up. He's not a natural climber (a la Armstrong, Contador, A Schleck, and so on) so who knows how he would have fared against them. Or a slightly younger Cadel. Although he's holding his own against Nibali but that may have more to do with Chris Froome.
Sorry for the thread drift :o
I've always been a spinner. At first, I couldn't even lift myself up to stand, and I really don't know why. I wasn't heavy then, nor particularly weak. About 6-7 years ago, I began to be able to stand on little rises and that is all I ever do. I can stand on a spin bike, but not very well on the trainer. Even when my bike is in a very hard gear on the trainer, I feel wobbly. When I have tried to stand on a real climb, my legs hurt so incredibly bad and i lose speed, and generally feel miserable. I look at the way my DH can power up a climb (although he doesn't always do this), it pisses me off. My son, who raced, was a "climber," too and watching him was like looking at a work of art.
I can climb quite well, compared to most of the people I ride with, so I don't complain. I may try working on the standing more on my bike with the compact, as Indy said, as I can see how being "lazy" to shift might help. But, overall, I am happy that I can get up the climbs I do, i.e. my lovely driveway and street.
Ditto.Quote:
Originally Posted by maillotpois
I would describe myself as a spinner on the hills, with a faily high cadence, but I look for opportunities to stand.
I do a lot of sustained climbing and long rides. I try to sit a lot but then make a point of standing periodically, even if I don't have to to take a butt break and to change my posture. But if I'm struggling up a climb I will often count pedal strokes and I'll stand as much as 1 third of the time. Often I'll go up 2 or even 3 gears, stand for 50 pedal strokes then sit down again. It breaks up the climb in my head and allows me to change tempo and deal with fatigue.