So scared of the hills...

[drgynfyr]

ok guys, first post, kinda noob at MTB, but i try to do it on the weekends here in Miami. It's a lot of fun, when i'm not falling Anyhow, so i am afraid of hills (hills like 4ft or more). A few avid riders have told me just stay seated and keep peddaling. Well, thats what i did the first time and i slipped back down the hill and ended up on my back in a ditch. What fun! That didnt stop me though, I had to get up and keep trying. Although i am better than i was 3months ago when i started, i can now make it to the top of one hill and i have to stop because i am out of breath. I am working on my cardio though

Everyone says just keep peddaling, its not that hard. I ride in granny gear for the hills as it is and if its a mental block how do i get over this fear?

There is this one section that has a hill (the one i make it to the top on) then a drop and another hill right ahead. I always feel like my feet are peddaling to fast on the downhill and i kinda roll 1/3 of the way up the next hill and slip back down.

I ride in 1-4 most of the time and 1-1/1-2 for the hills.

I would appreciate any tips and advice you could offer this scaredy cat

[Roadtrip]

Not a mtn biker, but I have hills... LOTS of hills... and I have trouble with them too. Just try different things and see what works best!

I'm still befuzzled by gears and find myself completely wiped because I'm in the WRONG gear. I (finally) think I have my shifting issues fixed as I couldn't go down into my smallest gear and would just laugh and mock me. I rode five miles of REALLY hilly trail thinking I would be OK, but by the time we finished I wanted to slap DH (who looked fairly fresh) who's idea it was do THIS ride knowing I was having issues with the derailleur.

Good luck!!
Shannon

[marni]

I have never met a hill that I couldn't walk up! that aside, practice and get into the lowest gear possible as soon as possible and then just get the bit in your teeth and decide that the ***** hill is not going to beat you. I have cllilmbed hills with just enough momentum to keep moving without falling over, and I have fallen over, like the little old man on the trike in "Laugh in" (am I dating myself here?), but as the saying goes- no matter how fast or how slow you climb it, the top of the hill will still be there when you get there.

As for downhill, kick over into a harder gear, build speed and at the bottom switch down into a lighter gear, coast up the hill as far as you can until you feel the momentum start to slow and then start pedaling. It's all about the changing gears and the rhtym.

Good luck.

[colorisnt]

I do not blame you! I don't MTB. The thought frightens me. I will probably do it eventually if my guy friends and profs at work keep telling me to try it. One of them used to be a pro and so he really loves it. I hear them talk and I think, "SO fun, but SO scary!"

You are brave. I ended up in a ditch on my road bike two weeks ago so it is scary. But if you get in gear, you will be okay.

Learn your gears. It really is just a long set of errors that leads to "getting it". I still sometimes don't "get it". Find a hill you can do easily and go from there. Just keep practicing. When do you need to shift, how much momentum do you have. Just play around with it! You will NOT get it the first time. Honestly. I had been riding road pretty well for the first few months I had my bike - but in the flatlands. I came to MO and didn't even KNOW I had those gears. An older, more experienced gentlemen I rode with helped me learn the gears and I just kept practicing on each hill. It was wonderfully helpful.

[crazycanuck]

Drg..in terms of getting up the hill (i've no idea of the conditions of the hills in your area soo....) here's what I do on ours. Here in Western Australia, most of our mtn biking areas have hills with lots of pea gravel and it's really slippery. I basically try and move my weight around carefully and think ahead.

What this means is yes, keep pedalling but...what gear do you have to be in, what's on the hill, what's up ahead, what speed do you need etc.

On pea gravel, it's a case of grinding down and spinning through the crap.

Dunno if i've explained it well... but i understand what it is you're asking... (Mind is on a uni paper explaining a particular planning system...)

[drgynfyr]

tyvm everyone! I will try all the tips. After reading your posts i just realized i need to have a gear to shift down to (to make it feel easier) . Instead of being at granny from the start.

[nikkoblu2]

I have never met a hill that I couldn't walk up! that aside, practice and get into the lowest gear possible as soon as possible and then just get the bit in your teeth and decide that the ***** hill is not going to beat you. I have cllilmbed hills with just enough momentum to keep moving without falling over, and I have fallen over, like the little old man on the trike in "Laugh in" (am I dating myself here?), but as the saying goes- no matter how fast or how slow you climb it, the top of the hill will still be there when you get there.

Stated absolutely perfectly!

[colorisnt]

Another thing is, ignore everything around you.

I sing "Just keep spinning" to myself in the tune of just keep swimming.

No rush. It is just me, the bike, and the hill. People probably think I am nuts, but there is a KILLER hill coming home from work - 12% grade and goes on for about a mile and a half. It's awful.

[jessmarimba]

I sing "Just keep spinning" to myself in the tune of just keep swimming.

I do that too!!!

[marni]

[QUOTE=colorisnt;542304]Another thing is, ignore everything around you.

I sing "Just keep spinning" to myself in the tune of just keep swimming.


My song, to the tune of Frere Jacques (father John) is:
I am climbing, I am climbing, yes I am, yes I am, this is not a real hill, this is not a real hill, not it's not, no it's not."

Keeps me relaxed mentally and helps me set a good breathing rhythm.

[TxDoc]

no matter how fast or how slow you climb it, the top of the hill will still be there when you get there.

+1, could not have said that better!