Standing for Hill Climbs

[Micki Rider]

What's the proper technique for getting out of my seat to try powering up a hill? I'm able to lift myself all right, but my front bike wheel always wavers left and right while I'm standing up and riding. I know to put my hands on the top bars when I'm doing this, but I'm still feeling pretty uneasy and unstable the way I'm doing it. I see other people doing it perfectly and it looks so easy!

[AuntieK]

I used to wonder the same thing! The only thing that helped was to practice. The more you do it, the more stable you'll be. Pretty soon, you'll be impressed with how well you do.
Good luck!

[mimitabby]

try standing on flat ground first. then try little hills.

[teigyr]

Try doing it on a trainer or exercise bike. We stand a lot in spin class and while it's slightly different than a "real bike", it gives me the basic idea.

You do have to make sure you have enough gear to stand, you need quite a bit of resistance.

I practice sometimes on bike trails. You know those parts that go under streets with the short little uphill? Those are ideal short stretches to practice standing.

Good luck

[Zen]

What's the proper technique for getting out of my seat to try powering up a hill? I'm able to lift myself all right, but my front bike wheel always wavers left and right while I'm standing up and riding. I know to put my hands on the top bars when I'm doing this, but I'm still feeling pretty uneasy and unstable the way I'm doing it. I see other people doing it perfectly and it looks so easy!

I have yet to stand to pull a hill.

I tend to take my weight off the seat (without standing up), shift my weight FORWARD a bit,stay in the drops and kind of "pull" on the handlebars.

here's what Sheldon Brown has to say about it.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

When you stand up the hills, put your hands on the tops of the bars but spaced far apart and gripping the bars. (on the hoods if you have drop bars).
Now here's a little trick that helped me-
instead of pulling UP on the bars with your hands as you do each down stroke, try pushing DOWN on the bars as each pedal goes down. It's not hard to reverse your pressure direction after a few tries.
You can get the same power this way, but your steering stays steadier than when you're pulling up on the bars. And while you are doing it, keep a mental image in your mind of walking or ice skating up the hill in an easy smooth way. This worked for me.

[Kimmyt]

also, shift your weight forward off your seat so that your butt will not be hovering above the saddle, but an inch or two in front of it (actually i don't know if that is 'proper' technique but it makes me feel much more solid)

K.

[btchance]

make sure you are using a hard enough gear. If I'm going to stand on a climb, I usually go up a few clicks in the back before I stand. If I'm going to spin, I go down a number of clicks. Also, I tend to pull back on the handle bars when I'm standing and make sure to look ahead at where you are going. It took me a while to learn how to stand, but it is definately worth it when you figure it out. Good luck!

[equus123]

There's a few different things you can try to find a comfortable balance with changing your weight distribution ever so slightly to change which major muscles are being used.

The most important thing to remember is to find your balance over the bottom bracket. There's a ton of different angles you can manipulate to find what's comfortable for you while out of the saddle. Here are a few of my favorites:

For somewhat short and somewhat steep climbs: I like to be in a pretty easy gear and spin fast (rather than grind up it). I get out of the saddle and stand more upright with my upper body, hands on the hoods. I shift my hips forward away from the saddle and try and get my knees close to the handlebars as I'm pedalling. The biggest thing to think about while doing this is "I'm running up this hill" as in literally feels like running. It does take a bit of energy out of you but it totally saves your legs from doing all the work because you're using your whole body. Even though you'll be out of breath, it's must easier to recover from high heart rate than dead legs. Focus on keeping some of your weight back just a little to make sure you still have weight on the back wheel. As you're pedalling, focus more on the pedal stroke from 3 o'clock to 9 o'clock (and no dead spots!).

For other climbs that you just want to get out of the saddle for a minute or so to stretch: I've found this position from doing a spin class at my gym once a week as something fun to throw into my training schedule and a nice change. For everyone, there is a sweet spot where if you find the perfect center of balance - the right angle at your ankles, at your hips, with your back, and where your weight is distributed - you can ride in this position all day. Hands on the hoods, drop your hips just a teeny bit and rotate them backwards a touch (this will make a big difference on your angles). When you find it you won't be using any muscles at all, you'll have a little bit of pressure on your hands, and it feels like you're not doing any work. (For those of you who use an elliptical or similar machine - you know that sweet spot you can find where your body just goes and it feels like automatic pilot? Same thing!) It's really cool to feel. But the flip side to it is to practice riding out of the saddle to find this center of balance and even then, it's kind of hard to do on the bike on the road because you have so many variables. If you practice this either on the trainer or on a spin bike - everything stays the same so you can really focus on the *feel*. Make sense?

For steep sections of a climb where you stay in the saddle to push it: The biggest thing I focus on is trying to pedal in a circle larger than the one of your crank arms, i.e. pull in every direction. It feels weird at first and it's a little more inefficient but once you get it down pat, it makes a big difference. It's also better to hold the handlebar somewhat near the stem and rotate your hips backwards a little in the saddle. This recruits the hamstrings, glutes, and back rather than just quads. Another thing you can focus on is sliding back in the saddle a bit and try and push your foot straight through from 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock. I drop my heels a little to do this. You'll feel the front 1/2 of the bottom of your foot pressing against the bottom of the shoe when you do this. Do not keep your foot level and drive your toes in to the front of the shoe.

For steep sections where you have to get out of the saddle because you either ran out of gears or cadence: This is when it's painful for you and there's no other choice than to stand up. Do whever you can to find the most power. I sometimes bend down a little with my back (vs. being upright), pick my hips up a little, and rotate my hips backwards a bit. I feel I can generate the most power from this position. I also find it better to shift my weight back and pull up on the hoods to keep my moving.


With everything - THE KEY IS FINDING RHYTHM AND BALANCE.

[RoadRaven]

Lots of great tips for what works for people here - and excellent comprehensive ideas from equus...

Just adding one idea/technique of mine.

When I first tried standing, I couldn't do it for long because I felt unstable - I suddenly realised if I stood and kept my thighs just touching the saddle, I felt more in control.

Now I am so used to it, I don't need the physical reassurance to know where my bike is... but it really helped with my confidence and understadning about my bike and me and the space we shared...

[ladyicon]

Thanks for all that info Equus123. I also have trouble figuring out how and when to stand and shift, to sit and shift owwwww it all gets so confusing. Iwill definately try of those climbing techniques since I tend to be a hill slug

[pyxichick]

Definitely use the hoods and not the top of the bars when climbing standing up. This could be the cause of your instability.

Also, I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this or not, but it usually helps to shift into one harder gear when standing versus climbing when sitting.

Kate

[RoadRaven]

Pyxi... I found it hard to use the drops when I first started standing... although once I felt confident standing I ventured onto the drops... and particularly uphill I now find drops much more stable.

[lyca]

Wow, awesome thread! Climbing technique is something I've been stuggling with, too, and I can't wait to try out these ideas on the road this morning.

[equus123]

you're welcome ladies i'm glad i can help!