Hills -- is it true?

[Grog]

Something I underestimated is shifting skills and momentum. This works for rollers, mostly. I spent a month on Vancouver Island this summer and it was ALL rolling hills, everywhere, and pretty serious hills in many cases. I have improved my shifting a lot, to a point where I can now sometimes pass my Dear Partner - a MUCH stronger cyclist than me, especially on hills - on an uphill with no hopes for him to catch up. I'm pretty sure that fitness is not the factor here, but strategy.

I thought he was just being nice in letting me pass him and not re-passing me immediately! But when he told me he actually couldn't catch up I started observing what I was doing on those specific occasions. I realized that, on the end of a given downhill, I'd shift up (or increase cadence if no bigger gears were available) and take all the speed I could find. Then I would start the climb and as soon as I started feeling resistance I'd shift down pretty quickly, maintaining a very high cadence.

In other words, it means no real resting on the downhill. But a really fun time on the uphill!!!!

In any case, practice is the key. There is no other way to get good on hills. Sometimes slow, sometimes fast, in different gears, trying different tricks, sitting, standing, singing (it helps). Smiling at the hill is also a booster! I think it makes the hill shy away.

[DDH]

Wouldn't it be a perfect world if we could all as beginers have a personal trainer to help us through these difficult things that come up.
I ride a lot of hills, not real steap all the time, but lots of the regardless. I would think that since I have no choice and that is all I have around here, I would get better and that just doesn't seem like the case.
I just keep plugging away though, and hope someday, all of the sudden I will be able to go up a hill at more than 4 mph, and or not have to get off and walk.

[Kano]

I just keep plugging away though, and hope someday, all of the sudden I will be able to go up a hill at more than 4 mph, and or not have to get off and walk.

Donna -- this sounds lots like me!!! Well, I'm too stubborn to get off and walk, though on the big ones I stop and breathe for a while here and there. But I sure do get excited when I can stay at 5mph!

I think plugging away at hills is the key, but I'm very excited to try some of the little things we're reading here!

Last night, I was thinking I could hardly wait to get back out on the bike. This morning, my leg muscles are saying they're very glad I have to work today and watch the grandbabies tomorrow! That hill yesterday must have been a doozy!

Karen in Boise

[li10up]

I realized that, on the end of a given downhill, I'd shift up (or increase cadence if no bigger gears were available) and take all the speed I could find. Then I would start the climb and as soon as I started feeling resistance I'd shift down pretty quickly, maintaining a very high cadence.

This brings up something I've been wondering about. I use the speed from the downhills to help make it up the next rise but then I always get passed by someone about 2/3 of the way to the top. What is the best way to climb...stay in a hard gear as long as possible and then shift or shift sooner? Staying in a hard gear could wear your legs out sooner but down shifting too soon causes you to gain less ground per pedal stroke. So what is the best way?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

What is the best way to climb...stay in a hard gear as long as possible and then shift or shift sooner? Staying in a hard gear could wear your legs out sooner but down shifting too soon causes you to gain less ground per pedal stroke. So what is the best way?

I would think it depends a lot on HOW you want to get up that hill. What's the goal for that hill?: Do you want to get up the hill in the least amount of time while pushing your body to the max? Or do you want to get up the hill while conserving your energy so you can better tackle the rest of the ride or the next big hill?

[Grog]

This brings up something I've been wondering about. I use the speed from the downhills to help make it up the next rise but then I always get passed by someone about 2/3 of the way to the top. What is the best way to climb...stay in a hard gear as long as possible and then shift or shift sooner? Staying in a hard gear could wear your legs out sooner but down shifting too soon causes you to gain less ground per pedal stroke. So what is the best way?

DO shift BEFORE it gets difficult.

If you have a moderately recent road bike you have a pretty broad selection of gears just 1-2 teeth from each other. I shift down one or two gears at the time, as soon as there is any resistance. I keep my cadence relatively high through the hill. Of course I still might be passed in the end by strong cyclists, but the idea is not to loose momentum, and to avoid loosing speed quickly (which will definitely happen if you wait until it's hard to shift down).

Good luck!!

[Trekhawk]

DO shift BEFORE it gets difficult.

If you have a moderately recent road bike you have a pretty broad selection of gears just 1-2 teeth from each other. I shift down one or two gears at the time, as soon as there is any resistance. I keep my cadence relatively high through the hill. Of course I still might be passed in the end by strong cyclists, but the idea is not to loose momentum, and to avoid loosing speed quickly (which will definitely happen if you wait until it's hard to shift down).

Good luck!!

I read an article lately that said pretty much what Grog is saying. It said change earlier rather than later and if you still have energy near the top change to a harder gear and power over the crest.
LOL - cant tell you if that works because well hmm.....Im yet to have energy near the top of any big climb.

[kelownagirl]

Oh, that's exactly what I've been doing but you've put it into words for me! And it was working the same way - I have even passed dh a few times when normally I never could. Too bad he usually uses the same strategy... Anyways, I do it well on the rolling hills, but I die on the longer ones whether they are steep or not. Not enough stamina (yet

barb

Something I underestimated is shifting skills and momentum. This works for rollers, mostly. I spent a month on Vancouver Island this summer and it was ALL rolling hills, everywhere, and pretty serious hills in many cases. I have improved my shifting a lot, to a point where I can now sometimes pass my Dear Partner - a MUCH stronger cyclist than me, especially on hills - on an uphill with no hopes for him to catch up. I'm pretty sure that fitness is not the factor here, but strategy.

I thought he was just being nice in letting me pass him and not re-passing me immediately! But when he told me he actually couldn't catch up I started observing what I was doing on those specific occasions. I realized that, on the end of a given downhill, I'd shift up (or increase cadence if no bigger gears were available) and take all the speed I could find. Then I would start the climb and as soon as I started feeling resistance I'd shift down pretty quickly, maintaining a very high cadence.

In other words, it means no real resting on the downhill. But a really fun time on the uphill!!!!

In any case, practice is the key. There is no other way to get good on hills. Sometimes slow, sometimes fast, in different gears, trying different tricks, sitting, standing, singing (it helps). Smiling at the hill is also a booster! I think it makes the hill shy away.

[kelownagirl]

Standing just tires me out so fast, but I like doing it. The main time I really stand is when I take off when the light turns green at an intersection. And that makes me feel like a kid, like someone else already mentioned..

[SouthernBelle]

Standing just tires me out so fast, but I like doing it. The main time I really stand is when I take off when the light turns green at an intersection. And that makes me feel like a kid, like someone else already mentioned..

That's when I can stand!!

[BeeLady]

I am doing much better on hills mainly by concentrating on keeping my cadence steady in lower gears and have at times been able to go into a higher gear near the top to get over the top fast and moving well into the descent.

When I try to stand, however, when I'm in a low enough gear that can keep me at 75 cadence or so, its like there's no resistence when I stand and no significant forward movement. Should I be shifting into a higher gear before I stand? I have toyed with that but because I have dislocated my right kneecap several times in my past life, I worry about stressing the knee by standing and pushing a bigger gear. I don't know if the standing or the bigger gear is what seems to stress it. Standing while in a small gear doesnt seem right or am I just not doing it right?

I am doing small arc knee extensions to strenghten my knee but the question I have is once I can push a bigger gear standing is that what the object is? Move along with my smooth cadence, shift up and then stand?

Or just enjoy the fact that I've improved as much as I have on hills (no longer will I go a mile out of my way to avoid one!) and leave the standing til Im stronger in general??? (Like I really have a choice )

[Crankin]

You can't avoid hills where I live! But, I also find it very difficult to stand and climb on the big ones. First, it was a balance issue and the fact that i was in too low of a gear. Now I will stand on little rollers, but I find it really doesn't get me that much more speed (1-2 mph) going up the little rollers. It raises my HR more than I like, too. On a really steep climb I stay seated. Usually near the top, where poeple tell you to get up out of the saddle, I don't have the strength to do that. I'm talking about 12-18% grades here... I focus on even, steady pedal strokes, my breathing, and usually I try to remember what I do when mountain biking. I do gear up at the beginning of a long and/or steep climb. While I will be in the granny gear, I will stay in a pretty high cog until I start feeling the need to shift down. That way I actually have some gears to shift down to. I have never had to walk up a hill using this strategy, including some really challenging ones in Austria. I don't really care how fast I am going, but now I can climb medium hills at 10-11 mph and really steep ones at 6-8. I did see 5 a few times in Europe, though.

[liberty]

My deal with standing is that for some reason it would torque my left knee (before I went clipless). Hills that I would be painfree on if I sat and pedaled were suddenly stressing out that knee and I'd need a week to recover. Had basically written off standing up hills. Part of my reason for standing was I wanted to be able to go faster up the hills, and sometimes it was because I was too tired to try to sit and pedal/wait to get up them... Odd, I know. And it makes no sense to me as I write this... These are all types of hills: long ones, short and steep ones, long and steep ones... No matter, if I stood up it, I paid for it. Since I got the clipless I am hoping that it keeps my knee more stable and I can go up the hills easier. Aerobic fitness? Still trying to regain that. So for me right now it is the easiest gears all the way up, baby. At the top of the hill I collapse in a pile until my breathing recovers, and then I keep going. Fun stuff.

[Cassandra_Cain]

When I try to stand, however, when I'm in a low enough gear that can keep me at 75 cadence or so, its like there's no resistence when I stand and no significant forward movement. Should I be shifting into a higher gear before I stand? I have toyed with that but because I have dislocated my right kneecap several times in my past life, I worry about stressing the knee by standing and pushing a bigger gear. I don't know if the standing or the bigger gear is what seems to stress it. Standing while in a small gear doesnt seem right or am I just not doing it right?

Hi Bee - when I am going to stand while climbing, I generally shift up 1 or 2 gears. As you've discovered, standing and trying to pedal in an easy gear is not very productive. When you stand you produce a bit more power than when sitting because more of your body weight is over the cranks and your arms help a bit too.

I am doing small arc knee extensions to strenghten my knee but the question I have is once I can push a bigger gear standing is that what the object is? Move along with my smooth cadence, shift up and then stand?

Or just enjoy the fact that I've improved as much as I have on hills (no longer will I go a mile out of my way to avoid one!) and leave the standing til Im stronger in general??? (Like I really have a choice )

Hmmm, I'd say the object is getting up the hill as fast and comfortably as possible right?

Standing while climbing uses up a disproportionate amount of energy. If you ever watch a professional cycling race, you'll notice that the riders that spend the most time standing while on a climb, are those with very light 'climber' builds. I'm talking 5'7", 130 pounds here. The rest of us conserve much more energy by sitting most of the time.