Building up my miles

[OakLeaf]

Standing on hills takes more effort than staying seated.

Standing takes more cardiopulmonary effort. Sitting and spinning takes more leg muscle.

Most people (but definitely not all) run out of muscle before they run out of lungs. So yeah - spin as a "general" rule, and if your cardiovascular fitness is up to it, stand to crest the short steep ones, stand occasionally to change things up on the long steady ones.

But definitely, if you're struggling with a hill, downshift!! Even if you're not struggling with the effort, most people agree that a cadence below about 50 can be pretty hard on your knees - not to mention making it harder to keep your balance and hold a line.

Shifting during a climb takes some technique, because a chain/derailleur won't shift well under load, but you have to keep pedaling or it won't shift at all. You need to pedal hard for one stroke to give yourself room to "coast," then momentarily back off the pressure and soft-pedal to shift. The steeper the hill and the closer your legs are to their limit, the harder that is to do.

So first of all, practice shifting on the flats and downhills. Practice maintaining a steady cadence and shifting to keep it going, just as you would to keep a car or motorcycle engine's RPMs in its power band. Use a lower gear into the wind, a higher one with the wind at your back. Learn to anticipate your shift points on a climb - shifting too early will mean spinning like crazy before you have to, but shifting too late will mean overtaxing your strength and potentially getting to a point where you can't shift at all.

You'll get there!

[sundial]

Dogmama posted this before and I think it's a good read: 5 Ways to Become a Better Climber

[Little Lyon]

Learn to anticipate your shift points on a climb - shifting too early will mean spinning like crazy before you have to, but shifting too late will mean overtaxing your strength and potentially getting to a point where you can't shift at all.

You'll get there!

Yeah, that part is hard for me. I start going up the hill and then when I shift, I can feel the chain kind of "jerking". I feel kinda bad for my bike Figuring out how to shift for hills is going to be hard, I think.

[sundial]

Little, I try to maintain the same cadence throughout the climb so I'm shifting often. Remember to let the hill come to you instead of speeding up to attack the hill. Look 10 feet in front of you and just focus on your rhythm. It will come together for you.