Inclines, Hills and shifting

[tctrek]

Then get off the bike and walk.

I've met lots of nice people while walking my bike up hills. It's a nice break. Take a drink or two of water, make a phone call to your beloved, sing a song, admire some gardens.

+1 on that! My problem is I ride 3 mph better than I walk up hills. So, I have mastered sitting up, gripping the bars and mozying up the hill at speeds slower than most people walk!

[RolliePollie]

+1 on that! My problem is I ride 3 mph better than I walk up hills. So, I have mastered sitting up, gripping the bars and mozying up the hill at speeds slower than most people walk!

This made me laugh because today I was trying to catch up with some people walking up a hill a ways up ahead of me, but at about 3.8 mph, I could not for the life of me catch up to them. It made me seriously consider getting off and walking. Although it is hard to walk in cycling shoes.

Back to the shifting thing...I like to spin fast and easy instead of trying to stay in a harder gear. And I can't stand up and pedal...don't know why but I just can't do it. I find that I make it up the hill in about the same time whether I am spinning or mashing. And mashing is too hard and it hurts my knees. All in all though, any way you get to the top is fine. Walking the bike or riding the bike...it's getting to the top that counts.

[Catrin]

Today I rode on "real" hills in southern Indiana - I was in the granny gear more than the entire time that I've been riding! Ok, so that has only been 7 months but work with me here

I only had to walk one of the hills - it was on a detour I wound up making... I could have ridden the remaining couple of hundred feet but I was going 2.9 mph and could no longer hold anything remotely resembling a line. It was a narrow twisty road and I was having to weave back and forth in the lane to keep going. I pictured a pickup truck barreling up the hill...and walked it to the top

My "detour" kept me from climbing the 1.5 mile hill that I was told about, but there certainly were some pretty strong hills on my detour - though probably not the same.

[WolfGirl]

I'm not enjoying the hill thing at all this summer, and I don't think I know what "spinning" actually is. I tend to ride at whatever gear allows me to cruise along pretty easily and quickly; I like speed with reasonable effort. But I was wondering about my approach a couple months ago when I happened alongside a woman going about my pace, but her pedals were going around a lot faster than mine. This was on roughly a flat bit for maybe 10 seconds total where we kept abreast (until the urge came over me and I pulled ahead ). My question is, am I doing it "wrong"? Should I be aiming for more spinning in a lower (easier, whatever) gear than pushing my muscles harder force-wise against the pedals? What IS spinning?

Which gets me back to the hills thing; I'm wondering if I aim for more spinning, if it might help me with hills somehow? I have a commute to work that's less than a mile and a half, but on the way home it's almost entirely uphill, and a fairly steep hill at that. I was slogging my way home in the lowest gear the other day when some guy on a road bike (mine's a flat-bar road bike) CRUISED past me up the hill and away. I'd have thrown my pannier at him if he'd not been in the next county by that time. Am I just so out of shape? I mean, I'm not exactly lean and mean right now, but...really? What am I doing wrong?

[tctrek]

I suck on hills, but I know that the only way to get better at hills is to ride hills. Experiment with gears and cadence that work for you. Figure out how to get up the hill without blowing up your heart rate too much. I used to attack every hill, now I mozy up the hills and live to ride another day.

[Crankin]

Yes, if you practice spinning (using a higher cadence as you described the person you saw) on flats, it will be easier to climb doing this. It works for me and while I can often drop people on climbs, I think it's time to work on a little endurance... today a group of 3 pretty fast riders passed me at the bottom of a small hill I am very familiar with. I decided to catch them, which was not that hard, as they slowed more than I imagined they would. I hung with them until the top, but they shot away from me when they got to the flat. Since I was riding with people, I didn't try, but I am basically lazy when I get on the flats.
Spinning really does save your knees.

[schnitzle]

Wow so much good information! Thanks everyone!

Congrats on the cycling and weightloss kcmpls I've been reading your thread about commuting to work. I'm excited to see how things go for you on Tuesday!

Muirenn, that is a fantastic article. Thanks

I have to get out and practice so I can bug you guys with more questions. heh heh

[OakLeaf]

Catrin, I wouldn't necessarily try standing until you've mastered clipless.

It can be done (you see little kids doing it all the time), but there's always the chance your foot will slip.

JMO, and others may disagree.

[Cait]

[QUOTE=Catrin;521924]Today I rode on "real" hills in southern Indiana - I was in the granny gear more than the entire time that I've been riding! Ok, so that has only been 7 months but work with me here QUOTE]

Any suggestions on routes with good hills? I've never ridden southern Indiana before but I'm doing the Hilly Hundred this year and need some practice.