Quote Originally Posted by Catrin View Post
This is an interesting thread. On a related topic I TRIED to start going up a little hill on a mtb trail the other day...and lifted the front wheel off the ground in the attempt I walked it to the top and then started....
Back in the stone age when I mountain biked, I learned a really effective technique for going up hills. Basically, your upper body should look like a jockey racing a galloping horse - your butt should hover over the back part of the saddle (so you get traction on the rear tire), and the back should be kinda horizontal with your shoulders down and forward (to weight the front wheel and keep it from lifting up). In that crouched position, you can easily move your torso forward or backward to attain a good compromise between rear traction and front stability.