Uphill skills

[GreenLady]

I also found that it's usually easier (for me, at least) to power up a hill rather than go slower, even in the same gear. It might be a matter of conserving momentum. It seems a little strange, but it works.

[armanns]

I saw something the other day on my commute home that I would like to try. A guy was riding in a high gear on the flats--in other words he was off the seat, doing a standing pedal.

Of course the balance issues are different but this should create some of the same aerobic needs as cycling up hill.

Quillfred

My best pal has been riding 25 years-She is often out of the saddle on flats, and she can climb any mountain just about without sweating or even breathing that hard. (and she rides a 37 pound Rivendell) I have ridden behind her for 3 years now. I have begun to do what she does, high gear, out of the saddle. It builds your core. especially with aheadwind, and it helps you with climbing eventually.It helped me.

[Dok-torr]

I read an article in one of the british mags recently that pointed out something really obvious that I had never thought of before, about the need to be good at climbing:

To gain ground on another rider (to catch up a group to sit on or in a race) you need to put in 8 times the power to go twice as fast; assuming most of the slowing factors are wind and road resistance. But to gain on a climb since you are battling gravity more than wind and road resistance (of course they still play a part but proportionally less) you only have to double your power to double your speed.
Pretty big pay-off don't you think?
Get good on hills and you will always arrive home fresher than your pals.
(Armstrong and Basso both started to win once they got good at climbing! Hey I can dream!)

[chartman64]

I'm not sure the camera quite captures its horrors, but here are two shots from the bottom looking up and the top looking down of 2/3 of my monster hill. At the top, it levels out, then makes a sharp left turn and then there's an S-shaped not quite as steep incline which curves around to the very top of the hill.

BTW -I'm mathematically challenged - how does one determine the percentage of incline/grade?

[SalsaMTB]

Once you find a gear you can make it up a hill in, next time try making it up in one higher (harder) gear. It will make your legs stronger.

I have a couple mountain bike magazine at home that say the same thing. When training, put it in a harder gear and try to muscle your way up. You probably won't make it at first, but it will build your muscles so you eventually will. They said just always going in the same gear and spinning like crazy will not improve your climbing. I haven't tried it, but I want to, it makes sense. They also recommended not doing this on group rides...cause it will slow you down

So, shift into a harder gear and muscle your way up as far as you can. Also, try some interval training, that would probably help also!

[Grog]

I'm not sure the camera quite captures its horrors, but here are two shots from the bottom looking up and the top looking down of 2/3 of my monster hill. At the top, it levels out, then makes a sharp left turn and then there's an S-shaped not quite as steep incline which curves around to the very top of the hill.

BTW -I'm mathematically challenged - how does one determine the percentage of incline/grade?

Seeing the pics, my reflex was getting up from my chair That's definitely a hill I'd stand on, unless it would go on for more than, say, half a mile.

To measure the incline %, just know how much elevation you gain in how much distance. Example: if you gain 5 meters elevation over 100 meters distance, that's a 5% incline, 50 meters over 1 km is 5% too, whereas 100 meters over 1km is 10%. The metric system makes this much easier to calculate!!

[kelownagirl]

BTW -I'm mathematically challenged - how does one determine the percentage of incline/grade?

I use this website to automatically calculate the incline.

http://www.csgnetwork.com/inclinedeclinegradecalc.html

And I usually get the changes in elevation and the distance from google earth which someone kindly recommended!

barb

[kelownagirl]

BTW -I'm mathematically challenged - how does one determine the percentage of incline/grade?

I use this website to automatically calculate the incline.

http://www.csgnetwork.com/inclinedeclinegradecalc.html

And I usually get the changes in elevation and the distance from google earth which someone kindly recommended!

barb

[li10up]

I'm not sure the camera quite captures its horrors, but here are two shots from the bottom looking up and the top looking down of 2/3 of my monster hill. At the top, it levels out, then makes a sharp left turn and then there's an S-shaped not quite as steep incline which curves around to the very top of the hill.

Oooh, oooh, ooooh I want to try that hill! It would probably kick my butt but trying it every day for awhile would definately make me a much better climber!! That is one kick @ss hill!

[chartman64]

OK - downloaded Google Earth, checked the values -- apparently nowhere near as steep as I thought. I ran the figures in the grade/incline calculator and my monster hill is actually only a 15% incline for a tenth of a mile.

[copaiba]

a 15% incline is somthin' to train on. is that a stop sign at the bottom of the hill?
i'm such a chicken on the descent......

[petals]

First-mashing is a waste of muscle (my opinion)
Second-weights, resistance training, squats what ever excercise that works for you- build your legs!!
Third- no shame in the snake!!! the last technique we use (hubby, brother and some friends) before we decide to dismount the bike on steep inclines. the snake is going back and forth across the road in the pattern a snake would use to gain a little speed and rest the legs.

We ride our bikes in the White Mountains of Maine and have found a few good techniques.

1st- lightweight bikes lots of gears!! Downshift as you need comfort -no mashing. As someone else mentioned shift up a few and stand for a bit, when you sit shift down as you need. Try to keep a bit in reserve. You can use this a few times on steep hills.

2nd- spin up sitting up in control without losing momentum straight not bouncing in your seat!

3rd- the snake!!! It is less shame than walking!!

It all works for me.

[Dogmama]

First-mashing is a waste of muscle (my opinion)
Second-weights, resistance training, squats what ever excercise that works for you- build your legs!!

Agree 100%. Mashing trashes your legs and can hurt your knees. Keep pedaling in a circle. You may have to shift to easier gears than normal but once you get it (teach your legs - it's call muscle memory) you will fly up inclines.

Bulgarian split squats. Try it - you don't need a gym. C'mon. I see you out there. Drop the donut & follow me:

First, put a chair parallel to a wall, table, etc., so you can balance yourself. Stand with your back a couple of feet from the chair. Bend one leg & place the top of your foot on the chair. Get ready to reach for the table/wall, etc. Now, lunge with your opposite leg (that would be the one on the floor.) Don't let your knee travel past the top of your foot & practice pushing back with your glute. Great for quads, your core & your booty.

Seated hamstring curls, if you have access to a gym. Best thing that mimics pulling back on the pedal.

Of course, the best way to get stronger climbing hills is to climb hills.

[Bad JuJu]

Dogmama--thanks for the exercise tip.

Chartman64--that hill looks scarier looking down than looking up--yikes!

I've been following a particular cycling fitness program that suggests "pulling up on the handlebars" when you're pedaling hard, particularly on hills (in the saddle, anyway). When I've tried this, it seems to work OK on the downstroke, but if I try to do it while maintaining a nice, round pedal stroke, my bike wants to wander all over the road on the upstroke--that is, I can't seem to pull on the bars AND pull up and back smoothly on the pedal. So do any of you do this pulling up on the bars when pedaling hard on hills, or does this just sound like some idiosyncracy in the program I'm using?

By the way, the program is outlined in the book 7-Week Cycling for Fitness by Chris Sidwell, and I'm using it to get back into shape after being off my bike for a long time. I like the program generally, but this pulling up thing has me perplexed. Any ideas?

[RoadRaven]

The best way to get better on hills is to climb more hills.

Workouts at the gym will make your muscles strong... for working out at the gym...
Example: Lance Armstrong doesn't climb at a cadance of 85 by working out at the gym, doing squats or whatever... he did/does it by climbing.
Squats etc will augment your muscle power... but hill reps are the best way to improve on hills.

I suggest hill reps once a week for someone my age... you don't over-stress your knees that way, and you give your body the time to recover (someone younger might do hill reps twice a week)

Like Delta suggests, speed at the bottom can make you faster up the initial part of the hill... I always endeavour to use my momentum to carry me up faster than I can climb.

As Delta and Kimmy also point out, get in the right gear... avoid trying major shifts between the front chain rings during a climb as you will be much more likely to drop your chain if you change gears in mid-climb.

Staying seated is actually more efficient for most people, and if you are newish to riding, then stand with caution - and only near the top of the climb, because until you get used to standing it can be more exhausting to sit down again and try and grind the rest of the way up.

However, my partner is like Armanns friend and he will often ride with me standing - because I go so slow. However, in a race he mashes his way up a hill seated in a big gear between 24kph and 36kph - depending on the gradient he will stand as/when it gets very steep - staying in the big gear still.

A golden rule for hills is NEVER walk. Get in a low gear, set your own rythym and forget what others do. Ride to your rythym because if you try to keep up with others your will blow your heart-rate. If you must stop on a hill, fine, stop, rest a minute or two, then hop back on and keep going (you may have to start downhill and then turn to come back up after you have clipped in). Never walking gives you a huge psychological advantage in your own headspace.

Like Mom says... weight makes a huge difference... each kilogram (2 pounds) we carry makes about 6 seconds slower over each kilometre... so if you are commuting and carrying loads of stuff (or like me and need to drop another 20kgs) then you will be slower up a hill.

Good luck and have fun... remember the great thing about going up hills is the coming down the other side! Woohoo!