Trouble with steep hills

[mandinorris]

Hi everyone!

I am a new rider and am having some issues getting up steep hills. I am a small woman (5 foot 110 pounds) and just do not have the strength. I've tried a few hills around my area and pushed as hard as I could until my legs gave out. Unfortunately, at this point it was too late to unclip and I scratched my bike, tore my tights, and cut up my leg.

I need advice on how to begin training/trying to get up those hills! If anyone has any helpful hints that don't involve me tearing up myself or my gear, please let me know!

PS-These hills are on every ride I go on because of where I live (Blue Ridge Mountains-Virginia) and I am starting to hate road biking because I either can't make it up the hills and have to walk them, or I try and fall/scratch bike/cut myself up.

[JennK13]

Hi everyone!

I am a new rider and am having some issues getting up steep hills. I am a small woman (5 foot 110 pounds) and just do not have the strength. I've tried a few hills around my area and pushed as hard as I could until my legs gave out. Unfortunately, at this point it was too late to unclip and I scratched my bike, tore my tights, and cut up my leg.

My first guess would be that you're not in the right gear. You shouldn't be pushing that hard. How steep are these hills and what kind of gearing do you have? I'm in Colorado, so I know climbs. I also ride a 'cross bike and don't have the widest range of gears. I would expect to hear you say you tire from spinning, not that your tired from pushing.

As for falling, if you're in the right gear and just need to build your climbing endurance, I'd put flat pedals on and do hill repeats until you build some stamina.

Keep at it! That's the only way it gets easier (once you have the shifting down!) It's common for beginners to get confused on shifting and not use the proper gearing for climbing.

[OakLeaf]

My first guess would be that you're not in the right gear. You shouldn't be pushing that hard. How steep are these hills and what kind of gearing do you have? I'm in Colorado, so I know climbs. I also ride a 'cross bike and don't have the widest range of gears. I would expect to hear you say you tire from spinning, not that your tired from pushing.

Eastern hills aren't as tall as western ones, but they're steep. In the Blue Ridge, she probably can't ride without encountering a 15% grade at least every few miles, and 20-25% is common. On eastern hills, there really is no spinning at all. We don't have hills shallow enough to spin up!

[FunSize]

I'm 5'2"... in the morning... and under 110. Size doesn't have to do with getting up hills. actually, being smaller, and having a larger power to weight ratio is good! little people have less to push up big hills! Its just getting that power up that is hard at first.

I am limited in my ability to change my bike's components. My bf made me a bike from his old stuff. so I have a double with... maybe a 12/25 cassette (possibly 12/23)? Basically.... there is no spinning on hills for me.

I basically push my pedals just enough to keep me upright. I've been told that as long as you're moving forward you should be able to stay upright.

I'm learning that going up hills, with my bike components, is SLOW, PAINFUL, But doable.

In all honesty, i hate it. The first couple of times riding I panicked and hyperventilated and cried. I didn't realize that I couldn't just sprint up a hill to get it over with. It's really psychological for me.

Also, if your gears DON'T go low enough, the low repetition high resistance will build the leg muscles to do everything better on the bike.

You should take my advice with a grain of salt. I mainly regurgitate advice given to me. But I thought I'd give it to you and let you know you're not the only one to suffer and struggle up hills.

I also think the most times I've fallen over has been trying to go up steep hills.

[JennK13]

Eastern hills aren't as tall as western ones, but they're steep. In the Blue Ridge, she probably can't ride without encountering a 15% grade at least every few miles, and 20-25% is common. On eastern hills, there really is no spinning at all. We don't have hills shallow enough to spin up!

Good to know!

Back to the OP, if you aren't sure of your gearing or if you're in the right gear, do you have someone experienced that you can ride with who can watch what you're doing? We have a friend who has complained for the last year that we've been riding together that she wants different gears because she can't climb. She's been riding some time, both road and mountain. She is a horrible climber and avoids road rides with hills (i've never ridden mtb with her). A couple weeks ago she and her husband joined us on a group ride where she complained about some small hills to my DH who looked down and said, "well, shift" She said she was in the lowest gear. My DH enlightened her by telling her she had a whole entire ring to drop down into - she's had this bike for like 3 years and had no idea that she wasn't using her gears right (i could have killed her hubby! He knows how to ride!) I guess my point is, ask someone. As a group ride leader, I keep an eye on my new riders, and if one is dying I look at their shifting. But I don't typically pay attention to that on "veteran" riders unless they ask. Right away we think they know what they're doing and must need different gears - well, our friend already had those gears! She just didn't know it

[Biciclista]

Eastern hills aren't as tall as western ones, but they're steep. In the Blue Ridge, she probably can't ride without encountering a 15% grade at least every few miles, and 20-25% is common. On eastern hills, there really is no spinning at all. We don't have hills shallow enough to spin up!

what do you mean you don't have hills shallow enough to spin up?

However, I agree about eastern hills can be horrible because the roads were built without the grading requirements that were made 100 years later when we finally paved the western USA.

[Crankin]

I think she means that while the hills in the west are long, the grade is shallow enough to spin up, although it may be long and arduous. Here, it's like ride up and down rollers, go through flats, climb a hill that goes anywhere from 4-25% for half a mile or mile, go down, and repeat.
I just get in a low gear at the base of the hill, leaving enough cogs to shift down as it gets steeper, in a gradual fashion. Sometimes even the granniest of grannies doesn't feel low enough, so then I slow my cadence and just tick the pedals over, just enough so I don't fall over. This strategy got me through the ten mile climb in Spain, as well as the other 2 category rated climbs on this ride, that were shorter.
I have only walked my bike 3 times. Two involved long-ish (half mile) climbs of well over 20%. One I think I could have done if DH had stayed behind me and coached me up; it was all in my head. The other, no way... when I got to the top, there was another long climb of over a mile with just slightly less steep grades, which I did, but if I hadn't walked the first one, no way. The third one was also in Spain. It was a short stretch of highway, which we did right after lunch, in the blazing sun, at about 100 degrees F. I was nauseous just walking up it. Of the 8 people on the tour, only 3 rode up it.

[Christopher]

Slighty OT, but Bicycling Magazine did a short article on the steepest climbs in the lower 48 and all bar one (Onion Valley Road in CA) were in the eastern US.
IIRC the steepest 1-mile climb averaged 16%. Around here there are climbs that steep for only a few hundred yards and they're murder as you cannot rest at all and I have to ride on the nose of the saddle to keep the front wheel on the ground. I can look for the list and post it if anyone is interested.

[emily_in_nc]

What kind of gearing do you have on your bike? You need to have low enough gearing that you can pedal up any hill without killing yourself. I rode a fully loaded bike in the Adirondacks and only had to walk a couple of hills (at the end of LONG days in the saddle when I was just pooped). I am also small and lightweight, so should be a strong climber, but I don't have a lot of power -- it's all about power to weight ratio. My touring bike is geared very low -- a triple crankset in front with a 34T in back (i.e., mountain gearing), so there are no hills I can't climb in it.

Some of it is just training; you'll get stronger in time, but appropriate gearing for the riding you do most often is very important too.

Also, technique is important. Make sure to gear down before you hit the bulk of the hill. It can be very difficult to shift under strain as you need to ease off the pedals just a bit when shifting. If you shift under a lot of strain on a steep hill, you can easily lock up your chain -- I've done it. You need to anticipate and shift ahead of time.

I am sure others will chime in with even more good information and details. I was writing this in a rush, as it is bed time. Best of luck, and don't give up!

[mandinorris]

What kind of gearing do you have on your bike? You need to have low enough gearing that you can pedal up any hill without killing yourself. I rode a fully loaded bike in the Adirondacks and only had to walk a couple of hills (at the end of LONG days in the saddle when I was just pooped). I am also small and lightweight, so should be a strong climber, but I don't have a lot of power -- it's all about power to weight ratio. My touring bike is geared very low -- a triple crankset in front with a 34T in back (i.e., mountain gearing), so there are no hills I can't climb in it.

Some of it is just training; you'll get stronger in time, but appropriate gearing for the riding you do most often is very important too.

Also, technique is important. Make sure to gear down before you hit the bulk of the hill. It can be very difficult to shift under strain as you need to ease off the pedals just a bit when shifting. If you shift under a lot of strain on a steep hill, you can easily lock up your chain -- I've done it. You need to anticipate and shift ahead of time.

I am sure others will chime in with even more good information and details. I was writing this in a rush, as it is bed time. Best of luck, and don't give up!

It's not my gearing...I have a nice bike with a nice crankset/shifters etc.

It's my muscles/body ..I am not used to that type of activity and I am a small woman.

[Crankin]

What do you mean by a "nice crankset and gearing?"
Do you have a compact double or a triple? Or a regular double? What's your lowest cog? There's a huge difference in these, for a beginning rider, no matter the level of your components.
I am a small person, too, 5' 1" <110 lbs. I am not the strongest person in the world, but after 10 years of riding and training in an area with lots of short, steep hills, I can get up almost anything. I may not do it at a high speed, but I feel confident I can get up the hill.
Nothing will improve your hill climbing ability like riding hills all of the time. You've been given great suggestions here. And don't forget that a good part of this is mental. Some people sing to themselves while climbing. I repeat a positive mantra, which changes from time to time. If I let myself get to the point of swearing, well, it's more likely I will want to give up.

[mandinorris]

What do you mean by a "nice crankset and gearing?"
Do you have a compact double or a triple? Or a regular double? What's your lowest cog? There's a huge difference in these, for a beginning rider, no matter the level of your components.
I am a small person, too, 5' 1" <110 lbs. I am not the strongest person in the world, but after 10 years of riding and training in an area with lots of short, steep hills, I can get up almost anything. I may not do it at a high speed, but I feel confident I can get up the hill.
Nothing will improve your hill climbing ability like riding hills all of the time. You've been given great suggestions here. And don't forget that a good part of this is mental. Some people sing to themselves while climbing. I repeat a positive mantra, which changes from time to time. If I let myself get to the point of swearing, well, it's more likely I will want to give up.

I guess my thing is that it is physical for me. I try as hard as I can and then I just can't push anymore.

I think from the advice given, my best bet is repetition to build the strength to get up the 12% + hills

[Biciclista]

and Mandi, for sure, your smallness is an asset. TRUST US on that.
It took me 3 years to build strength enough to ride anywhere, and that does NOT include steep hills. Someone just bragged that they have only walked 3 times.... I can't tell you how many times I have walked up hills. HOWEVER, I have gotten stronger (and darn, as I've gotten stronger, I've gotten heavier, I must have gained 10 lbs just in my legs, and it shows)
and I have actually done an 18 mile hillclimb and some other rides that were JUST all about hills. (and I still walk sometimes)

So I can promise you, if you keep working at it you will get better.

ps, can you put your bike in your car and start somewhere a little better? I don't envy your hills!

[OakLeaf]

Ask your bike shop what it would take to put lower gears on your bike. The simplest and least expensive swap would be a new cassette (rear cog set). How low you can go with that, depends on your rear derailleur.

Training for hills is like training for anything - take them in small chunks at first and build. Do hill repeats. If there's a hill you can get all the way up, do it over and over again - if not, then just climb for two or three minutes, turn around and go back to the bottom, then do it again, and keep doing it until you're worn out. Do this once a week, and also make sure you schedule rest days into your training plan - rest days are when you actually get stronger from the stimulus of your workouts!

Make sure your nutrition is good, both off and on the bike. Women especially often need to eat something during a workout longer than an hour or two. Running out of calories (stored glycogen) during a workout doesn't usually feel like hungry, it feels like tired and weak. You might need extra protein while you're building muscle, depending on what your diet is like - especially after a hard workout.

Don't be ashamed to get off and walk when you need to. Most everyone does. Better to do that than to wait until too late to unclip, as you found out. (Hope you and your bike aren't too banged up!)

Being small and light is actually a big advantage on hills. Before you know it you'll be leaving the big guys in your dust.

And - welcome to TE!