When to stand and when not to...

bossman13

Can anyone offer any advice on when's good to stand up and pump the pedals hard and when just to sit tight and spin your way up a hill.

I have read sheldon's piece which basically advises not to stand unless you really have to but i have been finding that:

- standing really helps relieve pressure build up on arse
- standing uses different muscle sets and so gives the quads a bit of a break
- standing for certain climbs normally means i'm less knackered at end of the ride!
- standing up for a climb = quicker to get to top
- sitting for the duration of longish hills can give me a sore lower back

Is their a hard and fast rule or should i just go with whats comfortable ??

Thanks...

Blonde

It's up to you. It's not an exact science. It is more efficient in terms of less muscle fatigue to spin up hills, but in terms of the amount of oxygen you need to get up the hill, I read it's about the same amount whether you sit or stand, so it doesn't really make much difference in this country. On our UK short and steep hills I sometimes get out of the saddle to get it over with more quickly. If you are in the Alps, or other mountains, though, you will sit down and spin for the vast majority of each climb - you just will, because your muscles will fatigue after just a couple of kms if you dont!

Richie G

Not sure of the science behind it, but i try and spin in the saddle as much as i can. I find i can keep a higher cadence so can stay in a lower gear. Of course if you find you're feeling strong there's nothing to stop you flicking up a couple of gears and getting out of the saddle to accelerate as you near the top. I think the accepted wisdom is start conservatively- better to start slow and build it up than blow halfway up!

heavymental

Hi Bossman. If you have found that the list of advantages you posted above is true for you then keep doing what you're doing I think. Theres no use following some advice if it doesn't work for you. Stand up, sit down, stand up again. Anything that makes the hill feel easier!

andrewc3142

What's comfortable. Probably, the more you ride the more you'll stand to get up short hills, but not necessarily.

formerlyknownasbonj

i personally stand either just on steeper hills, or at the top section of a hill.
I find it helps to not try and spin at a really fast cadence when standing - when standing i'll normally be at least a couple or even 3 sprockets higher up the cassette than going up at the same speed sitting down.
But yes, the advice i would strongly recommend you take is do what's comfortable, don't feel you need to do something because it's "the theory" or because Sheldon says you must or because you've read it in a textbook.

bossman13

thanks for all the wise words..seems i am not doing too much wrong!

completely empathise with above post. if i just stand and start hammering it without clicking up a couple i get completely knackered. peversely it seems a bit easier with more resistance.

should have mentioned, still on my MTB with front suspension so any gradient is a challenge. cant wait for that road bike to arrive

ddraver

certainly stand for short sharp climbs...as in 30-45 secs long..then sit to go over the very top (but don't stop!!!) to regain some energy

at least thats what the off road guys do....

adifiddler

I think it comes down to experience. As you become more experienced and you build the right muscle group you will find you spend more time in the saddle

McBain_v1

Do lots of HEAVY squats and you will magically find that you don't need to stand in order to power your way up hills.

That said, if you are going for a killer sprint up a hill, the only way is to stand.

Stark.

I think it's good for the body to vary your position from time to time. If you've spent a long time sitting and spinning, shift into a slightly tougher gear and then stand up.

A bit more resistance works for me, as I find pedalling a high cadence when out of the saddle pretty uncomfortable.

Most importantly of all, I think it's about finding the right rhythm and pacing yourself.

daniel_b

Used to find when climing a hill on an MTB, that invariably I would have to get out of the saddle pretty damned soon, and although I would get up the hill fater, it did take it's toll.

On my newly acquired roadie, going up hills I now find it more natural to stay seated and put my hands on the flats, and I can power up the hills with ease, and even accelerate when before I would be slowing down, the net result (for me) being that at the top of the hill, I can get up to normal speed again, and not need to take a breather

What bike are you getting bm?

Dan

bossman13

not sure yet Dan. gonna use the old C2Work scheme so could be 600 or 1k budget.

to be honest, going from not having ever ridden a road bike to splashing a grand on one seems a bit extreme :shock:

i currently do 25 mile round trip to work 4 times a week and am hoping that a decent roadie will make all the difference and give me that incentive i need to get up in the pitch black freezing cold wet winter months and cycle to work.

any suggestions welcomed - have left a couple of questions on the GIANT thread too...

daniel_b

Similar thing with me, only i don;t have the cycle to work scheme.

I bought my Felt off ebay, for roughly half what it cost when new, and it had been pampered, and only done around 500 miles, major result.

You say your spending a grand, but in reality your not, as you will have the Tax savings, worst case, if you spend the full 1K, you'll end uo paying around £700, best case closer to £550, so it does make sense!

Focus bikes (Wiggle) are meant to be rather good for the mula, and you can't really go wrong with the likes of Specialized, Trek, or Felt

Dan

thebikeliker

I often stand and look at the hills and think of riding up them. Then again I sometimes do the same sat down.

Haven't really noticed any advantage to either. :roll:

stevec205gti

When I used to be younger - and more importantly when i used to live near hills instead of this boring Fenland flat stuff - i used to find that if i was struggling on a climb I could get into a nice rhythm by doing a set number of pedal strokes stood up, then a set number seated, and work my way up hills like that. I find spinning your way up is ok if it's a constant climb, but if it varies so you have little steep sections getting out the saddle is a good way of not throwing your seated rhythm.