climbing techniques

stubs

Whats the best way to climb should I sit down get in a really low gear and just keep the cranks turning till I fall over out of sheer boredom or is it better to get out of the saddle and shag the stem and keep going till my thighs explode :?

BlackSpur

Take a look at this

http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/go-20-faster-climb-at-speed-13383

Blundell

Being seated is always the best bet, you have more control over the back wheel and it's inherently more powerful than standing and slugging it out. I'd go for the easier spin of the cranks over the slower 'piston legs' aswell unless its a mudfest, where you've just got to go for it regardless!

Pippen33

You'll cover more distance on the saddle and agree that it does get a little boring. Out of the saddle is more anaerobic and also great for your lower back, definitely the choice for me.

stubs

I hate to agree with you guys but you are right :x I went out and tested myself on a little climb that I do takes approx 4 minutes I did it sat down and spun it to the top in 4min 10 secs and I felt okay
had a fig roll and a quick breather then did it again banzai style took me 3 min 55 secs but I was absolutely cream crackered and nearly coughed up me fig roll

the fig roll proof that god is a cyclist and she wants us to do another lap

Marjory Stewart BAxtor

don't get too many hills here in norfolk but my method is to choke up on the stem, out of the saddle, and breathe realy slowly and deep. keep cranks moving in a low gear and pace yourself.

not only will the attack position give you better force on your pedals but by controlling your breathing and pacing sensibly you wont get the whole `urgh urgu urgh urgh urrrrrrghhhhhhhhh - so knackered!` thing when you get to the summit which will give you the energy to bomb the downhill

Papa Smurf

BlackSpur wrote:

Take a look at this

http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/go-20-faster-climb-at-speed-13383

I found that rather helpfull, thanks!

Must get out and practice more, but it's so muddy atm and with everything being so steep I seem to spend more time spinning out and slipping than I do climbing, and if it's not that it's my asthma making me nearly faint when I reach the top, or near it...

Matteeboy

Weight almost off the front of the bike but with elbows "pulling" down and back towards the bottom of the back wheel.

Lowish but not too low gear and stay in that saddle.

Seems to work okay.

streako

I prefer out of the saddle for quick bursts, but it is also useful for longer smooth climbs, especially tarmac.

When you are getting tired it can be useful for stretching out your limbs. Takes the pressure off your sack too.

benneally

i find entering the uphill seated legs spinnng fast continue in the same gear until ur cadence falls to about 60, then drop gear...i keep dropping gear till im in gear 3:3 (if that hill needs it) and then i stand up for a bit to use the different muscles. Then after about 20-30 seconds of that u sit down and ur other muscles are refreshed. I dont drop into the middle ring, to slow :P

schmako

My process is cycle in whatever gear is suitable til I feel I need to change down. Repeat. Always seated, out the seat for getting over obstacles. Seems to work fine.

Blundell

When I said remain seated, I said it mainly for very steep or loose technical climbs.
Like this beast:



Obviously, on less technical or shallower climbs you can get away with getting out of the saddle.
Going over steps log etc obviously means that you have to get out of the saddle and give it the old push on the bars[/img]

Chaka Ping

Depends what bike you're riding too.

Some (XC bikes) are better climbers while seated than others.

stubs

Hey Blundell that climb looks nice where is it or would you have to kill me if you told me

Blundell

Hopton woods (shropshire)just down the road from the Long Mynd. Marker 11 at the top of it I'm not sure if it' s marker 5 or 7 at the bottom. A relatively short hill but really sharp, first bit is steep then it levels out abit then it steepen right up for the top, the pine roots are always there for a laugh as well! Mate got another snap of me after the first really steep bit (trying to get a breather!) Hills like this you have to remain seated or all your back wheel traction goes, then you're pushing the bike up the hill.
[/img]

BlackSpur

There's a How To video on this site for short, sharp climbs.

KonaMike

I stay seated most of the time,elbows in and lean over the front of the bike but for really technical or steep bits I get right up over the stem .You also have to alter your position on slippery climbs for more rear wheel traction,everyone has their own habits and technique.

zero303

Climbing standing for long periods isn't overly great for you or the bike.

I may rise out of the saddle if the terrain demands it but over the course of the climb I'm generally in the saddle.

The fig roll guy earlier who gave his test results. I had a similar thing. I was out training with my Bristol Bike Fest team focusing on hill climbing. Some old school XC whippet on a very retro and blinged out '90s Zaskar started behind us. He did the whole thing out of the saddle, and granted he overtook me by about half way - but as I followed him up the top, I could see he was struggling with zero traction and practically busting a lung - I arrived at the summit a mere ten metres behind him feeling surprisingly fresh and able to get the bigger gears going again quickly on the flat.

Another thing I notice people do is even though they stay seated, they try to mash bigger gears with a slower cadence, I don't know whether this is because it's manly or whether they think it's better (for all I know it might be deliberate and they're just building muscle mass) but I really do prefer the smaller gear with higher and more consistent cadence.

god1406

I snapped my seat clamp in the car park at Cannock the other week, then rode Follow the Dog and some other trails with no seat or post and didn't miss them at all (although there were some sketchy tyre/arse interface moments )

in the 'hardtail issue' of Dirt this month, someone at Charge described one of their bikes by saying, ''if you have to sit down, you don't get it''.

edit: the word arse is filtered! pah.

batch78

Sit down select a nice cadence then hum a tune to myself, nursery rhymes are good!

zero303

'if you have to sit down, you don't get it''.

Yes but what Charge bike was it? I suspect it was the Blender which is a dirt/jump bike and we're chatting in an XC forum.

cjw

batch78 wrote:

Sit down select a nice cadence then hum a tune to myself, nursery rhymes are good!

Jack and Jill perhaps Vinegar and brown paper for the fall later on...

big_southern_jesse

batch78 wrote:

Sit down select a nice cadence then hum a tune to myself, nursery rhymes are good!

It's not what I normally listen to, but "The next episide" by Dr Dre is exactly the right cadence for spinning up hills. Got me up Ditchling Beacon a couple of years ago doing the L2B, when everyone else was falling by the wayside. Great feeling!

I think that's possibly the greatest boost when climbing up hill. Watching someone else in front of you have to stop, and then you just cruise on by and keep going!

ride_whenever

Definitely sit down, elbows down and in, and spin like crazy.

stick the saddle up your arse, that improves traction usually as your weight will be a bit further forward, plus it enables you to engage your quads a little better for more POWER

god1406

zero303 wrote:

'if you have to sit down, you don't get it''.

Yes but what Charge bike was it? I suspect it was the Blender which is a dirt/jump bike and we're chatting in an XC forum.

it certainly was not a Blender... :roll: