Climbing!

gregmorris234

Yeah, I quite enjoy climbing, and thats quite suprising for a 14 year old boy. But it really annoys me that people seem to always climb in the lowest gear possible. WHY? Why do people think this is the best thing to do. This quite simply takes quite a lot of energy out of you and you dont get half as far. Im not saying ride in the highest gear going. But just not the lowest. I usually ride in about 3rd,4th and 5th. These gears are amazing. No seriously they really are. I can ride up Whites Level in about 30 mins in these gears and I've still got plenty of go in me to ride like a tit on the downhill's. So higher gears please!

nfrang

Not sure i understand the post. Not sure why other peoples gear selection annoys you.

I think i'll keep using which ever gear is right given the gradient and amount of effort i can be arsed to put in.

gregmorris234

Have you got an I-Drive too?
Its not the gear selection. Its the speed they are going up, that speed is partially controlled by the gear selection. Thats why it annoys me.

geordiefreerider

Climbing is an artform young padwan, learn you will one day !!

numptyfish

You climb in whatever gear you like and leave us old men to trundle up hill slowly. My son is 14 and has to wait for me at the top of every climb. I just pick whatever gear i need to keep a decent cadance. Usually the granny one. Not sure hills are like where you live but for Laggan, Balblair and Golspie i need a rest at the top before coming back down.

Don't let little things like other peoples gear selection spoil your day, instead concentrate on fixing any faults you have in your own riding.

Daz555

gregmorris234 wrote:

Its not the gear selection. Its the speed they are going up, that speed is partially controlled by the gear selection. Thats why it annoys me.

Most people you see climbing in first gear are doing so because otherwise they would be walking. Also, how much do you weigh - what gear would you be in if you had say another 5 stone to drag up hill?

gregmorris234 wrote:

I can ride up Whites Level in about 30 mins in these gears and I've still got plenty of go in me to ride like a tit on the downhill's. So higher gears please!

That's down to fitness, not gear selection. There are many many people who need 2 or 3 times as long to get up Whites Level, no matter what gear they are in. People are not slow because they are in first gear. They are in first gear because they are slow.

I choose whatever gear allows me to climb without my legs blowing up. No stranger to the granny myself of course! 8)

In a few years, there will be another group of 14yr olds around wondering why 'old man' gregmorris is so slow on the climbs.........

.blitz

numptyfish wrote:

My son is 14 and has to wait for me at the top of every climb.

+1

Jr is first to the top of every hill. I feed him another Snickers/malt loaf/eccles cake/fig roll when I get there and whoosh watch him go

SDK2007

Yup - all down to fitness.

I'm sure Julien Absalon or Christoph Sauser (XC W Champ and W Cup winners) would look at your riding and wonder why you were climbing in 3rd gear

xtreem

[b]gregmorris234[/b] wrote:

But it really annoys me that people seem to always climb in the lowest gear possible. WHY?

As long someone is pedaling no matter what gear he's in, it's always good.
But when some one is pushing the bike, XC bike, that really annoys me. :evil:

Yesterday me and my cousin cilmbed the local hill, in under 10min, 1mile climb.
For the rest of the guys it was taking 15min. to push their bikes just 200yards. :roll:
We were waiting them up for half an hour, and when we decided to go home, we
couldn't belive that it took 45min for them to climb half the distance. :roll:
When we got home they probably weren't at the top yet.

lawman

climbing sucks tbh, unless its technical with rock steps, roots, switchbacks etc then it becomes a test of skill and talent. theres a local bombhole we go to and do the drops but then we do a loop which in cludes all the drops and climbing back up them, it requires a lot of skill and power because they are very steep and youi dont have much of a run up, but its fun and the gloating if you clear it all is great

but fire stuff sucks balls and long straight steep hills are just the spawn of satan :evil:

.blitz

lawman wrote:

but fire stuff sucks balls and long straight steep hills are just the spawn of satan :evil:

...in your opinion =]

ashleymp777

Ha! I remember years ago there use to be an 'Uphill racing championship' - and if my memory serves me right it use to be a chap called Tim Gould who was the dog's dangllies eh!

And still to this day I wonder 'why would do that!?'

lawman

.blitz wrote:

lawman wrote:

but fire stuff sucks balls and long straight steep hills are just the spawn of satan :evil:

...in your opinion =]

bugger i meant to put fireroad :oops: its too early to concentrate :shock:

Raymondavalon

Xtreem wrote:

As long someone is pedaling no matter what gear he's in, it's always good.
But when some one is pushing the bike, XC bike, that really annoys me. :evil:

Well, as a 40 something rider I have a theory that if you can push faster than you can pedal up a hill,, dismount and push it is..
I always wear a Polar HRM and pushing is just as hard work as pedaling, believe you me. So, why do I do it? Pass, I don't now.. but if a hill has got me beaten I will attempt it again on another day/ride until I have it beaten..

SDK2007

To be honest I find pushing up harder than riding up.

lesz42

i love climbing, even if i am a bit slow at times, but i know the more i do it......................

ML

I have a fixed wheel and usually ride up backwards. Softies who ride forwards really annoy me.

bomberesque

Raymondavalon wrote:

So, why do I do it? Pass, I don't now.. but if a hill has got me beaten I will attempt it again on another day/ride until I have it beaten..

you've just answered your own question there I think Nothing quite like cresting a hill for the first time after failing to begin with

as for the OP, he's 14 and therefore probably has the strength to weight ratio of a terrier. Wait till he discovers beer and fags and then, at 30, weighs 90 kilos and has had both knees opp'd on due to fekking them pushing big gears. then he may understand why people push smaller gears and be amazed at the ignorance of 14 year old squirts having the timerity to pass moral judgement on the riding styles of others

...or I could be wrong and we should forcibly remove all 22T chainrings at the trail centre gates.

NormalD

Daz555 wrote:

People are not slow because they are in first gear. They are in first gear because they are slow.

That'll be me then :roll:

Although I'm actually starting to enjoy climbing in a weird kind of way. :oops:

Daz555

I quite enjoy a good climb. It feels like proper exercise and gives me the impression that perhaps I'll live a bit longer as a result of each climb - assuming I don't kill myself on the way back down.

cee

gregmorris234 wrote:

Yeah, I quite enjoy climbing, and thats quite suprising for a 14 year old boy. But it really annoys me that people seem to always climb in the lowest gear possible. WHY? Why do people think this is the best thing to do. This quite simply takes quite a lot of energy out of you and you dont get half as far. Im not saying ride in the highest gear going. But just not the lowest. I usually ride in about 3rd,4th and 5th. These gears are amazing. No seriously they really are. I can ride up Whites Level in about 30 mins in these gears and I've still got plenty of go in me to ride like a tit on the downhill's. So higher gears please!

I would say that my best climbing gear is middle chainring smallest cassette ring....

I can ride to the top of Innerleithen XC loop in that gear (apart from one pesky rock step bit that always catches me and i have to drop into the inner chainring, but usually go 3rd or 4th gear at the back...)

Thing is...if others who cannot maintain that gear are with me it either leaves me waiting at the top of each section, or just dropping the gears down to the gears you use so i can go the same speed as them...

Get yer middle ring on for some serious climbing yah teenaged jessie!

lawman

as for the OP, he's 14 and therefore probably has the strength to weight ratio of a terrier. Wait till he discovers beer and fags and then, at 30, weighs 90 kilos and has had both knees opp'd on due to fekking them pushing big gears. then he may understand why people push smaller gears and be amazed at the ignorance of 14 year old squirts having the timerity to pass moral judgement on the riding styles of others

that sounds like me i used to race xc a few years ago, then gcse's got in the way, then college parties and beer took over im still pretty fit and am easily the fastest down and up in my riding group, but i think if id kept the xc racing up id be better up hill, but then ive always prefered the downs so i do most of training around that now, cos everyone knows xcer's cant downhill right

schmako

I do laugh when i overtake people going up hill, their legs spinning furiously but getting them no where quick. And I come trundling along in some stupid high gear grinding it out.

cgarossi

The point of climbing hills is doing it. The gear you choose is a means to an ends. End of.



Yes I push granny ring sometimes, but would rather do that and winch myself to the top than fail and push (which is actually more painfull)

andrewjoseph

I use whatever it takes, there is no 'wrong' gear, unless you are crossing your chain obviously.

rhext

The world seems divided into grinders and spinners. Speaking for myself, spinning is more efficient. I'll go up a long hill quicker spinning in a low gear than grinding in a big one. Climbing speed has little to do with gear selection and everything to do with fitness. So you seem to be complaining that the hills are cluttered with people less fit than you. But the hills are there for everyone: let's see how fast you're sprinting up them when you're 40!

CycloRos

There is always a quiet satisfaction when conquering a massive climb and it usually involves some brilliant vistas. If the pain is getting too much then I stop looking at the climb ahead and look at the scenery instead. Oh and I keep reminding myself that what goes up must come down

However, even if the climbs been great the feeling at the top is never as good as the feeling you get at the bottom after nailing the downhill which is why DH is sooo much better IMO.

Dazzza

It's great when you are good at hills as you know you can tackle most things instead or collapsing in a heap, plus you get to really enjoy the dh when you get to the ther side.

I used to really hate climbing, nowadays it's not so bad.

gregmorris234

Calm Down. I dint mean any harm I was just what annoys me on a mountain bike trail, and i was just suggesting a different way of riding which in my opinion is the best way. It might work for me but not for others. Sorry if i caused offence to some.

deeptheory

I must admit to delevoping a love for climbing;

- i love the hard work you have to put in

- i love the trance like state you can get into

- i love the sense of achievement in getting to the top

top stuff!

Anonymous

i hate climbing but find it as difficult mentally as it is physically.

i often find walking up is faster than i can ride, dont know why that is except that as ive been a soldier for over 12 yrs, ive been walking with heavy stuff for a whole lot longer than ive been riding (about 3 yrs)