crap up hill

welshddk
welshddk Posts: 32
edited October 2009 in MTB general
hello ive got a dawes xc 2,2 my prob is the bike is feels good on the down hill but up hill is crap help :roll:
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Comments

  • lesz42
    lesz42 Posts: 690
    keep going up hills, lots of them
    Giant Trance X0 (08) Reverb, Hope Hoops 5.1D, XT brakes, RQ BC, Works Components headset 1.5
  • meesterbond
    meesterbond Posts: 1,240
    Are you sure it's the bike!
  • lesz42
    lesz42 Posts: 690
    could be the hill? some dont like mtbs
    Giant Trance X0 (08) Reverb, Hope Hoops 5.1D, XT brakes, RQ BC, Works Components headset 1.5
  • wordnumb
    wordnumb Posts: 847
    How do you mean 'up hill is crap'?

    Is it hard to control?
    Is the front end lifting?
    Lack of traction?
    Or is just hard work?
  • stubs
    stubs Posts: 5,001
    I am afraid it never gets easy you just get quicker the more climbs you do

    Losing weight off your self and your bike helps a bit but practice is the thing
    Fig rolls: proof that god loves cyclists and that she wants us to do another lap
  • Stoo61
    Stoo61 Posts: 1,394
    stubs wrote:
    I am afraid it never gets easy you just get quicker the more climbs you do

    Losing weight off your self and your bike helps a bit but practice is the thing

    This is a good point, hills don't get easier it just takes less time to get up. Im getting pretty fit now, 20-30 miles a day (unemployed) and almost everything sports related is so much easier than a couple of months ago.

    Just got to put the work in to reap the rewards.
    THE Boardman
    Pink Orange 224
    Humble but Defiant Roadie
  • welshddk
    welshddk Posts: 32
    edited September 2009
    hard to conrol , front end lifting and a bit of me maybe
  • robertpb
    robertpb Posts: 1,866
    The bike you have is heavy for a 100mm hardtail at 31.5lbs, but not that heavy.

    Have you set up your saddle at the right hight for efficient peddling.

    Otherwise is as others have said it's just more practice.
    Now where's that "Get Out of Crash Free Card"
  • wordnumb
    wordnumb Posts: 847
    edited September 2009
    robertpb wrote:
    Otherwise is as others have said it's just more practice.

    Agree. There are tricks such as keeping your elbows in and sitting forward on the saddle for steep sections, which give you better control of the bike by weighting the front wheel. Spinning the pedals evenly will give better traction.

    Another good thing about practicing climbing is recovery time. Always feels good if you can complete a steep climb and carry on riding rather than stopping 'to take in the view'.
  • welshddk
    welshddk Posts: 32
    when sat down leg bent a bit when crank is 12oclock and six oclock ish
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    you should just be able to lock out your knee with your heel on the pedal, then when you've got the ball of your foot on the pedal it'll be about right.
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • dave_hill
    dave_hill Posts: 3,877
    meesterbond wrote:
    Are you sure it's the bike!

    A bad workman always blames his tools... :shock:
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  • welshddk
    welshddk Posts: 32
    wot about flat bars and a longer stem
  • robertpb
    robertpb Posts: 1,866
    welshddk wrote:
    wot about flat bars and a longer stem

    Try moving the saddle forward first.
    Now where's that "Get Out of Crash Free Card"
  • Tank-slapper
    Tank-slapper Posts: 968
    If your rear wheel is losing traction, you can try sitting on the back of the saddle.
  • krazykayaker
    krazykayaker Posts: 109
    I'm also crap uphill on both road and mtb but it aint the bike!! :oops:

    Its me, i'm overweight and underfit !! :lol:

    Oh and i'm crap downhill and on the flat !! :lol:
    On One Inbred 456
    On One Inbred SS
  • Sloper
    Sloper Posts: 141
    lesz42 wrote:
    could be the hill? some dont like mtbs

    :lol:
  • lastwords
    lastwords Posts: 304
    welshddk wrote:
    hard to conrol , front end lifting and a bit of me maybe

    I would try lowering your stem if you can, if the stem is short a longer one may also help.

    You need to get your weight forward to stop the front lifting.
  • mac_man
    mac_man Posts: 918
    welshddk wrote:
    hello ive got a dawes xc 2,2 my prob is the bike is feels good on the down hill but up hill is crap help :roll:

    Keep your elbows in when going uphill. Place your thumbs over the top of the bar as this helps keep them in, rather than gripping the bars with thumb underneath. The bike will wander less.

    Also keep your weight over the bars more to stop the front wheel lifting.

    Do you have an adjustable fork? I drop mine right down when I do hills, as this stops the front lifting.

    And I'm crap uphill as well.... and there's lots where I live :lol:
    Cool, retro and sometimes downright rude MTB and cycling themed T shirts. Just MTFU.

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  • konanige
    konanige Posts: 115
    Ah Grasshopper do not dwell on the climb the nirvana you seek is on the other side.

    just drag your sorry butt to the top by any means and dont believe the perverts that tell you longer stems or violating yourself on the front of the saddle will make climbing any easier, it wont.

    they dont get any easier they just pass quicker as you get fitter.




    They wont let me breed on account of my bad temperament.
  • captainfly
    captainfly Posts: 1,001
    I don't know the geometry of the OPs bike but pointing the saddle nose down and putting a much body weight over the front wheel is about as much as you can do to stop the front end lifting up.
    -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
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    Why are MTB economics; spend twice as much as you intended, but only half as much as you wish you could afford? :roll:
  • RealMan
    RealMan Posts: 2,166
    Attack.

    Weight forward, low gear, spin.
  • CycloRos
    CycloRos Posts: 579
    Uphill doesn't get easier, it's all a matter of technique, state of mind and just accepting there's gonna be pain involved.

    My climbing technique involves staying seated on the tip of the saddle, head (thus weight) over the bars, arms/elbows low and flat, use of whatever gear gives good cadence, and most importantly lots of grimacing and grunting noises, go on give that hill hell and show its who's boss!!!

    Always remember that what goes up must come down, just make sure you find the best bit of downhill to reward all your effort :)
    Current Rides -
    Charge Cooker, Ragley mmmBop, Haro Mary SS 29er
    Pics!
  • steelo
    steelo Posts: 542
    Since fitting SPD's i've noticed that i'm slightly more uncertain of starting technical climbs which in turn makes me unbalance and want to un-clip. I'm a firm believer in practice makes perfect though so i'll just keep trying until it starts clicking again!

    Anyway once i'm past the 'tricky' bit I just spin away, accept that my legs will start burning and think about the sweet decline on the other side.

    You could always get off the bike and walk - but spin-on just a little bit further first - bit more - just round that next bend - oh look you're at the top!!! Now grin from ear to ear because all that hard work is now worth it as you've just cleaned that climb, and it wasn't that painful actually really was it?!?
    Specialized Rockhopper '07
    Trek Fuel EX8 '09
  • stubs
    stubs Posts: 5,001
    steelo wrote:
    Since fitting SPD's i've noticed that i'm slightly more uncertain of starting technical climbs which in turn makes me unbalance and want to un-clip. I'm a firm believer in practice makes perfect though so i'll just keep trying until it starts clicking again!

    Used to have same problem practiced till I cracked it dont know if its correct technique but this is how I do it

    Start standing straddled bike with both brakes on hard. Right hand crank at the 2 o'clock position with foot clipped in. Then (this is the hard part) stand on right pedal and bring your left foot off ground clipping in at the same time as letting go of brakes. Its a bit of a balancing act and takes a lot of wobbling and falling off before you crack it. Then power off up hill to admiration of everyone watching.

    ps This only works if you have plenty of grip if its slippery all you do is go over the bars when the back wheel spins out
    Fig rolls: proof that god loves cyclists and that she wants us to do another lap
  • lukasran
    lukasran Posts: 53
    Why do people keep saying that climbs dont get easier with practice "you just get up then faster". of course they get easier, less painful and quicker, with practice that is.
  • junglist_matty
    junglist_matty Posts: 1,731
    If your front wheel is loosing traction it is because your sat too far back on the bike... Probably due to your saddle being too low. Raise your saddle so your legs are almost straight (but still bent at the knees) when at the lowest point of the crank cycle. Lean forward on the climbs to keep the front end weighted down.
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    climbing is all in the mind tbh.

    I find it like flying in the hitchikers guide, if you can distract your brain from the pain then you barely notice. The most natural climbing comes from a steady flowing standing up pose to keep the front end down, when you get in the right zone you can climb like it for hours it feels and the hills disappear under your wheels. But that is an innate talent thing, if you're not a stand up smooth climber you'll probably always hate them, but you can still improve.

    I'm not saying it's more efficient to stand, but that's how the natural climbers seem to behave.
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • CycloRos
    CycloRos Posts: 579
    lukasran wrote:
    Why do people keep saying that climbs dont get easier with practice "you just get up then faster" ...
    Because it's true! If you accept the pain mentally then that's over half the battle won imo. Most climbs classed as tough are going to be painful even for top athletes! they just deal with it better, hence get up the hill quicker.
    Current Rides -
    Charge Cooker, Ragley mmmBop, Haro Mary SS 29er
    Pics!
  • lukasran
    lukasran Posts: 53
    i was asking why people trot out that same line time and time again when if you looked at it its a total contradiction and clearly wrong. just from your own experience you can see improvement in your own abilities and it certainly gets easier. truthfully it just irritates me as something of a no brainer staple statement that people seem to say with great authority. myth. jumped on from leMond, nice sounding little qoute but total bs. im overeacting.

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