standing up

mudcow007

is pedalling whilst standing up a big juicy waste of effort or is it good for short sprints or is it best to remain seated and impress everyone with your awesome quad power?

standing up always looks like loads of effort with no much gains?

DonDaddyD

I find standing up and rocking the bike left and right via the shoulders, helps with climbing, helps accelerate while finding a rhythm.

The trade off is that the technique uses too much energy and is only worth while during short bursts when sitting is uncomfortable or you when you need that psychological push.

asprilla

Standing up is less efficient and ungentlemanly.

It does, however, have it's place. That place is usually avoiding death when overtaking something or on a hairpin at the top of a 20km 10% climb when you suddenly see Frank Schleck out of the order of your eye.

greg66_tri_v2.0

As DDD says, for burst power, it is effective but ultimately wasteful

On a long climb I find standing for a while moves the pressure points around my legs a bit when they are tired; takes some load off the quads and allows them a breather.

On the ride home I have aset of lights almost precisely 1km from my door. One or two nights a week I'll pop it onto the 14 and do a med cadence standing ride home from there. Just cos, really. It's s useful tool to have in the kit.

SimonAH

Getting out of the saddle for short periods is an afterburner. No doubt in this.

Not a long term solution though!

mudcow007

its uncool to overtake someone whilst standing up though surely? doesnt that show you are "trying"

i tend to suffer from numb feet on a long ride so standing up allows them to become "alive" again

DonDaddyD

its uncool to overtake someone whilst standing up though surely? doesnt that show you are "trying"

Nope, trying is hunched over low into the bike so your stomach fat or muscles are overlapping each other.

Standing while overtaking you can stop pedaling, adjust your bags or dance on the pedals in with a slow mesmerizing cadence/butt wiggle that just annoys.

roger_merriman

My normal bike is a SS thus if I climb hills, such as Box hill etc, then thats a out of the saddle job,

My fun bike is a MTB so getting out of the saddle is fairly normal for me and I don't find it that hard.

in terms of SCR then yes overtaking out of the saddle is probably a no no.

rolf_f

More power from the muscles I believe as your legs are straighter - but offset against hefting your body weight around. I don't tend to stand on the pedals that much but I suspect I should do more often. Partly I don't because I tend to think I should save the nitrous for when it is absolutely essential!

cee

another mountain biker here....

I stand plenty.....for short sharp climb smashes...and all the time when descending.

ketsbaia

I stand to relieve the pressure on the old perineum every now and then on a long-distance ride or to stretch the legs. But usually I prefer sitting.

Had to get out of the saddle yesterday evening up Hesiers Hill, mind. Was done for until a timely minute out of the saddle saw me to the top.

Confusedboy

I reckon if you are out of the saddle in normal riding, then you have planned something badly and need to do better next time. Having said that, I do stand up, but not pedal, on longer rides in order to give my *rse a breather. This is usually ineffective and the precursor to stopping for a rest.

CiB

Standing is useful when filtering right on the slight climb between the two roundabouts when you spot the Corsa with the three girls in who car-share to whatever office they work in.

Give em something to enjoy as they sit in traffic.

jawooga

The french have a phrase for this which means and I paraphrase "...whatever suits"

chevaux pour les hippodromes specifique

My lungs are pretty good, whilst my leg_power:weight ratio could be better, so I stand up on hills quite often.

Agreed though that for SCR, you'd not do yourself any favours standing with a smug look and the royal wave. Far better to be on the hoods, just taking a sip of water as you pass, taking in the scenery - ignore the patella tendonitus until later. 8)

uphillstruggle

Do I need to re-think things then?

I have mixed and matched but now find myself just naturally settling into finding a rhythm standing up in a bigger gear as it seems to get me up quicker.

For a 2-4% hill which goes on for just short of 4 miles I am stood for 99% of the time.

Is this excessive and should I be making myself sit more?

stuj15

Only when I pull away from lights in the wrong gear.

jimmypippa

Slowly approaching T-junctions when you can there will be a gap in the traffic soon?

First.Aspect

Most riders will get out of the saddle for periods during long climbs to switch to slightly different muscle groups (as well as for big efforts). Some climbers do so more than others. There was a small bald Italian gentleman who barely sat down when climbing. Doesn't he still hold the record up Alpe d'Huez?

Its still possible to be fairly efficient this way. Watch telly tomorrow - the guy wearing "1" is incredible when out of the saddle, such an efficient motion.

For a contrast, watch the guy wearing the yellow tshirt.

meanredspider

I've been told over and over that it's best to practice climbing seated - only standing for rests and short/sharp inclines. I hardly ever stand - it sends your HR up a good few ticks as well.

Twostage

Standing up does use more energy. I'm sure in one of Armstrong's books his coach would shout at him to sit down every time he stood on the pedals because he was wasting energy.

+1 about overtaking in SCR whilst standing up. You just can't do it.

The Rookie

As most my SCR overtakes are just that, a pull out to primary on a fast road, pedal past then pull in, I will usually have been tracking my target for a period while they get to somewhere safe to pass/no cars coming from behind, therefore I'll usually come out the saddle for a few pedal strokes to accelerate upto speed........

I also usually come out the saddle for a few strokes when I hit one of my hills to keep the speed up for longer, as its a narrow road the faster I get up it the safer I am!
Simon

BelgianBeerGeek

I have always climbed seated as that was the advice given to me years ago. It is more efficient and you get to the top slower, but less knackered.

Recently been experimenting with standing up and just muscling over smaller, rolling hills. God it's unbelievably tiring.

shouldbeinbed

I try to stay sat down as much as I can, my ride home is a constant uphill of varying severities. There is one last little steep kick after a moderate drag that I stand for half the time, depends on the day I've had, but I always feel that I've failed a little bit if I have to do more than a few yards of it stood. I should probably stand more cos it is often a head dropped granny ring wobbly ride if I do stay sat for that bit.

fun rides are usually up the pennines and I like to stand to stretch my legs out now and again more than really struggling with the slopes.

my bikes arent out and out roadies tho so my gearing is quite generous at the bottom end

rick_chasey

Riding out of the saddle is underrating in the UK. All this chat about it's easier climbing seated.

Pfft.

Trust people to come out with that with a nation that suffers with an affliciton that the Belgians call the "English disease" (in cycling: an uncessary obsession with Time Trailing).

Everyone has their own style. On bigger hills and mountains, I spend at least half of my time out of the saddle, and it's defintely the best way for me.

If being seated was so efficient, why do the pros get out the saddle so much?

greg66_tri_v2.0

Rick Chasey wrote:

If being seated was so efficient, why do the pros get out the saddle so much?

What, like Indurain?

(You must have seen that one coming from over the horizon, surely).

rick_chasey

Greg66 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

If being seated was so efficient, why do the pros get out the saddle so much?

What, like Indurain?

(You must have seen that one coming from over the horizon, surely).

Indeed.

What about that guy in blue in your picture eh? He won the odd race.

My point is, most riders, bar a few bizarre ones (usually people who love strange handlebars and hats a bit too much and like to wear onesies) in the tour or in the peloton, get out the saddle a fair bit.

shouldbeinbed

Rick Chasey wrote:

If being seated was so efficient, why do the pros get out the saddle so much?

pro rata they don't, short bursts of acceleration or when their rhythm is already shot and they soon sit down again, they're certainly not spending 50% of their time out of the saddle in the hills.

rick_chasey

shouldbeinbed wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

If being seated was so efficient, why do the pros get out the saddle so much?

pro rata they don't, short bursts of acceleration or when their rhythm is already shot and they soon sit down again, they're certainly not spending 50% of their time out of the saddle in the hills.

No, but I'm no pro.

Point is, standing ups is both normal and fine. You do what feels right, not what some monkey has said is most efficient.

When I was 14 I went through a phase of never standing up because everyone told me it was more efficient. It was clearly bollocks.

There's nothing wrong with standing up, and it breaks up the strain on quite a few muscles that get really strained sitting down.

BelgianBeerGeek

Not saying there's anything wrong, as you say it's what works for you. Punching up smaller inclines standing means fewer gear changes, and you do get up them quicker.

I then spend the downhill fighting to recover!

prj45

the only time I stand up is as I'm getting very close to my destination to stretch my legs, other than that, seated all the time.

Ooo, except when I'm starting off, but then all I'm really doing is getting on my saddle, but have to turn the peddles first.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Rick Chasey wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

If being seated was so efficient, why do the pros get out the saddle so much?

What, like Indurain?

(You must have seen that one coming from over the horizon, surely).

Indeed.

What about that guy in blue in your picture eh? He won the odd race.

My point is, most riders, bar a few bizarre ones (usually people who love strange handlebars and hats a bit too much and like to wear onesies) in the tour or in the peloton, get out the saddle a fair bit.

I was cocking around. I'm pro-riding out of the saddle.

(Although the guy in white in my picturewas another one who liked resting his arse, as I recall).