Uphill death
Noizetek
Posts: 98
Ok so I have only had my Kona Blast Deluxe just under a month now (plus the fact that it snowed really bad in between) but I am finding it really hard on the uphill climbs...
My general regime is using a rowing machine and free weights as well as riding, but everytime I hit the uphills (I am talking road here, not off-road) its ridiculous, spend more time off and pushing than riding, just get the feeling that my leg muscles turn to lead and thats it, I can not go any further. I suppose it wil get easier with more riding, but is there anything that will help, certain excersise's or just a better technique?
Cheers!
My general regime is using a rowing machine and free weights as well as riding, but everytime I hit the uphills (I am talking road here, not off-road) its ridiculous, spend more time off and pushing than riding, just get the feeling that my leg muscles turn to lead and thats it, I can not go any further. I suppose it wil get easier with more riding, but is there anything that will help, certain excersise's or just a better technique?
Cheers!
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maybe try training on a turbo trainer or something, doing 3 hours on a turbo trainer a week is fairly easy to fit in, and helps a lot, im doing about 9-12 hours a week now :oops:0
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1) Relax
Concentrate on steady breathing at a pace your body is comfortable pedalling at. The steady breathing will determine your pace. There is no race involved to build stamina. Repetition - Keep doing it, it doesn't happen over night, and certainly not if you're over a certain age.
BBBBrrrreeaathe ...and relax.
Did I say R - E - L - A - X already?0 -
Noizetek wrote:Ok so I have only had my Kona Blast Deluxe just under a month now (plus the fact that it snowed really bad in between) but I am finding it really hard on the uphill climbs...
My general regime is using a rowing machine and free weights as well as riding, but everytime I hit the uphills (I am talking road here, not off-road) its ridiculous, spend more time off and pushing than riding, just get the feeling that my leg muscles turn to lead and thats it, I can not go any further. I suppose it wil get easier with more riding, but is there anything that will help, certain excersise's or just a better technique?
Cheers!
A common mistake amongst less experienced riders is trying to mash too high a gear when climbing. That and flailing about all over the place.
First off keep a steady cadence - by which I mean look at how fast you're spinning the pedals. You need to maintain about 90 to 100 rpm, no matter what the gradient or the gear.
That means when you hit a gradient, change down to maintain that cadence. If it gets steeper, change down again.
There's a lot to be said for economy of movement too. If you watch an experienced cyclist climbing, you'll see that they "tuck in" (i.e. keep their elbows tucked in) and keep low and level over the bike. There's also very little movement of the upper body - only their legs will be moving. Bobbing about, sticking your elbows out and so on is all a waste of energy which you could be being used to propel the bike forwards.
If all else fails, stick in a really low gear and just sit and twiddle. It's not a race to get to the top.
Above all, practice, practice, practice. Follow the advice that you've been given and you'll be going over Chunal without thinking about it in no time!0 -
Try developing a circular movement in a nice low gear, like you'd use if only pedalling with one leg clipped in. Do this with both legs steadily without accelerating and you may find that it works wonders. :PAT MY AGE, I SHOULD KNOW BETTER !!!0
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Which reminds me. Make sure you're in a decent hill climbing position. Seat post jacked up so you get proper and full leg extension on the strokes. Handlebars lower in relation to seat post. If you aren't fully extending the leg properly in a pedal cycle, you'll really notice it on the legs and (above) knee area, specially going up hill.0
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The biggest mistake is to try and pedal faster when you are going uphill. Just relax and keep a steady rhythm. Another cheat is to look down just in front of your wheel and imaging you are going along a flat road and only look up occasionally. You will get better with practice, honest
Now the owner of a GT Aggressor XC 30 -
Cheers for the advice, I gave it another shot going up the bridlepath towards our house which is a 12% gradient hill, made it halfway! ha! Usually fail after about a quarter of the way up...theres a lot more than meets the eye to this mountain biking malarky...should have taken up bird watching...0
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I often use the old elephant eating technique, fixate on clump of grass / stone etc. no more than 10 yards ahead and aim for it, as you get within a yard or two select another target and keep going. Don't stare at the horizon, it's so far away you mind will give up a long time before your legs.
Hill climbing is as much psychological as physical.It's easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.
I've bought a new bike....ouch - result
Can I buy a new bike?...No - no result0 -
90-100rpm might apply on the road but it's way too high for most off-road climbing but yeah grinding gears isn't great0
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I'm no expert and as unfit as I am, I also struggle going uphill but my technique consists of picking a gear I can turn at a relatively quick tempo, keeping my head down and sticking at it. It's very demoralising to keep looking up only to realise that the hill you thought you were nearly at the top of is still stretching away into the distance. Also, sing to yourself (stop laughing), a song with a beat that matches your pedalling tempo and you'll be surprised how the time passes instead of thinking about how much your legs are aching and how far there is to go. Works for me anyway.1998 Marin Hawk Hill
2008 Specialized FSR XC Comp
2008 Scott Speedster S30 FB
SLOW RIDES FOR UNFIT PEOPLE - Find us on Facebook or in the MTB Rides section of this forum.0 -
Also I find controlling my breathing through my nose and making sure i fully expand my chest and tummy and then breathing out through my mouth helps.0
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Try some interval training for a short while to boost your leg str and fitness. I am assuming that you are taking into account your other training on your body esp legs and resting, fatigue etc.
nferrar - why is 90 - 100 rpm too high for most off road climbing? and what would be your rpm uphill?0 -
nferrar wrote:90-100rpm might apply on the road but it's way too high for most off-road climbing but yeah grinding gears isn't great
The faster you spin the more momentum you carry and the more torque you can generate - very important for climbing.
If you watch professional road riders, they'll be churning anything up to about 120rpm for hours on end.0 -
I was waiting for you reply Dave.
And, when spinning your using the correct slow twitch (read endurance muscle fibes) in your legs which means you can pedal for longer before fatigue-ing.0 -
I see a guy regularly on my way home from work - as I approach my house there's a slight rise about 50 yards long. He's ALWAYS standing on the pedals, biggest chainring and mid-range sprocket, turning about 40 - 50 rpm and looking like his head's going to explode.
I'd love to tell him where he's going wrong, but I suspect that it might be lost on him... :shock:0 -
I tend to move towards the front of the seat so my legs are pedalling downwards (does that make sense?), I never mash the pedals either, I tend to run a lower gear but spin faster as doing this is better for your drivetrain & it's harder to run out of steam. If you start pushing hard you know you can drop a gear easily without interrupting your rhythm, also knowing what gear range your going to need due to the terrain ahead helps as you don't want to be going from middle to small ring when your struggling. Also do your own pace not others ahead of you, I don't mind someone dropping me a bit if I know I'm pacing a speed I can recover from quickly at the top.
Apart from that there's good tips above, breathing steady for a start is very important as is keeping body/bike movement to a minimum, if your going to do that wait till you know you can get over the top of the hill.0 -
Went on my biggest ride so far yesterday from Glossop to Marple and back...only had to stop a few times, did a lot better than usual. One thing that I wanted to know is how the gears work properly? I just usually use the right hand shifters, hardly even touch the left hand ones...how does it all work properly, what shifters deal with what and whats the difference?0
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The right hand shifter deals with the rear cogs. These have nice close ratios so you can pick exactly the right gear for your pedalling speed (cadence), bigger cogs are easier to pedal on the back. The left hand shifter looks after the three cogs on the front. The bigger the cog on the front the harder it will be to pedal (but faster). In general the middle chainring will be the one you use the most. When going uphill ,change the right (rear) gears to an easier (usually lower number) gear (to match your pedalling speed) until you get to about cog 2 or 3, then use the left shifter to change to the smallest chainring. The opposite is true when going downhill. Again use mainly the middle ring, but when you get to the last 3 cogs on the back, use the left shifter to put the chain on the outer chainring.
The key is to practice matching your gear with your desired pedalling speed. After a while you'll get used to which combinations work well in whatever situation.If you're not living life on the edge, you're taking up too much room!0 -
Yeah I basicaly just change gear to what feels right, which is pretty much as you describe, I just did not know what cogs the shifters dealt with etc...now I do! Cheers for the advice as always guys.0
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All the answers given are spot on, dont try to remember it all on your next ride as you'll just get a headache and wont enjoy yourself.
Mileage is your best friend, the more miles you do the more knowlege you'll accumulate and naturally the fitter you'll become.
If your getting stuck on the same hill take note of a sign post where you get off, the next time see if you can cruise past that spot, & what a sweet feeling that will be. 8).........all
...at........work
fun..................&
..no.............no
.....is......play0 -
i've been biking for a few years now, but when it comes to climbs i stand up aand in a fairly high gear and pedal hard, i dont have any problem with slowing down or tiring myself out on all but the longest or more technical climbs, despite this am i doing something wrong? (i always have my saddle as low as it goes, almost touching the rear wheel so sitting down isnt very good for me)0
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Sounds like you're not climbing anything particularly techincal? Your saddle is also in the wrong place for climbing, you need your legs straight for maximum efficiency.
I used to do the same until I was out riding with my mate Carl (who's superfit / strong) and I saw him spinning away like made up a really steep climb. He cleaned it. I fell over 5 yards from the bottom.
Apart from everything else that has been said, spinning allows you get over obstacles without burning out, if you're up and stomping you're already on the edge of your limits, any obstacle will push you over the edge.It's easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.
I've bought a new bike....ouch - result
Can I buy a new bike?...No - no result0 -
Have you made sure you have locked out the front fork. If not you'll lose a lot of energy. Another tip is to check that you have your heels lower than your toes as you push through the stroke - this will give you more power.
If all else fails - just grit your teeth! :idea:0 -
If it's a long climb, DON'T look at the top, just a few yards ahead at a time.AT MY AGE, I SHOULD KNOW BETTER !!!0
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Pace yourself from the very start - if your start out like a nutter at the bottom, you will be running short of energy when you need it later on. Save your energy for pushing hard over technical sections.0
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I have found just getting myself into a steady rythm and focusing on my breating and not watching the horizon helps......I still tend to bob about a bit though if iam honest ...Livin The Dream.........Livin To Ride ........Lovin The Hills0
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Spinning is all very well but your legs won't get stronger from doing it, try clicking up a gear or 2 occasionally and attacking the hill, ie same pedalling cadence just getting up it faster.
Added Bonus it gets it outta the way quicker.
Also, if your trying to get fitter / stronger don't diet at the same time, having readily available food in your stomach to provide energy is key when starting out, trying to behave at the same time won't work. So snack little but often while out riding, until your fit enough and want to start riding to lose weight!!
MP3 player full blast is also key I find!!0
