Mountain riding advice

You're probably riding in a 21 or 23 tooth gear (unless you have a real corn cob out back) with a 39 up front.

Hard to give advice based on a chart, but I can give you general advice. First, while it's fine to stay seated, standing up does tend to work different muscles (and some of the same muscles, but differently) so it's a good "change of pace". Also, try shifing your position around on the seat. For real steep stuff, I tend to slide way back on the seat, and "squeeze" into the pedals using my glutes and hamstrings. I can generate a lot of power this way, and it seems to give my quads a rest. Also, since the load is distributed over more muscles, I can go much, much longer without suffering the lactic acid burn.

Other than that, just make sure you're comfy on the bike, and your handle bars are wide enough as not to close up your chest and restrict your breathing. Keep hydrated and stretch after your rides.

thanks for the info!

Tim