How do you tackle a hill?



nashy_88

New Member
Jul 10, 2004
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Bit of generalisation here as the gradient and length etc make each climb unique however for the majority of hill climbs what is your technique?
 
nashy_88 said:
Bit of generalisation here as the gradient and length etc make each climb unique however for the majority of hill climbs what is your technique?

You forgot one
Get off and Walk LOL
 
mix of the the two. I like to attack standing up in a high gear gain &speed into it, switch into a lower gear and ride from the seat. Its an estimation game for me some I win, some I lose and losers walk :D
 
Seated and trying to spin. When I get knackered or when I want to go for it, that's the time to stand up.
 
pineapple said:
Seated and trying to spin. When I get knackered or when I want to go for it, that's the time to stand up.


same

if its a rolling hill preceeded by a downhill I'll spin down and at the start and then stomp for a bit to keep the momentum then change down 2 gears and try and keep the spinning going as quickly nad long as i can
 
i usually try and stay in at least 2-1 on my trek the whole way, and if i get into serious trouble, i hit 1-1...i stand gaining momentum into the hill, and try and stay up depending on the hill, but sit down sometimes...
 
I'll start a hill in my 39 X 17 and sit and pedal as smooth as I can. If the grade goes up/I get tired, I'll switch to the 39 x 19 still sitting, and that is the lowest gear I will let myself use unless it is one of three brutal hills that are available on the different routes I do. Then I will allow the ***** 39 x 21.

Since most of the hills I do are a mile or so or more, I'll stand at some of the slightly steeper sections to keep my rhythm going, and sometimes do over half a hill climbing.

This comes from being a runner, and just being comfortable standing, and when I started riding originally, I was in southern Germany, where I would have to ride hills that were a few miles long every other hill. Standing just felt more natural.
 
:eek: 1st, get as much speed as possible going into it. Get into a smaller ring in the front and smallest ring in the back at the bottom, then spin up in the saddle gearing down as needed to maintain cadence. Gotta maintain cadence! If you are after speed attack the top of the hill. The key for me is getting up to max speed over the top as quickly as possible. A little bit of pain at the top is worth it. You can recover once you get your speed up.
 
i always push up the big chain ring as much as possible in my seat then get out of saddle and shift to 2nd ring and then spin up and crest over the top..
ideally i am at about 70 (cadence ) in the beginning of the hill and at the top like 90-100
 
izzodesh said:
i always push up the big chain ring as much as possible in my seat then get out of saddle and shift to 2nd ring and then spin up and crest over the top..
ideally i am at about 70 (cadence ) in the beginning of the hill and at the top like 90-100
Since you can't stand on a 'bent I have no real choice but to sit and spin. If it is a short hill and I have gained speed an a previous downhill I'll hammer until my cadence starts to drop. I then start shedding gears trying to maintain cadence going as low as I need to climb the hill. Sometimes that is only 8MPH almost in granny. I only use granny for launching or extremely steep climbs when I'm tired.

'bent Brian
 
Lowest gear and take it slow...never have to get off the saddle either.
When I arrive at the top I don't feel like death like everyone else
who tried to race up.
 
If you were climbing faster than me, I'd be calling you to slow down and wait for my fat azz!!! ;)

[Editors note: The gearing name calling is the express written feeling of the author in regards to his own riding style and in no way reflects on how and what equipment others choose to ride.]
 
When training - whatever gear combination has me spinning at ~90-100 rpm, and my heart rate ~160, 170 max.
 
Great answers guys, i personally cannot stay seated for too long and prefer to spend the majority of my time up a hill standing
 
LOL well you would probably be leaving me sit lol
I'm a bit fat too and over weight :)
just geting back in to riding after YEARS of not
got my kids doin it too
so I'm real slow lol
I think I actually need maybe a 38 or 37 lol
 
At 215 pounds, I dangle a cupcake off the front of my helmet and try to catch it!:D



nashy_88 said:
Bit of generalisation here as the gradient and length etc make each climb unique however for the majority of hill climbs what is your technique?
 

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