"standing" techniques on a road/racing bike for new rider (and not fit either)

[Yuri Budilov]

Hello all

I have a 2004 Trek 100 road bike. I have clip-less Shimano pedals (M540) and
Shimano shoes. I think I am all set equipment-wise but not technique wise. I
am about 68-70 kg (~150 pounds), ~5 foot 9 or 10 inches tall, if it makes
any difference to my question.....

I need some help on correct way of standing up (up-hill, acceleration, etc)
on this road bike. I am sure I am doing it mostly wrong. What gear should I
be in when I initially stand up and then ride standing up? What happens to
the gears when I sit back down? Shift down? How many? What about hand/arm
positions while standing? "Pulling" techniques on the bars while standing?
Body position? Rocking? Etc.

If there are any web links to this - please share.

many thanks in advance
--
Yuri

 

[Roger Zoul]

Yuri Budilov wrote:
|| Hello all
||
|| I have a 2004 Trek 100 road bike. I have clip-less Shimano pedals
|| (M540) and Shimano shoes. I think I am all set equipment-wise but
|| not technique wise. I am about 68-70 kg (~150 pounds), ~5 foot 9 or
|| 10 inches tall, if it makes any difference to my question.....
||
|| I need some help on correct way of standing up (up-hill,
|| acceleration, etc) on this road bike. I am sure I am doing it mostly
|| wrong. What gear should I be in when I initially stand up and then
|| ride standing up? What happens to the gears when I sit back down?
|| Shift down? How many? What about hand/arm positions while standing?
|| "Pulling" techniques on the bars while standing? Body position?
|| Rocking? Etc.

Boy...if I had to worry about all this why riding up a hill, I'd get off the
bike and walk.

Generally, when I go up a hill, I start in the saddle. I will shift down as
needed while going up, generally trying to keep the cadence above 70 or so
(more like 80 if I can). If I choose to stand as I near the top of the
hill, I might shift up one gear before standing, depending how easy to gear
feels before I stand. If it feels very easy, I shift up. If it feels hard,
I don't. I generally don't feel a need to shift down again as I reach the
top since riding is easier. I keep my hands on the tops while climbing and
never in the hoods.

There is no definite answer to what gear and how many gears to shift up or
down. You just need to go by what you feel you need to do. Those gears are
there for your use, so use them as you need to to be effective.

 

[the black rose]

Yuri Budilov wrote:
> I need some help on correct way of standing up (up-hill, acceleration, etc)
> on this road bike. I am sure I am doing it mostly wrong. What gear should I
> be in when I initially stand up and then ride standing up?

I don't have any wisdom for you, but my husband has started riding with
me and asked me something like this the other day.

Husband: "What gear should I be in?"
Me: "Whatever feels right."
Husband: "You're no help at all."
Me: "Sorry, dear."
Husband: "So what gear should I be in?"
Me: "Whatever gear feels best."
Husband: "..."
Me: " :-D "

-km

--
the black rose
proud to be owned by a yorkie
http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts

 

[Luigi de Guzman]

On Wed, 28 Jul 2004 01:56:47 GMT, the black rose
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Yuri Budilov wrote:
>> I need some help on correct way of standing up (up-hill, acceleration, etc)
>> on this road bike. I am sure I am doing it mostly wrong. What gear should I
>> be in when I initially stand up and then ride standing up?
>
>I don't have any wisdom for you, but my husband has started riding with
>me and asked me something like this the other day.
>
>Husband: "What gear should I be in?"
>Me: "Whatever feels right."
>Husband: "You're no help at all."
>Me: "Sorry, dear."
>Husband: "So what gear should I be in?"
>Me: "Whatever gear feels best."
>Husband: "..."
>Me: " :-D "

Ah, the zen of bicycling. So closely-related to the zen of cooking.
I'm teaching my brother both.

"How much water do I add now?"
"Enough."

-Luigi

 

[khill]

Yuri Budilov wrote:
> I need some help on correct way of standing up (up-hill, acceleration, etc)
> on this road bike. I am sure I am doing it mostly wrong. What gear should I
> be in when I initially stand up and then ride standing up? What happens to
> the gears when I sit back down? Shift down? How many? What about hand/arm
> positions while standing? "Pulling" techniques on the bars while standing?
> Body position? Rocking? Etc.
>
> If there are any web links to this - please share.
>
> many thanks in advance

Here's a site with some info which helps explain the techniques for
seated and standing climbing:

http://www.imt.net/~yvcc/jeff_hill/roadclimbing.standing.htm

HTH.

- khill

 

[Peter Cole]

"Yuri Budilov" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello all
>
> I have a 2004 Trek 100 road bike. I have clip-less Shimano pedals (M540) and
> Shimano shoes. I think I am all set equipment-wise but not technique wise. I
> am about 68-70 kg (~150 pounds), ~5 foot 9 or 10 inches tall, if it makes
> any difference to my question.....
>
> I need some help on correct way of standing up (up-hill, acceleration, etc)
> on this road bike. I am sure I am doing it mostly wrong. What gear should I
> be in when I initially stand up and then ride standing up? What happens to
> the gears when I sit back down? Shift down? How many? What about hand/arm
> positions while standing? "Pulling" techniques on the bars while standing?
> Body position? Rocking? Etc.

Generally, seated climbing is the most efficient. Standing mostly allows you
to use muscles in a slightly different range, which can let you stretch a
little bit, it's very personal, some will stand a lot, others not at all.
Usually, you want to drop cadence a bit when standing, perhaps going up a
couple of gears. If the climb is uneven in grade, you may prefer to stand for
the steeper sections to avoid shifting. It's best to downshift a little before
you actually need it, rather than under the load of lugging a gear that's a
little too high.

Pulling on the bars to increase pedal force is typically only a sprinting
technique. Newbies should be careful when sprinting, especially if
simultaneously pulling up on the opposite pedal, as pedal pull out can cause a
crash. Again, such forceful pedaling is a sprinting technique best reserved
for racing. Exaggerated "throwing" of the bike side to side is not good form,
it puts a lot of needless stress on the wheels.

Hand position is a matter of personal preference. Gripping the brake hoods
gives more leverage to offset pedal torque, while the tops allows a slightly
more upright position. Some people climb standing while holding the bars in
the drops, although this is a less common technique. It's best to experiment
to find what works best for you.

It's important to have your cleats positioned properly, especially when
climbing standing. If they're not centered, you may jam your toes or press the
sides of your feet against the shoe. When climbing seated, it's often good to
slide back in the saddle to allow a slightly fuller leg extension, especially
at low cadences. As with any other time, you want to relax the upper body as
much as possible, using all available power to move the pedals, not wasting
any to hold contorted body positions.

 

[Jeff]

">
> I need some help on correct way of standing up (up-hill, acceleration, etc)
> on this road bike. I am sure I am doing it mostly wrong. What gear should I
> be in when I initially stand up and then ride standing up? What happens to
> the gears when I sit back down? Shift down? How many? What about hand/arm
> positions while standing? "Pulling" techniques on the bars while standing?
> Body position? Rocking? Etc.
>

Usually you will want to shift to a higher (more difficult) gear when you stand
to climb, because your cadence will be low. You will be using your body weight
to push the gears, and the work you do is lifting up your own body, so isn't any
harder to use a big gear. Keep your upper body relaxed to conserve energy,
don't pull on the bars. This is what works for me anyway.

Jeff

 

[Ken]

[email protected] (Jeff) wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> Usually you will want to shift to a higher (more difficult) gear when
> you stand to climb, because your cadence will be low. You will be using
> your body weight to push the gears, and the work you do is lifting up
> your own body, so isn't any harder to use a big gear.

Your legs are pushing against your body, but try not to lift your body up and
down. That just wastes energy. Instead, rest your upper body against your
arms. Keep your arms kind of straight so you don't waste energy holding your
body up. A low handlebar helps with this technique.

 

[the black rose]

Luigi de Guzman wrote:
> On Wed, 28 Jul 2004 01:56:47 GMT, the black rose
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>Yuri Budilov wrote:
>>
>>>I need some help on correct way of standing up (up-hill, acceleration, etc)
>>>on this road bike. I am sure I am doing it mostly wrong. What gear should I
>>>be in when I initially stand up and then ride standing up?
>>
>>I don't have any wisdom for you, but my husband has started riding with
>>me and asked me something like this the other day.
>>
>>Husband: "What gear should I be in?"
>>Me: "Whatever feels right."
>>Husband: "You're no help at all."
>>Me: "Sorry, dear."
>>Husband: "So what gear should I be in?"
>>Me: "Whatever gear feels best."
>>Husband: "..."
>>Me: " :-D "
>
>
> Ah, the zen of bicycling. So closely-related to the zen of cooking.
> I'm teaching my brother both.
>
> "How much water do I add now?"
> "Enough."
>
> -Luigi

Exactly!

Actually, I think it's just that he's such a geek, he's assuming that
there's a correct gear for whatever speed you happen to be going, or for
going up hills, or whatever. I *think* that's the way he's thinking,
anyways. These free-floating whatever-works things leave him baffled,
poor dear.

-km "Bright thing in sky, what for is???"

--
the black rose
proud to be owned by a yorkie
http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts

 

[the black rose]

khill wrote:
> Yuri Budilov wrote:
>
>> I need some help on correct way of standing up (up-hill, acceleration,
>> etc)
>> on this road bike. I am sure I am doing it mostly wrong. What gear
>> should I
>> be in when I initially stand up and then ride standing up? What
>> happens to
>> the gears when I sit back down? Shift down? How many? What about hand/arm
>> positions while standing? "Pulling" techniques on the bars while
>> standing?
>> Body position? Rocking? Etc.
>>
>> If there are any web links to this - please share.
>>
>> many thanks in advance
>
>
> Here's a site with some info which helps explain the techniques for
> seated and standing climbing:
>
> http://www.imt.net/~yvcc/jeff_hill/roadclimbing.standing.htm
>
> HTH.

Oooh, useful site! Thanks for posting it.

-km

--
the black rose
proud to be owned by a yorkie
http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts

 

[Luigi de Guzman]

On Wed, 28 Jul 2004 17:48:58 +0000, Ken <[email protected]> wrote:

> A low handlebar helps with this technique.

H'mmm. Hadn't thought of handlebar position while climbing.

I like my bars where they are, level with the saddle, so that might
explain my preference for sitting and grinding (even though that seems
to take forever on especially steep hills, since I'm not as strong as
I should be)

-Luigi

 

[Thomas Reynolds]

"Yuri Budilov" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Hello all
>
> I have a 2004 Trek 100 road bike. I have clip-less Shimano pedals (M540) and
> Shimano shoes. I think I am all set equipment-wise but not technique wise. I
> am about 68-70 kg (~150 pounds), ~5 foot 9 or 10 inches tall, if it makes
> any difference to my question.....
>
> I need some help on correct way of standing up (up-hill, acceleration, etc)
> on this road bike. I am sure I am doing it mostly wrong. What gear should I
> be in when I initially stand up and then ride standing up? What happens to
> the gears when I sit back down? Shift down? How many? What about hand/arm
> positions while standing? "Pulling" techniques on the bars while standing?
> Body position? Rocking? Etc.
>
Stand when your body tells you to.

When you stand you put more weight (torque) on the pedals so you can
usually shift up to a harder gear. Upshift until your body says you
have gone too far and then back off one. Downshift to the original
gear when you sit.

When standing pull up on the handlebar on the same side that your legs
are pushing down. This really helps but the more tired you get the
harder it is to do. So it helps to grip the handlebars near the ends,
giving you a longer torque arm, requiring less effort for the same
torque.

Hope this helps,
Tom