Mountain Biking - Climbing technique - newb question

My local trails have short, steep, ascents that usually have a lot of loose "cobblestone" near the top. I was having trouble with the front tire having no purchase, so I got some bar ends. ( I am a female, short, and top-heavy, I thought using bar ends would help me with the traction problem)
Now I have great traction on the front tire while standing on climbs, but the back tire is spinning out. I give! Is there some mystery point in between that I just haven't found yet? What's the trick to this loose, cobbley surface?
THX

top-heavy are we?

you just have to find a balance point somewhere.

What's the trick to this loose, cobbley surface?
THX

You're doing fine. There is no magical trick to perfectly climb a hill like that. If you can do it sitting you will get the best traction on the rear. Don't worry about the front wheel being on the ground all the time.

What's the trick to this loose, cobbley surface?
THX

Really, it's all about balance and feel. Practice shifting your weight fore and aft. Practice standing/sitting and practice the transition between the two. Some loose climbs just cannot be ridden. However, with some patience and practice, you'll get more than get you!

... Brad

A very common hill position is your butt off the seat, but just barely, and often you're towards the nose of the seat. Also keep your chest parallel to the top tube, this will keep you front tire from lifting. And then tweak this position as needed. Good luck.

also, a friend of mine who rides a lot told me i should keep my elbows tucked in, i dont know how well it works, since i dont tuck them in while climbing, but its worth a try

and its nice to she some girls in the forum! (and riding:))

elbows in, sit on the saddle, put your weight on the back tire so it doesnt spin, and pedal like youve never pedaled before.

just be careful you dont flip back.

It may not be the best form/technique/whatever for climbing but I usually raise myself slightly off the seat when I climb, especially if I start to spin out or my front wheel comes up. I find that this allows me to shift my weight forward and backward easier to get the right balance of rear wheel traction and front wheel weight.

most tough, steep, loose hills - butt on the seat, kiss the stem, spin like mad

really really steep hills - squat just off of seat, mash on pedals while yanking bars each stroke for traction in the rear. "float" around fore to aft to find a center of gravity that will keep front end from rising too far(it'll come up, just dont' freak)

Climb seated, and pull down and back on the handlebars to keep the front wheel down.

you should try putting it on a higher gear

My local trails have short, steep, ascents that usually have a lot of loose "cobblestone" near the top. I was having trouble with the front tire having no purchase, so I got some bar ends. ( I am a female, short, and top-heavy, I thought using bar ends would help me with the traction problem)
Now I have great traction on the front tire while standing on climbs, but the back tire is spinning out. I give! Is there some mystery point in between that I just haven't found yet? What's the trick to this loose, cobbley surface?
THX

Depending on how short the "short, steep, ascent" is, carrying some momentum up it may not hurt either.



Pics please.

It is these comments that cause the women to shy away from this forum. Is your life that dull that you want to harass some poor woman online?

Dear god. No. Please. No.


:eek:

When I climb(note: I'm in Houston) I get some momentum up before the hill and lean just enough to keep my COG forward but still seated unless the front starts to lift. One thing I can recommend would be Power Grips or clipless pedals so you can pedal down with one leg as you pull the other up. I know this helps in some situations.

You guys are great. I used to whitewater kayak and the people who post on that forum are cruel and unhelpful. I'm going to have fun here! :)
"Kissing the stem" and "elbows in" helped me quite a bit on my ride yesterday.

Spin quickly too, but be smooth about it.

if your on a grippy climb, its always fun to try and catwalk up. theres a pretty steep hill as my backyard, and ive made it up the whole 40'? of it catwalking, but as for your climbs, (use stuff thats been said) practice, figure out what you want to try and change, and practice some more. good luck!

1- Correct tire pressure...make sure you have enough air in the back tire that you don't risk pinch flats, but not so much that the tire won't deform over objects. That deformation (vs. deflection) is where you get your traction on the climbs.
2- Keep the bike a gear higher than you feel is right. Too much torque in a low gear will guarantee you spin the rear, while taller gearing may take away just enough torque to keep your wheel turning with traction.
3- Use clipless pedals and pull up on the back stroke while trying to maintin a smooth pedal motion. Too much mashing on the down stroke can make you spin if you hit lose traction right as you hit the power point.
4- Momentum will only help on short hills, and trying to get going too fast before the hill forces you to shift out of a high gear at the bottom of the hill...not good unless you are really smooth

My advice is to be skeptical about some of the advice in this thread.

Sometimes watching a video (http://www.petefagerlin.com/video/geronimoclimb.wmv) can help, even though video tends to flatten the terrain.


That video makes me feel ashamed by my climbing skills. I think I need to ride my bike more often.

Great videos, thanks!

nice video. Is the one in orange is you?

Cool video.

To answer the original question, I've found that getting as low as possible--"kissing" the stem; elbows in; using my bar-ends; butt barely off the seat--and a lower than usual gear help, as do very low tire pressures. I've been running Kenda Kinetics Sitck-E's lately with thick tubes, and about 25psi (I'm 150#) and I'm finally beginning to hook up on all the annoying loose rocks that have frustrated me so much in the past. By keeping my gearing lower than what feels right, I'm able to instantly get my cranks spinning--but, thankfully, my tires gripping--at the moment I need to.

to add another climbing question: how do you deal with obstacles on steep uphills, small roots no problem, but logs and larger rocks... i can get my front wheel up but on steeper climbs my rear wheel gets stuck on the obstacle, and i can't pull it up cause no momentum, somtimes i can just spinn up things but somtimes i either just get stuck, or my rear wheel spins out, and most of the time i manage to unclip in time,

hope this isnt jacking the thread, its about climbing

Best way for this is trial and error.

it's not so much a matter of shifting your weight. shift too far back, and the front wheel lifts, too far forward and the rear tire has no traction. that's a delicate balance point to find.

rather than shifting your weight, try remaining seated in the saddle, but pull your(there's no delicate way to phrase this, so no ofense intended) chest down toward the top tube. In effect, this is the "kissing the stem" mentioned earlier. the steeper the hill, the lower toward the bar you go.

it keeps your weight back over the rear tire, but also weights the front end, keeping the front down.

I absolutely love bar ends, I don't know why they've gone so out of favor. extremely effective, and also offer alternate hand positions.

old school barends make your bike look like a bull. i think that maybe why they've gone out of favor. i think they own face as well. also, sliding forward in your saddle on very steep climbs helps a lot as does putting your thumbs on the top of your bars. happy trails!

It's all about shifting your weight.

Try again.

That was the biggest thing that helped me out. Learning to shift weight around makes techy climbing a whole lot easier.

I'd like to think I'm a decent climber. Seeing Kevin doing that stuff way better and cleaner reminds me otherwise.

My advice is to be skeptical about some of the advice in this thread.

Sometimes watching a video (http://www.petefagerlin.com/video/geronimoclimb.wmv) can help, even though video tends to flatten the terrain.

and knowing some trials doesnt hurt either, as demonstrated near the begining of the video.

[QUOTE=norco_rider77;5208547]if your on a grippy climb, its always fun to try and catwalk up. theres a pretty steep hill as my backyard, and ive made it up the whole 40'........[QUOTE]

Wow! Cool......

i know! hey, i was just saying, if your bored, its always fun

thanks for the tips on this thread, there was this steep climb I couldn't manage, and would walk up embarrased.

Then i kissed the stem, brought in my elbows/hands, and I was able to do it.
Thanks

if your on a grippy climb, its always fun to try and catwalk up. theres a pretty steep hill as my backyard, and ive made it up the whole 40'? of it catwalking, but as for your climbs, (use stuff thats been said) practice, figure out what you want to try and change, and practice some more. good luck!


'Catwalk' - What is that? Please enlighten those of us who don't know the terminology. 8o]

That video makes me feel ashamed by my climbing skills. I think I need to ride my bike more often.

I know it's an older thread... but that was definitely a nice video to watch!

I think I'll add something since the thread has been res'd anyways. I find that if you have the force to do it, you can shift into a mid gear, and keep your rear end centered over the seat, the bike stays grounded and you'll find yourself making it up most hills. The front end lifting up isn't a big deal since usually that isn't enough to send you careening down the hill backwards.