Road Cycling - No Power Climbing While Seated

Nearly got my arse (sorry, "ass") kicked on a group hill ride! I've done stacks of criteriums, where the road is obviously flat, and lots of flat group rides where i perform reasonably well, but i can't get any power climbing whilst seated. I just gave up and stood the whole way up every climb in order to keep up with the fast, light guys.

While seated on a hill climb, all my weight seems to be thrown right back, and I feel as though I can't get over the pedals to really push like I can on the flat, I can only really pull up. On the flats, my weight seems to be much more forward, over the bottom bracket, allowing me to really 'stomp'.

What do I do: move my seat forward for your my hill days, or what?

PLEEEEEEEEEEZ :cry:

Take a look at this post. http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=33289 Sounds like your spin might just need some work and that post has a good figure of what it needs to look like. Also make sure you are push/pull instead of a push push method. Good way to train is to ride with one foot on pedal and other foot off. Just a few things I would try which you probably already have.

I was once pretty strong in the saddle on climbs, but lost that over the last few years of not riding as much as I would have liked. In order to get some of that strength back, I converted an old road bike into a fixed gear to work on spin and power. Since just February, riding an average of probably 3 times a week with 30 miles being the longest outing, my spin has improved dramatically and my legs are much stronger. I haven't gotten back on the road bike yet, and won't until June, but I know that my legs will spin better and stronger since I started riding fixed.

Additionally, I find myself on the nose of the saddle on longer climbs. However, remember that it's an adjustment to your position that might result in not using your pedal upstroke as well as you do in a normal position, so be aware of this and keep focused on using the back of the legs as well. I've found that this is a stronger position and, over time, I'm able to exert more power over a longer distance on the road.

The best way to get better at riding hills is to (insert drum roll here) you guessed it, ride more hills. One way to see quick gains is to do seated hill repeats (3-5 climbs with minimal rest between climbs) in a moderate gear at or around 85% of maximum effort (remember to pace yourself as blowing up isn't what you're trying to accomplish). I don't know how long the hills are that you're climbing but anything from .75 to 1 mile is just fine for these types of efforts. You also need to allow ample recovery time after these workouts as they take some time to come back from. Depending on your weight, dropping a few pounds can also do wonders for your hill climbing prowess. I ride and race with a few guys who are really strong on the flats but get pummeled on climbs because of their weight.

My favorite way to climb is seated, on the back of my saddle and pushing a larger gear at around 70-75 RPMs.

I don't think my problem is fitness or strength, it's technique; I can't get 'over' the pedals. I go fine when standing, but lose my power as soon as I sit down.

I don't think my problem is fitness or strength, it's technique; I can't get 'over' the pedals. I go fine when standing, but lose my power as soon as I sit down.
Maby it is that you are trying to get 'over' the pedals. I find myself on big climbs in the saddle felling more behind the pedals focusing a lot on the pull up stroke or at least focusing on 4 to 9 o'clock portion of the stroke.

Maby it is that you are trying to get 'over' the pedals. I find myself on big climbs in the saddle felling more behind the pedals focusing a lot on the pull up stroke or at least focusing on 4 to 9 o'clock portion of the stroke.

Me too. I tend to scoot way back on the saddle so I can focus on pushing one pedal forward while pulling the other pedal back. When my legs get to burning so bad I can't take it anymore, I move forward and switch to a down/up pedal stroke, then shift up two cogs and stand for a while.

Then when I sit again, I shift down two cogs and use the down/up pedal stroke from the front of the saddle for a few strokes, then move to the back of the saddle and use the push forward/ pull back technique.

I am the heaviest rider in our group and I can flatten hills just like the little guys.

Assuming your position on the bike is correct try focusing on technique.

1) Spin, don't mash. 80-90 rpm (climbing spin is slower than normal spinning)
2) Hands on the tops
3) Back straight (don't arch)
4) Pelvis rotated ever so slightly forward to straighten the lower back

The goal here is to use the butt muscles. A proper position will involve those muscles all the way up to your lower back. You don't want to overload the quads but share the load between quads and butt.

Concentrate on effeciency of motion. No rocking or any extra motion other than delivering power to the pedals.

When I climb I'll get out of the saddle for 10 or 20 pedal strokes every km just to relieve the strain on my back and legs. It's smart to shift to a bigger gear to maintain speed then shift back when seated.

I find I get more power when I shift forward to the edge of the saddle on hard efforts and climbs......like a time trialist's saddle position. I have also scooted back in the saddle but found that scooting forward and making sure I maintained a cadence of 80+ got me up faster. I don't think you need to move your seat position, just give moving forward to the nose of the saddle a try. I don't use that position for regular long climbs, just when I am under pressure to hang on. So experiment a little and see what works for you.

thanks, chaps

Should I climb like this guy; way forward on the seat? http://www.specialized.com/