Road Cycling - How do you climb?

Just wondering how you all climb. In/out of the saddle hands on top/hoods/in drops? Just wondering how you climb. I know that it's not the same all the time (most of the time I'm in the saddle on the top, but if i'm putting in a hard training ride i'm out of the saddle in the drops), so let's hear how you do it.

Just wondering how you all climb. In/out of the saddle hands on top/hoods/in drops? Just wondering how you climb. I know that it's not the same all the time (most of the time I'm in the saddle on the top, but if i'm putting in a hard training ride i'm out of the saddle in the drops), so let's hear how you do it.

most of the time i'm in the saddle with hands on top. when i'm worn out from that, i'll get out of the saddle with my hands on the hoods. i never ride out of the saddle with my hands on top, and rarely climb in the drops.

I stay in the saddle on moderate slopes. Depending upon how hard I'm pushing, I may interrupt the climb with an occasional jaunt out of the saddle and then back down. In any case, every time I get out of the saddle, I gear up by one or two and then gear back down when I get back in the saddle. That way I don't have to support the weight of my bod while standing on the pedals, but can actually use my weight to push (all 157lbs of it).

-mark

I love climbing out of the saddle and grinding it out...I'm on the hoods most of the time...I try to get into a nice side to side motion going and really push down with that whole side of my body...I will continue until my HR gets above 180 on a long hill and then i'll sit and spin....when my HR hits about 150 i'm out of the saddle again....Is it just me or climbing like that make you feel on top of the world.

I keep my hands on the hoods, and if I get out of my saddle then I'm pushing it, or just trying to keep up with the guys I'm with.

I stay in the saddle on moderate slopes. Depending upon how hard I'm pushing, I may interrupt the climb with an occasional jaunt out of the saddle and then back down. In any case, every time I get out of the saddle, I gear up by one or two and then gear back down when I get back in the saddle. That way I don't have to support the weight of my bod while standing on the pedals, but can actually use my weight to push (all 157lbs of it).

-mark

Does gearing up mean to a harder gear?

How do you climb?

In the hoods, standing, slowly, painfully.

Does gearing up mean to a harder gear?

yes! try it ... if nothing else, you'll be motivated to push the harder resistence.

-mark

I alternate - sometimes spinning in the saddle and sometimes standing and cranking. I feel it's important to be good and comfortable at both. What I try to avoid is mixing it up on the same climb unless it's really long and the legs need a break.

55/Rad

I prefer to sit and spin as much as I can. I am normally on the hoods or on the tops, depending on hill gradient. That being said, if the gradient isnt too bad I can be out of the saddle for quite a while and not really kill myself. When the gradient goes to around 9% is when I start to have to get out of the saddle to keep forward motion. I am more of a long climb climber, meaning I can climb a gradient of 5-6% for a long time but short rolling hills that are steep just kill me!!

For short non-steep climbs I go out of the saddle hands in the drops and try to keep my speed and gear.
For long steep climbs I stay in the saddle hands on top ,shift to 53/12 and race it up like a rocket.

I'm with you TriDevil. Steepies blow my legs up, shoot my heart rate to 178 and I'm done with. Maybe I just haven't learned/mastered the climbing out of saddle thing...yet.
Give me a 5-6% and I can get into a rhythm and ride for miles.
Every now and then I watch the 03 tour on dvd and watch Armstrong do his dance up the mountains. It's amazing.

I've been working on 'dancing' on the pedals. Its coming along. Trouble, I assume you have probably ridden mt. lemmon? Im thinking about trying to go down there one weekend and going up it. Is it a good ride/road?
ronyex, if you are climbing in a 53/12 you must be a) absolutely flying up the hill or b) ticking off a cadence of about 10rpm. Which is it? :)

I love climbing out of the saddle and grinding it out...I'm on the hoods most of the time...I try to get into a nice side to side motion going and really push down with that whole side of my body...I will continue until my HR gets above 180 on a long hill and then i'll sit and spin....when my HR hits about 150 i'm out of the saddle again....Is it just me or climbing like that make you feel on top of the world.

He Kern, I think its that nice bike you ride that makes you feel like your on top of the world. :D

I was born with knee problems. Since I started cycling my knees are much stronger. Form me, it depends on the climb. How steep and how long? I will tend to switch things up a bit depending on those factors.

For short non-steep climbs I go out of the saddle hands in the drops and try to keep my speed and gear.
For long steep climbs I stay in the saddle hands on top ,shift to 53/12 and race it up like a rocket.

I'd like to see this on some of our climbs out here...:D

For short non-steep climbs I go out of the saddle hands in the drops and try to keep my speed and gear.
For long steep climbs I stay in the saddle hands on top ,shift to 53/12 and race it up like a rocket.

Long and steep in 53/12?!? :eek:

I am a stand and mash kinda climber but I switch it up and sit with my hands on top.

i suffer

Long and steep in 53/12?!? :eek:

I was just kidding I really use 39/27 for the long steep climbs.
I average 6mph in the steep hills and breathe and sweat like a dying pig too.

I was just kidding I really use 39/27 for the long steep climbs.
I average 6mph in the steep hills and breathe and sweat like a dying pig too.

I understand...I work hard on climbs and I have different ways of climbing different hills. If it's early on the ride, I take it easy...sit and spin. If the hill is short (and at the end of a ride), I power up and get up speed before I get to the hill and let momentum and power get me over the hill. I gear down as necessary during the climb. The speed is very impressive.

On long climbs, I like to stay seated most of the time. Hands on the tops; I just put together a new bike for climbing and used wide bars with lots of room to move the hands around. This also allows for better breathing with the hands on the hoods. On steep parts, I like to hold the hoods and stand. If it isn't too steep, I gear up.

Remember to drink lots of water on long climbs. :)

TriDevil, Mt. Lemmon road is sweat. The first several miles are new-wide road with bike lane.
There are always people climbing the Lemmon, especially during the weekend mornings.
Give me a heads up before you want to come down and I'll make sure you have accomodations.

Slowly.

Just wondering how you all climb. In/out of the saddle hands on top/hoods/in drops? Just wondering how you climb. I know that it's not the same all the time (most of the time I'm in the saddle on the top, but if i'm putting in a hard training ride i'm out of the saddle in the drops), so let's hear how you do it.

Slow.... like molasses on my tires.

I like to climb out of the saddle with my index and middle fingers on the brake hoods and ring and pinky fingers on the drops.

I get the best balance and momentum that way, and I lean forward so that my chest is almost over the front wheel.

It's slow, but I can breathe easier this way.

He Kern, I think its that nice bike you ride that makes you feel like your on top of the world. :D

I was born with knee problems. Since I started cycling my knees are much stronger. Form me, it depends on the climb. How steep and how long? I will tend to switch things up a bit depending on those factors.


NTCZinMT....hey,The bike can make a difference.....but, that being said I could ride a tricycle and be happy....I am not a rich man...and I am not a poor man...riding gives me peace....period. me against the road.....I put this entry level specialized on layaway and payed her off....for me. i am paying large tution bills an such but I still feel that "I need my thing"....and thats biking. I like your attitude...you set goals and go for it.....good job......I am 43 years old and have 4 kids and 2 grandkids.......but I am in great shape and would really surprise most people......for my age....lets hook up and do a ride....i read about your half-century and congrats.......





kern

Just wondering how you all climb...

Usually like a big bag of hammers. Anything else you wanna know? ;)

sitting. Hands on the hoods.

Just wondering how you all climb. In/out of the saddle hands on top/hoods/in drops? Just wondering how you climb. I know that it's not the same all the time (most of the time I'm in the saddle on the top, but if i'm putting in a hard training ride i'm out of the saddle in the drops), so let's hear how you do it.

I was a mountain biker before I bought my road bike, and many of my mountain biking "habits" seem to crop up when I ride my road bike. I climb in the saddle, my hands on the tops of the bars, wrists rotated downwards, pulling straight back on the handlebars. I ride a low gear and use high cadence.

For short, steep rollers sometimes I'll stand and hammer because I can recover on the back side. For long, grinding climbs I sit and try to fall into a pace that I can maintain. For me, going anaerobic on a steep, 2+ mile climb invariably results in a slower overall climb than pushing it right up to the anaerobic threshold and grinding along there. Near the top I may push it over the limit if I have anything left.

I'll stand briefly to rest my sitting leg muscles. Thing is, I climb faster sitting in all cases.

Andy Applegate also suggests that (irrespective of posture, cadence, and hand positioning) the psychological dimension is crucial to "successful" climbing. His website offers a couple of visualization exercises to improve your climbing. For example, he suggests a test: climb a hill while visualizing something very heavy, then recover and climb the same hill while envisioning a helium-filled balloon floating up the hill. I haven't tried that specific technique, but having just completed a mountain metric century, I can attest that it's incredibly easy to psych yourself out when the road turns upward. Sometimes I'll be tooling along at a brisk clip, and then if I happen to glance at the road ahead and see a hill coming up, I tense up, and my speed almost _immediately_ drops even though I haven't even started climbing yet!
So, along with the other advice you've gotten, I'll add that one of the ways that I climb hills is by reminding myself that I can, and that the best way to get better at it is to keep doing it. Mixing in a variety of hills, postures, and cadences can help increase your comfort and hence your confidence.

You guys have something other than hills? Give me a minute while I try to imagine that....Ahhhh....must be nice.

P-raptor, you should know what I'm talking about...

On long climbs, seated with hands on the hoods. I have gone to the drops in a heavy headwind, but that is rare. Seated is more efficient.

On a short climb I will either gear down and spin up, or stand and mash. Either way it is to maintain speed.

I ride a tri-bike, so if there is any kind of headwind I'm down over my aero bars. On steep hills I'll occassionally stand up to keep going and give the seat a rest. Being 230 lbs. I just try to get up them one way or another.