jppe

When I was riding up some of the steep hills this past weekend I learned I had done an outstanding job of two things:

Using the full pedal stroke
Equipping myself with a lightweight bike-especially the wheels/tires

I've gone from being a "masher" to doing a much better job of pulling through on the downstroke and upstroke with the clipless pedals. I'm doing such a good job that the front wheel was coming off the ground and bouncing along with me.

I had plenty of time to observe what was happening (remember 3 miles in 40 mins) and I made sure I wasn't pulling up on the handlebars as I was pedaling. In fact for a while I just rested my hands on top of the bars and bounced along. I noticed that I was pulling through at around 4 o'clock to 7 o'clock the wheel would come off the ground. This mostly happened when the grades were 15+%. I'll admit that it wasn't a very smooth stroke-probably pretty choppy at best..........but hey I'd already ridden 100 miles and at that point I wasn't the least bit concerned or proud about the form or how it looked!!!!

Makes me wonder if I could do enough of a wheelie to go all the way over????

SSP

Sounds like you need to lean forward slightly, to shift a bit of weight to the front tire.

As for your "choppy form" - on 15+% grades, hardly anybody looks smooth.

Jet Travis

Every time I'm on a 15 percent grade after 100 miles and my form begins to suffer, I usually find it satisfying to throw my Huffy down a ravine.

JanMM

Most places, it's against the law to throw trash to the side of the road or down a ravine.

Blue Jays

A bouncy or jittery ride can be caused by too much air in the tires which actually causes them to lose contact with the asphalt even if only for a second.

stapfam

Don't find many 15% ers on the road- thank goodness- but You have just reminded me, along with SSP, that I actually rode the hill last week in the drops- hence getting the weight forward.

Now Offroad-it is just on 15% that I find that the front wheel will start to lift. That is on a more upright position so it is a matter of throwing the weight forward.. One thing we cannot do is get out of the saddle to shift weight. That is instant wheelspin and a quick stop.

Hermes

Great ride and check out the clipless thread. You must have been imagining the benefit of clipless pedals. The guys in this other thread have proven that there is little and maybe no benefit . In a way, it reminds me a little of the golfers who do not have the game to play blades. This maybe true for clipless pedals. You have to have the game to get the benefit. I am with you.

LastPlace

Not to get off on a tangent......but to get off on a tangent. There is a local guy who will do half of a twenty mile ride with one foot and then the second half with the other foot. Seems a hard way to build smoothness but it works for him. Seems to have about 2% body fat.

And I'm in the rear using both feet and dying, and watching the pack move off into the distance.