Originally Posted by
ColinL
I've noticed that a lot of casual riders coast frequently-- anywhere from 10-40% of the time on flat ground. You can't do that when climbing. You have to be conditioned to pedal something very near 100% of the time, which is something best learned when climbing or by pacing riders faster than you are.
I was doing half-mile 8% climbs around 7mph. It was manageable for me, and I'm nowhere near awesome. My wife was right behind me.
That's a good point. I seem to remember a thread by a newbie who described his pedaling like a pelican flying: flap flap flap coooooaaaaasssssttttt.
It's also another argument in favor of riding a fixed gear in the off season. Not just up hills, but also on long flat rides. You literally have to keep pedaling for the entire ride and that trains your legs to keep turning over.