When did walking up hills come to be considered shameful? I admit that I go to a lot of trouble getting my bikes geared low enough to let me ride up the long steep dirt road to my house even when it's soft and muddy and I'm already tired. That doesn't really make much sense--I'm letting maybe 1% of my riding dictate what my gearing should be. I could get by perfectly well with the old-fashioned 40-28 or 42-28 gearing if I could accept the fact that I might have to get off and walk on a rare occasion. So why is that so hard to do?
I have a theory that when walking was the default method of transport, people didn't mind walking their bikes--it's as if riding a bike was so outstandingly fast that walking up an occasional hill wasn't seen as particularly inconvenient. Why don't we feel that way now? Is it because cycling is now seen as an athletic event rather than a form of transport, or what?

I don't necessarily think the line has been blurred between transportation and sport. I try my hardest not to walk up hills, but it has close to nothing to do with records, speed, or convenience. The reason, at least for me, to torture myself up hills is more a product of the inherent shame involved in "quitting". And I'm in love the fact that you feel so f*ckin alive when you reach the crest of that hill with your heartbeat pounding in your ears like a triumphant marching band's kettle drum, joyously celebrating in the fact that you reached the top of that godforsaken mound...

No shame, walking is a great part of riding.
I live in a very flat town, and I've converted my 3 bikes to single speed. On one particular ride there is a parkway underpass that is very steep, so I hop off and finish on foot.
My wife, who rides much less than I, can finish standing on the pedals, darn light-weights.

I try my hardest to ride up hills, even if it means crawling slower than I could walk it, just for the hope that next time it'll be easier.

I hate to walk up hills with my road bike. I do it frequently with my mountain bike. Steep and sandy beats me every time.

I don't like walking up hills but, if I have to, I have to. It has been less frequent recently

This is interesting. I've never walked a hill that was actually paved. Even on many steep dirt roads, I've powered up them, even with the rear wheel skipping every few turns. I cycle for fun just as much as I do for athleticism, but I think my reason for not walking is mostly because... I hate to walk. As good as I am at cycling, walking and running just kill me. I don't mind running when I play Soccer. I don't mind hiking, but I hate just walking. For me, walking up a hill is harder than riding up one. Even one like this:



or this:



or this:



or this:

Recently I was riding close to - But not with - A really fit body builder guy who was riding a Hoopdie-Do carbon specialized - This guy was young and built like an inverted pyramid - But small legs - I was getting ready for my slow enduring charge up to lookout point in the local state park and as I got up off my seat into my crawl position I heard him yell out "Race to the TOP..." - I charged on my small ring up front and my trusty 34 tooth in back hands on top of my brakes and then heard him running past me with his bike on his right shoulder straight to the top and NO SHAME SHOWN...

Lesson learned - If yo feel bad about walking up the hill then don't walk - Pick up your bike and sprint...

Just a thought...

Am I supposed to be ashamed for walking up hills?

If so, I must be doing/thinking something wrong.

Who says it is shameful to walk up a hill?

This made my day!

No, you're not supposed to be ashamed, and if you aren't ashamed, that's good. My point was that I think many people ARE ashamed, because so few of them seem to do it.

Rhetorical question, right?

The shame is in being seen, walking your bike up the hill.

Maybe it's not about shame, maybe it's about convenience or conquest?

Could signify that rider is out of shape, or that bike is built in such a way that it's not able to handle hills. In any case, I would take 10 people walking their bikes over one car any day.

I have great difficulty walking and walking on inclines is even harder... so I pedal and can even tackle some grades that many cyclists cannot ride up.

Touring cyclists often walk when their riding speed drops below that of a walk and it actually provides for a nice butt break... consider also that in many parts of the world bicycles are not ultralight and might only run one speed so walking up hills is all part of the journey,

Stop it, will ya!! Yer makin' me homesick!

SP
Bend, OR
...but a Cal native

Reminds me of a story of two cyclists riding together; a Brit and a Yank. They came to a steep hill. The Yank drops it into the micro-granny gear and spins to the top. The Brit gets off and walks. And gets to the top first.

SP
Bend, OR

Yes, that's what shame is, as I understand it. We feel shame when others know about the bad thing we did. If only WE know we did something bad, we feel guilt, not shame.

Not that walking is bad.

Good point!

As a kid it always meant you wussed out. You did not wanna be the last guy to crest the hill pushing his bike unless you wanted to be laughed at....and it went without saying that if you were not that kid, you were doing the laughing.


adults are just better at rationalizing it

Three cyclists come to the base of a long steep hill, they are a Scot, a Yank, and a Brit.

The Yank takes off on his lowest gear, the Brit stops for tea, and the Scotsman calls in a crew to re-engineer the road to give it a more rideable grade.

There was a Frenchman who turned around and raced home while the Italian has not been seen since the beginning of the ride.

No shame! I did a century last week with a vintage with a 42/28 as my smallest gear. People were using their mtb bikes and compact gearing and people still had to walk. It was on the 80th mile of a century and for 15 miles before the end, it was 11-22% grade. That's the average for 15 miles. And that's after doing 80 miles already. I needed new cleats. I think it claims that 40% of the rides have to walk it. My friends did fine on compact front and a 32 or 34 rear.

I think most serious cyclist stoped walking up hills when we all got those stiff slippery plastic soled shoes with big look cleats. you had harder time walking with those d*** shoes on then you did climbing Pikes Peak in 53x12

Some Brits must have had a thing about walking up hills. Read the copy in the ad it is hilarious given how people think of the weight of three speeds today.

https://cgi.ebay.com/1948-You-Push-Bi...item519265e7ff

-Mike