Standing for 20K (12 miles) is quite possible. May not be the fastest way to get to the top, but very possible. Cough up some money and I'll demonstrate it tomorrow. :)

Ben

I have some insanely steep hills on my commute. On my MTB commuter the gearing goes so low, I sit and spin. On the new bike where the gears go pretty low, I can sit, but will stand if I feel like I'm not making enough progress. On my old 12-speed road bike, despite fitting a smaller ring up front, I have to stand for most hills. It's really interesting to me. My heaviest bike has the lowest gearing, and my lightest bike has the least low gears. I can feel how light the bike is while climbing, but I feel I do better on the heavier bikes due to their gears.

Coughing up money is also impossible. Ever tried it?

You wrote that standing up on the pedals has decreased your sore ass. I replied that perhaps the real solution would be to try a different saddle/position/shorts.

I wrote that I have not had a sore ass for 2 years. Therefore, there is no purpose in trying different saddle positions or shorts - I have achieved ass nirvana. :beer:

Ok, let's say you really can stand for a 12-mile climb on a 9-10% grade - no breaks allowed. Those were two of the greatest climbers in racing history so can you really blame me for assuming they didn't stand all the way because they couldn't?

Is it or is it not worth the time and pain for the OP to train to do what you can, just to reduce the soreness on his sit bones?

Well then it appears I'm missing the point of your post.

Due to my bum ticker I usually don't have much more to give. I just shift. If it weren't for that I'd be standing a lot.

Right, but I'm just saying they didn't stand the whole time.

If you hate sitting on a bike that much, just get this bike and ditch all your other bikes:

https://lopifit.com/

Oh goodness gracious. A walking treadmill on a bike. Now I've truly seen it all. This must be one of the signs of the Apocalypse.

Let's see. A treadmill on a bike so you can get some exercise. For a mere 2,194 euros including shipping? Anyone who buys this is seriously confused.

On the road, I stand occasionally while climbing, or even coasting, just for variety of position, and to get the blood flowing to all the bits. And especially in the steepest parts. "Sit & spin" doesn't make sense if Grade + Fitness + GrannyGearing = 20rpm cadence. I've got 39/34, which is a pretty low gear (for a double), and I run into hills all the time that it is impossible for me to maintain 60rpm.

On the trail, I would like to stand more for tough climbs, but I have problems with losing rear wheel traction due to weight moving forward, I find I have to sit and spin to make sure the rear wheel doesn't spin out. For descending though, I am out of the saddle on sprung legs; even if it's smooth, I just feel more balanced and ready to react if anything unexpected should come up while I'm roaring down the hill.

But you could use it to get to the gym, instead of driving there!

Sometimes I feel spoiled riding my work bike. Good ole IGH shifting doesn't care if you forgot to gear down while in motion. I try to remember with my other bikes, and am mostly successful. I have maybe a 70% success rate in remembering to gear down

regarding saddles sores, I read a long time ago that occasionally standing and readjusting your shorts is good to reduce or eliminate saddles sores. something about the hair follicles getting pressed in a certain way for an extended period of time aggravating them. so yeah I get out of the saddles, sometimes for coasting downhills to rest and cool off. I also adjust my shorts periodically to make nothing is getting pinched for an extended period of time