Have someone let a snarling dog loose when you're 2/3 of the way up. You'll be at the top before you realize it.

Get lower gearing. 200 feet of elevation in 0.5 miles is quite steep.

With practice, it will get easier. I remember my first hilly commuting route. I just measured it, and it climbs about 180 feet in one mile, so I find it funny that it used to be hard. The first few weeks, I huffed and puffed. Then after some time, I noticed that I reached the top without even thinking about the fact that I was climbing.

ditto that [MENTION=152773]noglider[/MENTION]. For me it was 75 ft in about .2 miles to get out of my apartment complex, and I flat out couldn't do it the first few times. Over time it became just a short hill to get over. A big granny gear would have come in handy at first though.

A lower gear makes it easier to get up the hill, but it doesn't help make you stronger at hill climbing. In fact, the higher gear you use, the stronger you get. I learned this when I started commuting on a fixed gear bike. I couldn't shift down; I used the only gear I had. That's when I started getting good at climbing.

You must be going out of your way to do this climb on your route. Unless you stay on Broadway to 181st instead of using the bike path to ****man Street, the highest hill on your route would be closer to 100' if that.

Of course it's possible that you're using the Henry Hudson Bridge, then it's about 120'.

Exactly. I commute by bicycle to get to work. It's not a fitness thing for me. I like to ride for fitness also, but that's a different bike, different route, different time commitment, different clothing, and I don't carry a ton of gear. I get a lot of grief from folks in the forum about an ebike... like it's not really riding a bike or commuting by bike. The motor makes the ride much more comfortable, easier to carry whatever gear I want, gets me to my destination faster... all with the benefits of cycling except for the same fitness level that I would get if I were riding a fixed gear bike (yet everyone rides a geared bike for similar benefits that I get from an ebike.)

It's probably not cool to ride an ebike, either. However, I don't really look cool on my carbon fiber road bike either. I'm not going to impress anyone on a bike of any kind. But... I don't have a problem at all with any of the hills on my commute.

Haha, you know about where I used to live. I guess I told you at some point.

That first "hilly" commuting route was in 1981, long before they built the path along the river. I worked on W 64 St and lived uptown, just south of Dyckman St. From work (Toga Bike Shop on W 64 St & West End Ave), I took Riverside Dr and turned right onto W 165 St. Then I took St Nicholas Ave until it crossed Broadway, so yes, I was climbing Broadway to W 181 St. Google Maps says it peaks at 187 ft. The 165 St hill was the steepest part, and I remember seeing it as such a challenge. Now it seems like a little bump.

Now I live downtown and work in the Bronx, so it's a reverse commute. I take the bike path. It has a steep section just north of the GW Bridge.

If you're running out of air it would be good to work on spinning, try riding in the lowest gear you can stand, and pedal fast enough to get to a speed you can tolerate. If you can do that for a while (months) you will really fly when you start choosing to use higher gears.

Also if you're running out of air it doesn't hurt to see a doctor. I had a problem like that once and it turned out to be walking pneumonia. When my wife had the same problem I was wondering if she also had walking pneumonia again but it turned out to be a bunch of pulmonary embolisms.

I had an almost identical ride for years, living a block from where you now work and riding to the village on a regular basis.

And yes, there are no secrets in the age of the internet.

On Quiet Rural Roads with no oncoming traffic I Have been Known to take the whole road and make My own switchbacks ..

But I always have my 2 foot gear , as my lowest gear. getting off and Pushing is not shameful.

Riding out of the saddle and standing on the pedals is how I get up hills.

Your bike plus gear was 120 lbs? Before you got on it? Good god. What were you carrying? I'd be using one of massive 45 tooth derailleurs with a 22 tooth triple on that bike.

I was on a 2400km trek across the Canadian prairies.
There also comes a point where you are spinning, and traveling at a speed which is hard to keep stable.

As also pointed out by others. There is no shame in walking a bike up the crest of a hill.

-Snuts-

Ha ha, walking a bike that weighs 120lb, sure that's not hard at all. Oh, and up a hill too. Even better.

If you must then you must, I suppose. But that 28/32 should be plenty to get any hill...

I'm not going to bite.






-Snuts-

I just wanted to get to the top, get some groceries and get home. Do that enough times and you get stronger, but you've got to get over the hill in the first place!

I rode a CF non ebike to commute for years. The past two years my commute has included one hill that is a mile at 12 degrees, with a short break in the middle and on the way home a half mile hill with the same elevation gain, almost, as the hill on the way to work. So, I had to HTFU to do this. And, it still sucked! After 32 years of martial arts, my knees are not so great, to the point that I could not do this commute any three days in a row.

So, I got an ebike. The exercise is much better than I expected, given I get to pick the assist level. So, just enough assist to keep my knees safe.

I don't see commuting as some challenge the OP should face. If needed, put MTB gearing on your bike and it will no longer be an issue at 26 X 42 (even 50 if you want to go crazy). Or, get an Ebike and just use the minimum assist. Screw cool, get good exercise and call it a day.

eBikes are an option, but they are heavy and big and not as nimble in city traffic. Besides, for now, I need to get the exercise from bike commuting to control my weight. Some point down the road when I need to bike commute with my kids, then an ebike will make more sense.

I'm looking into converting my commuter to ebike. Should be very possible to do it only adding 10 pounds or so. Smaller motors and batteries are very light.

Are you going to do it yourself or have a shop do it for you? Is it an ebike moter kit you are buying?

For me though, I don't need an ebike for my current commute. When I need to carry my kids when commuting, I might very likely get an ebike, with a big rack on the back capable for carrying a lot of weight. So far, RADWagon seems to be a good value ebike. But again, it's heavy and not nimble...

I'm planning on either buying everything separately, or getting a hub motor/controller/battery package, and then building the wheel myself. Should run me around $500-$600.

I'm confused. Why do you need a light and nimble bike for commuting? Safety? If that's the case, it seems strange that you would consider riding with your kids... they are not going to make your future ebike any lighter or more nimble.

I am not commuting with kids at the moment. For city traffic, light and nimble bike allow me to maneuver better - sometimes filter through stuck cars, sometimes lift my bike to the sidewalk, etc.

When I do commute with my kids, then a big a sturdy ebike makes sense. Nimble and light is out of the picture at that point.

If my commute included situations where it was necessary to filter through cars, maneuver through city traffic, and be nimble and quick on my bike... then my kids would never, ever, be on my bicycle (ebike or not) on that kind of commute. In fact, I wouldn't be riding that route myself. "Hills" would be the least of my concerns.