uphill climb
 

hey everyone just want some advice on what the "proper" way or the best way to execute an uphill climb, as far as seating position, gear, tire pressure, stuff like that.

The other day i made it up most of the climbs i did, but there were a few that i had to stop halfway and get off the bike. Due to tire spin or just not being ready for the climb due to a blind corner.

oh and these climbs have rocks and roots and stuff....if that helps.

As opposed to a downhill climb?

Mine is

1) Get off bike
2) Walk

:)

+1

+2! :)

My technique varies and depends on how long the climb is, the grade, the obstacles, and trail surface.

if it looks pretty loose, i take it easy-don't wanna lose control and start to slip. if its fairly firm and steep i guage the distance and hammer up the hill, remember; always peak over the hill b/c theres some gnarly dh awaiting you.

well im saying as far as body weight and stuff. Should i stay seated, shout i rise off the saddle and lean more forward, or put more weight on the rear tire. Putting more weight on the rear tire makes sense to me for more traction but also seems like your transfering weight in the direction you dont wanna go....down. So I was a little skeptical on that.

whatever i guess it'll just be a trial and error kinda deal.

.......um....hmm???

depends, if you want to go faster uphill stand and mash imo, but 1 you'lll need to find the point, especially on steeper sections, where you have enough weight over the front and back, too much over the front and your rear wheel will spin, too much back you'll struggle to peddle and your front wheel will lift and you might fall off the back of it. sitting down you'll go slower imo, but you'll also go a bit further mibbe, depends really on your fitness level that one, generally harder gears make you go faster and you can go on harder gears uphill standing, all about trial and error really, what works for one person doesn't work for another, beauty of cycling imo, no real wrong way to do things, just whatever works...

i find best way for me to go uphill is to boot it as fast as you can at the flat or dowhill before you go up hill and try and keep the momentum going then get up off my arse and mash at the bottom turning in as high a gear as possible and gradual come down the gears if i can't maintain it, then i'm either at the top of the hill or the hills too big an i'm off and walking up the rest or sitting on my arse going up hill at a snails pace, fitness is a issue here for me i'm getting better tho...

I ride a lot of 4 wheeler trails with some unclimbable stuff(or is it). My usual strategy is to ride like normal except use a lower gear. eg stay seated unless there is an obstical where I need to stand up.. also standing at the very top to finish off the hill just seems to come naturally. I almost never use the lowest gear I have, which is 22 - 28 it's just too low most of the time and you lift the front/ spin the back or if your mashing in a low gear walking may be faster

I never downshift more than 1 or 2 gears on a vlimb I try to judge it befor I hit it and shift to the appropriate gear.

I stay seated all the way until the very top, where I'll stand, but only if I really need to. This helps keep my weight on the rear. I rarely have problems finding traction w/ michelin country mud tires, even with roots in the hill. My rear tire was set @ 35 psi. If your front end gets too light and your scissoring the wheel, maybe a shorter stem may help?

The "proper" way is to gain some experience & learn what techniques work for YOU. Simply put just... "shut up & ride"

the best way to tackle any terrain on the mountain, whether it be uphill, downhill, jumps, rockgardens or any sort of riding is to practice often and find your own technique, just as beaver put it. ill say what i do however:
if your fork has a lockout adjust, it's useful to use it on any type of uphill riding. if short uphill I put my high gear in 1st and my low somewhere between 3rd and 5th gear. if it is a long, steep uphill i put my high gear in 1st and my low in 1st or 2nd. i also stand up and keep my body position forward. again, thats just how i handle uphill riding.

so... are you supposed to be able to shift gears during a tough climb, or stick with one gear the entire way up? doesn't shifting while under tension put excess wear on the drivetrain?

I've done that on a rail trail on my DH bike - -not enough slope to keep coasting :mad:

Whos the idiot now huh?!

Wait....crap its me :o

Haha. Well, at the time, it was my only bike so it had to do everything - - Wed. night shop rides, rail trails and bike paths with my wife and DHing. My legs got pretty good.

Other people on the bike paths looked at me kinda funny when they saw the 8" travel dual crown and 2.5 tires.

some helpful hints for climbing: stay in a gear that allows you to make between 60 and 70 pedal rotations/minute. always stay seated. keep your upper body relaxed. focus on what your doing and concentrate on making it to the top! some helpful hints for really steep climbs. stand only when necessary. slide up in your saddle. lean forward and keep your chest right over your bars. relish the feeling of self accomplishment when clearing a particularly gnarly uphill. happy trails!

Yes and no, I mean if you can make it all the way to the top by pre guessing the gear then mission accomplished. If you have to adjust one or two as the climb steepens is OK to. I usually stay seated and keep an even cadence and try to power through it. I try to make up time on my climbs and consider them my friend because others usually loose time and tire out from it. Practice balance and control, pick a good line and have confidence but your engine the most important IMHO.

Total BS.

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q...6/DSCN6214.jpg

Climb this! Or walk it...

climb it man...all the way!

that hill is for the weak... I make it up this around 60% of the time
http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m...ell4/hill2.jpg