SSP

This season my focus is on climbing - I'm currently training for a weeklong tour in Colorado, followed by the Markleeville Death Ride.

I know that minor positioning tweaks can help with specific events (e.g., raising the saddle, and moving it forward slightly for time trialing on aero bars).

But, I'm not familiar with bike setup tips specifically for hill climbing. Any suggestions?

platypus

It's mostly going to be getting the appropriate gearing for you to climb the hills. As far as bike setup, you could try raising the bars and shortening the reach slightly since aerodynamics are not nearly as important going up the hill. One other thing to try is moving the seat back slightly to allow for a different angle of attack on the pedals while seated vs. standing.

(waits for Terry to chime in)

joejack951

Gearing has got to be the single most important thing to consider. If you don't bring a low enough gear, you'll be walking those climbs and the rest of your bike setup won't matter too much. In my quest for the perfectly geared bike for myself (which will get used for a lot of climbing), I chose a triple (52/42/30) with a 12-27 cassette (10 speed). This gives me plenty of downhill speed and a very low gear to get me up anything I can imagine riding without having to mash. The triple gearing keeps the jumps between gears small without needing a lot of front chain ring shifts. I considered a compact double for a long while but found the compromises weren't worth the slightly better shifting.

rmwun54

Why not 53/39/30 triple?

SSP

FWIW, I've got the gearing dialed in already - I ride an Ultegra triple with a 9-speed 11-23 cassette.

ggg300

if most of the time your going up the hill then a light set of wheels is an idea...the aro stuff does not help all that much on a climb .imho.

H20 is something you should also think about. The new thing is to take along only as much as you lose and not to drink too much. If your smart about the h20 you could save some grams....the new idea is check your body lbs before a hard ride and then after the ride. You should take along as much as you lose and not gain more lbs than when you started. If you gain then your taking in too much h20. That was a mistake I just fixed for myself.

btw I like the gearing you got on your bike....my buddy just went with that set up and I like the way he can move accross the cogs and fine tune his rpms.

LordOpie

I hear what you're saying, but in my mountains, that's a horrible and potentially deadly suggestion.

*dramatic music*

Seriously. The weather here is so unpredictable that you really should prepare for the worst. If you're not getting back to your car with some water, then you took too little.

Granted, this isn't applicable to a tour. And I happen to ride solo enough that I need to be able to survive the night in a ditch in the mountains

joejack951

I like the 42. I could have gone 53/42/30, and actually that's what I thought I had ordered but it showed up with the 52 so I just kept it. Maybe sometime down the line I'll replace it and maybe even try a 39 in place of the 42 but for now I'm happy.

ggg300

funny image....ya just for use when there is an organized event and where you can get extra h20 if you goof otherwise take some extra but that does not mean you should drink it all....