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Sitting when climbing hills

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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Sitting when climbing hills

Old 01-13-09, 06:30 AM
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Sitting when climbing hills

Instead of standing on the bike when climbing hills,can sitting cause undue stress on the lower back
leading to lower hip or lower back pain?

ted
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Old 01-13-09, 06:45 AM
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no
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Old 01-13-09, 06:48 AM
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yes
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Old 01-13-09, 06:55 AM
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maybe
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Old 01-13-09, 06:55 AM
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that settles it then
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Old 01-13-09, 07:02 AM
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Yes it can. You sit in a different position when climbing. Stretch more and/ or adjust your bike fit if you climb that often.
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Old 01-13-09, 07:08 AM
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Sometimes.
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Old 01-13-09, 07:15 AM
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Possibly
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Old 01-13-09, 07:21 AM
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Since most people do both, it is worth looking at your bike fit rather than choosing which position is causing a problem. For most people, standing can be a relief after sitting down, and in turn after a while standing, sitting can allow certain muscle groups to rest.
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Old 01-13-09, 07:23 AM
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it depends.

Basically the only time I get out of the saddle is in the last 200meters of a race. If you have pain it's likely a fit issue.
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Old 01-13-09, 07:30 AM
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It depends. If you dont have prior injuries/your position is correct/the bike fit is correct/ you bloody kno what you are doing ...it should be fine.

I alternate between sitting and standing so there you go.
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Old 01-13-09, 07:32 AM
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Originally Posted by BHBiker
It depends. If you dont have prior injuries/your position is correct/the bike fit is correct/ you bloody kno what you are doing ...it should be fine.
Which is basically a hand full of european pros under the tutelage of world famous coaches.
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Old 01-13-09, 07:44 AM
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A lot depends on steepness. If your trying to sit and the speed and cadence go down, things could get torquey.
I look forward to hills so that I can stretch and move about a bit.
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Old 01-13-09, 08:28 AM
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Back? I don't know. I have never experienced any issues with back pain, but my bad knee lets me know if i should be out of the saddle when climbing.
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Old 01-13-09, 08:42 AM
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If I climb every week my back is fine, but if I don't do any climbs for a while and then do one, my lower back gets sore. Most of us stand for at least part of a climb.
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Old 01-13-09, 08:45 AM
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Chris Carmichaels take on seated vs standing
Link Here
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Old 01-13-09, 08:56 AM
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Back, yes. Front, hardly ever. Hmmm...
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Old 01-13-09, 09:23 AM
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Originally Posted by Theodore
Instead of standing on the bike when climbing hills,can sitting cause undue stress on the lower back
leading to lower hip or lower back pain?

ted
IME, I need to factor in rpm and power while sitting. Too low of rpm while too high of power (along with my lack of technique) gets me every time. Not worried about the back standing.
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Old 01-13-09, 05:03 PM
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Sitting while climbing can be quite comfortable.
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Old 01-13-09, 05:08 PM
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if you can spin your gear at a reasonable candance then no. unless your bike is ill fitting, you have poor core strength, you're not relaxed in the upper body or you're completely out of shape, then yes.
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Old 01-13-09, 05:15 PM
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Yes
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Old 01-13-09, 05:24 PM
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I had lower back pain when i first started riding my single speed cross bike offroad... but that was from trying to mash too big of a gear up dirt trails..
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Old 01-13-09, 05:34 PM
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I never stand when climbing and I have never experienced any problems with back pain. The only issue I have had is that I will feel a little knee pain if my candence drops much below 50 RPMs.
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Old 01-13-09, 05:38 PM
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Diagnosing back pain can be impossible and is often complex. But the easiest thing to address is the bike fit, so start there. It's also a very likely cause, as gsteinb correctly observes.
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Old 01-13-09, 05:44 PM
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Originally Posted by pdedes
no
Originally Posted by patentcad
yes
Originally Posted by gabdy
maybe
Originally Posted by unbelievably
Sometimes.
Originally Posted by Dheorl
Possibly
Originally Posted by gsteinb
it depends
Agreed.
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