kleinboogie

If you're not sure then yes. If you are sure then you don't need to ask.

1nsane

In a study conducted during last year's Vuelta a Espana, scientists from the University of Leon monitored eleven riders during two of the high mountain stages. Tracking their cadence, heart rate, speed, and power over the two days, the researchers found a direct correlation to spinning a lower gear at an increased pedal rate to a better overall performance.

https://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6...7157-1,00.html

Motobetird

If this is turning into a poll between sitting in the seat and standing in the drops I am a stand in the drops kind of guy. Uses your arms more, taking some pressure off your legs by creating momentum with them. Gets you up the hill faster, which gives you the ability to leave/keep up with the pack. BUT the flipside is you have to be a freak of nature and pump oxygen through your body like Lance in order to maintain your regular pace immediately. If you are so winded at the top of the hill that you get passed by the pack then you either: A) Need to train cardio and really focus on breathing, or B) Go with the style of keeping your butt planted in the saddle. If you are going to rely more on cardio, generally your body type will be more lean. If you wan't to sit in the saddle and work those quads you need tree trunks below the waist. These of course are broad generalizations and to each his own.

Aaron_F

Researchers have a convenient way of finding whatever they want. They once found that tiny, 120psi tires were faster, too, and now look how that's being reversed. Have fun sitting and spinning like a dork while I mash my way to the top.

The Weak Link

Technique makes little difference as long as you crush their souls.

Aimulator64

I prefer to spin at a higher cadence because most of the time when im on a flat, i will burn out before i can get my heart rate up to my max, which i want. Going up a hill, my heart rate goes up farther and for a longer period of time when i keep 90-100 rpm up the hill in a lower gear, which means more time up the hill, therefore more time with my heart rate up, which means more calories and fat burned, etc.

If I stand on a hill, i will keep a higher gear with a cadence of around 45-50. Because I use my weight when standing like that, i can go faster, but it doesnt do anything for me fitness wise. I dont race, but i imagine that it will be faster to stand up a hill and a bit less taxing on your legs since you are using your weight to help you.

pandabear

The longer the hill, the more likely it is more efficient to sit and spin at a higher cadence.

mercator

These threads are great for a laugh. The op says 'big hill' and every bf expert here provides their expertise relative the highest overpass or deepest valley within 50 miles of home. Others read 'big hill' and think 'mountain'. In that case, if the answer isn't 'depends' then I don't know what it is.

umd

He never does.

Homebrew01

A little contradictory .... unless your hills are 1% grade

Stand using brake hoods

roadiejorge 

Sums it up because a person's comfort level climbing is relative to the climbs they're used to riding. Around my area there aren't any significant climbs but when I rode in Spain I got a crash course in climbing, and for me it made more sense to go with a smaller gear and spin then mash my way since it was a longer climb than I was used to doing by a long shot. Most of the hills by me are short so you can take them in the big ring, but I like my knees so I mix it up with spinning as well.

DaveSSS 

The Zoncolan climb is live here: https://www.justin.tv/yo2023#r=s2XpL1Q~

Watch the pedaling action of the pros on a major climb. You'll see a lot of heels-up pedaling at relatively high cadences. You'll also see a fair amount of out of the saddle pedaling.

umd

Aside from all the other things wrong with that paragraph, higher heart rate does not necessarily mean more calories burned. Heart rate is just an indicator that heart rate monitors use to estimate calories, it is not itself a cause of the burning of the calories. There are many factors that affect how much oxygen is required for metabolism (oxidation rates are different depending on what is being burned), as well as how much oxygen is being transported by your blood. HR calorie estimation is based on statistical models and is not even remotely a direct measurement of anything.

umd

There is a ride that I do that has a relatively short 10% hill (maybe 50-60 feet gain at the most), that we call "that ******** hill". When feeling fresh, the best method to attack it is in the big ring. I've gotten 1 minute power records up it.

agarose2000

Agree. Doing one-legged drills on a bike can get your HR super-high because your body is attempting to pump more blood throughout the entire body just to get some to that fatiguing leg, but you're likely burning less calories than you would had you been doing two-legged cycling and engaging both large glutes/quads + heart. The increased calorie burn by the heart won't be equivalent to the muscular calorie burn.

I'm currently really struggling with this phenomena in swimming - I've got good bike/run cardio but I get in the pool and my HR goes through the roof at slow paces even because the capillaries in my arms just aren't up to snuff.

Back on subject, ride whatever you can maintain - it's trial and error. Guys who have powerful quads might feel more comfortable in bigger gears, whereas light guys with great cardio and less power (I ride with some great runners who don't have much bike power) may be in smaller gears and faster cadence. I think I have more of a power/sprinter physiology and as such do ride bigger gears, but once the climb gets long or very steep, I'll be grannying it all the way up as well.

TrekDen

Simple. See riders in front of you. Pedal in a way that allows you to stay with, or pass those riders. If you're off the front, disregard previous information.

botto 

[QUOTE=bismillah;10853468deleted quote[/QUOTE]

creepy.com

gcasillo

I shift up to my biggest gear and spin that @ 50rpm. I'm not as good as I once was...

kayakdiver

Short steep climbs I will mash in the big and power over if not to sustained. Longer climbs I approach with a higher cadence and mix up sitting and standing. Often my standing is an attempt to get my speed back up so I can sit.

If I'm feeling like crap... all the above gets thrown out the window. I do whatever it takes to get it done.

coasting 

i like the "it depends" answer. As a self confessed useless climber, I have found that keeping dogmatically to a regular style is stupid and has held me back. I always did the low gear spinning thing because it was less painful and more efficient. But riding with others, i notice that I will always fall behind unless I put more power into it at a higher gear and all that spinning did nothing to improve my power to weight ratio.

I rode with a few people recently and the skinny little one I dismissed as obviously a better climber because of weight advantage. Then the skinny and the 28 pound overweight fat dude went casually past me, chatting to each other whilst I huffed and puffed. They even said "good job, keep it going". I wanted to hit them with my bike. The weight was not the only problem, I realised.

Motobetird

Stand using brake hoods[/QUOTE]

I forget at times that I ride a bike about 1.5 cm too big with short and shallow bars and I feel more comfortable in my drops than on my hoods. Also, pulling up on the bars is what creates the momentum needed.

echappist

this is relevant, how?

JPH3

Ask yourself.

What would Lance Armstrong Do?

**See 2001 TdF Stage 10 - High Cadence and out of seat (The man is a monster)

echappist

screw armstrong. better question is WWJD? and no, i'm not talking about Jesus

Walter

Believe it or not there's one like that here in SE Florida (Jensen Beach for locals). Not much gain but if my Garmin is accurate ~12% grade. Our name for it is similar. When I was first introduced to it a few years ago all the ride leader said was "I hope you're in the right gear." I wasn't.

I agree with taking it on in a big gear when possible. However, I can't effectively stand out of my saddle so I sit and grunt by necessity.

"sit and grunt"