sizmaters

when i ride 99.5% is in the saddle up hill and down standing feels like cheating is it good bad or indifferent.

Steelrider

Lance stands frequently during hard efforts uphill. Is this cheating? Where does this idea come from? If we're racing up a mountain, I'm on a bike - you're on a bike, so what difference does it make if I sit and you stand? Personally, I like climbing seated and get more power and can hold technique better, but I think is ultimately whatever gets you up the hill. Ride on!

sizmaters

i dont compare myself to lance sorry. it just makes the effort easier, that to me is "cheating" if you will.

Xtrmyorick

Putting air in your tires also makes riding easier. Is that cheating? Shifting gears makes riding easier. Cheating, too?

ed073

odd thread....

larue

You must ride a single-speed.... if not get ride of your bike and get a single 'cause those gears are just making it easier for you and that's just out right cheating.
Also don't ever learn new peddling techniques, these may increase your peddling power and make the effort easier, which will also be cheating.

sizmaters

well thanks guys i started this post to find out if there was anything i might be missing by climbing in saddle not to have a mockrey made of the question. and im sure that all you guys are really comics at your day job huh?

boyze

some refer to standing as running on the pedals Standing is used in many situations including sprints, quick accel's to catch a wheel, out run a mangy mutt, power a short hill, ....... Many will stand even on the flats for a few seconds to stretch their legs. On long hills racers and many tourists will alternate sitting and standing to spread the effort over a larger group of muscles. I'm personally a stander from way back and find I'm a better climber and rider as a result In fact, I would argue that by not periodically standing your "cheating" your body, soul and workout

blendingnoise

I think they both have their advantages given the situation. Really steep short hills for me are a lot easier standing while yanking on the bars and over the front wheel. For most anything else I prefer sitting down and scooting back on the seat.
I don't think it was mockery as much as them questioning your definition of cheating. A lot of the articles/books I have read tend to prefer spinning up the hill. If I need that acceleration however then standing is easier for me in any situation. Otherwise I sit.

Steelrider

I still don't see where you get this notion from...I don't compare myself to Lance either, but I thought the more obvious point was that if this technique is acceptable at the highest levels of competition in the sport, how do you figure it is "cheating"?! I find I tire a little more easily when standing on a climb for any sustained period of time for all but the hardest efforts. Does this mean I'm cheating when I'm seated because I find it a better, more comfortable and sustainable method for me. Sorry, but I don't think so. I don't know that anyone was really mocking the question, but it is such a foreign concept and the definition so far out of what just about everyone thinks of as "cheating" - you just left it way too open ended for anyone to try to put in any context.

Hitchy

whatever gets you up the hill faster!....look at Lance & Jan....one high cadence, low gear, out of the saddle, the other 'strengths' his way in a higher gear & stays in the saddle...there no right or wrong answer...you should be doing both

hitchy

ed073

Can I walk?

Hitchy

yep...but ya gotta carry the bike...cos its got that timing 'doover' taped to the fork!. Unless you take it off & put it on your 'livestrong' band that you always wear on your wrist?

hitchy

ed073

The thing barely fits over my hand........

galen_52657

Everybody who posts here gets mocked. The real dumb statements get mocked the most.

boyze

reminds me of the Mt Washington hill climb race I "stood and sat on" many years ago. For those who don't know the Mt Washington climb, it's about 5000' of climb over 8 miles. Anyhow about halfway up I pass my buddy who had just fallen off his bike. About a minute later he passes me running in his socks carrying his shoes and pushing his bike I tried to catch a draft but he dropped me

sizmaters

id like to explain my choice of words. i am a weightlifter for many years. anything you do lifting that makes it easier ie.. hitiching, momentum, or bad form, is "cheating". sorry if that is the wrong word to use but it is in my opinion making the workout eaiser or "cheating". more to the point i did not ask if it was cheating i asked if there was a reason i should do or not do it, with relation to proper biking mechanicis.

bpohl

Just keep an eye on your heart rate. If it's easier to stand and pedal, then you can go faster at any given heart rate standing than you could if you were seated.

That made sense in my head. I hope it makes sense to read.

Xtrmyorick

Your form will suffer (can't spin circles when you're standing on the pedals) and you won't be as efficient. The reason it feels easier is because you're giving some muscle groups a break while taxxing others. Your glutes won't be doing much, and those suckers contribute quite a bit while spinning. However, you can get a bit more instantaneous power, too (as boyze said).

What it comes down to is what you're trying to do while on the bike. If you're working on developing a good spin, then yes, it's cheating. Much the way bad form while weight lifting can recruit muscle groups other than the ones you're trying to isolate, in effect cheating, as you said. However, if your goal is to get over a hill in the best time, and standing helps you do that, then no, it isn't cheating. If your goal is to have fun, then no, it isn't cheating.

What I and other people were pointing out is that just because something feels easier doesn't always make it cheating. It wasn't meant (in my case, at least) to mock you. Analogies are just an easy way to make a point.

sizmaters

thanx 4 d straight answer sorry for my touchieness

Ed Holland

Surely its only a matter of time before the UCI bans pedaling from a standing position....

Steelrider

Maybe more clarity if you'd said this up front. I think the difference is that when lifting, of course it's cheating - you have specific ends that you want to achieve such as staying within rules of competition, building specific muscles/muscle groups that are not achieved if you don't follow established rules or techniques. What are you trying to do when you are climbing a hill? Get up the hill. But, you want to do it in the best, most biomechanically efficient way possible so that you will be able to build your technique and conditioning and go up continually longer, steeper hills. Using a technique such as standing will, as others pointed out, alternate use of certain muscles, allowing some recovery and allowing you to go farther, faster. Conquered the beast? No prob - find another or challenge yourself to do the same one faster. There is no reason you couldn't/shouldn't stand when climbing.

ManBearPig

Some people say it's good to get out of the saddle when climbing, others say riding steadily in the saddle is best. It probably boils down to what you practice, and what works best for you.

Seated climbing is the most energy efficient. Climbing out of the saddle takes strength in the arms as well as the legs. It takes more energy, but you have more power. Try and direct your energy to those legs, and nt waste energy on needless arm motion.

Standing while climbing relieves sadle soreness, and provides a change in position that can be helpful.

Again, climbing out of saddle is less efficient, but gives you more power. If you want to attack, or you are in danger of being dropped and need that power, standing can help -- just like you stand when you need that power spurt in a sprint.

Laggard

There is that school of thought that sees standing as wimping out. Wasn't it our own 53-11 dude who felt that real macho men sit and tough it out up the hill? Sorry if it wasn't him.

Anyway, nothing wrong with standing. If you've run out of gear and are about to tip over, for gods sakes, stand up!! Alternating the two seems to work best for a lot of people.

Ullrich sits most of the time. There are times where I want to scream at him to stand up! It works for him though.

Phatman

I go faster when I'm sitting. I thought I was going faster standing, becuase I got more tired...but then I rode with a group, and I found that I could pass a lot of people if I stayed seated while they were standing. then, one day, riding by myself, I stood up and started pumping...I noticed that my speed dropped 1-2 mph and i was working harder! any hill that i can maintain a 90 rpm cadence on in my 39x27 is climbed seated.