Up up!
 

What is a goode recommendation on reading material for improving climbing technique?


What is the best way to learn how to stand while pedaling?

Watch the pros. Just stand up & pedal, not a bg deal.

It felt awkward for my in the beginning,I don't stand & pedal often but the more you do it the better you get @ it.

Probably less reading and more climbing will help you. :)

Funny thing is, I never stand when I climb.
I only stand up when I start from a dead stop/traffic light.

I stand more when riding my mtb uphill than when on my cross bike. The funny thing is that I climb much better on my cross bike even though my mtb has much lower gears.

The answer to both questions is just do it.

+1.
So true for my too!

Take some yoga classes for core strength and flexibility, then ballet classes so you can dance on the pedals.

Start by standing and coasting on a flat road. This will improve your balance.

Then shift into high gears a pedal slowly.

I just started taking some beginner yoga classes a few weeks ago, it certainly has made a difference (flexibility,core, ITB etc.), I only wish I had started yoga twenty some years ago...:thumb:

Yoga, I tried that for a while a few years ago thinking it would improve my balance for flyfishing. May try it again though. Will certianly try the rest of it. Thanks!

Climb more. Climb out of the saddle more. Lose weight. No need to kindle that.

As above. Basically more gorilla wrestling. And wrestle bigger gorillas.

A blog dedicated to climbing. Hasn't been updated since May, apparently he's out riding up mountains, but there's good stuff in here:

http://le-grimpeur.net/blog/

youtube "cyclocore". he has a lot of good tips.

Standing on the pedals? Watch little kids ride a single speed bicycle down the sidewalk. Some apparently forgot.
To me riding a roadbike out of the saddle on hills or flats is hugely important to saving my legs for hard and long rides.

Focus on pedal stroke. Do not try to push up and down. Try to push out and down. Same pedal stroke as when seated.

I'm sort of surprised at how often I see the standing while pedaling problem. Less people must have ridden a bike when they were kids than I though. Also how do you do other things on the bike like hard stops or take offs if you can't get off the saddle?

Just do it. People ask me how I became good at climbing out of the saddle (not that I am that good...), and my answer is, I just did it, and then did it some more, and it eventually got easier. Or I got faster and its still just as hard, whatever.

I like to use short rollers to practice standing and climbing...so instead of downshifting a couple of cogs or down to my small chainring, I'll just stand and power through it. On longer climbs, I tend to spin, but occasionally I'll upshift and stand to use different muscles and take pressure off my butt.

Watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F94TCxLYZew

Amazing!

Maybe someone can explain to me why some people struggle at standing up and pedaling on a bike? It comes so naturally to me that I don't even think about it, I just do it. But, for example, my wife isn't very good at it and I have no idea how to teach her how do it. Is there some sort of physical or mental block that I'm not aware of? I don't mean to be offensive to anyone who struggles with it but I seriously want to understand why it hard for some people so that I can better teach those that I ride with how do it.

+1!!!
Looks like me on some of the climbs in my area. :D I'm not as bold as Lance to give the others the "Stink eye" though...
Only difference is I stay seated the majority of my climbs.

I think it has to do with balance. You know that feeling you get when you first jump on a bike? I think being uncomfortable makes people feel like "that kid" again.
I fell once on my fixie when I torqued it too hard on the drive side, & lost balance going up a steep hill. Gored by my own bulhorns to the ribs.:o
IMO it's all about distributing power evenly.