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Singlespeed & Fixed Gear "I still feel that variable gears are only for people over forty-five. Isn't it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailer? We are getting soft...As for me, give me a fixed gear!"-- Henri Desgrange (31 January 1865 - 16 August 1940)

Hills suck.

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Old 04-28-14 | 11:44 PM
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Hills suck.

I've been riding my single speed for a month or so now and all I can say is hills can suck it. I never knew the city I lived in was as hilly as it is. Do you guys have any good techniques for climbing with a ss or fg?
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Old 04-29-14 | 12:49 AM
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Your cog is slipping.
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Yeah, HTFU.
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Old 04-29-14 | 01:30 AM
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i run really fast and jump on the saddle with my belly, arms and legs out and scream "im superman!"

sometimes it works
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Old 04-29-14 | 01:32 AM
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Thats why I run gears. Single speed if for the flats.
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Old 04-29-14 | 03:28 AM
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[h=1]Get Over It: How to Climb on a Fixed-Gear Bicycle[/h]
Look what I found in amongst the stickies at the top of the Page that everyone is requested to read before posting.
Of course this applies to fixed gear bicycles. If it doesn't work exactly the same for ss, Scrod's advice applies.

Last edited by Cyril; 04-29-14 at 03:29 AM. Reason: Correct the auto-correct
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Old 04-29-14 | 04:38 AM
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Hills is good.
Hills is wunnerful.
Hills hurt so fooking much we had to make a thread about the sodding things which I think was linked to earlier,

Mate, there are three secrets to hills.
The first is gearing and we can not guide you on that because we don't wear your body. In my case, my hills wear lots of cogs.
The second is technique. I'm not going to argue the bulldust of clipless pedals and stupid shoes but others will so rather than confuse you, make your own choice (clipless do not help, they only fool you into thinking they do but heck, billions of roadies disagree).
The third is stubborness. Actually, it's mental attitude which is a different critter. If you have the (genuine) mental issues I have, that's a real problem, if you're just normal and lazy, it's different. Within a certain envelope though, sometimes it IS just a matter of refusing to give up ... anyone who claims it's always just a matter of refusing to give up is an idiot there's no point arguing because they don't know it yet.

Hills. Get the gearing that makes the most sense to you, going up AND down - this will vary with time. Make sure you've got a good technique which means you're not pulling or tugging or stressing or anything other than just spinning the pedals. Remember that for every hill for every rider, eventually, the 24 inch gear (two feet) makes the most sense.
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Old 04-29-14 | 04:54 AM
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Just climb more. Work on getting out of the saddle and pedaling at a reasonable cadence.
Don't sprint up hills (unless you just like the torture), you'll get gassed quickly and won't make it.
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Old 04-29-14 | 05:31 AM
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Just get some momentum before the climb and then as soon as you hit the climb, get out of the saddle and start pedaling making sure you don't go overboard and have your HR way too up...that is if you are riding a single gear
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Old 04-29-14 | 07:18 AM
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Pay someone to ride the hills for you.
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Old 04-29-14 | 08:48 AM
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I remember when I thought it was hilly where I live, then I rode some actual hills. Are you sure if it's even a hill? Can't be too careful.
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Old 04-29-14 | 09:20 AM
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what are the % of the "hard" grades, and how long? Rollers or real climbs? Fixed easier to climb and SS easier to descend.
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Old 04-29-14 | 09:52 AM
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I had a hill in my backyard that was left from where a stump had been removed. I found that the easiest way to get rid of it was to chop it up with a spade and then use a bow rake to flatten it out. I seeded over it. I'm a little worried that the area will settle once the wood from the stump starts rotting but then I guess I'll just have to fill it in.
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