Best technique for steep hills

[screenman]

57x11 all the way up.










In my dreams.

 

[NorthernDave]

Try get a run at it, the drop down the gears as necessary until you realise that clicking the lever will make no difference as you're already in the granny gear...

Spinning is better - I tried battling up hills in the highest possible gears thinking the effort was doing me good - I knackered my knees and was off the bike for 6 weeks

 

[Smokin Joe]

On a very steep hill (20 or 25%) you can forget about spinning because no matter how low your gears you won't be going fast enough. Start the climb slowly enough to get your breathing into a nice steady rhythm and only go full gas when you know you're close enough to the top to make it, and as @gavroche said a few posts ago, don't keep looking at the brow of the hill. It's like watching a kettle to see when it boils, it seems to take forever.

 

[HLaB]

When I was younger I hit hills hard break away and recover. Nowadays though I'm more of a sit and spin person.

 

[pjd57]

Really tough one , I pick the nice easy spinning gear at the bottom and just plod away.

No so hard , I like to do some work and get out the saddle .

I try not to change gear once I am in the hill.

 

[adamhearn]

On a very steep hill (20 or 25%)....

Even with 34/28 in use I was standing on the pedals for a segment of this climb - http://veloviewer.com/segments/6665281

Felt like a real achievement to make it all the way. I was a little heavier back then but perhaps a little fitter so not sure how I'd do if I did it again.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Is it best to hit a steep climb in your granny gear and work through to a higher gear as you progress up the hill or hit it in a higher gear and work through to lower gears as the effort increases?

The latter, that way if you get the gear changes just right and timed well, you can maintain a fairly consistent cadence from the flatter bit up to the steeper bit. I even use slightly different gears for standing up pedaling vs sitting down pedaling.

 

[CopperBrompton]

If you reach a steep hill, the most immediate priority has to be to find somewhere to drink tea and figure out what kind of navigational error caused the problem in the first place.

 

[Ian H]

It depends.
Fresh legs or tired legs?
Fit or unfit?
Racing or pootling?
Long hill or short?
Good surface or slippery?
Etc.

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

In my case it's whatever is comfortable. With the iffy knees I'm a spinner anyway, so just drop down gears until it feels right.

 

[Levo-Lon]

Me i try and just maintain the same cadence so i use the gears as best i can to keep spinning.

I usually fail miserably but i tried

 

[ColinJ]

One has lower gears.

Indeed. I am about 10 kgs over my best climbing weight but I was happy to spin up some 15-20% climbs today using my 28/30 bottom gear. I could probably have grunted my way up standing in a higher gear but it would have hurt and I wouldn't have managed to go any quicker.

 

[Moodyman]

Best technique is to go the longer flatter route.

 

[delb0y]

Lower gears sounds like a plan. And an excuse for another bike :-)

 

[gavroche]

On a very steep hill (20 or 25%) .

I don't ride those gradients, I walk them as it would be just as quick.