Best technique for steep hills

[nickyboy]

I've always had a lower cadence than the majority of cyclists (or it seems that way to me, anyway), and I've felt the same way as you. I've had partial success in increasing the cadence, but it's taken years and small increments.

Same. My natural cadence up a longish hill tends to be about 65

FWIW, short steep efforts (up to a couple of minutes)....out of the saddle in a gear a couple of clicks higher than the commensurate seated gear as standing cadence is lower than seated. Longer efforts are seated in whatever gear lets me maintain about 65. Of course 20%+ I can't maintain that cadence and it's lowest gear and struggle upwards

I tend not to bother with clicking down through the gears starting a hill. I hit the bottom as hard as I can in whatever gear feels right, then go as far as possible with that, then change to my normal climbing gear and get into a rhythm

There are loads of very steep hills around here. My best advice is consider your mental attitude if you really want to get up them. Fitness will follow

 

[Welsh wheels]

If long and drawn out, I tend to sit up and spin. If shortish and steep, I usually stand up and put the power down.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

If I know a road I'm turning onto is steep, from the get go, or it gets steep fairly quickly, I'll go straight onto the small ring, but not the lowest sprocket straight away. It's a bit like not wearing a jacket indoors, if you know you're going out into the cold, you don't get the best effect. I'll keep the gears about 2 sprockets from easiest, then change down when my legs tell me to. Technically speaking, I'm trying to keep my power output as steady as possible, by switching from Torque bias, to Cadence bias, only when absolutely necessary, in order to keep my heart rate down, as much as possible, to prevent fatigue. I find making sure my ventilation/ breathing is sorted out as well, by making sure I've got my body in a position that means I'm using my lungs most effectively

Very similar to my technique of switching from breathing normally bias to panting at death's door bias...

 

[ianrauk]

[QUOTE 4928342, member: 43827"]I went for a hilly ride last week. Two of the riders had e-bikes. I must admit to some pangs of jealousy on a few of the hills.[/QUOTE]


Good to draught up though
Of which I did to @Pale Rider when he came on my London to Brighton ride.

 

[Tilley]

Over time I have had to modify my hill climbing technique. As a youngster I could not maintain a high cadence and so would keep to high gears as long as possible get up out of the saddle and slowly work down through the gears. When I took up mountain biking I found that standing up was less effective as much of your weight transferred over the front wheel resulting in the rear wheel spinning. I now ride a recumbent trike so the option of standing is completely removed, I have had to learn to spin and maintain a high cadence. I will assess the hill and ensure that I am in a gear somewhere near the middle of the overall range available, this will ensure that I can spin freely at the base of the hill and whilst climbing, as soon as I feel that the speed of my cadence is dropping I will start to work down through the gear. The trick is to judge this correctly, shift down too quickly and you will have to spin for a longer duration, generally for me resulting in rapid burn out and loss of overall speed. Judge it too slowly and you will be slogging away at a low pace and with insufficient speed to easily be able to change down thereby resulting in you grinding to a stop. The only real way to perfect this is lots of practice.

 

[Racing roadkill]

[QUOTE 4928342, member: 43827"]I went for a hilly ride last week. Two of the riders had e-bikes. I must admit to some pangs of jealousy on a few of the hills.[/QUOTE]
They are becoming increasingly popular on my led rides, of late. Some of them are starting to get almost rideably un clunky now.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Over time I have had to modify my hill climbing technique. As a youngster I could not maintain a high cadence and so would keep to high gears as long as possible get up out of the saddle and slowly work down through the gears. When I took up mountain biking I found that standing up was less effective as much of your weight transferred over the front wheel resulting in the rear wheel spinning. I now ride a recumbent trike so the option of standing is completely removed, I have had to learn to spin and maintain a high cadence. I will assess the hill and ensure that I am in a gear somewhere near the middle of the overall range available, this will ensure that I can spin freely at the base of the hill and whilst climbing, as soon as I feel that the speed of my cadence is dropping I will start to work down through the gear. The trick is to judge this correctly, shift down too quickly and you will have to spin for a longer duration, generally for me resulting in rapid burn out and loss of overall speed. Judge it too slowly and you will be slogging away at a low pace and with insufficient speed to easily be able to change down thereby resulting in you grinding to a stop. The only real way to perfect this is lots of practice.

Bang on there

 

[DaveReading]

Provided that you can see there is nobody approaching from behind or coming in the opposite direction, you can reduce the effective gradient by zigzagging across the road, in effect creating a series of mini-hairpins.

 

[PK99]

Go down not up.

 

[Tilley]

Provided that you can see there is nobody approaching from behind or coming in the opposite direction, you can reduce the effective gradient by zigzagging across the road, in effect creating a series of mini-hairpins.

You know when you are really struggling when the zigzagging is involuntary, I know I have been there.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

You know when you are really struggling when the zigzagging is involuntary, I know I have been there.

I've done that on the fixed.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I've zig-zigged instead of zig zagged and ended up face down in a ditch.

 

[lutonloony]

As an aside, caught a bit of classic climbs or something like that on bike channel last night, they were riding with heart rates of 140 and chatting to each other! No sign of oxygen masks or anything

 

[david k]

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?

Spin fast, low gear, don't worry about the slow speed, don't look at the top as I'm getting there too slow, concentrate on spinning and I get there when I get there

 

[GuyBoden]

Unzip your jersey.