threebikesmcginty said:
Ooooo are you a doctor Bigtwin? - you appear to have extensive medical knowledge there!
Eeeh?
Leaving aside the obvious fact that if your upper body is completely relaxed you'd fall off, you try spinning up any sort of hill (hill, not slope) just resting your fingertips on the bars, or no handed.
The last one of these I read (and I can't be arsed to find it now) expressly identified the technique of pulling back on the bars, tensing the core to transfer the leverage to the leg push. Which is what pretty much everyone does.
Why does everyone get all excited about core strength? It's not for flats and descents that's for sure.
Here - Dave LLoyd:
"The best way to climb these hills is to grab hold of the centre of the bars and pull with your arms, whilst sitting “back” on the saddle and concentrating on your pedalling...think “power” !! This is where work in the gym on the upper body really comes into it’s own and is a very important part of my athletes work. You can’t climb efficiently with poor upper body strength… Get down to that gym !."
It makes no sense to talk about a relaxed upper body if you are pulling on the bars and pushing from the back of the saddle using all that gym-developed strength.
Frpom Cobr: The action is quite athletic - your arms should ache as much as your legs after a hard climb.
Again, doesn't fit with having a relaxed upper body - how can you be relaxed and get to and athletic ache at the same time?