Doing it standing up

[Kizibu]

Sorry. This is another really dumb newy oldie's question.

When I last rode a bike in the 1950s I remember that when the uphill going got tough the stage before you got off and walked was to stand on the pedals - I guess to use your full weight to turn them and possibly even your arms to pull down on the bars... As for walking up, I remember we sometimes even had to walk up hills when out in my Dad's old Austin 7 car... well there were six of us in it plus all our family camping gear and we were crossing Dartmoor.

Now I'm riding my new 24 gear lightweight up the same Sussex hills as my youth I realise I sometimes get out of breath and have to stop. But I have never risen in the pedals (except going up my drive which is like the Honister Pass without sheep). Have the hills worn down? Is it the gears which mean even my 60 year old legs are up to turning the cranks seated - or am I just too stiff or lazy to stand up these days and missing a trick?

 

[ASC1951]

1. Your new bike is a lot lighter, better fitting and more efficient than the one you rode as a schoolboy.
2. Your head now allows you to go uphill at a sensible pace.
3. As you age, you turn into a natural athlete. This effect is at its strongest on solo rides.

With me it's all these, but mainly 3.

 

[snorri]

3. As you age, you turn into a natural athlete. This effect is at its strongest on solo rides.

Thank you ASC1951, you have just confirmed my own thoughts.

 

[fossyant]

Nope, you have some granny gears on there, that little ring is cheating !!!!

 

[swee'pea99]

I remember my Dad telling me that the car he had back in the 50s had to be reversed up steep hills or it would conk out.

 

[gbb]

Hi Kizibu...
For some, theres a confidence issue in getting out of the seat. You can feel unbalanced. Like everything, practice makes perfect....and makes you stronger.
I find keeping the shoulders as square and steady as you can helps enormously. That lets your hips and arms move about a lot, but maintains some kind of overall balance.
The trick is not to get up too soon. If you do you'll run out of steam and then really struggle. Also, if you get up too late when you're in the lowest gears, you immediately spin like crazy.... and lose momentum.
It;'s about finding the right gear, and getting out the seat at the right time.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

fwiw i only tend to get out of the saddle to power up short climbs or sprint up things like railway bridges. on long or steep climbs, i always sit in and spin a low gear (until i run out of spin-able low gears and have to grind one).

 

[tyred]

It's just having more low gears available. I have an old 3 speed Raleigh and I often stand up to pedal on hills when I ride it but rarely, if ever do so on my mountain bike.

 

[Eat MY Dust]

I used to always sit and spin, but after losing a bit more weight I've found that climbing out of the saddle is much more enjoyable. I can now be out of the saddle for over a km before getting tired. BTW it I actually only go up the hill 1 or 2 mph faster, it's just more fun.

 

[tyred]

When I started cycling again after about a ten year gap, I found I didn't have the confidence to stand up to pedal but it quickly came back to me. Now it really depends on the mood I'm in. Sometimes it's nice to sit and pedal a low gear, sometimes it feels nice to stand up and pump. But for whatever reason, I'm less likely to ride my mountain bike like that.

 

[Maz]

I stand up only for short bursts e.g. getting up a humpback bridge or short uphill. Other than that stay seated. Too much standing on the pedals aint good for your knees.

 

[ASC1951]

Sitting down and pushing too big a gear is even worse for them, I think.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Sitting down and pushing too big a gear is even worse for them, I think.

Agreed, I don't think standing strains the limbs and joints unduly.
Growing-up in Devon riding Sturmey Archer 3 speeds, learning to stand on the pedals was a necessary skill. I naturally prefer to stand these days too, but could do with losing a bit oe weight these days. It's a valuable technique and also allows different muscle usage and some stretching too.

 

[fossyant]

If you have good core strength, fitness, and a lack of granny gears, then standing is good for stretching and using muscles. It's more energy sapping because of the additional muscles used, but it also builds them too. Long steady climbs - sit down, short sharp, out the saddle and attack !

 

[Madcyclist]

If you have good core strength, fitness, and a lack of granny gears, then standing is good for stretching and using muscles. It's more energy sapping because of the additional muscles used, but it also builds them too. Long steady climbs - sit down, short sharp, out the saddle and attack !

Couldn't agree more, I'd also add that with the roads being slippery at the moment you'll get less wheel spin if you stay in the saddle but its far more rewarding blasting up short sharp digs out of the saddle.