Angelfishsolo
A Velocipedian
- Location
- Cwmbach, South Wales
Do you guys and gals have any tips on improving hill climbing speed?
Getting up hills faster
- Thread starter Angelfishsolo
- Start date
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Hacienda71
Mancunian in self imposed exile in leafy Cheshire
- Location
- Wilmslow, Cheshire
Practice 
Seriously though, the more you ride the hills the easier they get and the faster you can go up them. Vary your cadence and try getting out of the saddle occasionally to vary the muscle groups you are using. Try to ride longer climbs so you get conditioned to climbing. If you have a local hill you ride regularly time yourself so you see the improvement you are making to motivate yourself.
Seriously though, the more you ride the hills the easier they get and the faster you can go up them. Vary your cadence and try getting out of the saddle occasionally to vary the muscle groups you are using. Try to ride longer climbs so you get conditioned to climbing. If you have a local hill you ride regularly time yourself so you see the improvement you are making to motivate yourself.
RecordAceFromNew
Swinging Member
- Location
- West London
Globalti
Legendary Member
Buy a road bike and do some proper training.
Seriously - I mountain biked for 20 years before I got a road bike and I really regret not starting road riding 20 years earlier, I'd have done a lot better in the MTB events I've undertaken if I had. My resting heart rate dropped from 52 to 48 when I got the road bike.
Seriously - I mountain biked for 20 years before I got a road bike and I really regret not starting road riding 20 years earlier, I'd have done a lot better in the MTB events I've undertaken if I had. My resting heart rate dropped from 52 to 48 when I got the road bike.
Angelfishsolo
A Velocipedian
- Location
- Cwmbach, South Wales
I would love a road or touring bike but not sure how I'd manage it. Money is my problem. I only managed to get my MTB after a windfall.
Angelfishsolo
A Velocipedian
- Location
- Cwmbach, South Wales
Thanks very much indeed. Once my legs feel like my own again I will integrate this into my training 
Practice
Seriously though, the more you ride the hills the easier they get and the faster you can go up them. Vary your cadence and try getting out of the saddle occasionally to vary the muscle groups you are using. Try to ride longer climbs so you get conditioned to climbing. If you have a local hill you ride regularly time yourself so you see the improvement you are making to motivate yourself.
Globalti
Legendary Member
How about second hand? I got a smashing Peugeot Sport 3000 from a LBS that they had taken in part exchange. Once I had removed all the commuter gadgets and cleaned off all the oil I found an almost new bike underneath in really nice condition. The cost? £150.
Angelfishsolo
A Velocipedian
- Location
- Cwmbach, South Wales
jethro10
Über Member
- Location
- Lake District, UK
I think All I can add is also practice.
I've only been riding 3 years about.
I too have only a mountain bike, riding on roads bores me.
But i do ride some roads, the roads that connect the fun bits together, and possibly odd family outings.
It took two years to get a lot easier and most hills don't worry me now.
I find picking one gear harder than you would think, and peddling slower, and not try to rush makes it easier if you follow me, spinning too fast in a low gear tires you out way more.
Jeff
I've only been riding 3 years about.
I too have only a mountain bike, riding on roads bores me.
But i do ride some roads, the roads that connect the fun bits together, and possibly odd family outings.
It took two years to get a lot easier and most hills don't worry me now.
I find picking one gear harder than you would think, and peddling slower, and not try to rush makes it easier if you follow me, spinning too fast in a low gear tires you out way more.
Jeff
Angelfishsolo
A Velocipedian
- Location
- Cwmbach, South Wales
lukesdad
Guest
As in climbing on the road weight, fitness,practice etc al play their part,but where road and offroad differ is when it comes to traction. Off road gaining traction whilst climbing is not always easy especially when wet. To improve your climbing special atention must be paid to choice of tyres and tyre pressures. Also technique if you select too higher gear climbing traction can be lost. Far better to pedal smoothly against less resistance IMO, position over the bike is also important as is the bikes goemtry. More recently the fashion seems to be for bikes with risers and no bar ends, not particularly helpfull to your position while climbing. A balance has to be struck in centreing your body weight , far enough forward to keep the front wheel on the ground and far enough backwood to get that all important traction. As in all offroad skills constant shifting of your body weight is something you need to become accomplished at, untill it becomes automatic.
Kirstie
Über Member
MTB climbing is also about having explosive power as well as strength on hills eg to get through rock gardens, up steps etc. You can train for this in the gym with weights (I think it's called fartlek training or something like that). the way the rugby players do it is to have some weight on a bar which rests on the shoulders, and then jump up flights of stairs (one step at a time, obviously)...You can also improve your climbing stamina through interval training, which can be done without having to buy a road bike - you can do it on the turbo trainer or down the gym. If you do this stuff between rides then when you get to your regular ride, you should be able to see an improvement in a few weeks.
Technique is also very important as lukesdad has said. One way I get up short steep climbs is to grip the bars, put the elbows close in to the body and pull back and down as you put the power on. this keeps the bike stable, enhances your control over the front end and results in better power transfer as there is more tension to be released in your body overall. This only works for short distances unless you are heroically strong!
Losing weight massively helps with climbing efficiency.
Technique is also very important as lukesdad has said. One way I get up short steep climbs is to grip the bars, put the elbows close in to the body and pull back and down as you put the power on. this keeps the bike stable, enhances your control over the front end and results in better power transfer as there is more tension to be released in your body overall. This only works for short distances unless you are heroically strong!
Losing weight massively helps with climbing efficiency.
I've been trying a few things recently. Passionate about my biking, doing up to 10hrs per week on my MTB at the moment and loving every second. I'm not the thinnest girl in the world by far, but I know I'm strong.
When it comes to hills, I think some of it is psychological - Try going slower in a higher gear. there's a great big hill near me which I always ended up on my small chain ring. I went up the other week accompanying someone who was on it for the first time, went deliberately slow to keep pace with her and realised I'd been on the middle ring all the way up - it was amazing how much easier it makes it when you are going at normal speed, because you know it's possible!
I guess if you do things the same way every time the result will be the same, so its good to mix it up.
I've also found its good if you identify your own power/vs cadence. I have a point where I know my legs will stand it, so will my cv, and yet I'm keeping my speed reasonable - worth analysing
I also agree with Katie about the leg exercises, but you can also do this on a ride by going up steep short rises in a really high gear - makes you puff like anything but increases what your body can stand, and that helps your riding overall. A really basic form of interval training I guess.
Finally, you've got to keep as much weight as you can over the front wheel to keep it down and maintain traction. The more off road you are, the more important, as an over-light front end will just go anywhere when you hit even a small rock. In Mastering Mountain Biking by Brian Lopes they say you should always have your belly button directly over your pedals - of course that means being way forward on the climbs and way back on the descents - that does work really well I find.
I'm sure youre speeding up all the time
When it comes to hills, I think some of it is psychological - Try going slower in a higher gear. there's a great big hill near me which I always ended up on my small chain ring. I went up the other week accompanying someone who was on it for the first time, went deliberately slow to keep pace with her and realised I'd been on the middle ring all the way up - it was amazing how much easier it makes it when you are going at normal speed, because you know it's possible!
I guess if you do things the same way every time the result will be the same, so its good to mix it up.
I've also found its good if you identify your own power/vs cadence. I have a point where I know my legs will stand it, so will my cv, and yet I'm keeping my speed reasonable - worth analysing
I also agree with Katie about the leg exercises, but you can also do this on a ride by going up steep short rises in a really high gear - makes you puff like anything but increases what your body can stand, and that helps your riding overall. A really basic form of interval training I guess.
Finally, you've got to keep as much weight as you can over the front wheel to keep it down and maintain traction. The more off road you are, the more important, as an over-light front end will just go anywhere when you hit even a small rock. In Mastering Mountain Biking by Brian Lopes they say you should always have your belly button directly over your pedals - of course that means being way forward on the climbs and way back on the descents - that does work really well I find.
I'm sure youre speeding up all the time
DooBlood
New Member
- Location
- Warwickshire
Hill repeats?!
