Hills

[mark1974]

Just curious when you guys cycle up a hill do you remain seated or standing ?
i have a couple of hills on a route were i cycle last few nights i have stayed seated and felt the leg burn a lot more
on a plus side i wouldnt have been able to stay seated a few weeks ago but can do it now

 

[lulubel]

It depends.

Short, steep hills - standing
Long, gradual hills - seated
Long, steep hills - granny gear

 

[goody]

Usually short sharp climbs get out of the saddle, long climbs remain seated.

 

[fossyant]

Also depends on your bikes gears, or not if you have none.

Bit of a grinder, out of the saddle, but long ascents are in the saddle. Anything steep, I am out chewing the handle bars.

 

[Sittingduck]

Mix it up but stand a lot more than I did when I first started cycling. I stand and mash it on shorter climbs, if at all possible.

 

[rowdin]

I always stay seated, then its just a matter of finding the right gear while trying to keep my rpm up.

 

[Peteaud]

I stand and just power it if i can.

 

[Thomk]

It depends.

Short, steep hills - standing
Long, gradual hills - seated
Long, steep hills - granny gear

^^^

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

I do pretty much the same as Lulubel. Do whatever works for you, there are no rules.

 

[jowwy]

It depends.

Short, steep hills - standing
Long, gradual hills - seated
Long, steep hills - granny gear

same as above but

i also cry at the bottom - cause its a hill
cry in the middle - cause it hurts
cry at the top - cause i got up it

i then whizz down the hill the other side, just to see another hill again and restart the above process

 

[HLaB]

It varies for me too; if its a short sharp hill I like to power through it a high gear standing up but if it a longer hill I tend to mix it up (seated & standing) & spin; different positions gives different muscle groups a rest (even sitting up in different positions helps). Not easy if you lose momentum (leading to grinding gears) I usually like to get into the habit of changing up when I stand up or going gets easier so I can change down without running out of gears when the going gets tough.

 

[AndyRM]

A lot depends on the length of ride for me. If I'm out for a shorter ride I'll push a high gear and stand if I need to on most hills to work my legs. Over longer distances I'll preserve my legs with a lower gear and stand if I want some respite from the saddle.

 

[lukesdad]

I don t do hills.

 

[The Brewer]

Cheshire, hills....... there just inclines.

Pop over to Wales I'll show you hills

 

[MrJamie]

I think saddle height is important too, if youre saddles nice and high i dont think you need to get out of the saddle unless you really want to sprint a hill.

Ive cycled most of my local routes so many times that I dont really think about it, if i go somewhere new i try to keep it comfortable as theres always plenty of time to expend the saved energy