Painful quads!

[Scott addict]

I’ve just returned to cycling after a year off the bike.my question is when I’m climbing hills and I get out of the saddle my quads get painful really quickly,is this due to my age 64 or my lack of cycling fitness Or both?

 

[ColinJ]

Probably, yes!

Are you using low enough gears? Changing to one or two gears lower might reduce the problem.

 

[Scott addict]

Probably, yes!

Are you using low enough gears? Changing to one or two gears lower might reduce the problem.

Even using the granny gear on a 10% gradient same result 😂

 

[Dogtrousers]

I've got a couple of years on you, but I find that standing up actually eases things off for my quads ... and hurts my hamstrings as well. But I could be doing it wrong.

Regarding gears, you can never have a low enough bottom gear.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Lack of cycling fitness. Get out regularly, do some squats if you don’t do strength work, and your legs will do better at handling hills you throw at them.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

I'd expect my quads to hurt on a 10% hill if I hadn't cycled for a year.

Happily, more cycling is the cure! Going slower will also help, of course.

Incidentally, what is your "granny gear" (front chainring small ring and rear cassette largest cog)?

 

[fossyant]

Both. Just need more cycling. I used to suffer very painful quads when I returned to commuting - from quite a few rides a week, to 5 days and 2 rides a day - takes a while to get used to it.

 

[Scott addict]

I'd expect my quads to hurt on a 10% hill if I hadn't cycled for a year.

Happily, more cycling is the cure! Going slower will also help, of course.

Incidentally, what is your "granny gear" (front chainring small ring and rear cassette largest cog)?

Yes small at the front large cog at the back 22/34 ultegra group set

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Yes small at the front large cog at the back 22/34 ultegra group set

Sorry, what does the 22/34 refer to?

22 at the front is outside of the possible smallest range for Ultegra (without some special arranagement), and 22 at the rear outside the normal range for largest rear.

Just trying to understand how low your granny gear is - can you quote

(1) Smallest front chainring size (number of teeth) ?
(2) Largest rear cog (number of teeth) ?

 

[davidphilips]

Know i had said similar at times but your chronological age is less important than your biological age when it refers to cycling. Know cyclists in there 70s that can give a lot of cat 4 and even 3 cyclists a hard time keeping up with them.
Just take getting back to cycling slowly a year off a bike might take quite a bit of time to recover from, main thing is to enjoy every cycle.

 

[cougie uk]

Even using the granny gear on a 10% gradient same result 😂

Thats the issue there. Avoid the steep stuff !

You'll get used to it and it will hurt less with practice.

 

[vickster]

Sit and spin rather than stand and grind?

 

[Dogtrousers]

Sit and spin rather than stand and grind?

That's kind of dependent on having a low enough gear to "spin". Personally speaking, if I were to "spin" (which I take to mean > 90rpm) up a 10%+ gradient I'd need a gear so low that my progress would be almost imperceptible, and I'd topple over.

For me at least, on a decent gradient, it's a choice of sit and grind or stand and grind. My 1:1 bottom gear is too high for me to spin.

This Saturday I was going up a local hill (Hogtrough) that's hill is steep enough that I have to stand, I can't really get up it without standing. I spied a guy pushing his bike up ahead. I did finally catch him because he stopped for a breather, but before that I'd swear he was opening up a gap on me.

 

[Scott addict]

I've got a couple of years on you, but I find that standing up actually eases things off for my quads ... and hurts my hamstrings as well. But I could be doing it wrong.

Regarding gears, you can never have a low enough bottom gear.

Just been for a bike fit today where they told me I was pushing too much through my toes and should be using my heels.lowered seat and moved my cleats back felt loads better

 

[Peter Salt]

Just practice getting out of the saddle more, even on 'zone 2' rides. Try riding, say, 8 minutes sitting down, 2 minutes standing up - even on flats.