Riding standing up

[SeanNW6]

Hello all

I learnt to cycle at the ripe old age of 40 and two years later, I can safely say it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done.
I communte to work each day, wind or rain (12 mile round trip) and I enjoy explore London at weekends. I’ve lived in London all my life, but cycling around London at weekends has taken me parts of the capital which I never thought existed.

One issue I do have is my total inability to cycle ‘standing up’.
I’ve got a GT Traffic 2.0 with internal hub gears.
Problem I have is that whatever gear I’m in, even in a low gear when travelling uphill, there is not enough resistence for me to maintain balance. I know this may seem absurd to many of you, but I always cycle ‘sitting down’.

Does this make sense to you? Is there anything I can do to rectify this??
Not sure if it’s a case of me using a internal hub gear bike.

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks

S

 

[GrasB]

I'm a little confused with this one, if there's no resistance why are you wanting to stand up? Anyway for the most part when you stand up it's normally a good idea to change up a gear or 2.

 

[rollinstok]

You need to be in a high enough gear to stand up
Try getting some speed up on the approach to a hill, as you hit the hill keep in the same gear and stand up to " attack " the hill. Many small hills can be ridden over pretty quickly like this.
On a long climb its pretty wise to sit down and spin in a lower gear.

 

[I like Skol]

I have 2 points to make here.

1st, IMO it is a better tactic for longer hill climbs to remain seated and spin at a sustainable pace. It might just be me, and I don't have any science to back this up, but I believe that once you are out of the saddle and stamping on the pedals to batter your way up a hill your enegy transfer becomes less efficient (although you can probably generate more torque and power for a short while). This might be fine to get you through a short steep section or for cresting a hill at the highest possible speed if you put on a sprint near the top, but for long climbs I think most will benefit from staying in the saddle.

2nd point is the bike. I also have a GT Traffic as well as a road bike and an MTB and of the three, the Traffic definitely feels less 'right' when standing to pedal. This suits me because I seem to give my best performance when seated (ask anyone that has ridden on some of the hilly forum rides with me) but some might find this apparant anomally in the bikes geometry disconcerting. It's a great bike, fast and efficient but I think it just isn't at it's best when used for out of the saddle sprints. If you keep this in mind I think you will find the bike will do just what you want it to and you will be able to give your best performance as well.

Oh, any chance of a picture? There's not many Traffic riders around on the forum or out on the road so it's good to 'meet' another

Now with mudguards.

 

[ianrauk]

Hello all

I know this may seem absurd to many of you, but I always cycle ‘sitting down’.

I average 10'000 cycling miles every year and I hardly, if ever, stand up when cycling.

 

[numbnuts]

sit and spin is the way I go

 

[MrJamie]

Maybe just try standing on the pedals on the flat coasting along to get used to being out of the saddle and balance.

Ive been trying to teach my nephew to stand up so he can pedal his bmx up short hills, but hes reluctant.

 

[Hont]

Nothing wrong with sitting down, that's what the saddle is for. Is there a particular reason you want to stand up?

 

[SeanNW6]

Hi there

Thanks for all the messages.
I guess I want to stand up cycling on occasions for the extra workout it will give me.

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

Looks like the hub gear ratio is too high for standing up and pedalling.
Don't think its worth the cst and grief to get a rear hub/wheel with another gear ratio.

Do you know anyone with a derailleur geared bike they could loan you to try?

 

[valetillidye]

As well as cycling I do quite a lot of "spinning" classes and what i find really weird is that when I'm outside on my bike I very rarely cycle standing up yet when I'm at the gym and on a spinning bike I find it so much harder in the saddle than out of it it