Spinner, Grinder, Honker, or other

[roubaixtuesday]

Inspired by @sasquath, I propose the Cyclechat guide to hillclimbing techniques.

I understand the following:

"Spinner" - one who, unable to produce sufficient torque, engages an embarrassingly low gear and ascends hills in a low gear to enable high cadence, perhaps 80rpm or above.

"Honker" - an insecure individual who wishing to impress the peloton with their animal strength, engages the highest gear they can possibly turn and, out of the saddle, locks themselves in mortal combat with their bike, wrenching at the bars like an engaged gorilla attempting escape from a cage.

"Grinder" - not at all related to a desire for casual same sex relationships, the grinder remains seated, grits their teeth and forces the gear over at low cadence. They would really like to honk or spin, but lack the confidence for the former and the gears for the latter.

Do I have this covered, or are there others we need to know of.

If there's sufficient interest, I'll start a poll once all preferences have been outed.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Myself, I'm an ex-honker now grinding.

I think I've been influenced by riding the tandem where honking is impractical, and even the hint of an attempted honk very much frowned upon by Mrs Tuesday.

Spinning, whilst supposedly the most efficient method of climbing, I regard as an effeminate abomination only practised by the French.

 

[Dolorous Edd]

engages an embarrassingly low gear and ascends hills in a low gear to enable high cadence, perhaps 80rpm or above.

All good fun of course, but by this definition, virtually every Tour de France winner in the last couple of decades has won by engaging a gear that is described here as "embarrassingly low"

 

[roubaixtuesday]

virtually every Tour de France winner in the last couple of decades has won by engaging a gear that is described here as "embarrassingly low"

I know. Embarrassing, isn't it?

 

[Sharky]

Also a style called "dancing". I think this when you get out of the saddle, but maintain a high cadence and very smooth.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Also a style called "dancing". I think this when you get out of the saddle, but maintain a high cadence and very smooth.

Excellent. I shall add to my list for the poll.

Should I attempt such I think it would end up as break dancing. ie me on the floor with my legs in the air.

 

[Drago]

I find hills so easy that I unclip one foot and ride using only one leg.

In order to avoid one leg becoming grossly overdeveloped and the risk of only being able to ride around in circles I alternate the legs between hills.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Not sure where I fit in

I have "embarrassingly low gear" of a spinner on my bike. Unfortunately I'm "unable to produce sufficient torque" so I have to grit my teeth and force the gear over at low cadence, grinder style. Occasionally I can't even manage this, so to avoid coming to a complete stop I have to stand up and wrestle the bike honker-style. All this takes place at a speed that is only marginally above falling-over speed. I'm kind of worst of all possible worlds.

I remember going up one of my local steep hills and seeing a rider up ahead come to a halt, dismount, and start pushing. Although I managed to keep going I was unable to close the gap on them. In fact I think they may have opened it up a bit.

 

[DCLane]

I find hills so easy that I unclip one foot and ride using only one leg.

In order to avoid one leg becoming grossly overdeveloped and the risk of only being able to ride around in circles I alternate the legs between hills.

So the Scottish @Drago is, in reality, a Hairy Haggis? http://www.windsorscottish.ca/ed-folk-wildhaggis.php

Also a style called "dancing". I think this when you get out of the saddle, but maintain a high cadence and very smooth.

I'm a getting-slower Dancer, son no. 2 is a fairly quick Dancer - quick enough to win prize money fairly regularly [£15 today as 1st Junior]. What's surprising is our climbing styles are very similar. Or given that we're father/son, maybe not so surprising.

 

[gavroche]

What @Drago really means is : " I set my electric motor on full power and pretend to pedal with just one leg".

 

[slowmotion]

Hamster. I engage the lowest possible gear at the bottom of a hill and say hello to ambling pedestrians as they overtake me while my feet reach supersonic speeds on each revolution.

 

[Reynard]

Spinner here. And then shanks' pony when I run out of hill legs.

Maybe that's why they call us single ladies "spinsters"

 

[Archie_tect]

Not forgetting the "Grunter' who should have got into a lower gear earlier, then stands up and leans forward over the bars adopting a strobe-like like action where each rapid down stroke is followed by a slight delay at the bottom of each pedal rotation before the next lunging downstroke occurs- all accompanied by a grunt of effort.

 

[Sharky]

There is also a rare technique used by tricyclists. For example, I was out with my daughter(autistic) on our tandem trike and daughter not contributing much. She was actually pedaling backwards, not really understanding how to pedal.
I could just about do one down stroke and then lost power. So jammed on the brakes to stop rolling back, back pedalled to get the pedals just past the dead spot and thrust down again. Took a few repetitions, but made it to the top.

Beauty of a trike is that you can't fall over.

 

[Mike Ayling]

I find hills so easy that I unclip one foot and ride using only one leg.

In order to avoid one leg becoming grossly overdeveloped and the risk of only being able to ride around in circles I alternate the legs between hills.

Hi Drago
Did you see the one legged cyclists at the Paralympics?