Technique to avoid rear wheel slip when pedalling standing

[C R]

Recently I have had problems with my rear wheel slipping when I stand on the pedals. It was particularly problematic last week going up a steepish hill, with a wet surface. I am not a particularly powerful rider, so I'm guessing the problem is my technique, so I am after some pointers on how to avoid slip as much as possible.

Edited typo

 

[Jameshow]

Keep you weight over the rear wheel, lean forward and your rear wheel will slip...

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

You can try to keep your weight as far back as possible
not easy as when you stand up you automatically move your weight forward but it does help

Other thing I find is the tyres - mine are basically road tyres and so slip easily if there is anything loose on the surface - knobbly tyres might help but then have more rolling resistance when it is dry

maybe someone who knows what they are talking about will come along with some proper advise?

 

[fossyant]

Weight back, smooth out pedalling, or sit. Sitting is sometimes the only way.

 

[Alex321]

You don't need to be particularly powerful, if the road is slippery and you are in a low gear.

There is one hill I ride which get used so little by cars that the surface is always a bit mossy, and I often get a bit of wheel slip on that one.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I'm the last person to give advice on technique. I do everything wrong.

But my experience/approach is: Sit down. If it's too steep for sitting down - stand up. If, when you stand up, your wheel slips a bit then keep an eye out for grot* on the road and try to avoid it, if your wheel slips a lot - get off and walk.

I only get wheel slip on wet/muddy/leafy roads so it's a message to me not to come this way again except in dry conditions.

* If you're going up a sheepish hill there may be a lot of this.

 

[Sallar55]

Buy a tyre with a soft rubber, long lasting tyres don't have good grip as they have rubber designed for high mileage.

 

[C R]

I'm the last person to give advice on technique. I do everything wrong.

But my experience/approach is: Sit down. If it's too steep for sitting down - stand up. If, when you stand up, your wheel slips a bit then keep an eye out for grot* on the road and try to avoid it, if your wheel slips a lot - get off and walk.

I only get wheel slip on wet/muddy/leafy roads so it's a message to me not to come this way again except in dry conditions.

* If you're going up a sheepish hill there may be a lot of this.

Well spotted on the typo. Fixed now

 

[C R]

Thank you all for your comments. A few things to try, and if they don't work I'll have to walk like I did last time.

 

[C R]

Buy a tyre with a soft rubber, long lasting tyres don't have good grip as they have rubber designed for high mileage.

Any recommendations? My current tyres are decathlon, very good puncture resistance and very durable, but grip can be a tad iffy.

 

[gavroche]

Another solution is not to go out in wet conditions.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

You want some with 4 seasons in the name as they have softer rubber for better grip in the wet.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Sit down. If it's too steep for sitting down - stand up.

It’s never too steep for sitting down, ask us recumbent riders.

 

[Once a Wheeler]

This has never been a problem for me and that may be because I sit in as much as possible. The key to sitting in on the steepest slopes is to put as much force into pulling up on the up-peddle as one puts into pushing down on the down-peddle. This evens out the force transmitted to the rear wheel and so avoids any jerks which out-of-the saddle riding would tend to cause. If this is a riding style that does not come naturally to you, you may find it discovers muscles you never knew you had, so it might constitute an unexpected extra work-out. As always, continual experimentation usually ends up with a solution. Good luck.

 

[Sallar55]

Here are tyre reviews
https://road.cc/buyers-guide/best-winter-road-bike-tyres