Will it get any easier

[Subflux]

Every time I cycle up University Avenue (quite steep short hill!) my legs are so full of Lactic Acid I think they are going to explode.

Despite being in a granny gear and spinning.

I cycle up it twice a day, yet it is still extremely hard.

Does it get any easier?

 

[byegad]

How long have you been riding 'bent and how many miles have you covered on the 'bent?

It took me nearly 1000 miles before I was comfortable tackling any hill. If your granny is such hard work consider lowering it. I used to ride with a low of 20" on DFs and still need and use 15" on a 'bent.

 

[Subflux]

How long have you been riding 'bent and how many miles have you covered on the 'bent?

Well, I've had it a couple of years now, but only managed a few combined months commuting 60mi / week, on and off - with the odd 30mi route thrown in.

Just seems to be taking ages to notice improvment! Hopefully like you suggest I'll hit a magic number of miles, and it'll start feeling easier.

I don't know my cog tooth count :\ Guessing it's the standard freewheel that came with the SMGT, but it's probably over 10yr old (and second hand) so I can't tell for sure..

 

[ColinJ]

I don't know about climbing on a recumbent bike, but on a conventional bike it certainly does get easier.

As a teenager I had what I then considered a monster hill to climb on the way home from school on my 5-speed racing bike. (Barkers Butts Lane, Coventry.) It took me several attempts before I managed to get all the way up it. Over 40 years later and weighing 4 stone more than I did then, I have no problem riding up it on my higher-geared singlespeed bike.

 

[Tigerbiten]

Does it get any easier?

No, you just climb faster .........

I find that there is a much finer line when hill climbing on a recumbent than on an upwrong.
I think its because your sitting on them, you cannot use your bum muscles as much.
So most of the power is coming from your legs.
Hence the lactic acid buildup in the legs when working at max power output.

I've found two ways to combat this.

On the flat I'll spin along at 80-90 rpm but hill climbing I'll slow it down a little to ~60 rpm.
This drops my power/speed a little and hence I don't get the buildup of lactic acid so bad.

The other is to wear compression shorts.
I'm not sure exactly how they work, but I don't get the lactic acid buildup as bad when wearing them.

Luck ............

 

[tongskie01]

Every time I cycle up University Avenue (quite steep short hill!) my legs are so full of Lactic Acid I think they are going to explode.

Despite being in a granny gear and spinning.

I cycle up it twice a day, yet it is still extremely hard.

Does it get any easier?

you just have to take your time, dont overspin. when u feel ur breathin heavily while spinning that means youre heart and lungs cant cope with the power ur exerting from your muscles which results to anaerobic metabolism= lactic acid.

 

[byegad]

From your answer I'd guess you haven't got your recumbent legs yet. I rode DFs and my AZUB-4 roughly 50/50 of the time and it took me 1000 recumbent miles.

If only the one particular hill is causing you concern I'd try a lower bottom gear. Any LBS should be able to offer either a smaller inner ring up front and/or a cassette with a larger big ring than the one you have now. Don't worry too much about capacity of the mech's, my QNT happily runs 24-55 to 11-34 which is a capacity of 54. The Veloce front mech copes well and the Deore rear mech handles it too and I can and do use all 27 combinations.

 

[arallsopp]

I didn't really get my recumbent legs until the hilly commute (resplendent with school kids and hill-starts) saw me clock the first thousand. (miles, not kids).

Nothing like pulling away in public to build your technique. I am 1 part fitness, 2 parts determination and 7 parts ego.