# Hills - Bum off or on seat?



## Skibird (19 Apr 2018)

Hi All,

I'm trying to improve my confidence and ability up hills but really struggle to stay seated on any hills, which I'm working on. What works best for you and why (fitness, ability, preference)?

Thanks

Bev


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## KneesUp (19 Apr 2018)

Short sharp hills - keep in the gear I'm in and stand up if needed.

Long draggy hills - get in what I anticipate is the correct gear at the bottom and grind up seated.

Standing uses more energy overall because you have to support your weight as well, but it's better for sudden bursts of power because you can use some of your mass to put more force on the pedals (but you are supporting all of your mass, so overall it's less efficient)

Doing whatever suits you is best though. When I first got back on a bike a few years ago, hills on my commute I now barely notice were stand-up thrashing away with all my effort hills. You will get there is you stick with it!


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## vickster (19 Apr 2018)

Sitting,. My Physio has said riding out of saddle will further knacker my knees. Ymmv
I’ll never be fast up hills, plod up and try not to die


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## T4tomo (19 Apr 2018)

bit of a combo for me, carry a much speed / momentum as I can into a hill and gradually change down the gears keeping a reasonably high consistent ish cadence. Mainly seated in a long hill, but will do bits standing for a change,/ break. 

short hills might end up standing up for second half to maintain as much speed as I can, but standing is more tiring in long run for reasons above.


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## cosmicbike (19 Apr 2018)

99% of the time I'm sitting. As @KneesUp says, the occasional short sharp I may stand briefly..


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## MikeG (19 Apr 2018)

Sit and spin.......and it can be very fast. Getting up hills should be about endurance, not strength.


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## biggs682 (19 Apr 2018)

Sit back and enjoy the view and when need be stand up and dance on the pedals for a better view over the hedges


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## Drago (19 Apr 2018)

When I were younger, I'd honk all the way. Now I'm old, and fairly fit, I prefer to remain seated. Do whatever works for you.


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## Shortandcrisp (19 Apr 2018)

Mostly seated. Short, steep hills I might get out of the saddle. Tip - change up a gear before getting out of the saddle.


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## raleighnut (19 Apr 2018)

Seated and in as low a gear as practicable.


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## ColinJ (19 Apr 2018)

I prefer spinning low gears and that is better done sitting down so most of my climbing is done on the saddle.

Very steep (20+%) hills are different. Sometimes it is hard to keep going when sitting down, even using low gears. On super-steep climbs the front wheel can start to lift. Getting out of the saddle and putting more weight forwards can help.

When I was obese I couldn't stand for long anyway because my legs (and back) couldn't cope for more than a few seconds. Nowadays I occasionally climb standing for 20-30 seconds to take the pressure off my bum and to ease my aching back.


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## raleighnut (19 Apr 2018)

If it's a very steep hill I get off and walk unless I'm on the Saracen MTB and that has a real 'crawler' gear on it (I think 24 front and a 32or34 on the back)


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## derrick (19 Apr 2018)

Bit of both here. Its good to stretch the legs now and then.


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## gbb (19 Apr 2018)

Short hills, stand and hammer up, recover by backing off a bit and regain breath.
Long hills, use the gears to maintain a spinning cadence.

I used to monitor my rides of say 50 miles when i was really fit and would achieve really quite consistent times/speed.
During a phase when i was trying to get faster i started attacking the hills (not big ones) and recover as above for a few hundred yards perhaps, then push on again. This method saw a quite noticeable increase in overall speed.


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## Wixsteman (19 Apr 2018)

I sit and spin in lowest gear when I reach the top(eventually) I get a small sense of achievement once I’ve got my breath back


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## Maenchi (19 Apr 2018)

drop to the granny gear and pedal as gently as possible, seated..........hills are time for a rest...............


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## KneesUp (19 Apr 2018)

gbb said:


> During a phase when i was trying to get faster i started attacking the hills (not big ones) and recover as above for a few hundred yards perhaps, then push on again. This method saw a quite noticeable increase in overall speed.


In one of the Obree films, I remember him using a really high gear on hills as part of his training.


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## DCBassman (19 Apr 2018)

Seat...


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## MiK1138 (19 Apr 2018)

Bit of both for me, drop a gear for standing up back up for sitting. pray for a gear you know you don't have


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## Skibird (19 Apr 2018)

Lol, you guys do make me smile . I find it really hard to sit and spin, often thinking it's never ending (hills are often a psychological problem for me), so usually end up standing all the way, and on a pretty steep hill, paying for it at the top (asthma) with burning for a good 10-15 mins (not really breathless for long). I'm only 5'3 and guessing quite light (NEVER weigh myself) and tend to stay in a higher gear for most of my ride, which I don't know is a good or bad thing but like to feel like i'm actually moving. I ride a MTB.


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## Johnno260 (19 Apr 2018)

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiXqWPTaYLc


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## bpsmith (19 Apr 2018)

Johnno260 said:


> View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiXqWPTaYLc



Randomly, I was watching that when I got to your post. :-)


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## bpsmith (19 Apr 2018)

I love blasting up to short sharp climbs and trying to get as far up as possible, when out of the saddle. Generally feels more natural to sit for the longer climbs, and far more efficient.


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## welsh dragon (19 Apr 2018)

Definitely a plodder here as well, and if that fails, then walk.


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## Racing roadkill (19 Apr 2018)

The most efficient way to climb, is by maintaining as many contact points with the bike as possible. Seated climbing is therefore the most efficient way to do it. ‘Most efficient’ doesn’t usually equate to fastest, or most comfortable though. So to get the best balance, remain seated where the gradient is steady, and get out of the saddle in upwards corners / hairpins, and on any bits that ‘step’. If you’re after speed, at any cost, stand up, push your hips forwards, and downwards, and keep your shoulders down, and your head level. It’s not efficient, or particularly comfortable, but it is a way to maximise speed. Watch how Vincenzo Nibali does it, that’s about perfect.


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## Johnno260 (19 Apr 2018)

With me depends on climb and how fatigued I am.

Climb near my brothers house is brutal no idea on the incline but it’s long and sharp, and road is partially covered so almost always damp, I had a looney toons moment on that climb where I was getting zero traction was almost on the spot wheel spinning but getting no where, so had to sit and lean back. 

I like climbs but avoid that evil one now.


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## dave r (19 Apr 2018)

Sometimes I sit and sometimes I stand.


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## si_c (19 Apr 2018)

I used to stay in the highest gear I could keep turning the pedals in whilst standing up, now I tend to get into a low gear and keep my legs turning at a comfortable pace. I find that I'm no slower either way up a hill, but in terms of perceived effort, low gears and low torque is much much easier.


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## slowmotion (19 Apr 2018)

I stay in the saddle. I went over the bars when my chain slipped once, and I have no intention of repeating the experience. Not ever. A tarmac/face date doesn't float my boat.


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## Supersuperleeds (19 Apr 2018)

Onto page 3 and still no one has given the correct answer. The best way to deal with hills is to ride around them.


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## Skibird (19 Apr 2018)

Lol, that's a bit difficult when you now live in the Isle Of Wight where even the roads you think are flat have inclines.


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## Hitchington (19 Apr 2018)

[QUOTE 5218356, member: 45"]I'm a plodder - lowest gear and take your time. Periodically I'll up a couple of gears and stand up until my legs hurt, then back to plodding.[/QUOTE]
me2


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## Bryony (19 Apr 2018)

welsh dragon said:


> Definitely a plodder here as well, and if that fails, then walk.


Yep that’s how I do it!


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## welsh dragon (19 Apr 2018)

Bryony said:


> Yep that’s how I do it!


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## mgs315 (19 Apr 2018)

Spinner all the way here. Keep the top half immobile and just focus on a nice smooth action. Keep my cadence (prefer 90-100rpm)/gear combo in line with about 180bpm on the old HRM (remembering it will creep) and breathe. Tends to get me up most things in a respectable time.

I’m not scared to have a 34-32 lowest gear either. Always better to have one more than I need.

Oddly I pretty much always stand when accelerating on the flat from traffic lights though.


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## Dave7 (19 Apr 2018)

I feel more comfortable and safer while sitting so generally do that. Mostly I spin but as I have done very little over winter I am mixing it with building my calf muscles up again.


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## Ming the Merciless (19 Apr 2018)

Sit on handlebars to keep front end down and spin away.


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## Blue Hills (19 Apr 2018)

KneesUp said:


> Short sharp hills - keep in the gear I'm in and stand up if needed.
> 
> Long draggy hills - get in what I anticipate is the correct gear at the bottom and grind up seated.
> 
> ...


+1 to all of this.

Definitely as I understand it less efficient to stand. The only reason to do it is as you say to get a sudden burst of power when racing, and to psych the opposition, or possibly in general cycling to get you that final bit to the top of the hill so that you can then relax/coast. But you don't want to be standing for long.

Sometimes around London, mostly flat of course, I quite often see folk out of the seat for longish periods for no great point. Usually they are just in the wrong gear. I rarely point it out to them and of course if I dared offer it as a friendly bit of advice to the opposite sex I'd be jumped on by some on here.

Of course current fashions in bike gearing don't always do folk favours.

So, yes, change down, work your way up the hill at a pace that feels comfortable. My 26 inch expedition bike has a 36T cog on the back


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## Supersuperleeds (19 Apr 2018)

Skibird said:


> Lol, that's a bit difficult when you now live in the Isle Of Wight where even the roads you think are flat have inclines.



You need one of these:


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## NorthernDave (19 Apr 2018)

It depends.

If I'm out on my own and there's no-one about, I'll tend to stay in the seat and spin up the hill. 
However, if I'm out riding with mates, I'll be out of the saddle and chucking the bike about giving it full beans.


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## Tenacious Sloth (19 Apr 2018)

KneesUp said:


> Short sharp hills - keep in the gear I'm in and stand up if needed.
> 
> Long draggy hills - get in what I anticipate is the correct gear at the bottom and grind up seated.
> 
> ...



^^^^This sums up exactly my attitude to hills.

As an aside, during the Tour of Cambridgeshire last year, for the first 20 miles or so I was cycling alongside a guy who had no saddle or seatpost on his bike. His technique was to ride a slightly higher gear than everyone else with his hands in the drops. 

It was amazing to watch. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I reckon after about 5 miles of this my quads would burst into flames! 

I lost contact with him but would guess, based upon his performance over the first 20 miles, that he probably averaged 18 or 19 mph for the 80 mile race distance. Amazing really.

Apparently, he started riding standing up due to getting severe saddle sores, and after getting used to it binned his saddle and seatpost as they were unnecessary weight. It also reduced the likelihood of his bike being stolen. 

I don’t think I’ll ever forget seeing him ride.

Graham


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## fatjel (19 Apr 2018)

I tend to sit and spin up hill and stand up when rolling down tother side.

This is only since I moved to Wales. When I lived in Kent the subject was not terribly relevant

Have added a mtb crankset to a road bike which gets me a 28/32 low gear


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## Welsh wheels (20 Apr 2018)

Shortandcrisp said:


> Mostly seated. Short, steep hills I might get out of the saddle. Tip - change up a gear before getting out of the saddle.


Another tip - make sure anyone who might be sitting on your wheel is aware you are about to stand up and climb. Several times I've sitting on wheels up climbs, the rider in front stands up and the sudden reduction in speed means that I've nearly gone into the back of them.


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## Welsh wheels (20 Apr 2018)

Skibird said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I'm trying to improve my confidence and ability up hills but really struggle to stay seated on any hills, which I'm working on. What works best for you and why (fitness, ability, preference)?
> 
> ...


Short and steep, stand up. Long and gradual, sit down.


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## gaijintendo (20 Apr 2018)

Blue Hills said:


> Sometimes around London, mostly flat of course, I quite often see folk out of the seat for longish periods for no great point. Usually they are just in the wrong gear.


That standing can be useful in urban situations, to get a commanding view of the lay of the land. I find it hard to know when someone else is in a wrong gear. They could always be doing cadence work, or other training (I suspect not most of the time though).

I ride fixed a fair bit, and use the power from standing for deceleration.

Back to the OPs question with regards to hills: I stand up for hairpins and turns on a climb. For some reason having to steer and think lends itself to that, for me.


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## Rooster1 (20 Apr 2018)

I do a bit of both as an when I can manage.


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## HLaB (20 Apr 2018)

It varies a bit but my general approach is to attack short sharp hills standing up, long hills are seated and very long hills whilst seated mainly standing up every so often to releave muscle groups and shift up to enable me to shift down when seated. Less and less I'll attack a long hill too at the start if I need to drop someone then transition to the norm (seated)


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## Ming the Merciless (20 Apr 2018)

Welsh wheels said:


> Short and steep, stand up. Long and gradual, sit down.



Hot and breathless, stand up, slow and comfortable, lie down


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## Blue Hills (20 Apr 2018)

gaijintendo said:


> That standing can be useful in urban situations, to get a commanding view of the lay of the land.



No commanding view of the situation for many of those I see doing it around London, for their head is often bobbing up and down.


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## NorthernDave (20 Apr 2018)




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## Soltydog (18 Jun 2018)

ColinJ said:


> I prefer spinning low gears and that is better done sitting down so most of my climbing is done on the saddle.
> 
> Very steep (20+%) hills are different. Sometimes it is hard to keep going when sitting down, even using low gears. On super-steep climbs the front wheel can start to lift. Getting out of the saddle and putting more weight forwards can help.





Dogtrousers said:


> Sitting down mostly.
> I stand up if it's really steep, and I'm at risk of grinding to a halt and/or lifting the front wheel.



I normally sit & spin, but yesterday I attempted Shibden Wall & on the steeper bits there, the front wheel was lifting whilst the rear was bouncing all over the cobbles. Sadly I ended up walking. Reckon it was close to 30% when the front was lifting, is there another way to keep the front down without standing? Wasn't sure if being 6'5" & 'heavy' was a contributing factor? Is frame geometry a factor too? or am I just grasping at straws  Maybe I need to work on getting out of the saddle on steep climbs, but there's nothing over 20% to pratice on for about 50 miles from here


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## ColinJ (18 Jun 2018)

Soltydog said:


> I normally sit & spin, but yesterday I attempted Shibden Wall & on the steeper bits there, the front wheel was lifting whilst the rear was bouncing all over the cobbles. Sadly I ended up walking. Reckon it was close to 30% when the front was lifting, is there another way to keep the front down without standing? Wasn't sure if being 6'5" & 'heavy' was a contributing factor? Is frame geometry a factor too? or am I just grasping at straws  Maybe I need to work on getting out of the saddle on steep climbs, but there's nothing over 20% to pratice on for about 50 miles from here


I have never actually got round to trying that one! 

If I am not going to stand up on the really steep stuff then I often bend right forward and climb on the drops. I think that is a good compromise position balancing the risk of the front wheel lifting and that of the rear wheel slipping.


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## Edgy Dee (18 Jun 2018)

Chris Froome sits and spins. Seems to work for him.


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## mgs315 (18 Jun 2018)

Had much fun on the L2B yesterday deliberately trying to wheelspin as much as I could up a couple of the climbs when overtaking stragglers. Full gas and leaning on the bars helped this.

Got to have a giggle when you can. Gave me a good idea about how much I could get away with leaning on the bars too.

Most definitely spin to win for me.


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## TonySJ (18 Jun 2018)

I normally sit & spin, but yesterday I attempted Shibden Wall & on the steeper bits there, the front wheel was lifting whilst the rear was bouncing all over the cobbles. Sadly I ended up walking. Reckon it was close to 30% when the front was lifting, is there another way to keep the front down without standing? Wasn't sure if being 6'5" & 'heavy' was a contributing factor? Is frame geometry a factor too? or am I just grasping at straws  Maybe I need to work on getting out of the saddle on steep climbs, but there's nothing over 20% to pratice on for about 50 miles from here



ColinJ said:


> I have never actually got round to trying that one!
> 
> If I am not going to stand up on the really steep stuff then I often bend right forward and climb on the drops. I think that is a good compromise position balancing the risk of the front wheel lifting and that of the rear wheel slipping.


I found out that on hills when I'm slowly grinding to a painful very slow pace if you roll your hips forward while seated you engage your gluts more and I'm able to push the speed up again releaving my grind and painful legs. Told my mates but it don't work for them,,, strangely enough..


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## Tin Pot (18 Jun 2018)

Skibird said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I'm trying to improve my confidence and ability up hills but really struggle to stay seated on any hills, which I'm working on. What works best for you and why (fitness, ability, preference)?
> 
> ...


On.

Always have, I can’t understand why people think standing helps.


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## Ming the Merciless (18 Jun 2018)

mgs315 said:


> Had much fun on the L2B yesterday deliberately trying to wheelspin as much as I could up a couple of the climbs when overtaking stragglers. Full gas and leaning on the bars helped this.
> 
> Got to have a giggle when you can. Gave me a good idea about how much I could get away with leaning on the bars too.
> 
> Most definitely spin to win for me.



Decent tyres will sort out the wheelspin.


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## SkipdiverJohn (18 Jun 2018)

Blue Hills said:


> Sometimes around London, mostly flat of course, I quite often see folk out of the seat for longish periods for no great point. Usually they are just in the wrong gear.
> So, yes, change down, work your way up the hill at a pace that feels comfortable. My 26 inch expedition bike has a 36T cog on the back



I see it all the time myself, often it's BSO MTB riders who only ever seem to use 1 out of their 18 gears regardless of the road conditions. The only time my backside is off the saddle is if I'm going over a bump and I want to take the sting out of the impact. If I can't get up a gradient whilst remaining seated I get off the bike and walk it up, which of course uses the leg muscles in a slightly different way so reduces fatigue.


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## ColinJ (18 Jun 2018)

YukonBoy said:


> Decent tyres will sort out the wheelspin.


Not on wet/greasy/mossy cobbles at gradients of 20+% they won't!


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## Ming the Merciless (18 Jun 2018)

ColinJ said:


> Not on wet/greasy/mossy cobbles at gradients of 20+% they won't!



And where on London to Brighton are they to be found? I do not remember any such surfaces or gradients anywhere near that.


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## ColinJ (18 Jun 2018)

Like these (when wet and/or mossy - plenty of grip when dry like that) ... 







Ok, might not be too many of them down there, unless you head over to Dorset to tootle up Gold Hill (Hovis advert) ...


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## rugby bloke (19 Jun 2018)

I normally stay in the seat and spin - or grind when I run out of gears. However if the adrenaline is running thick or if its a a short sharp hill I'll get up onto the pedals. I learnt a very early lesson that trying to stand up whilst engaged in a low gear does not go well !!


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## 400bhp (19 Jun 2018)

KneesUp said:


> Standing uses more energy overall because you have to support your weight as well, but it's better for sudden bursts of power because you can use some of your mass to put more force on the pedals (but you are supporting all of your mass, so overall it's less efficient



I can see the logic but I’m not sure that’s correct?


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## DaveReading (19 Jun 2018)

Welsh wheels said:


> Several times I've sitting on wheels up climbs, the rider in front stands up and the sudden reduction in speed means that I've nearly gone into the back of them.



Are we saying that standing up is not only less efficient, but also slower than staying in the saddle ?


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## Globalti (19 Jun 2018)

Standing is the most efficient way of climbing steep hills. I scratched a long-held itch and climbed The Struggle out of Ambleside last month. By the time I'd climbed the first section out of the town I was wondering if I would even manage the crux, which is the final zig zags to the Kirkstone Inn. My mitts had become sweaty and were squirming on the hoods preventing me from getting a good firm grip so at the short downhill by the quarry entrance I stopped and removed them. The transformation was miraculous; I was able to hold the hoods firmly and straighten my back because I was no longer struggling to grip the hoods. With a straighter back I could stretch my legs and climb as if on a stair machine and somehow the final steep hairpins, at around 20 degrees, seemed much more bearable and I made the top easily. Big lesson learned.


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## steveindenmark (19 Jun 2018)

This guy and his wife got it right on Monte Grappa last year


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## Drago (19 Jun 2018)

I sit and grind. POWAH! When I was young I'd stand on the pedals and dance like Fred Astair, but now I'm old I prefer to do everything sitting down.


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## MontyVeda (19 Jun 2018)

Sitting down for me too. I'm not ashamed to stop half way up and have a breather, but I absolutely refuse to walk the bike up. I will happily turn around and go straight back down though if I've bitten off more than I can chew.


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## Threevok (19 Jun 2018)

Sitting down

Although there are some hills using the single speed lately (geared at 35/14) that I find myself standing up towards the end.


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## nickyboy (19 Jun 2018)

400bhp said:


> I can see the logic but I’m not sure that’s correct?


It's not correct. The reason why standing is less efficient than seated is due to the rocking of the pelvis when standing. Your pelvis has to be moved up and down and that requires some of your available energy

For me, up to a couple of minutes climbs I may do standing, longer will be seated. Only exception is steep wet climbs that I will always do seated regardless of length.


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## ColinJ (19 Jun 2018)

Threevok said:


> Sitting down
> 
> Although there are some hills using the single speed lately (geared at 35/14) that I find myself standing up towards the end.


Ah yes ... I have 52/19 on my singlespeed bike, about a 10% higher gear than yours. I have to stand up for any significant length of climb at more than about 6% on that bike or I can't get the cranks through the dead zone at the top of each pedal stroke.

Normally, I sit and spin though I do find it easier to stand and sprint up very short steep ramps.


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## Skibird (19 Jun 2018)

Well I'm definintely sitting down on hills more than I was, but the urge to stand is still there as it just seems to take sooooh long getting to the top, having said that, I am always in such a hurry to get the hills over with, it's the only time my asthma seems to kick in (very heavy breathing), but I seem to recover very quickly. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, or i'm expecting improvements too quickly, but even when I seem to be getting quicker up steep hills (what I consider steep), it NEVER feels any easier physically. I ride a MTB, although I do have road tyres that I've not used yet. Just fyi I'm nearly (next month) 52, slim (never weigh myself), 5,3 and cycle every otherday and walk (fast) my dog for more than 2hrs every day.


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## MikeG (19 Jun 2018)

nickyboy said:


> It's not correct. The reason why standing is less efficient than seated is due to the rocking of the pelvis when standing. Your pelvis has to be moved up and down and that requires some of your available energy.........



There's more to it than that. Standing up you are supporting and moving your entire bodyweight, whereas sitting down the only moving parts are your legs, and about 2/3rds of your weight is supported passively by the bike. There's an aerodynamic advantage too, albeit more and more minor the slower you go.


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## snorri (19 Jun 2018)

With the passage of time I notice my method is changing and ever more frequently it's a case of bum off seat and feet on the ground for hills


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## Stef 1 (19 Jun 2018)

Beginning of the year I struggled with hills. Previous years and at the start of this year I always stayed sat and grinded my way up.

Then I started picking easier gears, increasing my cadence. Speed improved a little and I wasn’t always bouncing off my max heart rate.

I now actually enjoy hills (or the challenge at least) as long as they’re not too long and actively pick routes that aren’t too flat. As a result my fitness is better than it has been in years and I’m finding climbing easier than I ever have done.

I know in theory sitting is better, but some days I do em sat down, other days I stand up or a mix of both. Trying different things to hopefully get a little better at both.

However occasionally muscles make my knees feel really tight and uncomfortable if I stand but haven’t quite figured that out yet (perhaps wrong gear or cadence).

Recently, for the first time ever, I sometimes naturally find myself down on the drops going up hill.... that’s a new one for me.


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## si_c (20 Jun 2018)

Been thinking about this, I do mostly spin up, but if it's over 15% I'll tend to get out of the saddle as I find that a bit more comfortable.


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## mgs315 (20 Jun 2018)

Dogtrousers said:


> I know this is OT, but I'm struggling to think of anywhere on the London to Brighton route that's particularly steep. There's basically only three lumps: Over the North Downs in the South of London, where you ascend the dip (gentle) side of the escarpment. Then there's the Western edge of the High Weald at Turners Hill, but that's not steep. Then there's the South Downs - which is the Beacon - which has a maximum gradient of about 12% ish 16%, You could wilfully sneak off and find some short steep climbs near Ardingly if you were so minded.



Aye there’s nothing steep on L2B, the only sort of hill to speak of is Ditchling Beacon. Nice simple ride really. I was merely wheelspinning for the fun of it on the slightly greasy roads by deliberately getting my weight distribution all wrong .


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## nickyboy (20 Jun 2018)

MikeG said:


> There's more to it than that. Standing up you are supporting and moving your entire bodyweight, whereas sitting down the only moving parts are your legs, and about 2/3rds of your weight is supported passively by the bike. There's an aerodynamic advantage too, albeit more and more minor the slower you go.


Well you're supporting your entire bodyweight regardless of whether you're seated or standing. I agree with the moving your body bit. The point I'm making is that even if, whilst standing, you can keep your upper body still, you have to rock your pelvis and that's inherently less efficient. Also agree on the aero point (although at my uphill speeds this is a moot point)


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## MikeG (20 Jun 2018)

nickyboy said:


> Well you're supporting your entire bodyweight regardless of whether you're seated or standing.......



How so? At least, you aren't using any muscle strength to support the bulk of your weight when you are sitting down, other than in holding your posture.


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## Tilley (20 Jun 2018)

In a recumbent trike I have on option its sit and spin like crazy every time.


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## dantheman (20 Jun 2018)

I think the only time I've ever spent more than 30 seconds out of the saddle while riding was as a teenager.. My saddle was stolen (strangely enough not the seatpost).


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## Mr_Kipling (21 Jun 2018)

When I was 15, my idea was to save Energy On the uphill section so you can pedal hard in the down hill section. I got upto 43Mph on a downhill in Riddlesdown survey om my £120 Mountain bike Back in 1996. A speed I've not yet beaten some 22 years later and counting.


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## DCBassman (21 Jun 2018)

mgs315 said:


> Aye there’s nothing steep on L2B, the only sort of hill to speak of is Ditchling Beacon. Nice simple ride really. I was merely wheelspinning for the fun of it on the slightly greasy roads by deliberately getting my weight distribution all wrong .


I'd imagine that Ditchling Beacon is quite steep enough for 90+% of us!


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## Siclo (21 Jun 2018)

nickyboy said:


> The point I'm making is that even if, whilst standing, you can keep your upper body still, you have to rock your pelvis and that's inherently less efficient.



Not sure that holds, I seen a few studies like this that seem to conclude



> This result means that, although standing creates more stress on the aerobic and cardiovascular system, it does not necessarily cause a decrease in efficiency itself. So standing is not going to cost more energy to perform when you factor in the greater power that you are generating



There are a number of caveats in the study regarding rider weight/athleticism but a recent one I read that used a range of builds in real world examples came to the same conclusion.


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## Skibird (21 Jun 2018)

mgs315 said:


> Aye there’s nothing steep on L2B, the only sort of hill to speak of is Ditchling Beacon. Nice simple ride really. I was merely wheelspinning for the fun of it on the slightly greasy roads by deliberately getting my weight distribution all wrong .


Not sure my friend would agree with you lol, she took 8hrs to complete it, cried, walked, thought of giving up.......................but completed it!!She said it didn't just have the 4 main hills, but the first 20 miles was nothing but hills She said it was the worst thing she had ever done!


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## Siclo (21 Jun 2018)

Dogtrousers said:


> Thanks for posting that
> 
> _standing is not going to cost more energy to perform when you factor in the greater power that you are generating. _​
> Interesting. Maybe I should stand more. But wait ...
> ...



I did say there were caveats, unfortunately I can't find the study (google-fu failure) that got the same results with riders up to 80kg. Does that help?


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## Soltydog (21 Jun 2018)

There's an article in this months Cycling + about improving climbing. Had a quick scan through as someone left a copy on a table at work, but maybe someone else who has a copy can quote exactly what was said?
Apparently previous studies showed that lighter/smaller riders were better standing up climbs & heavier/bigger rides were better sat whilst climbing, but studies have now found it depends on your muscle type as to whether you are suited to standing or seated whilst climbing. So basically do whichever suits you


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## Hypocriterium (25 Jun 2018)

Yes it is. But not impossible. Like all climbs, take it easy, focus on steady breathing and a low gear and let your body settle, then see how you feel.


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## Edgy Dee (25 Jun 2018)

Soltydog said:


> There's an article in this months Cycling + about improving climbing. Had a quick scan through as someone left a copy on a table at work, but maybe someone else who has a copy can quote exactly what was said?
> Apparently previous studies showed that lighter/smaller riders were better standing up climbs & heavier/bigger rides were better sat whilst climbing, but studies have now found it depends on your muscle type as to whether you are suited to standing or seated whilst climbing. So basically do whichever suits you


Makes sense. Legendary climbers are nearly always pictured honking: think Pantani, Robert Millar, Contador. Rouleurs do sit and spin up the hills. Without claiming either talent - I find it helps to honk into the start of the climb, it's easier to maintain pace and cadence than regain it. Also a good idea to drop the front ring early - it's more difficult to change under hard pressure. Then I settle into a pace I can maintain for most of the climb, only standing again to sprint over the top. Well that last part doesn't always happen!


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## Ming the Merciless (25 Jun 2018)

Of course on a recumbent you lie down to climb.


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