# Getting up hills faster



## Angelfishsolo (10 Apr 2011)

Do you guys and gals have any tips on improving hill climbing speed?


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## Hacienda71 (10 Apr 2011)

Practice  








Seriously though, the more you ride the hills the easier they get and the faster you can go up them. Vary your cadence and try getting out of the saddle occasionally to vary the muscle groups you are using. Try to ride longer climbs so you get conditioned to climbing. If you have a local hill you ride regularly time yourself so you see the improvement you are making to motivate yourself.


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## RecordAceFromNew (10 Apr 2011)

You might find this of interest.


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## Globalti (11 Apr 2011)

Buy a road bike and do some proper training.

Seriously - I mountain biked for 20 years before I got a road bike and I really regret not starting road riding 20 years earlier, I'd have done a lot better in the MTB events I've undertaken if I had. My resting heart rate dropped from 52 to 48 when I got the road bike.


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## Angelfishsolo (11 Apr 2011)

I would love a road or touring bike but not sure how I'd manage it. Money is my problem. I only managed to get my MTB after a windfall. 


Globalti said:


> Buy a road bike and do some proper training.
> 
> Seriously - I mountain biked for 20 years before I got a road bike and I really regret not starting road riding 20 years earlier, I'd have done a lot better in the MTB events I've undertaken if I had. My resting heart rate dropped from 52 to 48 when I got the road bike.


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## Angelfishsolo (11 Apr 2011)

Thanks very much indeed. Once my legs feel like my own again I will integrate this into my training 



Hacienda71 said:


> Practice
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Globalti (11 Apr 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> I would love a road or touring bike but not sure how I'd manage it. Money is my problem. I only managed to get my MTB after a windfall.



How about second hand? I got a smashing Peugeot Sport 3000 from a LBS that they had taken in part exchange. Once I had removed all the commuter gadgets and cleaned off all the oil I found an almost new bike underneath in really nice condition. The cost? £150.


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## Angelfishsolo (11 Apr 2011)

That is something to think about. I will look into it 


Globalti said:


> How about second hand? I got a smashing Peugeot Sport 3000 from a LBS that they had taken in part exchange. Once I had removed all the commuter gadgets and cleaned off all the oil I found an almost new bike underneath in really nice condition. The cost? £150.


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## jethro10 (11 Apr 2011)

I think All I can add is also practice.
I've only been riding 3 years about.
I too have only a mountain bike, riding on roads bores me.
But i do ride some roads, the roads that connect the fun bits together, and possibly odd family outings.
It took two years to get a lot easier and most hills don't worry me now.
I find picking one gear harder than you would think, and peddling slower, and not try to rush makes it easier if you follow me, spinning too fast in a low gear tires you out way more.

Jeff


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## Angelfishsolo (11 Apr 2011)

Therein is one of the all-time great cycling debates 


jethro10 said:


> I find picking one gear harder than you would think, and peddling slower, and not try to rush makes it easier if you follow me, spinning too fast in a low gear tires you out way more.
> 
> Jeff


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## lukesdad (11 Apr 2011)

As in climbing on the road weight, fitness,practice etc al play their part,but where road and offroad differ is when it comes to traction. Off road gaining traction whilst climbing is not always easy especially when wet. To improve your climbing special atention must be paid to choice of tyres and tyre pressures. Also technique if you select too higher gear climbing traction can be lost. Far better to pedal smoothly against less resistance IMO, position over the bike is also important as is the bikes goemtry. More recently the fashion seems to be for bikes with risers and no bar ends, not particularly helpfull to your position while climbing. A balance has to be struck in centreing your body weight , far enough forward to keep the front wheel on the ground and far enough backwood to get that all important traction. As in all offroad skills constant shifting of your body weight is something you need to become accomplished at, untill it becomes automatic.


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## Kirstie (11 Apr 2011)

MTB climbing is also about having explosive power as well as strength on hills eg to get through rock gardens, up steps etc. You can train for this in the gym with weights (I think it's called fartlek training or something like that). the way the rugby players do it is to have some weight on a bar which rests on the shoulders, and then jump up flights of stairs (one step at a time, obviously)...You can also improve your climbing stamina through interval training, which can be done without having to buy a road bike - you can do it on the turbo trainer or down the gym. If you do this stuff between rides then when you get to your regular ride, you should be able to see an improvement in a few weeks.

Technique is also very important as lukesdad has said. One way I get up short steep climbs is to grip the bars, put the elbows close in to the body and pull back and down as you put the power on. this keeps the bike stable, enhances your control over the front end and results in better power transfer as there is more tension to be released in your body overall. This only works for short distances unless you are heroically strong!

Losing weight massively helps with climbing efficiency.


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## deaksie (14 Apr 2011)

I've been trying a few things recently. Passionate about my biking, doing up to 10hrs per week on my MTB at the moment and loving every second. I'm not the thinnest girl in the world by far, but I know I'm strong. 
When it comes to hills, I think some of it is psychological - Try going slower in a higher gear. there's a great big hill near me which I always ended up on my small chain ring. I went up the other week accompanying someone who was on it for the first time, went deliberately slow to keep pace with her and realised I'd been on the middle ring all the way up - it was amazing how much easier it makes it when you are going at normal speed, because you know it's possible!
I guess if you do things the same way every time the result will be the same, so its good to mix it up. 
I've also found its good if you identify your own power/vs cadence. I have a point where I know my legs will stand it, so will my cv, and yet I'm keeping my speed reasonable - worth analysing

I also agree with Katie about the leg exercises, but you can also do this on a ride by going up steep short rises in a really high gear - makes you puff like anything but increases what your body can stand, and that helps your riding overall. A really basic form of interval training I guess. 
Finally, you've got to keep as much weight as you can over the front wheel to keep it down and maintain traction. The more off road you are, the more important, as an over-light front end will just go anywhere when you hit even a small rock. In _Mastering Mountain Biking_ by Brian Lopes they say you should always have your belly button directly over your pedals - of course that means being way forward on the climbs and way back on the descents - that does work really well I find. 
I'm sure youre speeding up all the time


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## DooBlood (14 Apr 2011)

Hill repeats?!


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## deaksie (14 Apr 2011)

yeah good point dooblood. I'm always quicker the second climb than the first.


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## billflat12 (14 Apr 2011)

start on longer steady climbs keeping your peddling constant and smooth avoiding short bursts of energy , if your not exhausted when you reach the top go back and do it again in a taller gear until you are , "unless you push yourself you will never improve" , if your ever in the company of slower riders just do a climb again rather than wait at the top, you will be suprised just how quickly your fitness improves by pushing yourself that little harder


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## Angelfishsolo (15 Apr 2011)

Once again thank you all. I will be back in the saddle on Sunday and plan to try out a few suggestions


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## Rouge Penguin (15 Apr 2011)

Having spent last summer on the road and this spring mostly on the trails, repeats are really the only way to do it. 
The gearing is totally different, but the technique is similar. Spin up the hill in the lowest gear you can manage. Stay seated. Keep going once you've crested the hill, get your breath back on the move to keep your momentum up. Next time round will be easier and within weeks you'll be searching out a bigger challenge. 

Mashing up hills only going to ruin you knees in time.


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## Angelfishsolo (16 Apr 2011)

Thank you for the advice. Much appreciated 



Rouge Penguin said:


> Having spent last summer on the road and this spring mostly on the trails, repeats are really the only way to do it.
> The gearing is totally different, but the technique is similar. Spin up the hill in the lowest gear you can manage. Stay seated. Keep going once you've crested the hill, get your breath back on the move to keep your momentum up. Next time round will be easier and within weeks you'll be searching out a bigger challenge.
> 
> Mashing up hills only going to ruin you knees in time.


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## ColinJ (16 Apr 2011)

I think for 99% of people, technique isn't really the problem - it is power-to-weight ratio. You all seem to be concentrating on the power side of the equation.

I'm amazed that nobody has mentioned the obvious - lose some fat! Unless you are already as skinny as you want to go, shed some body fat. Make sure it is fat, not muscle though.


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## Angelfishsolo (16 Apr 2011)

Colin my problem is that I have a defunct Thyroid gland. I gained 6 stones in a little over a month back in 2007. I have managed to get down to 16.5 stone or there about but no matter what I do I can not shift the rest. If my medication is increased I bounce off the walls and I already eat less than the average person. I would to get back to 11 stone with a 30 inch waist and washboard stomach but it seems an impossibility 



ColinJ said:


> I think for 99% of people, technique isn't really the problem - it is power-to-weight ratio. You all seem to be concentrating on the power side of the equation.
> 
> I'm amazed that nobody has mentioned the obvious - lose some fat! Unless you are already as skinny as you want to go, shed some body fat. Make sure it is fat, not muscle though.


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## ColinJ (16 Apr 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> Colin my problem is that I have a defunct Thyroid gland. I gained 6 stones in a little over a month back in 2007. I have managed to get down to 16.5 stone or there about but no matter what I do I can not shift the rest. If my medication is increased I bounce off the walls and I already eat less than the average person. I would to get back to 11 stone with a 30 inch waist and washboard stomach but it seems an impossibility


Oh - I'm sorry to hear that! My mum had the opposite problem. She had the gland zapped to cut down its activity but she still couldn't put much weight on. 

It's clear where your problem lies. You'd have to generate about 50% more power than the old slim you would have needed to climb at a certain speed, and that 50% isn't easy to find!

Obviously your metabolism must be really slow at rest so that is why you eat need to eat less then the average person to avoid gaining weight.

Having said that, your body can't generate energy from nowhere so if you go for long, slow rides you will burn fat just like anybody else. You just have to make sure you don't eat and drink enough extra to replace all of that loss. 


I'm about a stone lighter than you and I burn about 1 pound of fat per 100 miles of cycling. You would burn slightly more, being heavier. You already eat enough to fuel your slow metabolism so you need to make sure that you consume less than 3,500 calories (calories in 1 pound of fat) per 100 miles of cycling and you should lose something. How much less you can get away with without running out of energy on your long rides is another matter. 

I'd try 2,000 calories per 100 miles and see how you feel. If you are okay with that, cut it down to 1,500 calories. At some point, you'd start feeling weak on long rides and that's a sign that you'd cut back too far.

It will be harder for you to lose weight, but not impossible.

Good luck!


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## Angelfishsolo (16 Apr 2011)

Thank you very much indeed. I will sit down and work out my calorie intake and thus be able to plan what I need to consume on a ride 



ColinJ said:


> Oh - I'm sorry to hear that! My mum had the opposite problem. She had the gland zapped to cut down its activity but she still couldn't put much weight on.
> 
> It's clear where your problem lies. You'd have to generate about 50% more power than the old slim you would have needed to climb at a certain speed, and that 50% isn't easy to find!
> 
> ...


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## Kirstie (17 Apr 2011)

deaksie said:


> I also agree with *Katie *about the leg exercises




Who's that then?


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## deaksie (17 Apr 2011)

Angelfish, I have a knackered thyroid and some other insulin problems too - I completely understand your frustration! Soul-destroying at times! I have a good one where if I eat too little I put on weight even faster. good egh? WILL NOT let it impact my MTBing
Katie, I'm Deaksie (liz) often to be found mashing up the hills in the cotswolds at any given opportunity x


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## Kirstie (18 Apr 2011)

My name's Kirstie, not Katie. But I'll let you off.


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## Kirstie (18 Apr 2011)

ColinJ said:


> I'm amazed that nobody has mentioned the obvious - lose some fat! Unless you are already as skinny as you want to go, shed some body fat. Make sure it is fat, not muscle though.



I mentioned that at the end of my post, ColinJ. It's on page 1. 

What with deaksie getting my name wrong and you not reading my post, I wonder what I'm doing posting here at all!


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## Rouge Penguin (18 Apr 2011)

I saw your posts kristy

:giantmegawink:


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## ColinJ (18 Apr 2011)

Kirstie said:


> I mentioned that at the end of my post, ColinJ. It's on page 1.
> 
> What with deaksie getting my name wrong and you not reading my post, I wonder what I'm doing posting here at all!


Oops! 

Sorry - I was guilty of speed-reading the previous posts, including yours! Somehow, I missed that last line.


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## Kirstie (18 Apr 2011)

Ha ha no worries ColinJ and Rige Pangoon


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## yoyo (18 Apr 2011)

Angelfishsolo, 

I also have a knackered thyroid gland and fully understand the weight issue. 

I have recently tried the eat more often and boost your metabolism scenario and have found it works and I have shed 1/2 stone in four weeks. The other thing I tried is dark chocolate - a real metabolism booster. 

I always exercise after I have eaten in the evening and I think this helps metabolise the last food I have eaten before bed. 

It is such a curse having thyroid issues. I hope your treatment is working well.


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## deaksie (18 Apr 2011)

sorry kirstie, rubbish! was riding on saturday with a new girl called Katie - easily confused

Hey yoyo I might give that a try myself about the dark chocolate - can't actually stand the stuff but hey ho


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## Angelfishsolo (19 Apr 2011)

Well I love dark chocolate so that is no problem. Will have to try eating more throughout the day.

Thanks for the advice.



yoyo said:


> Angelfishsolo,
> 
> I also have a knackered thyroid gland and fully understand the weight issue.
> 
> ...


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## ColinJ (19 Apr 2011)

Do you like spicy food? I don't know if there is any scientific evidence to prove it, but if I eat a hot curry or anything with lots of hot chillis in, my metabolism really seems to get a boost.


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## Angelfishsolo (19 Apr 2011)

I love the stuff.

I have just been to see my DR and he have booked a full blood panel test for me next week so I should have an idea if anything(else) is wrong with me in a few weeks time.



ColinJ said:


> Do you like spicy food? I don't know if there is any scientific evidence to prove it, but if I eat a hot curry or anything with lots of hot chillis in, my metabolism really seems to get a boost.


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## ColinJ (19 Apr 2011)

ColinJ said:


> Do you like spicy food? I don't know if there is any scientific evidence to prove it, but if I eat a hot curry or anything with lots of hot chillis in, my metabolism really seems to get a boost.


Ah - Chillis, the red hot way of losing weight!


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## vorsprung (19 Apr 2011)

So to summarize, to get faster up hills off road eat more curry and dark chocolate

I must try this mountain biking lark, it sounds a lot easier than road bike riding


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## lukesdad (19 Apr 2011)

vorsprung said:


> So to summarize, to get faster up hills off road eat more curry and dark chocolate
> 
> I must try this mountain biking lark, it sounds a lot easier than road bike riding



Easier ? No, but its a hell of a lot of fun


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## Zoiders (19 Apr 2011)

Have you tried switching to a red mountian bike?

As red bikes are proven to be faster.


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## ColinJ (19 Apr 2011)

vorsprung said:


> So to summarize, to get faster up hills off road eat more curry and dark chocolate
> 
> I must try this mountain biking lark, it sounds a lot easier than road bike riding


I think the idea would be to cut down on something else to cancel out the extra calories! 

I find mountain biking easier on my legs (lower gears and plenty of technical bridleways where I can't put a big effort in) but many times harder on every other part of my body (a.k.a. _'getting battered'_)!


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## lukesdad (19 Apr 2011)

Zoiders said:


> Have you tried switching to a red mountian bike?
> 
> As red bikes are proven to be faster.



He s not wrong you know.


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## naffa (19 Apr 2011)

deaksie said:


> In _Mastering Mountain Biking_ by Brian Lopes they say you should always have your belly button directly over your pedals - of course that means being way forward on the climbs and way back on the descents - that does work really well I find.
> I'm sure youre speeding up all the time



I find my belly button is directly over the handle bars being the fat git I am. 
Keeps the weight on the front though when climbing.

Nathan


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## fossyant (21 Apr 2011)

Zoiders said:


> Have you tried switching to a red mountian bike?
> 
> As red bikes are proven to be faster.



Or blue which is even better. Black or Grey bikes are the slowest.


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## Angelfishsolo (21 Apr 2011)

My bike is white and red . Thanks for the sensible advice and the laughs


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