Help on hills needed

[Fab Foodie]

And here we are, still waiting for the holy grail that is the definition of 'good' technique. So far it seems to be pick the right gear and relax your upper body. Is that really it?

So, my advice regarding technique for improving hill-climbing ability as per the OP is as follows (expanded from my first post):

Relaxation is the key ..., relax your upper body, arms and shoulders and spin or drive from your lower back, buttocks and legs only. IME, this has a noticeable, immediate and biggest effect on those struggling up hills. Many inexperienced approach hills with fear and tension gripping the bars for grim death, relaxing tense muscles leaves more energy/O2 for the driving muscles.

Sit back in the saddle - effectively lengthens your leg like slightly raising the saddle, allows greater leverage and helps the large muscles of the hamstrings/glutes com into play

Find the right gear. In fact find the right gear for you at the right cadence, this might take some experimentation

Steady your breathing . Short tense shallow breaths are not the best for oxygenating the body or expelling CO2
Stand on short sharp hills if that suits - changing-up a gear, maybe 2 here helps,.


Don't waste unecessary energy throwing your body or bike around. Too many try to wrestle their steeds uphill. Again this wastes energy for little velocity gain

Other than that, practice over and over again.

I never said it was a Holy Grail, but they are pieces of technique or 'advice' if you prefer (semantics) for newbies and people that find hills difficult find works .....repeatedly.

If technique is not valuable why do coaches teach it - 'pedalling technique' for example was a favourite of our club coach.....

A quick Random Google:
http://www.chainreaction.com/hills.htm

http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/technique-how-to-become-a-hill-climbing-star-12092/

http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/beginner-technique-hill-climbing-made-easy-22491/

I could go on, but others seem to think there is a technique to climbing hills as well ....

http://www.bing.com/search?q=Hill+Climbing+Technique&form=IE8SRC&src=IE-SearchBox

 

[Hacienda71]

As I am not a Cat 2 or 3 racer and irrespective of who told me to do what I personally did and how I felt it worked, I can not comment on this thread other than to say the advice from our forum sages to the OP is not about changing your technique, is to just ride up more hills to increase your fitness.
It doesn't matter what gear you are in, how you hold the bars/hoods, how fast you set off up a climb, if you are seated or standing whatever the gradient, if you are tensing your upper body or relaxed, your body position while standing and when to change gear when changing from seated to standing. Any advice to change your, dare I say the word technique is wholly irrelevant and will make absolutely no difference to your climbing speed.

 

[Fab Foodie]

tech·nique

[tek-neek] Show IPA
noun
1.
the manner and ability with which an artist, writer, dancer, athlete, or the like employs the technical skills of a particular art or field of endeavor.
2.
the body of specialized procedures and methods used in any specific field, especially in an area of applied science.
3.
method of performance; way of accomplishing.
4.
technical skill; ability to apply procedures or methods so as to effect a desired result.
5.
Informal. method of projecting personal charm, appeal, etc.: He has the greatest technique with customers.

 

[black'n'yellow]

Relaxation is the key ..., relax your upper body, arms and shoulders and spin or drive from your lower back, buttocks and legs only. IME, this has a noticeable, immediate and biggest effect on those struggling up hills. Many inexperienced approach hills with fear and tension gripping the bars for grim death, relaxing tense muscles leaves more energy/O2 for the driving muscles.

The notion that gripping the bars tightly 'diverts' energy from your legs is completely laughable. This would only even be potentially valid if you were making a maximal (ie anaerobic) effort up a long climb - which is not sustainable anyway. Nor does it explain why sprinters sprint out of the saddle, usually rocking the bike from side to side - surely they would be better off keeping still, so as 'not to divert energy from their legs'..? Come on...

Sit back in the saddle - effectively lengthens your leg like slightly raising the saddle, allows greater leverage and helps the large muscles of the hamstrings/glutes com into play

If you need to adjust your position to bring certain muscle sets into play, then your position needs looking at.

Find the right gear. In fact find the right gear for you at the right cadence, this might take some experimentation

By your own helpful definition of 'technique' above, that's advice - not technique.

Steady your breathing . Short tense shallow breaths are not the best for oxygenating the body or expelling CO2

I've been riding a while - I've never come across anyone doing this, unless they have some kind of respiratory problem. No need to 'control' something which your body usually takes care of automatically anyway.

Stand on short sharp hills if that suits - changing-up a gear, maybe 2 here helps,.

Once again, that is advice, not technique. In fact, it's not even advice, it's just an option.

Don't waste unecessary energy throwing your body or bike around. Too many try to wrestle their steeds uphill. Again this wastes energy for little velocity gain

Once again, there is little relevance here, for the reasons stated earlier.

 

[nathanicola]

Wow this threads moved on don't get heated chap's, any tips are appreciated. I get the idea that i need to improve my fitness levels by just slogging it up the hills every day. I have re routed my commute home so i now have a nice long 7% climb, but i'm not unfit or i wouldn't be faster than my riding group on the flats, i can quite comfortably sit at 23mph for long distances and i'm a good sprinter. That was why i was wondering if i had a bit of poor technique as well. I now understand that i need to relax my top half which is totaly opposite than i have been doing. I tence my shoulders so much they start to burn. I also find that i sit right on the front of the saddle when climbing so i need to try and move back. Also chating with our best climber today he said keep your breathing calm and steady for as long as you can as you come up to the hill and as you start it, other wise you start to use your energy before you get there. Going to concentrate on just hill work for the next few weeks and see if i can improve.

 

[Rob3rt]

Wow this threads moved on don't get heated chap's, any tips are appreciated. I get the idea that i need to improve my fitness levels by just slogging it up the hills every day. I have re routed my commute home so i now have a nice long 7% climb, but i'm not unfit or i wouldn't be faster than my riding group on the flats, i can quite comfortably sit at 23mph for long distances and i'm a good sprinter. That was why i was wondering if i had a bit of poor technique as well. I now understand that i need to relax my top half which is totaly opposite than i have been doing. I tence my shoulders so much they start to burn. I also find that i sit right on the front of the saddle when climbing so i need to try and move back. Also chating with our best climber today he said keep your breathing calm and steady for as long as you can as you come up to the hill and as you start it, other wise you start to use your energy before you get there. Going to concentrate on just hill work for the next few weeks and see if i can improve.

How long are these long distances?

When you say you are good at sprinting, what exactly do you mean?

 

[Hacienda71]

This guy is delusional

 

[black'n'yellow]

Also chating with our best climber today he said keep your breathing calm and steady for as long as you can as you come up to the hill and as you start it, other wise you start to use your energy before you get there.

uh..? He may be 'your best climber', but that doesn't mean he is talking sense...

 

[Rob3rt]

Also what type of hills are giving you problems? It may be beneficial to know what sort of climb you struggle with, because this would indicate an underlying weakness in your fitness. Eg. Long not so steep drags? Short steep climbs? Climbs with quite varying gradients?

 

[amaferanga]

Some great advice here for anyone who has never ridden a bike before....

 

[Fab Foodie]

uh..? He may be 'your best climber', but that doesn't mean he is talking sense...

... but don't you love the irony .....

 

[black'n'yellow]

... but don't you love the irony .....

The irony of someone offering advice with no basis in logic or fact..? Absolutely.

 

[Grayduff]

Well i learned something

 

[Rob3rt]

Take a wazz at the foot of the hill! I tried that, knocked a minute off my previous week's time, it must work!

 

[Hacienda71]

Here is a retired pro talking rubbish.