Hills will be the death of me!

[smokeysmoo]

Hills hurt, couches kill

 

[Peteaud]

another What Ianrauk says!

I had a hill that i just could not get up, tried and tried and tried.

In the end i did it, ive can do it now (just) so it does get easier, but i dont happen overnight.

 

[Nearly there]

What Ianrauk says!

What Ianrauk and SquareDaff said

 

[ClichéGuevara]

A mistake I'm prone to is pushing too hard at the bottom of a hill and leaving myself little in the tank for further up.

Far better to get a low gear just before the hill and then just go steady away up the hill.

One mind technique is to think of your feet as though they're spinning a winch like getting a boat on a trailer. It seems to shift the focus from the force pulling you back to the one driving you up.

Some say pushing your legs to exhaustion by peddling flat out for short bursts on the flat helps. Apparently it's not strength but keeping the leg muscles oxygenated that's the key.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

. Nobody is timing you up the hill and nobody is watching you either.

Unless your on Strava.
Likewise with hills, hated hills two months ago, but I am starting to include more, simply because its boring cycling on the flat all the time.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

A mistake I'm prone to is pushing too hard at the bottom of a hill and leaving myself little in the tank for further up.

Far better to get a low gear just before the hill and then just go steady away up the hill.

One mind technique is to think of your feet as though they're spinning a winch like getting a boat on a trailer. It seems to shift the focus from the force pulling you back to the one driving you up.

Some say pushing your legs to exhaustion by peddling flat out for short bursts on the flat helps. Apparently it's not strength but keeping the leg muscles oxygenated that's the key.

+1

 

[Nigelnaturist]

This section the first time I did it it was in 26/34 pretty low gearing for a road bike, tonight though I didn't think I was faster, this is the first time I used a gps recorder on this section, I did the the 0.4m 112ft climb in 3'17" in 26/28 so thats got to be an improvement, it has a max gradient of 7.9% and an avg of 5.1%

 

[AndyPeace]

There's a lot of sage advice here...Me I breath and smile. Hills are as much psychological as they are physical. High Candence peadling is the way to go,in or out of the saddle. Don't forget to smile...Hills only ever borrow your energy, they're always willing to give it back

 

[fenlandpsychocyclist]

Maybe set out to ride 5-10 miles on the flat (if possible) to warm up before attacking hills.
My legs ached like crazy when i went straight into hardknott pass the other year on a mtb, the following day
i cycled about 15 miles around the valley before going at it again and it was less painful.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

There's a lot of sage advice here...Me I breath and smile. Hills are as much psychological as they are physical. High Candence peadling is the way to go,in or out of the saddle. Don't forget to smile...Hills only ever borrow your energy, they're always willing to give it back

+1

Maybe set out to ride 5-10 miles on the flat (if possible) to warm up before attacking hills.
My legs ached like crazy when i went straight into hardknott pass the other year on a mtb, the following day
i cycled about 15 miles around the valley before going at it again and it was less painful.

+1

 

[Nigelnaturist]

This is the profile of the ride I did today

My first rides were flatter than the middle section with the climb at the end, I live at the top of a hill. That was only 2 months ago, and whilst to many its no great climbing, its a great improvement for me.
I originally re-geared the bike from 52-42-30 chainset 13/26 cassette to a 26/38/48 chainset and a 13/34 cassette, I know have a 13-28 7sp cassette with the option of using a 32 if needed, though I have to change the 28 for the 32. Trying to save for an 8 sp shifter.

If you didn't know you can change individual rear sprockets, by removing the rivet pins, the original was 13/15/17/19/21/23/26, I got a shimano HG41 M.T.B. cassette last wk as the 34 tooth gear I had was bent, which was 11-13-15-18-21-24-28-32 and made my own of 13-15-17-19-21-24-28 as I found that on a seven speed there was to much of a gap 18-21 and 21-24 and my cadence dropped alot between each one, for me the grouping I have works for me at the mo, just make sure you use the right spacers, either 7sp or 8sp depending on your set up.

 

[captainhastings]

I find it good low as gear as possible and take it easy. Keep the effort and heart rate as low as you can even if it means slowing too a crawl. There will come a point when you do have too go into the red but if you keep that time too a minimum when you hit the top you will recover quickly

 

[Bill93]

I cant do hills sitting down, for me its the worse thing i could do. I just stand up all the way in a higher gear and just go for it.

I love powering up a hill

 

[fenlandpsychocyclist]

This is the profile of the ride I did today

If you didn't know you can change individual rear sprockets, by removing the rivet pins,

I've done the same by lightly grinding the "domed" heads away, then punching the pins through.
Used all the appropriate spacers and i just made sure after retightening the cassette that no
individual sprockets were "floating."

We're not talking high precision car engine parts here, just lovely simple bikes.

 

[tincaman]

Sit down, relax the shoulder and arms, hands on top of the bars, don't hunch. Stop if you have to for a breather but don't walk, just restart.
Find a hill with a good view and enjoy.
It will take time, weeks, but it will get easier