how do i improve my hills?

[sheffgirl]

Well I think I've cracked the hill on the way to work now, managed it 4 out of 5 mornings this week without stopping. Still can't master the long incline on theway home though, but I guess it will come with time. I'm only 6 weeks into this new commute.
I've tried dropping onto the middle ring ( I have 8x3 gears) but it doesn't help that much. I guess it just takes practice and a lot of mental willpower

 

[uclown2002]

Well I think I've cracked the hill on the way to work now, managed it 4 out of 5 mornings this week without stopping. Still can't master the long incline on theway home though, but I guess it will come with time. I'm only 6 weeks into this new commute.
I've tried dropping onto the middle ring ( I have 8x3 gears) but it doesn't help that much. I guess it just takes practice and a lot of mental willpower

So what do you use your granny ring for, if not a hill you can't get up in the middle ring?

 

[50000tears]

^^^^ Failing on a hill and pushing the bike when you still have gears available is just plain silly.

 

[sheffgirl]

I don't get off and push, I just stop for a rest. I still ride all the way up there, just not in one go. I never feel as stable using the lowest gears, I feel like I am wobbling. I think I also struggle because I don't pace myself and slow down, then i tire easily

 

[uclown2002]

Or maybe you struggle because you're not in the right gear.

 

[50000tears]

I don't get off and push, I just stop for a rest. I still ride all the way up there, just not in one go. I never feel as stable using the lowest gears, I feel like I am wobbling. I think I also struggle because I don't pace myself and slow down, then i tire easily

Strange that you should feel unstable at a lower gear. It should be the same as any gear even if you are going slower. I guess it may be the slow speed whilst putting out a big effort that makes you wobble. That can be corrected by not leaving it too late to change to the right gear and making sure you are not tensing up your upper body. One of the secrets to good climbing is to keep the upper body as relaxed as possible and just let the legs do the work. Even on a 3 mile climb recently when i was reduced to 3-4mh at one point I never felt unstable.

Pacing is certainly important. You are far more likely to manage the hill by starting at a steady pace, one where you could go faster but choose not to, and then pushing harder through the final third of the climb when any prospect of having a rest are gone from your mind.

 

[IDMark2]

I use the method of 'find the most scary climb you can and keep trying it, even if you keep failing to do it in one go you may fail a bit higher up than last time, that's a win.. all other climbs will not be as scary as this one and therefore erm..easier...'

I found one http://ridewithgps.com/segments/Gittisham-up . 1.8km, Av grade 7.3%, maximum of 21% in places, 138m total ascent.. I'll go back at least once every two weeks.

I mentioned this one to my younger brother, he said 'Yeah, we call that Kennys Hill'
'Why?'
'Well you know the line at the end of every South Park episode..? It's normally at least one of our group.'

 

[snorri]

how do i improve my hills?

By first driving a massive earth moving machine along your proposed route..

 

[MikeW-71]

Meditate Uphill

Strap on your heart rate monitor and sit on your sofa. Check your heart rate. Now clench your fists and grit your teeth. Bet your heart rate jumps a few beats. When you're climbing a long hill, you want to direct all your energy to your legs, not your face. To stay relaxed, Applegate swears by "Qigong climbing"--a kind of moving meditation. As you approach the climb, think light thoughts--clouds, birds, angels. While climbing, progressively relax your body from the top down, starting with your eyes, then your mouth, jaw, shoulders, chest, back, arms and hands. "You want your upper body so still that if someone were to watch you from the waist up, they wouldn't be able to tell if you were climbing or casually riding along," says Applegate. Also, stay light on the pedals and keep your legs moving rhythmically. The goal is to erase every ounce of unnecessary tension. "You'll feel better, ride smoother and have more energy to keep riding strong after you've crested the climb," says Applegate.

That works.

I also need to improve my climbing, so I plotted out a 52 mile route with plenty of climb, but that should still be achieveable. It climbed gradually to the halfway point with some short steeper gradients, then I faced the return half where I faced a long drag of a mile, then another, then a shorter but steepening one, all following on from each other.

I started out by getting into the small ring and keeping an easy flat pace before I hit any gradient, then dropping down as each gear got too much. I concentrated on keeping cadence steady, but not too fast (if that happens I start hyperventilating and I have to stop), accept it's going to take some time, RELAX, don't grip the bars, calm, calm, you will get there. Getting a bit painful now, sod that you can't stop with these cleats, keep going, RELAX, that's better. Here's the top now, that went pretty well. Now for the next one

I'm not the fastest at going up, but I don't care particularly as long as I get there.

 

[Rob3rt]

I use the method of 'find the most scary climb you can and keep trying it, even if you keep failing to do it in one go you may fail a bit higher up than last time, that's a win.. all other climbs will not be as scary as this one and therefore erm..easier...'

Stupid idea...

 

[nickyboy]

Stupid idea...

Blimey, that's a bit harsh. Not everyone has your climbing ability and they see hills as a massive mental barrier as much as they do a physical one. His approach to overcome his mental barriers seem perfectly reasonable to me and who are we to judge what works for one may not work for another?

 

[Trull]

On my nearest hill, the Cairn O'Mount, the ramp has several stages, and I'm not afraid to use the 28x28 second lowest gear on the 16% first slope, and so long as I stay loose and keep pedalling I'm alright as I progress at 6kph. For steeper grades the technique of your pedalling is important, you need to feel steady on the bike and not wobble while you smoothly put the power down and lean forward, particularly once you get past 25% the front wheel can feel very light - but leaning forward will keep it down. The thing is to just keep twiddling away and your practise will pay off when you can progress at a non cardio threatening HR steadily. Of course when I was skinny I'd rocket up it on 42x52 on a 11x19 6sp block...

 

[IDMark2]

Stupid idea...

I am perfectly happy to be enlightened as to why facing up to a challenge until it has been overcome is an idea which lacks any intelligence. Like, for example, improving my fastest time for a given route, (I think they call this 'a Time Trial'), or getting a place or two higher on a leader board of people I don't know? Or getting up a hill that I haven't managed yet?

 

[ColinJ]

The commentator on Eurosport last night said that the pros had been using 34 x 28 gears for the final climb of the Tirreno-Adriatico stage the day before and Cancellara had said that he still felt overgeared. We have a climb nearby which is almost as bad (Church Lane/Mytholm Steeps - it climbs 125 m in 640 m, compared with 133 m in 610 m). I have a 26 x 28 on my Basso and am about to convert my Cannondale to 30 x 29.

If you can't get up a hill and end up walking or avoiding it, use lower gears until you are fit enough not to need to!

 

[nickyboy]

The commentator on Eurosport last night said that the pros had been using 34 x 28 gears for the final climb of the Tirreno-Adriatico stage the day before and Cancellara had said that he still felt overgeared. We have a climb nearby which is almost as bad (Church Lane/Mytholm Steeps - it climbs 125 m in 640 m, compared with 133 m in 610 m). I have a 26 x 28 on my Basso and am about to convert my Cannondale to 30 x 29.

If you can't get up a hill and end up walking or avoiding it, use lower gears until you are fit enough not to need to!

The new bike comes fitted with a 12-25 cassette as standard, my (now) old bike has an 11-28. Whilst the new one is a few kg lighter which will help, I am somewhat nervous about the 20-25% hills we have in these parts. Maybe the fact that when I get down to the 25 tooth sprocket I have nowhere else to bail out it will motivate me to keep going, we'll see.............I am tempted to order a 12-27 however! I'll steer clear of Mytholm Steeps for now