Randochap
Senior hunter
- Location
- British Columbia, Canada
country joe said:
I like climbing hills. See avatar.
Thrashing - good or bad?
- Thread starter Ludwig
- Start date
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I like climbing hills. See avatar.
Randochap
Senior hunter
- Location
- British Columbia, Canada
Hairy Jock said:
I have frames I've ridden 20+ years. Then again, I only weigh 130lbs -- but my oldest frame has been ridden hard and loaded heavily on tours over gravel roads.
A good (steel) frame should last indefinitely.
Cope
Senior Member
- Location
- Wickham, Hampshire
I tend to stand up out of the saddle and "honk" (as I recall Richard Ballantine calling it) if I find I'm running out of speed in a low gear - ie if I can't maintain a sensible cadence, I then stand up, and I find this gets me going again. I thought this was considered fairly standard procedure?
Is this what you mean?
Is this what you mean?
Dave5N
Über Member
- Location
- Outside The Little Nibble
jimboalee said:
ANd Lemond was different because?
Dunno what you mean by this really, but I remember Hinault when clipless pedals came out, in the Tour, was it '85? Just running up the climbs.
Bodhbh
Guru
A week or 2 back, I did follow a chap standing up on a flat piece of road for 2-3 miles. He was on a road bike in all the gear (so I'm thinking he knew what he was doing) but he wasn't going particularly fast either - wild guess 17-19mph. Looked like he was in a high gear, but the bike definately was not a fixed as I spotted the rear deraileur. What's that all about, some sort of training?
Often when standing I've added a fair amount of leverage by pulling on the handlebars to get extra force down on the pedals. Is this good technique or a recipe for knee-borkage? Lately I've noticed with a bit of balance and leaning right body-weight alone often does the job good enuff.
Often when standing I've added a fair amount of leverage by pulling on the handlebars to get extra force down on the pedals. Is this good technique or a recipe for knee-borkage? Lately I've noticed with a bit of balance and leaning right body-weight alone often does the job good enuff.
asterix
Comrade Member
- Location
- Limoges or York
Randochap said:
..and designed.
On the Roberts I had made (for hilly cycling) it's remarkable how stable it remains for pedalling en dansant. A delight to climb with and used in France these days, in the foothills of the Massif Central..
You don't have to tug on the bars until you are in lowest gear struggling up a hill at less than 30 rpm; and then you could walk faster.
The handlebars are there to allow you to steer the bike ( and rest your hands on ).
"Bonking" is a very efficient way of accelerating. It is dead easy to pull up on the backstroke as well as putting your bodyweight on the front pedal.
Experienced cyclists can climb a 10% holding the handlebars with thumb and forefinger. The power comes from the legstrokes, up and down.
The handlebars are there to allow you to steer the bike ( and rest your hands on ).
"Bonking" is a very efficient way of accelerating. It is dead easy to pull up on the backstroke as well as putting your bodyweight on the front pedal.
Experienced cyclists can climb a 10% holding the handlebars with thumb and forefinger. The power comes from the legstrokes, up and down.
Smoothhound
New Member
Bodhbh said:
Maybe he just had a numb bum
On long rides I'll stand up for a bit to get the circulation going again, not for 2-3 miles though
Randochap
Senior hunter
- Location
- British Columbia, Canada
Bodhbh said:
Can't say what this guy was doing, but on a long ride/brevet I'll shift into a high gear and stand up for a while ... just to get the blood flowing through the old "saddle area." Certainly not for 2-3 miles though.
On edit: I see Smoothound employs the same strategy.
Randochap
Senior hunter
- Location
- British Columbia, Canada
jimboalee said:
I dunno; I don't do much accelerating after I bonk.
Randochap
Senior hunter
- Location
- British Columbia, Canada
asterix said:
A well-designed frame -- ideally built with the weight/strength/riding style of the owner in mind -- wil exhibit what is referred to as "planing." That is, the frame flexes a certain amount on the downstroke. This goes against everything that has become sacrosanct recently -- where the object seems to be to eliminate any frame flex.
What happens when a good steel or titanium bike planes though, is the frame absorbs energy on the downstroke and releases it on the upstroke (yes, a very small amount is lost). An experienced rider can get in rhythm with this phenomenon and use it to her benefit.
A bike that planes is a joy to ride, compared to a "dead" machine that just sits under one like a rock.
A quality frame can flex millions of times like a fine spring without breaking. As you can imagine, not all materials are ideal for performing this kind of service.
HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
I don't think I do 'thrashing' much on my lighter road bikes the occasional gentle sway but on my heavier commuter I do it quite a bit.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
I tend to ride all my bikes hard - that includes honking up hills, but I've only got 39 x 21 and I refuse to get more (old school 7 and 8 speeds)...
Depends upon a rider's style - certain hills, if you have the strength, then you can ride them out of the saddle. It does waste more energy though, but you should get up it quicker - if you're not getting up quicker, then you'd be better off sitting and spinning.
Depends upon a rider's style - certain hills, if you have the strength, then you can ride them out of the saddle. It does waste more energy though, but you should get up it quicker - if you're not getting up quicker, then you'd be better off sitting and spinning.
Nothing wrong with a bit of thrashing, mix it up is my motto!
On longer climbs I alternate between sitting with hands on the hoods, flats, or occasionally the drops. Out of saddle in drops or hoods, sitting back on the saddle and grinding, perching on the nose and spinning, yanking up on the pedals. I even switch my grip on the hoods regularly when I'm using them!
Probably not the most efficient but a change is as good as a rest
On longer climbs I alternate between sitting with hands on the hoods, flats, or occasionally the drops. Out of saddle in drops or hoods, sitting back on the saddle and grinding, perching on the nose and spinning, yanking up on the pedals. I even switch my grip on the hoods regularly when I'm using them!
Probably not the most efficient but a change is as good as a rest