Unclipping on a hill

[Louise Harley]

Yup, get him to put the triple back on (consdering the seat height comment I wouldn't be surprised if the 'man gears' weren't a standard double, not even a compact) and then get used to riding with the clipless next. If it's only hills that are giving you trouble, and hills where you feel you need to slow down too much, then the triple crank may solve your initial problem (no longer being able to pedal) and from there you can work on getting quicker if that's what you are after. If he quibbles, kick him somewhere that makes him wince. No, wait, violence shouldn't be the answer. If he quibbles point out that it's supposed to be fun and riding in fear of the next steep hill isn't. Plus a triple won't make you slower, the top end range can still be quick, it just allows you to go slower if you need to. If/when you find yourself needing something different, then he can get all manly and twirl spanners for you. If you don't get on with clipless, go to flats. There isn't that much (if anything) in it as can be seen on here by people endlessly debating it. I have flats on my Sirrus, clipless on the Synapse and happily swap between the two. I don't think 'crap, flats, it's going to be a slow/difficult one today.' I just kind of prefer the clipless when I'm doing many more miles between foot downs.

End of the day, if it's not fun, you'll do it less and then everyone loses.

Thanks this is really helpful and perhaps will help as at the moment I have lost all confidence and find myself avoiding hills, not easy!

 

[Bazzer]

Thanks, I don't have problems unclipping other than on steep hills, so I think perhaps change of gears or even maybe multi release cleats, need to have a think

Hi Louise if you can't get up the hills it's probably the gears not the pedals. There may be some hills where you are forced to walk, but unless you happen live somewhere like The Wash, hills in some size or other are a fact of cycling life for most of us. Even for a steep hill (and people's definitions of "steep" will vary), you should be able to make some headway, provided you are in a low enough gear, before fatigue or strength give way.
Get your bike mechanic to put on more suitable gears, whether a triple or compact and get your climbing confidence back. At least if you are turning over low gear, the point of "Crap I can't pedal anymore" is likely to be signalled more than the dead stop experience of a higher gear, .

 

[Louise Harley]

Hi Louise if you can't get up the hills it's probably the gears not the pedals. There may be some hills where you are forced to walk, but unless you happen live somewhere like The Wash, hills in some size or other are a fact of cycling life for most of us. Even for a steep hill (and people's definitions of "steep" will vary), you should be able to make some headway, provided you are in a low enough gear, before fatigue or strength give way.
Get your bike mechanic to put on more suitable gears, whether a triple or compact and get your climbing confidence back. At least if you are turning over low gear, the point of "Crap I can't pedal anymore" is likely to be signalled more than the dead stop experience of a higher gear, .

Thanks for this reply, to be honest I think this is the way to go, perhaps when I am stronger at hills I can go back to the tougher gears

 

[Mugshot]

Thanks for this reply, to be honest I think this is the way to go, perhaps when I am stronger at hills I can go back to the tougher gears

Don't forget that you don't need to change from the triple to a double/compact to have tougher gears, you just change to a higher gear on the triple, they'll be plenty to choose from. It's all about the gears from the sounds of it as others have said, get that triple put back on. It was rather rude of your boyfriend to change it in the first place, to say the least

 

[Doobiesis]

If he needs to work through his own cycling inadequacies by changing your bike to suit what he thinks it should be like, tell him to join the fast chain gang of the local racing club and man himself up that way without affecting you

That's so true, what works for one person, won't necessarily work for another - if it was me I'd try a few suggestions above and see what works for you. I'm much more comfortable with toe clips and feel I'm getting out more as im not dreading it!

 

[w00hoo_kent]

I was thinking about this cycling home last night, would it make sense to find some shallower hills you are comfortable with and get used to riding them slowly. That way you can get an idea for where your comfort zone is, while having the option to speed up again if things are getting a bit too wobbly. Not sure if that would work, anyone tried it, or am I overthinking things?

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Just to back up what people have been saying about triples, my main ring on the front is a 38th (compacts are usually 34th) and I find for most of my riding this is fine for climbing most of the hills around here (usually short but can be quite steep up to 15% or so), and upto speeds of 24mph before I start to spin out, which usually isn't often on the flat, I have 50th outer ring the same as many compacts, and a 26th inner, I do use the inner when climbing but usually in the middle of the cassette, more for better cadence control as my low gears on the back jump quite a lot 21-24-27, so big changes when I am on the middle front ring.
The other benefits are I can have a really close grouped cassette and still have as lower gear as many compacts, i,e I am looking at getting a 12-23 rear cassette which will give me a gear range of 30-110" (currently on my set up of a 50/38/26 front and 12-27 rear its 25.5-110") on a compact you would need a 34x30 gear with big jumps between gears (many people get compacts than look for as lower gear as possible) opposed to my 26x23 hope this is clear, I tend to over complex things.

 

[vickster]

I've not read it, but this came in an email today. Might be useful

http://totalwomenscycling.com/road-cycling/technique/beginners-guide-clipping-bike-45243/

 

[Louise Harley]

I've not read it, but this came in an email today. Might be useful

http://totalwomenscycling.com/road-cycling/technique/beginners-guide-clipping-bike-45243/

Thank you for thinking of me vickster but I don't have any problems with clipping in and out routinely, only on steep hills when I run out of steam

 

[vickster]

Ah must have been someone else or a different thread!

 

[Bazzer]

Ah must have been someone else or a different thread!

Here
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/keep-coming-off-my-road-bike.174109/

 

[vickster]

Cheers. Above she says she's sorted now, plenty more time to practice before Ride 100

 

[Browser]

, but unless you happen live somewhere like The Wash, hills in some size or other are a fact of cycling life for most of us.

That'd be me then, Crowland is on the Fen edge and the terrain is flatter than a flat thing after it's been levelled by a road-roller, so I don't get much unclipping-whilst-slowing-uphill practice.

Louise, give your boybriend one of 'those' looks from me, my Tif has had a triple fitted since I bought it, ayt my request I might add as it should have had a compact fitted. I wanted a bigger spread of ratios to chose from as I intended to do a bit of light touring on it and even then I found myself walking on a couple of occasions when doing the Coast-2-Coast.
Man gears, tcoh, whatever next? He'll be saying you shouldn't have mudguards and pedal reflectors........................

 

[Bazzer]

That'd be me then, Crowland is on the Fen edge and the terrain is flatter than a flat thing after it's been levelled by a road-roller, so I don't get much unclipping-whilst-slowing-uphill practice....... (Snip)
.

There is always the odd bridge to practice on such as over the Coronation Channel.

 

[Browser]

There is always the odd bridge to practice on such as over the Coronation Channel.

Bridge? That's a ruddy mountain by Fen standards I'll have you know!!!
There's a rise where the road from Deeping St Nick passes the water tower and then crosses onto the river bridge which is about as close as we can come to a hill.
Have you spent some time in/around Spalding Bazzer?