Damn this comment was made for me I would definitely be better off with a 50 34 crankset when climbing but changing the Crank just wouldn't seem manly and I always tell myself "be a man" while Im struggling going up lol
@@dsrc53 don’t listen to them , you gotta pantani it up with a lowest gear of 23 in the back😃 you gotta build strength!!! You were right first time, be a man !!! ride steel and this plastic crap😅
Yep! Another advantage of greater gear range when climbing is being able to modulate your breathing and energy output. Not all of us are racers and just want to finish a long climb without facing the indignity of pulling over.
Only tip left I can think of is don’t put too much power down when you’re shifting. Ease up on the legs, and let the chain shift before you go back to attack. I still do this on accident, and wince when I hear that crunch. 😅
sometimes i go out of my way to avoid the flats...tip - don't attack the climbs unless its very short, ride into the climb and keep steady all the way over, trying not to vary your pace. Always change to an easier gear when you see a climb coming up, don't leave it until you're struggling.
@@ChrisSharp_kr1spy depends how familiar you are with climbing or a specific climb. Experience will let you know, but the default should be to anticipate not being able to get to the top in your existing gear...new riders also tend to forget to change gear when slowing or stopping at junctions/lights and so struggle to get going again, same principle on climbs - getting stuck in the wrong gear is worse than being in an easier gear
@@gcn this needs an instructional video in itself. The number of (group) riders I see freewheeling up the bottom of a climb before slowing to a walking pace and considering pedalling or even changing gear! Usually the same riders that insist everyone waits at the top.
I am one of those riders that likes to stay seated while climbing hills and mountains. I find that I use less energy and am not as fatigued towards the end of the ride. As always good video.
I’ve also found that it’s important to anticipate a super steep climb. Getting down into the appropriate gear before hitting the steepest part has always helped me. I’ve gotten stuck on some steep stuff before because I attempted to shift too late and the chain was under too much load and my old Sora just couldn’t make the move.
I climb a lot and my rule is simple - your hands is almost just hovering over the handlebar. Very lightly planted, and you're neither pulling nor pushing in every stroke. If you achieve this, it means everything is right, your saddle, position, even gear ratio, etc. You've achieved the perfect parameters to climb! The same is almost true for standing position as well.
If you've ever read "Momo" by Michael Ende try applying Beppo's philosophy to hill climbing. Don't look at the entire climb and keep focusing on how much is left and how tired you already are. Just focus on each individual pedal stroke, each individual breath and all of a sudden you'll find yourself at the top of the hill thinking "How did I get up here so quickly?"
If you aren't racing, just riding, I'd say alternate in and out of the saddle - maybe a ratio of 10 to 1 - the change in muscle activations between seated and standing pedalling breaks up the physical monotony and keeps me fresh. Over in Watopia, it gets me through bends 21 to 16 of Alpe du Zwift much easier than a constantly seated position.
And don't forget to fuel! I bonked after a 400m straight climb the other day - went back today whilst fuelling properly, and did 660m. (I could have kept going too, but had to get back).
As the a cycling icon said when asked how to climb hills "to get better at climbing you have climb hills" it will come. Us bigger guys have to use all the tricks to get up. One tip I have to offer is to keep pedalling over the top. I see way too many people get to the top and stop pedaling.
Something else to mention: If you're climbing in a close group, try to put down a very short burst (like 1-1.5 turns of the cranks) before getting out of the saddle. This helps keep from crossing wheels with the rider behind you as your bike moves back while standing up.
Excellent tips, though was a little confused that click "down a gear" meant go in to a harder gear (what would be a higher gear on a car). Guess that's just terminology
Having a proper bike fit and being well placed over the peddles, and the reach is proper will allow for more comfortable climbs. Some very steep sections may require stand over no matter how low a gear you may have just to give your legs short break. I think if your bike fit is wrong though climbing efficiency will be off. Lots of practice and building strength up will hopefully help to become easier.
Stellar content again gcn and Manon! Lots of down to earth practical advice. Gearing down in anticipation is a big one! Love Manon's humorous take on why we should trust her on this!🤣
In the old days, the 'hoods' were called "Honking rubbers". So on a climb, grab the honking rubbers and step up the imaginary ladder to the handlebars. Everything else falls into rhythm. If you remain seated, the hip extensions will pull your butt forward naturally. You don't have to think about it. Pull the back foot up to the top.
A lot is in the very small details. For example, grab the drops if your bars are quite high and this will give you more leverage. Second, shift your weight very smoothly when dancing so that you don't waste energy supporting the jostling of your body weight. You want to just shift the body weight sufficiently to move the pedal on the power stroke and then start to lift up, to smooth out the power. It takes a lot of practice!
Thanks Manon. Some great tips. One I would add is, in rolling terrain pedaling on the downhill sections (when it's easy) will build speed and give you extra momentum on the next uphill section which can really help you flow through the lumpy bits.
When it gets hard, remind yourself watts are watts. It's normally not really harder to go up hill as long as you're staying within the power you can sustain. (For example, 200 watts up hill is about as hard as 200 watts flat, the difference being you're going much slower and covering ground less when going uphill
Just did 16'000m+ and 700km in 6days in the alps. A good advice is to get out of the saddle on steeper sections without pushing it when legs get tired to relief a bit the quads and hamstrings and pick up some rpm for the flatter sections.
As a person who rides mostly a 36” unicycle and always passes up a typical rider going up hills… (unless extreme, moderate hills are easier on unicycle) when I’m on a bike, I find i don’t want to be so leaned forward, keep the posture more back, while also trying to keep the butt back. 🤷🏻♂️
Great tips Manon - thanks! I always need to watch my breathing on the climbs - I catch myself holding my breath sometimes. Deep long breaths. And looking down, the road a metre ahead is flat really 😊.
Manon said correctly to go forward on your saddle. There are benefits that you can buy saddlewise. Selle SMP sells often unpadded saddles with extra long saddle rails that allow you to move forward if your frame is too long like me on a cheap second hand frame bikes. Another great fit adjusting saddle is Bontrager Versa Comp also with extra long rails. I have 2 too long for comfort bikes for an irrepairably arm injured rider. The funny thing for you guys is that I cannot recommend either saddle, because of comfort. My road bike is with an unpadded SMP saddle, which makes me on average 1.2 KPH faster than on average with a wider nose saddle. And boy do you need to lift the bum for road imperfections. The Bontrager Versa on my stiff as hell Shiv Aluminium 2009 allows great position, but is also hurtful without a shammy. I have yet to test the TT bike with my 1 cm and 1.9 cm Assos shammies for even short rides. I am injured ATM so the TT bike test have not been performed.
Good tips Manon and I'm with you hills sux. I have a 10/33 rear cassette with a 48/35 chain ring, since its Sram Force I have my app set up "sequential" shifting which makes the shifting easy going up hill, plus I waxed my chain(tankx Ollie).
When climbing with your hands on the top ALWAYs ALWAYS ALWAYS hook your thumbs behind the bar to avoid your hands flying forward off the bars if you hit an unseen obstacle and crash! One climbing tip for Manon is regarding gears. Always make sure that the rear derailleur cable is connected to the derailleur or the gears won't shift 😉
Although riding out of the saddle is little less efficient (if you have a HR sensor you'll notice a slight increase in the HR), I find it useful when I'm riding hard or when exhausted and I want to maintain a pace. I also use it just to change a body position for a while. I even practice it because it requires different muscles. But of course most of the time I climb seated. I remember Chris Hohner I think it was during Vuelta he was riding out of the saddle like crazy.
If you climbing too extreme hills, stand up and put your all weight to handlebar make zigzags and never ever stop you can stop your back wheal to slip. If you dont have enough condition leave your bike and carry it untill extreme hill ends becouse you can seriously hurt yourself if you stop becouse when you try to cycle again your back wheal going to slip and couse you fell backwards
We have a local cat 1 climb on a mossy road. It's impossible to get off the saddle without spinning your rear wheel. And I'm using 40c tires so traction shouldn't be an issue. Unless it's just too steep and slippery for normal folks.
Breathin was my man issue. I think that giving some advices on how to breathe properly during a big effort could be a nice advice for beginners. Sorry for my poor english but i hope u get the point.
Excellent tips, Manon! 🖖🙂 Find a rhythm that feels good, and have at it. At some point, you'll get to the top of the climb, and (hopefully) be rewarded with a nice downhill leg! 😁
Always start out slower than you think you can go than once you settle into the climb than you can increase the effort as the climb goes on this will help you stay out of the RED because once in the RED you now need to recover while still climbing.
I tend to look down, at least not up at the peak of the hill...might be psychology of sorts, but at least I don't grind away dreading the climb extended in the distance that way
" No better feeling then thinking you're in your hardest gear, only to find another" Ya, I'm not really familiar with that concept. However, I'm far too intimate with the soul crushing click into a lower gear, only to find there isn't one.😉
I did Cairngorm the other day and just got away with 34/34 (OK I'm 1m70cm and 92kg)....mixture of sitting down in the lowest and dropping a couple of cogs and standing for a bit and alternating this at the steepest parts...scorching hot, bugger all breeze. Yes, for the area I live (at my current weight- I'm working on that now believe me, big wake up call) I'd rather have 30/46 and a 13-40 cassette...cos getting up a hill is important but on the way down I never even got into the 50/11.... Bikes are stupidly overgeared. I'm off to Applecross next week and weather permitting will have a bash at the Bealach, but if I do I'm putting the 11-42 cassette from my(used once) Rockhopper MTB on the road bike, or may even just take my old MTB with 22/36 by 11-32..... Finding the correct gear that suits your breathing, heart rate and is comfortable is critical, and unfortunately most beginners and the overweight (often the same thing) get a bike with 34/28 nonsense on it....
As long as I could move the pedals at 12 and 6 o’clock sitting, without pulling on the handle bar, I know I’m still in the right gear for a long climb.
Good video. What ever you do you have pump up the hill. I dont tell anyone else how to aproach the climb. My question is this. Is stayong in the saddle for a climb, less benificial, or less good for you? Does staying in your saddle mean ur on the edge of failure? So is it completly unimportant, in or out? Also i like to be the hill. Kinda zen my way up. I have a friend that says attack attack, like teddy rosevelt on san juan hill. Still i see that we usually get to the top bout the same time. Just curious, thanks.
What is the take on climbing out of the saddle in the drops? I have a track bike I ride single-speed with compact drop bars and road brake levers, so with that setup as you might guess if I hit any kind of climb I'm out of the saddle. I've got it set up to ride in the drops, and that works best for climbs as well. Aren't you recruiting your glutes and hamstrings more that way? (I don't really know and am no expert, which is why I'm asking, it just feels more powerful, more secure, I can relax my upper body with a loose grip on the drops versus having to cling onto the hoods.) My tip is to hit the gym. Do your leg presses, squats and glutes (my favorite, the butt-kicker machine!). Then you'll put the power down with confidence, no matter whether you're spinning or grinding.
I climb with low cadence, shared out between legs and cardiovascular, it’s all very well the pros spinning 100rpm up a climb but most people you see trying that are blowing out of their bum hole 🤣
Get prepared for the hill. You want to be in your smaller chain ring before the big climb starts, trying to clunk down in to the smaller ring mid climb will lose you a lot of momentum
Do you have thoughts on when to 'attack' the hill? Often there is a downhill that comes before the climb. In that sequence of coasting down the hill and then transitioning to the uphill section, where is the best place to engage the climb fully?
When you're in a group on a climb and you get out of your saddle, don't push your bike backward into the person behind you. Stand up as you push a pedal down.
Trying to emulate Sepp Kuss is my tip. His climbing style looks the most efficient out there right now. He set Alpe d’Huez KOM without rocking his upper body, without yanking on the handlebar, without a grimace on his face. Looks very effortless. But like Manor said, different strokes for different folks. Thibot Pinauts style works, too. Just doesn’t look as effortless.
@@leesaunders7232 riding position and efficiency in pedaling has not so much to do with being a pro as it has with practicing to put out your appropriate level of power for the climb at hand. Most amateurs don't go up AdH pushing 400 Watts in a 34-19 gear ratio. But we can go up at 180 watts in a 34-34 ratio and work on that climbing efficiency. The video is about climbing position. Not power, doping, pro or not.
@@escamunicha4276 not really. It's relative to your gearing, weight, and own power output. With the right gearing and fitness, I can go up AdH at less than half his power and look as efficient as he does. It will take me twice as long at least but the question is not how fast you can get up a climb, but rather how to best get up a climb.
I've only been a subscriber for a short time I am an OLD rider LoL I am trying to find info on what is a good bike to go shopping and got to the harbour so I can sit and eat an ice-cream on a sunny days? or rainy days? I want an everyday bike! at 62 I DO NOT WANT to go riding up big hills or riding along challenging tracks. this is not about being 62! I think there are many people that would like info on a bike that is easy to ride everyday? so many people are doing videos about this is the best mountain bike, the best road bike, the best race bike, the best off road bike!!!! What about the best bike to got and get a loaf of bread on? easiest bike to maintain? is an E-Bike better tom go shopping on? WHY can't you do a video on best bike for people that what to ride for the pleasure of riding? NOT to show how good they are, because they can ride up a 25% road, or ride 100km in a day I would like an E-bike that has a belt drive, with a hub gearbox and can carry about two carry-a-bags of shopping E-bike because I am 62 and my legs are not as good as they where!!! LoL belt drive because they are cleaner. hub gearbox because less maintained! carrying two carrier bags because I wouldn't have to go the shop twice. I know I am in the minority so don't expect you will make the video but I am not that old that I have stop dreaming God bless Roy
Last weekend we hit a climb hard, 30mins at HR of 189bpm on an average 8.5% with ramps between 15 and 24%. I was double-checking for easier gears regularly. Even my arms were done by the top and I was almost drowning in sweat as it was 35+ degrees C. Fun times!
Once your cadence falls and you're already in the easiest gear, learn to walk. Sometimes its just too steep. I can't manage 1 in 6 any more, even with a 24 tooth granny ring.
This bike was really easy to assemble ru-vid.comUgkxMesz3KOGEmwmvyKQfLfrRSUXLFzfVHZA and required very few adjustments out of the box. The wheels did not require any truing/adjustments. The frame had some small scratches, but nothing major.I did replace the seat though - the seat it came with was very uncomfortable. The tires need to be re-inflated every 4-5 days, but this appears to be quite common for the narrow 700x25 tires.Overall, in my opinion, this bike looks and rides like a much more expensive bike.
If building a climbing bike, is it recommended to go with a 46/30 (or even 45/29) in the front? I never descend faster than 50km/hr any more and don't need to pedal at that speed.
@bengt_axle The new SR comes with a maximum 10-29 cassette, so still only a 1:1 ratio. No better for climbing than a compact 34t chainring with a 34t cassette.
If you're on a group ride, don't try to keep up with the stronger riders. Climb that hill at your own pace and you'll have energy left for the rest of the ride
Climbing is a b***h. But ill continue my journey and exercising. Started on a 4% 1 mile piece......and I'm slow....shoot I been climbing with bad technique after watching this lol
