Mountain Bikes · Public discussion

Agree with these tips on climbing?

Started by Destroy · · Last activity · 20 posts · 1,305 views

Thread navigation

Jump through the discussion

Go to the original post, the replies on this page, or the latest preserved contribution.

Thread details

What we know about this thread

Original section
Mountain Bikes
Published
27 August 2003
Last activity
29 August 2003
Original author
Destroy
Posts
20
Discussion status
Public discussion
Total views
1,305
Views / 30 days
0

The navigation and discussion metadata provide context. Posts remain in their original chronological order.

Showing posts 1–20 of 20
Posts remain in their original chronological order.

Text size
  1. Ripped this from a bike shop web site and I sure as heck hope these tips refer to mild long hills.
    If they are for steep climbs, I'd have to disagree with all of them.

    here's how to conquer climbs:

    # Sit tall: If you remain upright, rather than crouched over the bars,
    you'll find it easier to breathe. And, if you can get more oxygen, you'll feel stronger and you
    won't tire too quickly.

    # Learn to stand: One of the best ways to scale hills is occasionally
    standing to pedal. Although this takes a little practice to perfect, it lets you use body weight to
    turn the pedals, which is easier than pushing them with muscle power alone. To do it, simply stand
    up (remaining crouched slightly) and lean forward a bit. As each pedal reaches the top of the
    stroke, rest your weight on it and push down to pedal. With practice this becomes fluid and the bike
    rocks slightly as you shift side to side with each push. Let the slope dictate where you stand.
    Rather than shifting to an easier gear, stand up on steeper sections. You'll use different muscles
    and your crotch will thank you, too.

    # Use an easy gear: It's always best to start hills in an easy gear and
    then shift into a slightly harder one, if you feel up to it. That way, you won't burn too much
    energy starting the climb and you'll be able to pace yourself to the top.

  2. Destroy said:

    Ripped this from a bike shop web site and I sure as heck hope these tips refer to mild long hills.
    If they are for steep climbs, I'd have to disagree with all of them.

    I agree that starting in a lower gear is a good idea, particularly on long, steep hills. I read this
    once somewhere from a pro rider (a female, if it matters), and tried it. It works. Climbing a long
    hill at a manageable pace is actually faster than blasting up the first half and walking up the
    second. Just make sure you give those riders who insist on blasting up the first half enough time to
    get out of your way.

    It depends on the hill, of course. Around here, "hills" are at least a half-mile in distance and
    several hundred feet elevation gain. On small hills, you can get away with a lot more.

    --
    -BB- To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail address, at least)

  3. BB <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Destroy said:

    Ripped this from a bike shop web site and I sure as heck hope these tips refer to mild long
    hills. If they are for steep climbs, I'd have to disagree with all of them.

    I agree that starting in a lower gear is a good idea, particularly on long, steep hills. I read
    this once somewhere from a pro rider (a female, if it matters), and tried it. It works. Climbing a
    long hill at a manageable pace is actually faster than blasting up the first half and walking up
    the second. Just make sure you give those riders who insist on blasting up the first half enough
    time to get out of your way.

    It depends on the hill, of course. Around here, "hills" are at least a half-mile in distance and
    several hundred feet elevation gain. On small hills, you can get away with a lot more.

    It all (OP) sounded like roadie advice to me mate.

    Shaun aRe

  4. "Destroy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    Ripped this from a bike shop web site and I sure as heck hope these tips refer to mild long hills.
    If they are for steep climbs, I'd have to disagree with all of them.

    here's how to conquer climbs:

    # Sit tall: If you remain upright, rather than crouched over the bars,
    you'll find it easier to breathe. And, if you can get more oxygen, you'll feel stronger and you
    won't tire too quickly.

    # Learn to stand: One of the best ways to scale hills is occasionally
    standing to pedal. Although this takes a little practice to perfect, it lets you use body weight
    to turn the pedals, which is easier than pushing them with muscle power alone. To do it, simply
    stand up (remaining crouched slightly) and lean forward a bit. As each pedal reaches the top of
    the stroke, rest your weight on it and push down to pedal. With practice this becomes fluid and
    the bike rocks slightly as you shift side to side with each push. Let the slope dictate where you
    stand. Rather than shifting to an easier gear, stand up on steeper sections. You'll use different
    muscles and your crotch will thank you,


    too.

    Quoted message said:


    # Use an easy gear: It's always best to start hills in an easy gear and
    then shift into a slightly harder one, if you feel up to it. That way, you won't burn too much
    energy starting the climb and you'll be able to pace yourself to the top.

    Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

    #1 Give bike to lift operator.

    #2 Follow lift operators instructions on where to stand.

    #3 Wait for chair to come around and sit down and quickly pick feet up.

    #4 Reverse for dismounting at the top.

    Mike ;^)

  5. Destroy said:

    Ripped this from a bike shop web site and I sure as heck hope these tips refer to mild long hills.
    If they are for steep climbs, I'd have to disagree with all of them.

    here's how to conquer climbs:

    # Sit tall: If you remain upright, rather than crouched over the bars,
    you'll find it easier to breathe. And, if you can get more oxygen, you'll feel stronger and you
    won't tire too quickly.

    I can't remember how long it took me, but I've learned to breathe quite well while sitting and
    stretched out. You've got to stay seated on steep trails because you need to keep pressure on both
    wheels and the tipping point is too small to manage while standing. Just relax your belly muscles
    and sag your gut out to give your diaphragm room to move. At 9000', it's kind of cool to feel your
    lungs expand and contract completely 120 times per minute, once you get over the burning in your
    throat and lungs.

    --
    --
    Lynn Wallace xmission.com~lawall "I'm not proud. We really haven't done everything we
    could to protect our customers. Our products just aren't engineered for security." --Microsoft VP in
    charge of Windows OS Development, Brian Valentine.

  6. Shaun Rimmer said:

    It all (OP) sounded like roadie advice to me mate.

    Ah, now it makes sense. I sometimes forget about their fruity little world.

    --
    -BB- To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail address, at least)

  7. Destroy said:

    here's how to conquer climbs:

    # Sit tall: If you remain upright, rather than crouched over the bars,
    you'll find it easier to breathe. And, if you can get more oxygen, you'll feel stronger and you
    won't tire too quickly.

    What oxygen? My last ride topped at 11,000 (or so) MSL. Seriously, traction wins over staying
    aerobic-stay low.

    Quoted message said:


    # Learn to stand: One of the best ways to scale hills is occasionally
    standing to pedal. Although this takes a little practice to perfect, it lets you use body weight
    to turn the pedals, which is easier than pushing them with muscle power alone. To do it, simply
    stand up (remaining crouched slightly) and lean forward a bit. As each pedal reaches the top of
    the stroke, rest your weight on it and push down to pedal. With practice this becomes fluid and
    the bike rocks slightly as you shift side to side with each push. Let the slope dictate where you
    stand. Rather than shifting to an easier gear, stand up on steeper sections. You'll use different
    muscles and your crotch will thank you, too.

    How long are these hills? I do stand occasionaly on all but the steepest climbs to stretch, but
    not for long.

    Quoted message said:


    # Use an easy gear: It's always best to start hills in an easy gear and
    then shift into a slightly harder one, if you feel up to it. That way, you won't burn too much
    energy starting the climb and you'll be able to pace yourself to the top.

    If you feel up to it? Pansy. Hammer it. ;-)

    Rimmer's right. Not only roadie advice, but tourist advice.

    Cheers, Shawn

  8. "Shaun Rimmer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:

    BB <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Destroy said:

    Ripped this from a bike shop web site and I sure as heck hope these tips refer to mild long
    hills. If they are for steep climbs, I'd have to disagree with all of them.

    I agree that starting in a lower gear is a good idea, particularly on long, steep hills. I read
    this once somewhere from a pro rider (a female, if it matters), and tried it. It works. Climbing
    a long hill at a manageable pace is actually faster than blasting up the first half and walking
    up the second. Just make sure you give those riders who insist on blasting up the first half
    enough time to get out of your way.

    It depends on the hill, of course. Around here, "hills" are at least a half-mile in distance and
    several hundred feet elevation gain. On small hills, you can get away with a lot more.

    It all (OP) sounded like roadie advice to me mate.

    Shaun aRe

    Dittos. And too general to be of any use.

    Now here's some real advice from a true stallion among ponies:

    groups.google.comgroups
    st.net&prev=/groups%3Fhl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF8%26safe%3Doff%26q%3DPaladin%2Bclim-
    bing%2Bsing%2Bgroup%253Aalt.mountain-bike.*%26btnG%3DGoogle%2BSearch%26meta%3Dgroup%253Dalt.moun-
    tain-bike.*

    Paladin

  9. Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    It all (OP) sounded like roadie advice to me mate.

    Shaun aRe

    Dittos. And too general to be of any use.

    Now here's some real advice from a true stallion among ponies:

    groups.google.comgroups
    t.net&prev=/groups%3Fhl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF8%26safe%3Doff%26q%3DPaladin%2Bclimbi-
    ng%2Bsing%2Bgroup%253Aalt.mountain-bike.*%26btnG%3DGoogle%2BSearch%26meta%3Dgroup%253Dalt.mountai-
    n-bike.*

    Indeed, good info, thanks. Quick question though, when standing should one still pull up on the
    clips to try and maintain smooth continuos power delivery?

  10. Destroy said:

    Indeed, good info, thanks. Quick question though, when standing should one still pull up on the
    clips to try and maintain smooth continuos power delivery?

    Under normal conditions, pulling up just gets in the way of pushing down (according to an actual
    study). Only if you're pushing a long gear for the situation should you try to torque both sides.

    --
    --
    Lynn Wallace xmission.com~lawall "I'm not proud. We really haven't done everything we
    could to protect our customers. Our products just aren't engineered for security." --Microsoft VP in
    charge of Windows OS Development, Brian Valentine.

  11. Michael Dart <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

    #1 Give bike to lift operator.

    #2 Follow lift operators instructions on where to stand.

    #3 Wait for chair to come around and sit down and quickly pick feet up.

    #4 Reverse for dismounting at the top.

    "Chicken legs" Mike ;^)

    Shaun aRe

  12. Shawn Curry <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Destroy said:

    here's how to conquer climbs:

    # Sit tall: If you remain upright, rather than crouched over the bars,
    you'll find it easier to breathe. And, if you can get more oxygen, you'll feel stronger and you
    won't tire too quickly.

    What oxygen? My last ride topped at 11,000 (or so) MSL. Seriously, traction wins over staying
    aerobic-stay low.

    Quoted message said:


    # Learn to stand: One of the best ways to scale hills is occasionally
    standing to pedal. Although this takes a little practice to perfect, it lets you use body weight
    to turn the pedals, which is easier than pushing them with muscle power alone. To do it, simply
    stand up (remaining crouched slightly) and lean forward a bit. As each pedal reaches the top of
    the stroke, rest your weight on it and push down to pedal. With practice this becomes fluid and
    the bike rocks slightly as you shift side to side with each push. Let the slope dictate where
    you stand. Rather than shifting to an easier gear, stand up on steeper sections. You'll use
    different muscles and your crotch will thank you,


    too.

    Quoted message said:


    How long are these hills? I do stand occasionaly on all but the steepest climbs to stretch, but
    not for long.

    Quoted message said:


    # Use an easy gear: It's always best to start hills in an easy gear and
    then shift into a slightly harder one, if you feel up to it. That way, you won't burn too much
    energy starting the climb and you'll be able to pace yourself to the top.

    If you feel up to it? Pansy. Hammer it. ;-)

    Rimmer's right.

    It won't be the last time.

    Quoted message said:

    Not only roadie advice, but tourist advice.

    Indeed.

    Shaun aRe

  13. BB <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Shaun Rimmer said:

    It all (OP) sounded like roadie advice to me mate.

    Ah, now it makes sense. I sometimes forget about their fruity little world.

    Huh - and there's me thinking it sounded like roadie [censored] cos it _didn't_ make sense. Takes all
    sorts I guess......

    Shaun aRe

  14. Paladin <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    "Shaun Rimmer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message


    news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    BB <[email hidden]> wrote in message

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    It depends on the hill, of course. Around here, "hills" are at least a half-mile in distance
    and several hundred feet elevation gain. On


    small

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    hills, you can get away with a lot more.

    It all (OP) sounded like roadie advice to me mate.

    Shaun aRe

    Dittos. And too general to be of any use.

    Indeed - you need to actually ride up hills to figure out how best to ride up hills.

    Quoted message said:

    Now here's some real advice from a true stallion among ponies:


    groups.google.comgroups
    F6E32.B7A81475%40qwest.net&prev=/groups%3Fhl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%
    3DUTF8%26safe%3Doff%26q%3DPaladin%2Bclimbing%2Bsing%2Bgroup%253Aalt.mountain
    -bike.*%26btnG%3DGoogle%2BSearch%26meta%3Dgroup%253Dalt.mountain-bike.*

    Quoted message said:

    What's with you and all these mile long URL's recently?!?!?

    Shaun aRe

  15. "Shaun Rimmer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:

    Paladin <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    "Shaun Rimmer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message


    news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    BB <[email hidden]> wrote in message

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    > It depends on the hill, of course. Around here, "hills" are at least a half-mile in distance
    > and several hundred feet elevation gain. On


    small

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    > hills, you can get away with a lot more.

    It all (OP) sounded like roadie advice to me mate.

    Shaun aRe

    Dittos. And too general to be of any use.

    Indeed - you need to actually ride up hills to figure out how best to ride up hills.

    Quoted message said:

    Now here's some real advice from a true stallion among ponies:


    groups.google.comgroups
    F6E32.B7A81475%40qwest.net&prev=/groups%3Fhl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%
    3DUTF8%26safe%3Doff%26q%3DPaladin%2Bclimbing%2Bsing%2Bgroup%253Aalt.mountain
    -bike.*%26btnG%3DGoogle%2BSearch%26meta%3Dgroup%253Dalt.mountain-bike.*

    Quoted message said:

    What's with you and all these mile long URL's recently?!?!?

    Shaun aRe

    LOL. It's all part of "alt." in alt.mountain-bike. (The best excuse to acting like an idiot, right?)

    Or, option b, I'm just referring back to when these questions were asked & answered in previous
    threads. Google as a newsreader doesn't wrap them, but when wrapped, they sure look CRAZY.

    Paladin So Here:
    groups.google.comgroups

  16. Destroy <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    It all (OP) sounded like roadie advice to me mate.

    Shaun aRe

    Dittos. And too general to be of any use.

    Now here's some real advice from a true stallion among ponies:

    groups.google.comgroups
    est.net&prev=/groups%3Fhl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF8%26safe%3Doff%26q%3DPaladin%2Bcl-
    imbing%2Bsing%2Bgroup%253Aalt.mountain-bike.*%26btnG%3DGoogle%2BSearch%26meta%3Dgroup%253Dalt.m-
    ountain-bike.*

    Indeed, good info, thanks. Quick question though, when standing should one still pull up on the
    clips to try and maintain smooth continuos power delivery?

    If you can, then go for it. But with your body weight suspended over the pedals, an even spin is
    impossible, since you don't have the same mass pushing up the pedals as you down. The issue is more
    of working out the tricky equation of weight allocation while standing on steep climbs. Experiment,
    have some fun. See what works for you.

    Paladin

  17. Paladin said:

    Destroy <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    >It all (OP) sounded like roadie advice to me mate.
    >
    >
    >Shaun aRe
    > > Dittos. And too general to be of any use.
    > Now here's some real advice from a true stallion among ponies: > >


    groups.google.comgroups
    8&oe=UTF8&safe=off&selm=3ADF6E32.B7A81475%40qwest.net&prev=/groups%3Fhl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-

    8%26oe%3DUTF8%26safe%3Doff%26q%3DPaladin%2Bclimbing%2Bsing%2Bgroup%253Aalt.mountain-

    bike.*%26btnG%3DGoogle%2BSearch%26meta%3Dgroup%253Dalt.mountain-bike.*

    Indeed, good info, thanks. Quick question though, when standing should one still pull up on the
    clips to try and maintain smooth continuos power delivery?

    If you can, then go for it. But with your body weight suspended over the pedals, an even spin is
    impossible, since you don't have the same mass pushing up the pedals as you down. The issue is
    more of working out the tricky equation of weight allocation while standing on steep climbs.
    Experiment, have some fun. See what works for you.

    Paladin

    On my road bike, I pull up when I'm standing (and when I remember to). On my mountain bike, for most
    hills that are steep enough for me to stand, I'm generally clipped out. I'm waiting for my speed to
    drop to zero or a root to knock me off my balance and throw me on the ground, so I keep clipped out.
    It's trickier on a mountain bike to stand, as you don't really need to worry too much about traction
    on a racing bike. If you lose traction on a mountain bike, though, you end up either walking or
    trying to get restarted on a hill.

    --
    Bob M in CT Remove 'x.' to reply

  18. On 28 Aug 2003 10:45:17 -0700, Paladin <[email hidden]> penned:

    Quoted message said:

    "Shaun Rimmer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:


    What's with you and all these mile long URL's recently?!?!?

    Shaun aRe

    LOL. It's all part of "alt." in alt.mountain-bike. (The best excuse to acting like an
    idiot, right?)

    Or, option b, I'm just referring back to when these questions were asked & answered in previous
    threads. Google as a newsreader doesn't wrap them, but when wrapped, they sure look CRAZY.

    Paladin So Here:
    groups.google.comgroups

    In case you care, you can also go to tinyurl.com and get an itsy-bitsy url that's easier to
    copy/paste or type.

    Blurb from site: "Are you sick of posting URLs in emails only to have it break when sent causing the
    recipient to have to cut and paste it back together? Then you've come to the right place. By
    entering in a URL in the text field below, we will create a tiny URL that will not break in email
    postings and never expires."

    Pretty handy ...

    --
    monique

  19. Paladin said:

    Or, option b, I'm just referring back to when these questions were asked & answered in previous
    threads. Google as a newsreader doesn't wrap them, but when wrapped, they sure look CRAZY.

    Paladin So Here:
    groups.google.comgroups

    Google is rather stupid about leaving search items in the URL. You can delete those and it still
    works fine. For example:

    groups.google.comgroups

    Just in case you're looking for that reference where the "stallion among ponies" is telling us to
    dance. ;-)

    --
    -BB- To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail address, at least)

  20. Paladin <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    "Shaun Rimmer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message


    news:<biki4q$a63er$1@ID-

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:


    groups.google.comgroups

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:


    F6E32.B7A81475%40qwest.net&prev=/groups%3Fhl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:


    3DUTF8%26safe%3Doff%26q%3DPaladin%2Bclimbing%2Bsing%2Bgroup%253Aalt.mountain

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    -bike.*%26btnG%3DGoogle%2BSearch%26meta%3Dgroup%253Dalt.mountain-bike.*

    Quoted message said:

    What's with you and all these mile long URL's recently?!?!?

    Shaun aRe

    LOL. It's all part of "alt." in alt.mountain-bike. (The best excuse to acting like an
    idiot, right?)

    There's an excuse needed? Well I'll be blowed..................

    Shaun aRe

Active in the last 60 minutes

Active in this thread

0 users · 0 guests ·0 bots ·0 total

No signed-in users are active right now.

No known search crawlers active right now.