I'm still fairly new to this pedaling lifestyle and my effort clearly exceeds my knowledge. So, on to the point;
I'm wondering if there is a 'traditional' method for maintaining maximum efficiency while shifting?
I'm pretty sure there is plenty of fact, speculation and theory surrounding this and I'm looking to improve my technique a bit in order to achieve smoother transitions and fewer losses.
Insight into proper theory would likely be more relevant than trying to provide any specific assistance towards improving my non-existant technique.
When I started riding, I thought the higher the gear the better the work out was. I was trying to ride too fast and wearing myself out too soon
Some more seasoned riders showed me the way they do it.
When you hit a hill, don't try to horse your way over. As soon as your speed drops off a little, shift down and pick up the pace a little to maintain the same speed. If it is a real hill, drop your speed but maintain a comfortable pedaling pace. As you ride more you will be able to get the pace higher all the time.
Hills that used to kick my butt I can now top at 30+ mph. And my average speed is much greater and my range is ten times better. And I am not sore after wards.
Originally Posted by BHOFM [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG] Hills that used to kick my butt I can now top at 30+ mph. And my average speed is much greater and my range is ten times better. And I am not sore after wards. .
I must have told you a million times not to exaggerate.
shift early and often. Slight change in wind, slight change in grade, shift. I usually shift without thinking about it, but when I do think about it, I realize that it sounds like the constant clicking of a typewriter! In terms of technique, I'm not sure what advice to give other than this: if you are going from the flats to a really steep hill that is going to require a front chainring change, I usually try to do that right at the base of the climb because I am always afraid of calling on my small ring while under load on a hill (too likely to drop a chain). Oh, and go a couple of gears easier before coming to a stop - this makes it much easier to get going again!
Quote: Originally Posted by BHOFM [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG] Hills that used to kick my butt I can now top at 30+ mph. And my average speed is much greater and my range is ten times better. And I am not sore after wards. .
I must have told you a million times not to exaggerate.
It is an overpass on the interstate, it had four stop lights in less than a block and no bike lane. I had to wait for a clearing in the traffic and go from a dead stop at the bottom. Now there is one light, a ten foot wide bike lane on both sides and most of the time I just breeze through the lights and hit the bottom in 17th or 18th gears and drop down one and crank like mad to the top. The computer said my max speed, which was about the top was 30.4mph!
I guess the biggest question for me has been answered.... It seems to be 'better' to drop a gear or two before losing too much forward momentum as you begin an ascent rather than to go as far up the hill as you can in a tall gear and then downshift once it becomes apparent that you have lost forward momentum AND pedaling speed.
I've been hitting the hill in whatever gear I happen to be in @ the bottom and going up as far as I can before shifting to lower gears. This approach doesn't seem terribly efficient and the recovery time to get back to speed seems longer as well.
For the sake of the sport, I will attempt more proper technique tomorrow. Thanbks folks! +++
Good advice above, definitely look ahead and downshift before you bog down in your current gears. Just don't go too far in the other direction and downshift way too early and give away all your momentum before you actually get up on the hill. This is pretty common among recreational riders that are worried about the approaching hill and they tend to go backwards and make the hill harder and longer than necessary by giving away all their speed long before they need to.
Cycling is a momentum sport and you want to conserve the precious momentum you've earned as you start up a hill. Don't wait too long and risk a blown shift or bogging down in too big a gear but don't downshift too far or too soon as the hill approaches either. A good compromise is to get down into your small ring as a steeper climb approaches but also shift your rear derailleur to a smaller (harder) cog so that you don't give away too much gearing and then shift the rear only as you get onto the hill proper and begin losing speed and momentum.
Doing this well is a learned skill but not terribly difficult to learn once you've recognized that simply pounding a huge gear isn't the best approach for longer climbs.
Good advice above, definitely look ahead and downshift before you bog down in your current gears. Just don't go too far in the other direction and downshift way too early and give away all your momentum before you actually get up on the hill. This is pretty common among recreational riders that are worried about the approaching hill and they tend to go backwards and make the hill harder and longer than necessary by giving away all their speed long before they need to.
Cycling is a momentum sport and you want to conserve the precious momentum you've earned as you start up a hill. Don't wait too long and risk a blown shift or bogging down in too big a gear but don't downshift too far or too soon as the hill approaches either. A good compromise is to get down into your small ring as a steeper climb approaches but also shift your rear derailleur to a smaller (harder) cog so that you don't give away too much gearing and then shift the rear only as you get onto the hill proper and begin losing speed and momentum.
Doing this well is a learned skill but not terribly difficult to learn once you've recognized that simply pounding a huge gear isn't the best approach for longer climbs.
-Dave
That is what I meant (even if I wasn't clear). I think of changing from the big ring to the small as required "three clicks". The first two "clicks" are for shifting the rear derailleur twice, down the cassette into smaller (harder) cogs, and the third and final "click" is to move the chain to the small ring in the front. This is done in really quick succession near the base of a steep climb. The two "clicks" of the rear ensure that when you shift into your small ring that you aren't momentarily under-geared and losing momentum.
Doing this well is a learned skill but not terribly difficult to learn once you've recognized that simply pounding a huge gear isn't the best approach for longer climbs.
-Dave
Apart from Armstrongs TT win up Alpe DHuez, didn't he have a habit of smashing a massive gear out of the saddle in all of his classic Tour winning mountain stage wins?
Pound that gear... it's what Lance did, what Herrara did, what Pantani did... Watch nearly every Pro on a big one day race like the Worlds and with the exception of Cancellara it's gonna be a monster gear going up hill - that's exactly what Evans did in Mendrisio. How many km's was that last hill he rode out of the saddle in the big ring?
Big gears... good. Mastering a big gear, high torque effort is severely underated.
Physics obviously dictates when a body in motion begins to lose forward momentum during ascent and one could calculate all kinds of ways to maximize efficiency in a particular gear band, but none of that will matter if the legs can't crank the gear. If I could ride the hill w/o shifting, I definitely wouldn't need to improve my technique.
Sounds like a reasonable technique might be like this:
approaching incline... downshift 1 or 2 increase spin speed (as required by # of gear changes) begin ascent reach summit and upshift 1 or 2 recover spin speed
as opposed to this method...
approaching incline...increase spin speed ascend until downshift is required...downshift 1 or 2 recover spin speed reach summit and upshift 1 or 2 recover spin speed
Not exactly. If you are talking about a climb that does not require a front shift (ie, a big chain ring climb), or if you are already in your small ring, and you are asking about how/when to shift in the back, I would just climb in whatever gear you are in until your cadence starts to drop, then switch one gear easier to keep your cadence up (or at least keep the cranks turning over). As cadence drops again, switch again. Rear gear changes are easy and can, for the most part, be done under load, so there isn't really anything to worry about. They are fast an reliable too, so you don't need to plan them in advance or even think much about them. If you move up onto a bigger cog and find yourself spinning faster than is comfortable, no stress, just switch back into a harder gear. These gear changes are so fast, that you won't lose much momentum.
. . . also, learn how to climb out of the saddle. Sometimes, for a short climb (AKA a "power climb"😉, the best technique is to use a big gear, and get out of the saddle. You'll be able to power over the top.
I ride with a buddy of mine (semi-pro I guess - was a sponsored rider)....anyways he's pretty sharp on cycling. He said he spins up and picks up speed as he approaches a hill, then may downshift a gear or two and pedal it out as long as he can and when he's about out of speed, then he drops from the big ring to the little ring up front (compact double). I've tried this approach when on rides with him...doesn't seem to work very good for me.
Last time we went for a ride, I just stayed in my big ring up front, and worked all 8-gears out back....big/small hill, I'd just ramp up the speed and hit it hard and fast....come out of the saddle if I needed. Sometimes I get pretty winded...but most of the times I've flying (relatively speaking). For me personally I don't like to get out of the big gear up front, I prefer to just mash it out.
Physics obviously dictates when a body in motion begins to lose forward momentum during ascent and one could calculate all kinds of ways to maximize efficiency in a particular gear band, but none of that will matter if the legs can't crank the gear. If I could ride the hill w/o shifting, I definitely wouldn't need to improve my technique.  Sounds like a reasonable technique might be like this:  approaching incline... downshift 1 or 2 increase spin speed (as required by # of gear changes) begin ascent reach summit and upshift 1 or 2 recover spin speed  as opposed to this method...  approaching incline...increase spin speed ascend until downshift is required...downshift 1 or 2 recover spin speed reach summit and upshift 1 or 2 recover spin speed
 None of the above... Ride onto the first incline and adjust the gear to suit the gradient at your preferred cadence for that grade. If you go from flat to 20%+ in an instant you might want to change a fraction sooner to stop from getting bogged down in a huge gear and have shifting troubles and possibly avoiding extreme chainline angles. Ask Andy Schleck about those... You're over thinking this.
I'm quite small and light and tend to be pretty quick up the hills and I tend to use a smaller gear and higher cadence and that suits me. One thing I tend to do on hills is if I stand up out of the saddle I click up a gear, and then change back down (if it feels necessary) when I sit back down.
The longer you ride you'll find what suits you and feel natural to you. One of my cycling friends (who is much larger and heavier than me) always used to hit hills like a lunatic and then blow up after 30M and I would just ride past at a steady pace, so would definately recommend not attacking hills at full speed unless they're very short!
It all depends on the hill you are climbing. My approach to a hill that is 6 or 7% in grade that is 1 or two miles long would be a lot different than a 20% grade that is .25 miles long. You use the gears you have and when you run out you use your muscles. The only technique you should learn is how to down shift properly while climbing. When down shifting while climbing it is best to reduce your pedaling torque while shifting. This reduces the tension on your drive train allowing it to shift properly. I do pop in and out of my saddle while riding up hill but that is a riding technique not a shifting technique.
