How to ride the steep stuff

[Richeypen]

Am having a few issues at the moment with some steep climbs (over 25%). Basically my legs feel fine but my HR just sky rockets. I guess this is just a case of having to get fitter. What I am more interested in however is riding technique. I basically feel like either my rear wheel is just spinning on the road or that my front wheel is lifting. Any tips that can help me?

 

[usedtobefast]

Am having a few issues at the moment with some steep climbs (over 25%). Basically my legs feel fine but my HR just sky rockets. I guess this is just a case of having to get fitter. What I am more interested in however is riding technique. I basically feel like either my rear wheel is just spinning on the road or that my front wheel is lifting. Any tips that can help me?

balance. stand up and climb those stairs. and yeah, your pulse will go up. if the climb is that steep, you just have to muscle it over the top.

 

[Alpechraxler]

Can't really help you, i just know a section that is 300m long with a gradient of 30 % so you do 100 m vertical. I ushually hit it with high speed, stay seatet get out of the saddle in the middle and from there on i think it is pure power and also some willpower to get to the top. I don't really ride up there with a lot of style, guess from outside it would look like cadel evens going up the zoncolan behind basso

 

[elapid]

Your HR is going to increase quite quickly with any decent gradient, even 5% and definitely 25%, no matter how fit you are or are not. With the steeper gradients, it is a matter of finding a balance in your body position between putting weight over your saddle or further back to prevent you from spinning out and weight over your handlebars to prevent the front wheel from lifting. There is no magic sweetspot which will prevent both your front wheel from spinning and your back wheel from spinning out. You need to adjust your position as you ride depending on how you feel and what your front and back wheels are doing.

 

[bc_hills]

Am having a few issues at the moment with some steep climbs (over 25%). Basically my legs feel fine but my HR just sky rockets. I guess this is just a case of having to get fitter. What I am more interested in however is riding technique. I basically feel like either my rear wheel is just spinning on the road or that my front wheel is lifting. Any tips that can help me?

Over 25%!! That's a wall not a climb. Are you on a mtb riding trails? If so, you're tires might be inappropriate to the trail conditions, or your bike might be a bad fit for steep climbs. I'd think that anything paved and steep enough to have you're rear wheel spinning would be undrivable by car and so prob wouldn't be paved in the first place.

In anycase, it's weight distribution. You'll sort it out by moving your weight ever so slightly backwards or forwards, although none of this will help your heart rate!

 

[durianrider]

Make sure you have a compact crank like all the best climbers use thesedays for the steeper stuff.

If its short and steep, stay out of the saddle. Pick your gear at the start and overspin and carry your momentum into the start of the climb. That way you aint changing gears and losing momentum.

Dont hit it super hard just hit it hard. Better to just put in what you have to to get over the first half and then hammer at the top and create a gap vs blow yourself at the start and have nothing left for when the hitters go at the top.

If your back wheel is slipping then you have no option but to sit back down on the tip of your saddle and grunt it out.

Focus on positive thoughts too.

 

[rgmerk]

If it's really that steep

Even the best riders in the world struggle.

Let's assume, for the moment, you have a compact crank and a 28 tooth on the back.

A cadence of 60 rpm with that gearing - that's very slow pedaling, and it *hurts* to maintain high wattages pedaling that slowly - moves you at about 9 km/h.

To maintain 9 km/h on a 25% slope would require a power output of around 470 watts, assuming a 68 kg rider on a 7 kg bike. That's a required power output of 6.8 W/Kg.

Even Contador can't manage that for more than a few minutes.

Aside from losing all the weight you possibly can, one other thing that I've found helps with really steep climbing is upper body strength, so you can stabilize the bike with your upper body while forcing the pedal down. Oh, and if there's less-steep climbing before you hit this monster wall, pace yourself so that you can put in maximum effort up the difficult part of the climb.

That said, there are very few sealed roads in the world that maintain those kinds of gradients for more than a couple of hundred meters.

 

[richwagmn]

This is all good info. I have several hills available where I ride that have sections over 20% with probably not more than 40m of vertical ascent at that grade. I've just decided these hills are never easy and you just have to gut it out. My lowest gear is a 39x25 and standing and applying all the power I have will see me struggle to maintain 9mph. And yes, my heart rate skyrockets too.

But damn if it feels good when you crest.

 

[bridgeman]

I've been focusing on climbing lately and found that adding power climbing helps a great deal. The bergs I do these intervals on are just under 20%. It's really like weight lifting on the bike.

I've added one day of these intervals with another day within the week of long 2 to 3 mile climbs. The remarkable thing is how I am now able to comfortably stand on 2 to 3 gears higher, and for far geater periods. It really is amazing how this can come together.

In your case, you have the addition of dealing with balance control, but I think building your strength up will play an important role in establishing a strong foundation which will make it easier to add the element of proper balance.

Oh, and another thing is just plain old getting used to the hurt.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

I've been focusing on climbing lately and found that adding power climbing helps a great deal. The bergs I do these intervals on are just under 20%. It's really like weight lifting on the bike.

I've added one day of these intervals with another day within the week of long 2 to 3 mile climbs. The remarkable thing is how I am now able to comfortably stand on 2 to 3 gears higher, and for far geater periods. It really is amazing how this can come together.

In your case, you have the addition of dealing with balance control, but I think building your strength up will play an important role in establishing a strong foundation which will make it easier to add the element of proper balance.

Oh, and another thing is just plain old getting used to the hurt.

This really improved my climbing this year as well on Bergs Where do you ride them ?

 

[bridgeman]

This really improved my climbing this year as well on Bergs Where do you ride them ?[/QUOTE

I live on a hill which is a series of bergs in Belmont California. In fact we are surrounded by them here in the bay area.