Conquering Hills on a Bicycle

[PrayForDeath]

I take a daily 1-hour ride on my bike in the neighborhood around my house. It's a very hilly area, and the hills can be very steep at times. Sometimes when I reach the top I have to stop for a few mins to catch my breath.

I have a cheap bicycle with shimano gears (21 speeds), and I've been gradually raising my gear on hills over the past month. But on the steeper hills I'm still forced to go down to the lowest gear (especially when I'm tired at the end of the biking session.)

I make sure to stay well hydrated throughout the trip (I drink before, during, and after the ride.) I also load up on simple carbs before I start, and just after I finish.

What can I do to make these hill climbs easier?

 

[highland145]

Ride more. Gotta build the cardio and endurance. Personally, I go with caffeine before rides/gym.

 

[darkxshade]

You're probably doing this already but in case you're not... pedal your bike in the standing position(not seated) going up a hill.

 

[MiniDoom]

Loose weight, htfu...

 

[Evadman]

I put a motor on my bike to solve for hills.

 

[superccs]

Ride more. Gotta build the cardio and endurance. Personally, I go with caffeine before rides/gym.

yeah that's a good way to get dehydrated...

Is your bike a steel frame POS? Getting a decent aluminum bike may help by dropping about 10-15lbs of unhelpful weight.

 

[MiniDoom]

yeah that's a good way to get dehydrated...

Is your bike a steel frame POS? Getting a decent aluminum bike may help by dropping about 10-15lbs of unhelpful weight.

Most studies have shown that caffeine has no effect on dehydration (links below). Also POS bike frames come in all materials, steel, aluminum, carbon fiber, bamboo can all be pos frames if not designed/built well. There are many steel bikes under 20lbs. OP would be better off doing hill repeats and loosing 5lbs of body fat.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19774754

http://www.sportsnutritionworkshop.com/Files/32.SPNT.pdf

 

[highland145]

Most studies have shown that caffeine has no effect on dehydration (links below). Also POS bike frames come in all materials, steel, aluminum, carbon fiber, bamboo can all be pos frames if not designed/built well. There are many steel bikes under 20lbs. OP would be better off doing hill repeats and loosing 5lbs of body fat.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19774754

http://www.sportsnutritionworkshop.com/Files/32.SPNT.pdf

:awe:

My first mtb bike was a steel p.o.s. Did a 40 mile organized ride with ~100 people. One guy had a $2500 full suspension, cool as hell looking, bike. I owned him because I was in better shape.:biggrin:

 

[MiniDoom]

:awe:

My first mtb bike was a steel p.o.s. Did a 40 mile organized ride with ~100 people. One guy had a $2500 full suspension, cool as hell looking, bike. I owned him because I was in better shape.:biggrin:

I believe it. I've taken fixed gear and cyclocross bikes out on group rides and have done ok. it was definitely more effort, but i did manage to drop some people.

 

[RbSX]

:awe:

My first mtb bike was a steel p.o.s. Did a 40 mile organized ride with ~100 people. One guy had a $2500 full suspension, cool as hell looking, bike. I owned him because I was in better shape.:biggrin:

Er this should be no surprise, the nature of suspension is detrimental to endurance, the shocks absorb energy.

You didn't 'own' anything.

 

[highland145]

Er this should be no surprise, the nature of suspension is detrimental to endurance, the shocks absorb energy.

You didn't 'own' anything.

Go ahead. Make excuses for some yuppie snot that got his ass handed to him. He wasn't the only one that day.

My point was that it's the rider more so than a high $$ carbon fiber bike.


P.S. He's still washing my car, 18 years later.

 

[Ghiedo27]

First things first, don't beat yourself up for dropping to the lowest gear on steep slopes. Even the pros drop down on steeper sections. Right gear for the right job.

I'll hazard a guess that most of your rides are at a pretty even tempo where you maintain a balanced effort. If that's the case, then here's a workout I'll recommend. Pick a moderately steep hill that's kind of long. Instead of going for speed keep your gearing a little higher (harder) and your cadence down around 50-55 rpm. You should really feel the tension in your legs. You shouldn't be breathing super hard- it's a strength exercise. Do this a couple of times in a workout, but only do this once or twice a week.

Don't get me wrong, the cardiovascular part is important, but if you're riding an hour a day every day then that will improve on its own for the most part. Which brings up another point- it's important to rest. Exercise only provides a stress for the body to respond to. It's in the recovery phase where you actually make gains.

One question- you said that you have some simple carbs before and after the workout, but how long after your last full meal are your rides?

 

[fleshconsumed]

You can't do much really except for keep doing it. It's a slow process and it may take several seasons, but you will get better. One thing I can suggest short of buying a new bike is to get toe clips for your pedals so that your foot doesn't slide off the pedal and so that you can provide power on the upstroke. It might take some time to get used to toe clips, but it's totally worth it. The only catch is that you have to be a little bit more careful when you stop unless you want to tumble down

 

[Ghiedo27]

Get toe clips for your pedals so that your foot doesn't slide off the pedal and so that you can provide power on the upstroke.

Toe clips or any clipless pedal system can be great, but it's essentially impossible to provide a positive force on the upstroke. If you want proper form focus on pushing forward from 10 o'clock to 1 o'clock and pushing backwards from 5-7 o'clock (like you're scraping mudd off of your shoes.

 

[coldmeat]

I'm a beginner on my bike, and the hills kill me too. I used to ride a route that had no hills, but I figured I should try to get better at them. I just stand up and power through them. I'm completely exhausted by the top of the hill, but luckily the other side is all downhill, so I can take a breather.

 

[RbSX]

Go ahead. Make excuses for some yuppie snot that got his ass handed to him. He wasn't the only one that day.

My point was that it's the rider more so than a high $$ carbon fiber bike.


P.S. He's still washing my car, 18 years later.

What do you want, a high five? A gold star? A cookie?

 

[highland145]

What do you want, a high five? A gold star? A cookie?

How about a cookie. Chocolate chip would be nice. Got milk?

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Toe clips or any clipless pedal system can be great, but it's essentially impossible to provide a positive force on the upstroke. If you want proper form focus on pushing forward from 9 o'clock to 2 o'clock and pushing backwards from 5-8 o'clock (like you're scraping mudd off of your shoes.

I had clipless on my mountain bike when I used to do that and your statement is 100% false. If you can do a situp, you can apply force on an upstroke. It's motly stomach muscles doing the work.

On steeper hills, I used the upstroke to make it up quite often. On technical uphills it was most important.

 

[Ghiedo27]

You can certainly pull your foot up, but you're not gaining overall power. Look into any material on it coming from coaches with access to power data (particularly from the Colorado Springs Olympic center). The downward force you're applying with the opposite leg dominates anything you're trying to do on the upstroke. It's like pulling your finger up on the desk. Yes there's a force and you feel tension, but it's insignificant.

Regarding your MTB experience, what's the rest of your stroke like? Clearly you're going to lose traction if you just mash down strokes (referring to loose / technical ascents). The question is, what gain is there for emphasizing the upstroke (say, 7-11 o'clock) once you've already removed the dead spots when the crank is vertical?

Here's an article on Bicycling magazine's site. Yeah, lovely magazine yata yata, but the content is from a biomechanist at Colorado's Boulder Center for Sports Medicine (see zone 3 section, in particular).

 

[KlokWyze]

I look @ the challenge in my runs and cycling routes as the hills. The down hills, zero inclines and slight up hills are basically just rest periods where I keep a decent pace or just catch my breath. I just focus on the next hill and either sprint up it to get it out the way or pace myself.

Most people have it right. You just have to keep doing it and you will get stronger. Frankly it's the same way with any workout. Push yourself past what's comfortable and your gains in your recovery will be greater.

I have found that doing a lot of squats (100x120lbs) helped both my running and cycling. After recovering from those, everything is easier.

 

[GoSharks]

I have found that doing a lot of squats (100x120lbs) helped both my running and cycling. After recovering from those, everything is easier.

The best way to get better(faster) at cycling is to cycle more.

 

[PrayForDeath]

I am 5'10" and I weight roughly 167 pounds. I don't have too much body fat, but I do have some around my waist/thighs. And the bike is aluminum btw (can easily lift it with one hand.)

Most studies have shown that caffeine has no effect on dehydration (links below). Also POS bike frames come in all materials, steel, aluminum, carbon fiber, bamboo can all be pos frames if not designed/built well. There are many steel bikes under 20lbs. OP would be better off doing hill repeats and loosing 5lbs of body fat.

I remember reading that for every cup of coffee, you have to drink 2 cups of water to make up for the liquids that you've lost. The article that you linked is 8 years old, and I doubt their diuretic tolerance theory is true. I can feel a big difference between days I drink coffee and days I don't.

To me, pedaling in the standing position feels like cheating, so I never do it. Most of my exercise comes from riding uphill, and I wanna get better at it, I don't wanna skip it.

One question- you said that you have some simple carbs before and after the workout, but how long after your last full meal are your rides?

Usually 3-4 hours after my last full meal.

Don't get me wrong, the cardiovascular part is important, but if you're riding an hour a day every day then that will improve on its own for the most part. Which brings up another point- it's important to rest. Exercise only provides a stress for the body to respond to. It's in the recovery phase where you actually make gains.

What do you mean exactly by "rest"? Are you suggesting I should take a day off biking?

Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

[GoSharks]

To me, pedaling in the standing position feels like cheating, so I never do it.

Uh, why?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuS4glCoRqU

 

[Doppel]

Hill climbing on a bike is simple. Do one of or both of:

1) Lose weight
2) Ride more

Lowest gear on the bike doesn't mean much depending on how steep the hill is. I'm a strong cyclist and take the steepest hills in the lowest gear. Also depends on the gear ratios.

yeah that's a good way to get dehydrated...

Actually, caffeine is fine for endurance athletes; dehydrating effects vastly overrated. Don't agree with me take it up with the various endurance athletes who use it, such as this guy (two weeks before competition would keep coffee out of his diet so it hits him hard the morning of a race) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Reid_(triathlete)

I remember reading that for every cup of coffee, you have to drink 2 cups of water to make up for the liquids that you've lost.

That is just quite 100% untrue. Anecdotally, even, don't you realize some office workers do basically nothing except drink coffee all day?

To me, pedaling in the standing position feels like cheating, so I never do it. Most of my exercise comes from riding uphill, and I wanna get better at it, I don't wanna skip it.

This is absurd. Actually, professionals on really steep climbs (you can watch them on TV) will combine out of seat and in seat on the same hill to mix things up.

 

[Doppel]

Uh, why?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuS4glCoRqU

Actually, that guy probably is cheating, but that's only because he's replaced his blood with drugs