How can I climb uphill better on my bike?

Question

I enjoy road biking, but I want to improve my climbing abilities for the rides through the hills. Do you guys have any helpful hints to improve my technique?

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Answer 1

Climb more often, and hit some of the longer climbs. Relax your upper body. Make sure your bike fits properly, and that you're well hydrated. Shift into a gear that you can do the ENTIRE climb in, even if it's really slow; you can try a harder gear next time.

Pull up on the upstroke of each pedal revolution. If you can't pull hard, at least pull enough to lift that leg so the pushing leg doesn't work harder. Shift your weight back and forth in the saddle from time to time; forward allows a better spin, whereas sitting back lets you "leg press" your way up a hill. Stand up sometimes.

Bottom line is that only climbing a lot will make you a better climber. When you go from "I hate climbing" to "I can do this hill" to "This isn't so bad!", you'll understand.

Answer 2

I've looked at all the answers and some make sense and some don't. I've always believed that when hill climbing you ride at your own pace and do what works for you. Everyone will have there theory's and will say this is the proper way but truth be told you have to do what works for you and spend more time bike riding and climbing hills that's how you become a good climber. Some say climbing hills is all physiological, if you would like too find out try this a test. Find a real good hill and ride it in the morning and see how you do, then go back and ride the same hill after dark when you eyes and mind can't see the hill and you will ride that same hill faster and easyer than you did in the morning. It's all physiological. Remember a hill is nothing more than a flat on a slant.

Answer 3

Hey Nick N,

Lean forward, up over the handle bars, standing obviously. Spin faster in a higher gear.

Consider adding Hill Sprints to your routines.

In your early anual training use a Single Gear bike. No brakes, only cycling pedal forward or back. No free spinning. This is a training technique that is used by top cyclists.

PUT a SMILE on your face when you come to the hills, this works!!!

Answer 4

shift down.. then again though i'm a fruit cake and like the higher gears most of the time... that's why my legs are super atomic powered while i have a belly.

i usually shift down to gear 5... if it gets real bad.. (then again i have a mountain bike with the larger tire) i shift back up to 7 or 9. but that's for long termers like obviously yourself.

speed bikes aren't made for this sort of thing. the wheels are way too narrow and are prone to damage especially if you hit on rocks and bumps then those terrible dips you can't see until it's too late. always go slow... if it's real bad terraine always get off the bike to save it and yourself.

sometimes you have to say 'no go'.

doesn't need video for this, this is generalised common sense technique for all to enjoy the rougher terraine.. non competition style now.

i ride for fun and to get away from it all. OH also have spares! there's bags and tubes, tires where you can pack them for long travel. you should know this already. oh and i love that air in the can and the collapsable air pumps they have now.

Answer 5

Lots of good answers here, but no one has mentioned using heart rate monitors.

Get a cheap but reliable monitor, and buy a book on using them. I like "Precision Heart Rate Training" by Edmund Burke.

Whatever book you purchase, check to make sure it has a chapter on improving your lactate threshold. Lactic acid is a by-product of very strenuous exercise, such as racing up hill. You probably are aware of it as the pain in your muscles when charging up those hills.

You can use your heart rate monitor to 1) Determine when your body is producing a lot of lactic acid and 2) Tailor your workouts to increase your tolerance. This is where the book will help you out.

Lactate tolerance improvement will work well in conjunction with some weight training. You can do at home with some cheap dumbbells. However, since others have already mentioned this, I won't belabor it.

Technique will give you some improvement, but weight training and improving your lactate tolerance will give you a much better boost.

Answer 6

1) Stay in the saddle for long climbs, find a comfortable gear, and get in a zone.

2) Ride with people a little bit stronger than you who can pace you up the climb.

3) Reduce the weight that you're carrying (buy a lighter bike frame, lighter components, etc.)

4) The less expensive approach to number 3, which is try to drop a couple of pounds off of your body.

Answer 7

Larger gears on a chain make hill climbing and acceleration easier (but remember, the bigger the gears, the larger the chain needs to be), but aren't good for maintaining kinetic energy and better top speed. I would recommend a bike with a "derailleur", a device that switches the chain between separate gears on your command with a handle control. Here is a little information on gear ratios and derailleurs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gear_ratio
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derailer
http://www.bhsi.org/randys/gears.htm

I hope that I helped!

Answer 8

Get off the seat. Put it in a gear where the pedalling is easier so you are turning over faster. Make sure your chain in clean, clean it periodically, which means take it off and run it through a cleaner -- this will increase performance. Work out on less steep hills to get your routine and rhythm down. Build up your quads.

Answer 9

In addition to all the other suggestions,

Try this technique I came up with while living in a hilly city:

Take advantage of a brief REST INTERVAL-lasting only a second or less - for your right then left leg/ foot separately after each side's pedal down-stroke.

In ther words,
Briefly rest the RIGHT leg/foot after its down-stroke, just before and during the other LEFT leg pedal down-stroke, and vice versa.

It works!

Answer 10

I.m Not a Guy -
but, here's an answer to go with all the others
(that were very good by the way)
Try Zig-Zagging. You know, on a steep hill, kinda go back and forth.
It takes a little longer, but you won't have a heart attack!!!