cycling: what is the best way or technique to get more speed in climbing mountain?

Question

climbing technique and much more easier in a better way

Answer 1

The only way to get better or faster when climbing is to do more of it. The most effective way to climb is to stay seated as much as possible. When climbing you will exert a large amount of energy, since we are not machines we need to utilize our power output as best we can, the goal then is to use this energy as effectively as you can. First standing is NOT a efficient as sitting, when standing you are supporting your body weight, this is a major waste of your limited energy supply and you will tire sooner. Save the standing for attacks and quick sudden climbs or when you need to give your backside a break. To improve your climbing ability check out this, http://www.bicycling.com/article/1,6610,s1-4-41-16407-1,00.html
Unfortunately there is no easy way out when it comes to climbing, so if you are riding steep roads, find a good gear, sit and spin.

Answer 2

I think the legnth of your legs affects whether it's best to sit or stand. I have long legs and can sit for a while but stand when it gets tough. I've tried sitting but it just doesn't cut it.

Also never let any part of your body go past the front axel of the front wheel. You want weight forward but you don't want it so far foreward that you are mashing the front wheel into the asphalt.

Dance on the pedals don't mash them. A little cha cha will get you up the hill.

Your upper body should be helping your climb! It doesn't do jack the other 99.9% of the time so be pulling on the horns with your biceps to push your body down on the pedals when standing. Make them earn their free ride.

Answer 3

There is some good stuff and some bad stuff in some of the answers here. To summarize the good stuff:

1. Get a clipless pedal system. They'll do wonders to keep your feet properly situated over the pedals. As well, they will allow you to develop an upstroke.

2. Sitting to climb is good. Standing to climb is good. But contrary to some respondents, one is not better than the other. The best style for you depends on your body and the situation. You need to spend some time figuring out the most efficient pedalling style for yourself. Are you able to spin high RPMs for long periods while seated? Are you able to mash the pedals at low RPMs for long periods while seated? Are you able to stand and mash? Are you able to stand and spin? No doubt, there is a style that works best for you and it may be very different from the style of your riding partners.

In any case, despite what is most efficient for you, there may be times you want to jump up and power over short hills. You may have to sit and spin long climbs. On very long climbs, you will almost certainly want to combine seated pedalling with out of the saddle pedalling. If nothing else, this allows your to tax different muscles as you wend your way up the hill. Again, one is not better than the other, they are different.

3. The more you climb, the better you'll get. You'll know your most efficient pedalling style, you'll be better able to judge the shape of hills, when to push hard, when to spin, etc.

Beyond this, you need to listen to your body and know what is going on inside you. For one, you must remain aerobic on long climbs. Your ability to maintain a pace is limited if you go anaerobic. High speed spinning tends to tax the cardio-vascular system. You'll find your heart rate goes quite high and your breathing gets ragged when spinning. Mashing, on the other hand, will not drive the heart rate so high, but will make your legs burn until you reach the point of muscular exhaustion. Climbing often requires you to find the balance between your leg muscles burning and your cardio-vascular system burning. Just remember muscular exhaustion tends to require a longer recovery period than cardio-vascular exhaustion.

Finally, lose weight. If you are already lean, get a lighter bicycle. If you are carrying extra weight around lose it. In the Tour de France, for example, you'll notice the great climbers are always the leanest cyclists. Extra ounce don't have much effect when you are riding flats and descending, but they kill your climbing capability. The great coach and author of: "The Cyclists Training Bible", Joe Friel, says no world class climber weights more than 2 pounds per inch of height. If you do the math, you'll realize great climbers are super thin.

Hope I've laid things out in a way you find helpful. Climbing is a tough business and I hope this helps you improve.

Answer 4

Wow, lots of talk back and forth about sitting and standing. I do hills a little different if I'm on the road or on mountain bike trails. MTB trail riding has traction, balance and shifting added to the mix as well. I'll assume your talking about the road.

1st if your discussing pros, well we aren't pros. And, in fact pros sit most of the time. How most people do hills depends on steepness, length and how tired you are. (and you weight for us non-pros)

Sitting uses less energy. Standing uses more, but produces more power. That should make sense, more power = more energy needed. Short, steep hills I may likely stand (to keep my speed up), long moderate climbs, I sit to conserve energy. Hills a little less steep I mostly sit and stand if my legs get too tired. When you stand you bring other muscles into play producing more power, giving a little break for you legs but taxes your cadio capacity much more. If you're heavy standing will suck your energy really FAST. Very light riders find standing much easier than heavy riders.

On hills, my cadence slows to about 70-75 sitting, I note that I see this often with many seasoned riders I hang with too. Newbies tend to go up at around a 100. I pass them all day long. If I go below 70 I start to bog down. If I stand, my cadance may be even slower 60 - 70. High cadance while standing is very inefficient and will tire you very quickly.

Aside from what I mentioned so far, clipless pedals are a must. I put my hands on the bar tops and sit up to let my lungs expand. I start to bob as I tire, then likely stand for a while. I like to attack hills if I'm up to it, on occassion, I'm wiped out so I sit and spin up at 80 RPM in a low gear so as not to blow up.

Hills take lots of experience, you will learn how to relax every muscle not used to climb, how to conserve energy, that's what biking is all about - wise use of limited energy and power.

Answer 5

For longer climbs you need to stand up. One of the greatest climbers ever, Marco Pantani would climb almost excusively standing up. Sitting only when he wanted to rest. Definitely get clip in pedals, but your greatest improvement will come when you can stand for extended periods of time. Go do a climb standing up, then do it again sitting down, you'll clearly see that you're faster standing up.

Answer 6

Firstly, you need to put your weight over the front wheel, so that you are not wobbling as you climb. Look at dropping your bars (Inverting your stem may help.).

Next, you might consider purchasing a clip in peddle system. Normally, when peddling, the downward stroke will provide power for 1/3 of your revolution. However, because you are able to pull on your peddle, as well as push, when cliped in, you are able to increase this to 2/3 of the revulution under power.

Standing up is great for powering up short climbs, but for longer ascents you might struggle. You might consider getting into a lower gear, so that you are putting less power into the stroke, but peddling faster (Stick your bumb backwards to ensure that there is grip on the rear wheel, but pull yourself forward on the bars, pulling your body forward). This is more efficient, since if you are standing up and get into difficulties, you might damage your cogs if you change halfway though a power climb. It is easier to add power from a lower gear, than to drop a gear when you start to wobble.

If you look at most race riders, they will try to stay in the saddle for longer, only standing up when they need to power up a particularly steep bit.

Luck

Answer 7

its more effective to climb out of the saddle. you use your body weight to power each stroke and can climb standing in a higher gear than seated. position yourself in an upright position and have a relaxed grip on the handle bars, using the handle bars for stability only and try not to swing the bike from side to side. to improve your 'out of saddle' climbing climb standing for 20 revolutions then sit for 20 and so on. as time goes on you can stay standing for longer until you climb the whole way standing. good luck!

Answer 8

Alex nailed the answer on this one!

If you don't have some kind of cleat on your shoes for clipless pedals, get some(well, and the pedals too). In the hills they make all the difference in the world.