pushing uphill

for the bikers on here...question...  i got a bike about a month ago ,   I'm having difficulty getting up some hills on the mountain track by my house    what can I do to improve this??  gear shifting.. standing while i pedal??  there's two parts of the track where i have to get off the bike and walk it because the incline is a little bit extreme..

I have recently started on the bike as well and have a nasty 8% grade that is .25 miles long right outside of my neighborhood.  For me I have learned to pick up as much speed as I can leading up to it, and pedal in a gear as long as I can, stading up in the pedals and then down shift as I need to until I am in the smallest gear.  It takes time to get used to it but just push a bit more and a bit harder and farther each time.

Now there are lots of others here that hopefully will have much better advice.

for a very steep hill where you are getting off try to get in your granny gear early before you get too slow (easiest gear) and try to keep your cadence high while staying seated in the saddle, i..e, to where you are spinning the pedals quickly.  when you can't maintain your speed/momentum anymore, then get out of the saddle and stand up trying to increase your cadence while using your body weight while standing.  when you are out of the saddle, try to focus on pushing down and then pulling up on the pedals (if you are clipped in or using toe-clips) using your body weight and try not to lean too far forward over the handlebars.  if you find yourself downshifting while you are going too slow and are already struggling, you waited too long to downshift.  typically you will start at a flat road gear at the base of the hill, if it is steep you probably should be gearing down early, gear down as you climb but again, try to maintain your pace, if you slow down too quickly try to gear down faster next time.

thanks ill give it a try Wednesday when i go again

What he said.

Also, off the bike, do a lot of squats to help with leg and core strength. I recommend Tabata Squats in particular:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku-eOGXScOQ

Look at the gal in the maroon pants and white jacket in particular. That's your goal of how you want to do it. The ones going much slower? That's what you'll look like at first. :-D

An explanation of the concept:

http://board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=4154

ugh.  my back and quads hurt jus****ching that video :)

Alas, the best way to get good at riding hills is... riding hills :)   Remember that on a bicycle there is a ratio that is key. It is Power-to-weight ratio

The heavier we are, the stronger we have to have our legs to get up a hill fast. So dropping weight and increasing strength at the same time is ideal.

How do you think the guys on the Le Tour climb mountains at 20mph+... Because those guys are uber lean, weigh about 130 pounds wet, (If they are Lance Armstrong in circa 2001, possibly dope) and can squat your car.

Just practice at it. Sometimes getting out of the saddle works best. For me, I would rather tax my lungs than my legs. My heartrate spikes when I get out of the saddle, but it is far less brutal on my legs. Best of luck on your new found hobby!

Practice hills.  Everyone hates to hear that, but it's the way.  Find a hill ride up it, rinse and repeat.
Put your vision down and focus on the what is in front of you.  Don't stare at the top of the mountain, it gets discouraging.  Just keep going.

I alternate between sitting and standing.  Standing allows you to use your weight, but you lose some of the leverage of being connected to the seat.  I tend to gear up when I stand, then gear back down and spin when I sit.  You can also try different foot positioning.  Toe pointed up or toe pointed down.  By changing the way you are pedaling you can engage different muscles.

Get on the granny gear and get your cadence up.  It's more efficient and you can recover your cardio vascular system faster than your muscular system pushing a big gear.

Power to weight ratio.  Like dan said those guys are tiny.  The best hill climbers in the world average 2 pound per inch of height.  Look at them with their jersey open, they look like refuge camp survivors, but their legs look enormous.

You can also see about getting a different gear set.  Get a compact package or even a triple.  You can even put mountain bike gearing on a road bike with some modifications that give you the big dinner plate gear in the back.

"The best hill climbers in the world average 2 pound per inch of height."

Hey, that's what I weigh. 

So now I have no excuse... 

Well get your A$$ out on the course with me and let's power up some hills.  You should be totally dropping me and giving me a complex on our ride


Scott