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I try to put out a constant amount of effort no matter what slope I'm on: A constant 'cadence' of 60 to 90 RPM (that's how fast you spin the pedals) A constant force on the pedals The useful energy you put in is proportional to a product of the force multiplied by the cadence: spinning faster at the same force results in more energy input. To keep my ...

As noted above, part of the ranking of a climb depends on its placement within a stage: usually, the ending climb of a stage gets "bumped up" by a category. You can see that in the plots below, which show climbs as categorized by the organizers of the Tour de France itself for the 2012, 2007, 2005, and 2004 editions of the Tour, and plotted by the length of ...

I ride both SS/FG and approach climbing hills much of the same way I would if I were on a geared bike with one very big exception...MOMENTUM. When on a heavily geared SS/FG I gain as much speed as possible going into the hill and push hard to maintain it throughout the climb. Basic climbing tips: Slide back on saddle and drive heels through the bottom of ...

As has been mentioned, the actual categories are fairly subjective. Things such as the fame of a climb as well as how the organizers feel about giving out King of the Mountain points on a given stage will affect rankings. That said, there are some general rules of thumb if you want to get an idea of how your local climb rates up to a given ranked climb in ...

Presuming you are doing a standing start and coming to a complete stop at the top of the hill. The simple requirement is you need energy to move your from the bottom to the top. Most of the energy required will be to raise potential energy of the payload (you and the bike). Essentially you will be creating kinetic energy (moving the bike) by converting ...

For someone who hasn't been riding much, this climb will be brutal. But you'll be surprised at how quickly you'll make progress. Even though you might fail the first time you go up, this ride seems like a great challenge. Last year I coaxed a friend to start riding again. After a half dozen easier rides, we attempted a mountain climb similar to the ride ...

Hills can be frustrating. 'Jedi Mind Tricks' as well as common sense cycling should help you avoid that frustration and allow you to get more out of your ride. Go as straight up the hill as you go down it. Keep your handlebars pointing in the direction you are heading, plot a course that avoids the bumps and try not to let the front wheel weave from side ...

Basically whatever works. If you're trying to conserve energy it's foolish to push yourself going downhill, since energy lost per mile to wind resistance increases with the square of speed -- just take advantage of the "free ride" on a reasonably steep hill. Going uphill depends a lot on your physical condition and how steep the hill. You first need to ...

Will you damage components? Probably, if this is a repeated pattern, yes. When standing to climb you will be in a higher gear than when seated climbing. This means the cadence of your legs and pedals is slower. Add to the slower cadence the fact that you are powering down hard to accelerate uphill and there is significant power going through the chain and ...

As you have guessed, it is better to work harder on the uphill and rest on the downhill. And as others have mentioned, whatever works for you on the uphill in terms of balancing high cadence and mashing is best. However, there are a few guidelines that you can follow to approach each situation in the most efficient manner possible. Downhill: Since wind ...

There are various web sites that might help. I use one called http://ridewithgps.com. You need to register on it but you can get quite a lot from a free account. Does your GPS device output GPX files? If so, I think Ride With GPS can suck them in. If not you might have to put your route into the site manually (but this is easy enough). But what you do get ...

A cadence of 70 RPM while climbing is not unusually low, so switching to a lower gear may just encourage you to slow down instead of making you more efficient. But the only way to know for sure is to try it and measure the difference. There isn't necessarily a right cadence. The article Technique - Pedal like a pro reports that seven pro cyclists (a small ...

The tour organizers rank them subjectively based on their steepness, length, and also where they occur in the stage (climbs near the finish garner a higher ranking). Another criterion which seldom makes a big difference is road condition. Some people feel that the ratings have been inconsistent over the years, or have been inflated in recent years. In ...

If I on one ride add 1 kg of weight to the bike, how much slower (in time) will I be? Assuming that you and your bike mass 100kg (in round numbers), an extra 1kg causes a 1% increase in weight, i.e. a 1% increase in the potential energy associated with climbing the hill. If your power output is constant, that implies a 1% increase in time. However ...

Get a Sky Mounti inclinometer: Not terribly accurate, and not much use on rough pavement, but it gives you an immediate readout that doesn't "smooth over" the ups and downs the way that maps will. (I should state that it has a problem on level ground -- the faster you go (especially on rough pavement) the higher it reads. But get on a grade over 4-5% ...

I was in the same situation as you when I bought my racer a year ago. I struggled a lot in the hills, and my cadence would drop below 80 pretty fast. I had the same thought as you, that a bigger gear would only slow me down. I rode it out, and have improved my climb-times alot the last year. I still ride the lowest gear, but I can manage to keep a high ...

IF my hills are in the 4% or greater category, it is always going to take me longer to get up than to come back down. Example, a hill I ride frequently is about 4 - 5% and I ride it at about 7-8 mph and it takes me ~7 minutes to get up there. If I ride back down the same hill, I easily maintain 23-24 MPH and it takes me about 3-4 minutes to get down. If I ...

The gradient and length of your hill will influence how you handle it. Generally speaking it is good to maintain your momentum for as long as you can. Standing up is fine if you're intending to power up a short hill. If you're in it for a long slog, it is good to stay seated, put your hands on the flats, breath deeply and keep the upper body as relaxed as ...

It's a personal choice. If you're going to run the same tires, then just go with a spare cassette. It's pretty easy to swap them out, so I don't see that as a big deal. However, If you're going to have different tires and a different cassette, then I'd probably opt for the different wheelset. If you need a more durable wheelset for touring, you might also ...

I guess you may be working on the assumption that you have a total amount of energy for your ride and you choose which parts of the ride to use it on, or when to use it most quickly. Perhaps you suspect that, due to the lower wind resistance, you're better off spending more energy going uphill at the cost of needing to relax on the downhill? Consider the ...

On a longer hill, it's more efficient if you pedal while sitting. You can get quick acceleration standing up, and climbing a hill is essentially acceleration (gravitational), but if the hill is very long most people are more efficient taking it sitting down. I find that I can climb a hill faster at a lower gear and a faster cadence than my normal "straight ...

With the b-screw tightened all the way on the medium cage GS-4600 tiagra derailleur I was able to install the 11-32 cassette. It was obvious from the appearance that I wouldn't be able to squeeze any larger of a cassette on the rear wheel without switching to a long cage mountain or touring derailleur. There were no issues when shifting with the 34t front ...

It depends on the hills and your fitness. Assuming that your fitness is excellent and the hills mild, you would want to put out constant effort at your maximum that you could sustain without tiring out. You would maintain constant cadence and torque by shifting gears up and down as needed. On the other hand, If the hill is steep and long relative to your ...

A Joule is a Newton-meter and is also a Watt-second. Gravity is about 9.81 Newtons/kilogram. Raising 1 pound 1000 feet would be raising 0.4536kg 304.8 meters. So that would be 9.81 * 0.4536 * 304.8 = 1356 Joules, or 1356 Watt-seconds. Your peak sustained energy output is probably in the general range of 300 watts (and "cruising" would be somewhere ...

I am with M. Werner - couldn't be better said! A compromise idea might be to use 3-speed, Sturmey Archer hub gear. There is a minor weight penalty and that handlebar lever will completely ruin the look of the bike, however you will get a gear for the hills/speedy standing starts, a cruising gear and an overdrive gear. You do have to ease off the pedals to ...

You could try the Flüela Pass starting in Davos Switserland, going to Nauders / Austria: Or, for more alpine chic: the Albula pass between Davos and Sankt Moritz.

As already pointed out by the other answers, an additional kilogram is rather negligible when concerning purely the additional potential energy you need. But there are other factors where it may have a more or less larger effect. Firstly that your body does not necessarily respond linearly to higher load. As long as you are in a region where you can do the ...

I just modified my Merida Race Lite 903 which has a similar off the store set up like yours a week ago, the hills here are tough (Sangklaburi, Kanchanaburi, Thailand). I changed the Cassete that was 11/28T to 11/34T and it worked without replacing the rear derailleur with a long cage (XT Deore). did this by turning all the way to the bottom the screw of the ...

You are correct. You have answered your own question. A 30t cog is maximum for the Tiagra derailleur. Using anything larger risks damage to derailleur, derailleur hanger, rear wheel and your frame, since shifting into a cross chain position can tear your derailleur off the bike. At that point it usually ends up in your wheel, and jammed against the chain ...