Timeline for How to climb a hill as a beginner
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
16 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| May 26, 2016 at 7:20 | comment | added | GT. | HRMs have become less expensive recently and are EXCELLENT for tracking progress and working out when you're 'gassing'.(I notice nobody mentioned HR in this series of comments - bike riders seem to use them less than I would expect). There's a teensy (300m) 11% hill (34m rise) that is the last bit of my ride home... when I first tried it, I had to get off and push (this was at the end of an 11km ride on an old bike that weighs 17kg... and I'm 104kg)... and my HR was 172. Now I can scoot up it on the seat and my HR stays below 150. | |
| Jul 24, 2015 at 5:51 | comment | added | Sumyrda - remember Monica | Standing also helps when no lower gear is available. You can work with your arms by tilting the bike slightly away from the foot that is pedaling forward & down. | |
| Jul 22, 2015 at 9:20 | comment | added | joeytwiddle | Standing allows you to do some of the work with your arms, which may help the op who said his legs give up. It might require more oxygen because it produces more speed! If you can do the hill quickly, I think that's easier than doing it slowly. However I think that is more applicable to short steep hills than longer ones. | |
| Jul 22, 2015 at 5:02 | history | edited | dlu | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
Incorporate @andy256's comment about standing.
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| Jul 22, 2015 at 2:36 | comment | added | Daniel R Hicks | It should be noted that you should not work your legs to exhaustion every day, but should provide a day or two between difficult rides to allow your muscles to recover and build up more strength/endurance. | |
| Jul 21, 2015 at 23:01 | comment | added | dlu | That's interesting about standing – it doesn't seem that way when I do it. | |
| Jul 21, 2015 at 22:51 | comment | added | andy256 | The advice about goal setting is good. My brother is five years younger than me, and we had to ride to and from school together. Picture 12 yo riding with 7 yo. Come on. One more tree! Fast forward 10 years. Younger brother is national junior champion. Says Come on. One more tree! | |
| Jul 21, 2015 at 22:48 | comment | added | andy256 | Advice to pedal standing up is really counter-productive. It uses more oxygen and actually produces less power than could be produced by a lower gear and spinning. It should only be used for a short period. | |
| Jul 21, 2015 at 22:21 | comment | added | dlu | @BPugh that's a good idea! I have this hill that I used to be deathly afraid of, it is one side of a descent to about 1.5 km of beautiful ride along the water. Then you get to climb back up on the other side. The side I was afraid of is, I think, steeper in parts, but it also has some very shallow sections. I think the extremes are around 2% on the shallow end and 12% on the steep end. When I finally screwed up the courage to try it I found it was easier than the other side which is a steady 7-8%. The spots where it eases up makes all the difference. A short break would do it too, I think. | |
| Jul 21, 2015 at 20:39 | comment | added | BPugh | @GordonCopestake I have a similar hill in my commute and I find that just stopping for a few seconds for a drink and a breath is enough to keep me on the bike instead of walking it. Most of the time I'm still on the saddle but getting off of it seems to work better. | |
| Jul 21, 2015 at 16:50 | comment | added | FreeMan | +1 for the goal setting alone! Keep track of where you stop, and try to make it at least a crank-revolution or two further each time. Before you know it, you'll be riding over the top wondering what the big deal was. | |
| Jul 21, 2015 at 12:33 | history | edited | dlu | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
Strategy idea
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| Jul 21, 2015 at 12:27 | history | edited | dlu | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
Update based on gearing info.
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| Jul 21, 2015 at 12:23 | vote | accept | Gordon Copestake | ||
| Jul 21, 2015 at 11:59 | comment | added | Gordon Copestake | Thanks for your answer dlu, some great suggestions there. I must admit I've not tried a higher gear, one for next time. Also, I have to admit I can't remember WHY I have to stop and walk, just that I do! I'll pay more attention next time as like you say, it can give a good clue as to where the problem lies. | |
| Jul 21, 2015 at 11:04 | history | answered | dlu | CC BY-SA 3.0 |