Hill climbing

[Boxhilljunkie]

Hill climbs...I think I do ok, like Alberto I'm a stander as I just find it easier and it stretches out the muscles too.
But this got me thinking yesterday am I making my legs less stronger than if I sit??
Standing I can get a nice rhythm going, but sitting you can get higher cadence .
But I find it hard to sit down on hills as I can feel the inner thigh tighten early on.

just makes me think because regularly I get riders zoom past me on box sitting

[coolboarder]

Hill climbs...I think I do ok, like Alberto I'm a stander as I just find it easier and it stretches out the muscles too.
But this got me thinking yesterday am I making my legs less stronger than if I sit??
Standing I can get a nice rhythm going, but sitting you can get higher cadence .
But I find it hard to sit down on hills as I can feel the inner thigh tighten early on.

just makes me think because regularly I get riders zoom past me on box sitting

Sitting and spinning a high cadence is definitely the best way, if its making your legs hurt you obviously need to train on this aspect and it doesn't seem intuitive to start with. I will get out of the saddle for a short sharp climb to maintain speed but anything more than 30 secs I sit.

Interesting observation in Phil Gaimon's book that one rider he rode with on Cannodale (I think it was Mike Woods) used to stand to climb and he thought it was because as he came from a running background it was more similar to running on a bike.

[PRSboy]

I find it uses different muscle groups. On sustained shallow climb like Box Hill I would stay seated and spin, on something steeper when my cadence drops I would do both sitting and standing, alternating say 20 spins seated, 10 standing. Another good tactic is to stand near the top and power through and over the summit.

On a short climb which I hit at speed I will get off the saddle, but stay in the drops, and (hopefully) power over it without needing to change gear.

'Over-geared' climbing is generally put forward as a way of building leg muscle (or knackering your knees!)

[coolboarder]

'Over-geared' climbing is generally put forward as a way of building leg muscle (or knackering your knees!)

Definitely the latter outweighs the former.

[Boxhilljunkie]

It's interesting that most only do short stints standing....the longest stint I've done standing is 57mins ( alpe du zwift).... which was more harder as the bike doesn't rock for me to build a rhythm.
dont get me wrong I can do most hills sitting....it's just if I want to go faster I have to stand...but if this knackers your knees then I'll have to rethink this!!

[PRSboy]

It won't hurt your knees unless you deliberately grind away up hill in a silly big gear (some think its like pushing big weights in the gym, which it may be, if done properly). Spinning up Contador style won't do any harm at all!

Blimey, 57 mins out of the saddle... good work!

[Boxhilljunkie]

Ahh I get ya...no I don't go on stupid size gears...just what's comfortable!!

im glad my knees with be safe...lol, yeah the 57min thing it's not something I'm in a hurry to do again...ahh the things we do on this forum to top the charts..ha ha ha

[Avoid Paris]

If I ride with someone slower than me up a hill. I find it harder than going a little bit faster at my own pace.

Rays 101 strange facts..

[VLAD (the Friendly Vamp)]

It uses more energy standing up on hills than sitting as more muscle groups used.

Its faster but harder on the body.

Like others I generally sit, then stand when slowing to build up the pace again then sit back down and love to power over the tops.

One climb around her is a nice 4% to start -5% in the midle and then 6% at the top and going over goes to 4% again. - I love to stand all the way up and honk like mad - but it kills your legs and as it steepens you feel it and they go like jelly and you crumble.

It tok me 3 years to get 1st place in the club over that climb and I'm still 20 seconds away from KOM. - bet he used a car !!!

[dickmarl]

it's just if I want to go faster I have to stand

Is that even for sustained periods? I find that I definitely climb faster seated, obviously a short effort standing can be quicker, but that can't be sustained for too long.

I can't help feeling that you're doing something wrong in terms of gear selection or cadence or something. Everything I've ever read states that you climb more quickly and more efficiently when seated.