Sit or stand

maconsid

I changed a few months ago to clipless and I haven't really got the hand of standing in them.

Is it worthwhile to improve hill climbing? Or just stick to downshifting and wheezing in the seat?

Pinch Flat

maconsid wrote: »

I changed a few months ago to clipless and I haven't really got the hand of standing in them.

Is it worthwhile to improve hill climbing? Or just stick to downshifting and wheezing in the seat?

Standing up can be good for power and stretching. It also uses a lot more energy.

My preference is to sit as long as I can and stand up occassionally.

Domane

I was the same as you but my problem was finding the right gear for the hill so I could stand and pedal comfortably. Too low a gear and I'd be bobbing up and down. Too high a gear and it'd be murder trying to mash the pedals while standing. There's no hard and fast rules as all hills are different but it's good to stand up and pedal now and then anyway as it gives your ass a rest

jon1981

What do you mean? Climbing out of the saddle or idling in traffic?

If it's climbing, in the saddle is more efficient but takes practice and more practice. Having a good cleat setup is super important to ensure you're engaging the right muscles. When I first set might cleats up I was engaging the calves and not nearly enough quad, once i changed that around my performance improved greatly when in the saddle.

I only get out of the saddle when I'm going for a burst of speed ( while shifting to a harder gear) , when hitting an extremely steep section and ran out of gears or when my arse is sore

maconsid

Generally climbing. On long climbs I can end up spinning as I lost momentum and busting a lung. I'm wondering if practicing standing and mashing a bit might save me some oxygen!

jon1981

How long are you cycling and how much hill climbing do you typically do ?

maconsid

Not a great deal of sustained climbing at the moment. Do a couple of 100km a week generally and been cycling six months.

jon1981

That's plenty of training I do Howth head in Dublin alot so i get a good chance to practice on hills.

GCN did a short video on this , it came down to personal preference but in general on long draggy climbs stay in the saddle and on short steep ascents get out of the saddle, seem to be the preference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVxGFOb1KTY

maconsid

I passed through Sutton this morning and glanced up, but declined! Its on my list