Different riding styles to match conditions–Part 1, Uphill

image courtesy of istockphoto.comOnce you have ridden a bicycle for a while, you may begin to notice that you avoid certain kinds of rides or routes because they are particularly difficult.  Alternatively, you may notice yourself adjusting your riding style in certain areas to make the ride a little easier.  You can do a lot to make a ride less painful/exhausting and more pleasant, and thus open up lots of routes and areas you might normally stay away from.  No type of conditions illustrate this better than hill riding.  Most cyclists dread hills to one degree or another, but some cyclists fear them so completely that they avoid hills altogether.  Other cyclists may not be in love with hills, but know how to ride them, and are often rewarded with beautiful views and less-crowded roads as a result.  Hopefully these tips will help make you more like “I don’t love hills but I can ride them” than like “That ride has a hill climb? Forget it”.

1. Clean and lube your chain before a hilly ride.  Having a clean, lubed chain helps you shift smoothly into and out of the right gear for climbing.  Pedaling also feels, well, cleaner with a clean chain…I don’t know whether the chain actually powers the bike more efficiently, but it feels like it, and any psychological edge you can get will help you when you’re climbing a tough hill.
2. Proper tire inflation helps.  I was taught that, depending on your weight and the maximum air pressure for your tires, you will want your front tire at slightly less pressure than your rear tire.  I don’t remember the exact formula, but I have 120 psi tires on my road bike, and I weigh about 200 pounds.  I always inflate my rear tire to the full 120 psi right before a ride, and I keep my front tire about 4 psi under that (so about 116 psi).  This seems to help with climbing.  The less you weigh, the less air pressure is needed in your tires, and if your tires are low-pressure to begin with (say, 55 psi maximum) then you probably don’t want to monkey very much with that maximum air pressure.
3. Keep low and forward on an uphill.  When riding uphill you are at a disadvantage if riding in your normal posture.  Both gravity and the tilt of the incline will try to pull you backward and up out of your seat at the same time…unless you get extra points for doing tricks, don’t pop a wheelie.   Scoot forward on the saddle (this makes having padded shorts EXTRA important) and lean forward.  Depending on the severity of the grade, you may have to go into a stand (see below) to keep your upright position, but you should avoid this if possible.
4. Be in the right gear at the right time.  I address this a bit in my previous post, but it bears repeating.  Shift into your climbing (some call it “granny”) gear before you absolutely need to, and then let the hill catch up to you and slow your cadence (i.e. pedaling rate).  Unless you are a professional racer or something, it is much better to downshift too early than to be caught straining and needing to downshift on a steep incline.  Also, what exactly constitutes the “right” gear is up to you, but in general it should be a gear that you can keep a decent cadence on…if you are spinning the pedals super fast and free with minimal effort, you need to shift up, and if you are straining at the pedals in super slow motion, you need to shift down (if you can).  I have been told that 40 rpm is probably too slow a cadence for climbing unless you are resting…everyone has their preference though…play around with a few different gears while climbing and figure out your preferences.
5. Use your arms and core, as well as your legs, to climb.  Climbing up a hill with your legs pumping, your torso and head will naturally start to tilt upright and back…keep that low, forward posture.  Tighten your core and pull with your arms as you pedal.  On a really steep hill, you can pull yourself towards your handlebars with each pedal stroke, and I’ve found it really does help.  It wears out other parts of your body, sure, but it takes a little of the wear off of your legs.
6. Don’t go into a stand unless you have to.  We all grew up watching the Tour De France on TV and seeing the cyclists ascend the Alps or the Pyrenees standing up on their pedals, slowly rocking their bike frames side to side.  It looks really cool (at least to me), but it isn’t.  I’ve since learned that the only reason they do that standing pedal is they’re exhausted and trying to stay upright.  A standing pedal is actually much less efficient than staying in the saddle and pedaling.  In most cases you would be better off shifting into a climbing gear and doing a seated pedal, especially for long climbs, than doing the Tour De France slow-mo stand.
7. Make the most of flatter parts of the climb by taking “rolling breaks”.  On some hills, you might be asking, “what flatter parts?  It’s all steep!”  This could be true, but most hills have short sections where the incline levels off, even just a little bit.  You might be tempted to speed up and take these sections quickly.  But if it’s a long, sustained climb, you could really benefit by giving yourself a quick breather (even if it isn’t a full break from climbing).
8. It takes less energy to ride the bike than to walk it.  We’ve all been there before (I know I have, anyway, many times)…sucking wind like there’s no tomorrow, legs fried, wanting nothing more than for this hill climbing nonsense to end.  Then, the next thing you know, you’re beside your bike pushing it up the hill.  Sometimes you have nothing left in the tank and this is really all you can do, but avoid pushing the bike if at all possible.  You may feel better pushing the bike in the short run because you’re catching your breath, but in the long run you’ll be more worn out and fried than if you had kept pedaling.  Sometimes just getting off the bike and taking a quick breather and a stretch is enough to enable you to get back on and finish the hill pedaling.  I would recommend trying this first, before engaging in any long distance bike pushing.