# newbie on hill climbs



## gilligan (Mar 12, 2014)

give advise on how to climb i thought i was a pretty good rider until i got off those freshly paved trails went on to the real roads were i saw a couple of hills small ones i got through them until i came around corner and see another one this was step and long yes u got it about 1/4 way up i bailed and walked it legs were killing me and my heart was pounding how do i get better on hill climbs i do not want to try to find rides that have no hills i live in ct thats all there r is hills any kind of advise i would appreciate thanks


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## Guod (Jun 9, 2011)

gilligan said:


> give advise on how to climb i thought i was a pretty good rider until i got off those freshly paved trails went on to the real roads were i saw a couple of hills small ones i got through them until i came around corner and see another one this was step and long yes u got it about 1/4 way up i bailed and walked it legs were killing me and my heart was pounding how do i get better on hill climbs i do not want to try to find rides that have no hills i live in ct thats all there r is hills any kind of advise i would appreciate thanks


I try to use punctuation, correct grammar, and correct spelling. I've found the combination of the three allows me to tackle grades up to 35% in my 53/11.

Besides that, the only way to get better at hills is to climb more. Make sure you're not in too big of a gear and probably lose some weight. Not being snarky, but most of us could stand to lose a few pounds. The pros fly up those hills because they put out a crapload of power AND they're pretty damn slim. If you can get the latter half of that equation down (without costing yourself power, there is a limit) you'll be better off than 90% of the riders in your area. 2.2lbs per inch of height is the average for pros, getting closer to that will help alot.

But again, the biggest thing is just getting out there and doing alot of climbing.


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## Keoki (Feb 13, 2012)

Make sure your running either 39/25t or 36/23t.


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

Yep, go climb more hills. That's the best way to get better at climbing hills. Don't go too hard at the bottom, and shift down so you are not pedalling too slowly. That makes your legs tired quicker.

If you don't have low enough gears, get them. 

I suggest using punctuation in your posts. The easier your post is to read, the more people will read it and take time to write a useful answer.


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## BikeLayne (Apr 4, 2014)

I suppose the first thing I would look into is your position on the bike. If you are completely new to cycling you could ask somebody to help you with that. For example a seat that is terribly low would make climbing very difficult. Next up would be to make sure you have reasonably low gearing for your terrain and fitness level. I would recommend you go back to the ride you mentioned and try again making sure your gear selection is in the lower range and try to ride up the hills again trying to pace yourself so that you are not expending so much energy during the climb. Remember to save some energy for the last part of the climb. With proper fitting and experience selecting gears and some basic conditioning you will find that you are able to ride over any hill or mountain that you might encounter. Maybe not as fast as others but over the top you will go.


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

1. get compact crank and a 28t cassette. You cannot produce power if you can't turn over the crank!
2. lose some weight (eat less carbs, eat less food, especially at dinner time)

This simple (yet so hard for many to do) combination alone will dramatically make you faster on the hills.

The power will come as you ride more, and with more power, you'll only go faster now that you have less baggage.


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## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

gilligan said:


> ... legs were killing me and my heart was pounding how do i get better on hill climbs...


Ride till your legs are killing you and your heart is pounding and then keep going. You have to force yourself well past your comfort zone. Every time you do this, your legs will be killing you and your heart will be pounding but you'll gradually start going a bit faster and longer. Do this twice a week and do much easier rides in between to allow time to recover. Over several years of consistent training you will become substantially faster and be able to go substantially longer.


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## duriel (Oct 10, 2013)

looigi said:


> Ride till your legs are killing you and your heart is pounding and then keep going.


Not always the best advice, keep doing that and your end up with injury.
My advice is to take it easy at the bottom, keep your cadence up and dole out your energy so that you can finish the climb... not have to stop and rest. You want to have gas in the tank at the top.
Once you can make the top you can start laying on the power till you can't breath... but only at the last 200 yds at the top.
Get hill gears if you don't have them.


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