# Struggling with climbing hills?



## victorhooi

Hi,

I've recently been introducing my fiance to road cycling. She's doing pretty well, but is really struggling with hills.

We do a weekly ride on weekends, of around 8km, which takes us around 30 minutes:

plus.google.com/115142101575949904886/posts/cGwe7Hp57Mw

The area around us is quite hilly, and she really struggles on some of the hills.

She's riding a aluminium Giant OCR Zero roadbike, with Shimano Tiagra gearing - it's not the lightest bike or the most well-specced, but it's certainly not that heavy either.

I was thinking of getting her a new groupset - possibly the SRAM WiFli ones, with a 11-32 rear cassette - I was thinking that might help her climb better? What are your thoughts on that?

I notice she often has quite low cadence - around 40 rpm on those hills - I find it quite hard climbing those same hills at those cadences - I'm usually doing 80-80 rpm.

I always tell her to increase her cadence, but she says it's quite hard.

Struggling with the hills seems to be the tough part for her - and me yelling at her to grit her teeth and push through probably isn't going to make my home life easier...lol. :mad2:

I was wondering if perhaps some of the other female cyclists on these forums could offer any advice for her?  Or anything that might encourage her, or make things easier? Whether technique wise, or psychologically?

She's also worried about cycling making her legs look "huge" - I told her that she probably didn't need to worry about that, at these levels - however, what do you guys think?

Cheers,
Victor


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## LauraS

I think she should use the easiest gears available if she's having that much trouble on the hills! The SRAM wifli really helped make my husband more comfortable and faster on climbs. If she's not in her easiest gear going up those hills at 40rpms, she should be. I am at around 60 on must hard hills, a little slower on really steep (like 18%). Most moderate hills I'm at 70. Until I'm spinning at 80ish rpms, I see no point in shifting to a harder gear! And unless her legs are stick thin now, (and probably even if they are) cycling will not make them bulkier. My thighs are way slimmer now as a regular rider of 6 or more hours per week, than when I was a competitive swimmer.


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## tednugent

I'm assuming her Tiagra is a 10-speed...

The rear derailleur is rated at 30T... so, a 32T might fit. Worse case scenario, you have to put a 9-speed SLX dereailleur (MTB).

One of my friends...she's a runner/cyclist... and her calves are huge! But I know of other ladies with slimmer legs...so it varies.


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## yoshirama

tednugent said:


> I'm assuming her Tiagra is a 10-speed...
> 
> The rear derailleur is rated at 30T... so, a 32T might fit. Worse case scenario, you have to put a 9-speed SLX dereailleur (MTB).
> 
> One of my friends...she's a runner/cyclist... and her calves are huge! But I know of other ladies with slimmer legs...so it varies.


I was under the impression that large calves is more directly the result of being a runner than a cyclist. Then again, I'm not expert in this.


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## 3DKiwi

Rather than a new group set I would at getting her a modestly priced mountain bike with a triple chainring. Put some Kenda road slicks (80PSI) on it and she'll have no problems going up the hills. I did several road cycle races earlier this year on my hardtail mountain bike with road slicks on (before I lashed out on a road bike). I was overtaking a lot of people on the steep hills despite having a bike that weighed a ton. I was able to spin away in 3rd gear while many of the people on road bikes were struggling in their lowest gear. I've had this myself on really steep hills with my new road bike, the lowest gear isn't low enough to keep up a decent cadence.

As for legs, all the woman I've seen in my mountain biking club usually have very shapely legs rather than muscly looking legs. Cycling will just tone her legs. Just wish I could get my wife out cycling


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## love4himies

Is she in the lowest gear possible? I know it took my hubby many, many times to tell me to gear down, but I thought it was easier in a higher gear at a lower cadence, boy was I wrong. 

The other thing is the mental side. I concentrate on only a few feet ahead and keeping my cadence smooth. I'm thinking push, push, push, and keeping my upper body still. On steep, familiar hills, I have "milestones" that I think about getting past.

How is her grip? I find the harder I grip, the more energy I am wasting on that grip, so now, I just rest my hands on my hoods.

Another important thing is to take in as much oxygen as possible by keeping the airways open. Riding up on the hoods and keeping the chin up so the esophagus is open and breath in filling the lungs to capacity. For me, it takes some concentration on bringing that little bit more oxygen, but makes a huge difference.

No worries on the huge muscular legs, cycling tends to tone them, more than build muscle mass.

If you are talking to her while she is climbing, that may be disrupting her concentration. I know it does for me and screws me right up. I prefer to climb up by myself, hubby goes up ahead and waits at the top.


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## spade2you

What sort of crank is she using? Clipless pedals?

If she's climbing at 40rpm, I'd think she isn't pushing herself and probably doesn't like the pain of doing so. 

Climbing with higher cadence won't make legs look huge.


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## YamaDan

You need to find a way to make it fun. Get her some music to rock out to, or chat with her on the way up, or set up a "sprint" for her to race you.. let her beat you. Make her beleive it's fun. Get her cadence up in the 90's, spinning is good, mashing on the peddals, bad. If she learns to spin, she'll have nicley toned legs.. Win Win!

The more fun it becomes for her, the more she'll push herself..


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## aureliajulia

Maybe she just needs time and a little quiet from your end? And fewer climbs. She's a beginner, right?

Mashing gears is more likely to develop bulk than spinning. But don't look at me, I got my first road bike with drop bars with I was around 9, and I used to be a ballet dancer. What's wrong with muscle?


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## tednugent

3DKiwi said:


> Rather than a new group set I would at getting her a modestly priced mountain bike with a triple chainring. Put some Kenda road slicks (80PSI) on it and she'll have no problems going up the hills. I did several road cycle races earlier this year on my hardtail mountain bike with road slicks on (before I lashed out on a road bike). I was overtaking a lot of people on the steep hills despite having a bike that weighed a ton. I was able to spin away in 3rd gear while many of the people on road bikes were struggling in their lowest gear. I've had this myself on really steep hills with my new road bike, the lowest gear isn't low enough to keep up a decent cadence.
> 
> As for legs, all the woman I've seen in my mountain biking club usually have very shapely legs rather than muscly looking legs. Cycling will just tone her legs. Just wish I could get my wife out cycling


Sounds more expensive.... this is assuming the current Tiagra on the OP's wife's bike is a 10-speed. A SRAM PG-1050 11-32t is less than $100. If a SLX 9-speed derailleur is needed, also less than $100. Add labor, and it's cheaper than a new modest mountain bike.

A 9-speed tiagra? A mtb derailleur, probably 8-speed should be still available to buy.


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## BostonG

Some strange responses and guesswork here that aren’t common to this site. Talk to her while she’s having trouble climbing? AAHHHHHH!!!! Give me a pillow to yell into please. Put it in a lower gear? Ummm, yeah and also let her know that the best way to stop is to use the brake. 

Tough love here partner - encouragement and technique will do little to make up for a lack of fitness. Ya gotta have the fitness to implement the technique and the teraain you are riding is obviously too much at this stage. 40 rpms is too low, she needs lower gears or better, avoid the hills until she builds more strength, endurance, and power. Or start with much lesser hills, and not many. It’s not really different for women as it is for men. I would concentrate on lengthening the rides rather than having her mashing up hills for now. And am I reading you correctly when you say “We do a weekly ride on weekends” – does that mean you do 1 ride a week of 30 minutes? 

Cycling does not make legs huge – there’s no guesswork here. It tones and slims and that goes for all levels (not just beginners), pros very much included – look at the legs of the top pro racers. Their legs are very far from huge. So unless she is working towards being a hardcore sprint track racer, she has little to be concerned with.

Keep taking her out on rides where she is forced to crank 40rpms and her cycling career will be short – as in maybe 5 rides, max.


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## aureliajulia

FWIW, 'Women's' Cycling is usually women discussing cycling. Not men discussing how to 'deal' with women who ride.

Jeeze.


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## Alfonsina

Buy her a decent CF road bike with good components. Hills just take work, i have no idea on cadence as I run out of gears on my hills pretty quickly (I live in the Wasatch so my hill my not be yours) . I love the effort of hill climbs as see it as a personal challenge. Some of my female friends agree, the others just don't come LOL. Is your bike vastly superior?


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## Cni2i

OP: you stated you "recently" introduced her to road cycling. Common....give her a little time to become a more efficient and better "climber". Having said that, she's got to WANT to become better also and work at it. Otherwise, just enjoy the ride with her and wait for her at the top. No big deal.


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## victorhooi

heya,

Thanks for everybody for their helpful replies =).

Pedals - she's using Shimano clipless pedals - problem is, she's scared of falling, so she only ever clips one side in. She leaves the other side unclipped in, and just pushes on that pedal.

I'm trying to coax her into clipping both in. Are there any severe issues with only clipping in one side?

And yes, it is a weekly ride of 30 minutes. Is that not enough to see any serious improvement on her climbing/riding?

I do have a bike trainer, I can probably whack her bike in there, and she can take it for a ride? Or failing that - are spin classes any help at all? (I've never been).

And yes, I know she needs to work on fitness. She doesn't like running though, nor swimming (I do both of those as well, and cycling was the only thing she's up for yet...lol) - she likes dance classes though? Are there any other non-cycling activities that would also help with the riding?

I did buy her a cadence meter, specifically to avoid her mashing gears...lol. I guess I just have to help her get over this hump and start improving. Looking forward to doing longer/tougher rides with her =).

Cheers,
Victor


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## love4himies

Is she in the lowest gear going up the steep hills? 

When I started road biking, I used flat petals until I was comfortable with biking (I was terrified of being clipped in), then went to clipless. I would think it would be hard to concentrate on changing gears, her cadence and having a fear of falling. She really sounds a lot like me when I started out. 

I think spin classes will help with cycling, anything really that strengthens the legs and increases aerobics.


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## BostonG

I can’t figure out if you are trolling but I’ll assume you’re not and treat this with kid gloves.

First, I understand that you posted in this forum to try and get encouragement from women for a woman but this sounds nothing like a woman specific issue. It’s just a new rider issue and may be better suited for the Beginner Forum area. FWIW I’ll start by saying this, I have much more respect for people who are less fit and trying than I do for the one’s who are more fit and trying. That’s because it’s not easy to swallow your pride, put yourself out there and expose yourself and struggle, so tip of my chapeau to your lady for having the strength to do that.

You don’t really expect anyone to say that it’s OK to just have one side clipped in do you? At the distance you guys are riding I would question the value of using clipless pedals, more importantly however is that I would heavily question the value of clipless when only using one side – it is probably more detrimental than flat pedals. I understand there are hills involved and clipless can be useful for that but even if she clips in both sides, I would question whether she is using them properly. So I have a lot of questioning going on. Bottom line, if she’s going to use them, then use them. She needs to get over her fear of falling and here’s a dirty secret, she probably will (fall that is). So she can do her best and deal with it when/if she does fall or lose the clipless until she’s ready. She can practice clipping in and out on a trainer or on a soft surface like grass. People hype up the benefits of clipless pedals but for the majority of newbs they’re just a distraction. Gain confidence and control first, then progress. 

My kid glove answer to the time question is no, 30 minutes once a week is not enough to see improvement, much less “serious” improvement. It’s very far from enough, very far. Have I used the word very enough, probably not – very, very, very, very etc. Even sports aside, I can’t really think of anything that 30 minutes 1x per week will help to improve. 

Yes, spin classes are helpful and the trainer is as well, so if she can’t get outside to ride then those are good alternatives to build strength but they will not help with handling of course. 

Everyone can use work on fitness so I wasn’t being insulting by saying that in my other post – I meant that she’s obviously not ready to go up that hill. Any hill that has any newb cranking at 40 rpm’s is a hill they are not ready for and will likely serve to discourage them from riding. 

Other sports that help with riding? I guess Xcountry skiing or rollerblading maybe but the best sport for being a stronger rider is cycling. So if she has time to do other sports, why not ride? Unless she enjoys some others more, in which case she should do those rather than slog at low cadences and torture herself. 

Instead of being all antsy about doing longer/tougher rides with her, consider helping her find a group to ride with that is at her level. They’ll have more suitable routes and she’ll be less likely to feel that the sport isn’t for her. 

It’s been really hard to get through this without being sarcastic and making the so many wonderful jokes I have about how to encourage her to get up a hill so I hope you appreciate that. OK, just one harmless one – perhaps you can try putting a life sized cardboard cutout of a surly, stubly and half naked Brad Pitt at the top?

Edit: Or a cardboard cutout of me


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## orbit

Victor, how keen on cycling is she? While it's great that you are encouraging her into riding so that its something you can do together, if she's really not that enthusiastic about it for herself and is only doing it for you, then pushing her to too hard, too soon will probably mean she'll give up entirely in a few weeks.

If you want her to develop a genuine interest in the sport for her own sake, whether it be for health & fitness, or just the fun of riding around, then you'll need to make the whole process as enjoyable & stress free as possible in these early days.

1. You need to reduce her anxiety over riding clip less. There are other options. Change the pedals to platforms with toe clips. Or Shimano have a version that have a platform one side and clip less the other. Or crank brother 'candies' have a small platform area and also work with Shimano cleats. Talk to her about it, see what she would feel comfortable with.

2. I see you're in Sydney. Why not do a few rides together in Centennial Park? The Grand Drive circuit is pretty flat, but if you want more of a work out, you can add in some hill climbs by taking Loch Avenue or Parkes Drive. This might be more enjoyable riding for her at this stage. (Midweek riding is better than the weekend when the Grand Drive is crowded.)

3. Riding trainers are boring. Spin class would be better and would really make a difference to her fitness.

4. As a few other have said (and BostonG has some great advice) its going to take more effort than 1 x 8k ride per week to see any real improvement in her fitness or climbing ability.

5. So she's trying cycling for you – are you going to do dance classes with her?


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## victorhooi

Hi,

@BostonG: I appreciate the frankness in your reply (and I mean that sincerely), and I see where you're coming from. However, there is a specific reason I posted in *this* forum - it was to get replies from people like LauraS, love4himies, YamaDan, aureliajulia and Alfonsina.

Women are different, whether we (guys) like it or not - and I was looking for advice that might be better tailored for her. E.g. telling her to get a cup of concerete and harden the heck up might work for you and me, but it won't for her.

And things they might be worried about (e.g. huge calves) might seem silly to us silly, but hey, it matters to them, whether it's founded or not. (Although I will admit I told her she was ridiculous if she thought she'd get any hypertrophy from a measly 30 minutes a week).

@orbit: Yeah, you're right, the cycling is largely my idea. Good advice on trying to lessen her anxiety - I might look at this - you mean something like Shimano PD-A530 Black SPD-Platform Bike Pedal, right?

She injured her ankle a few months ago, and I've been encouraging her to go to physio for it. The physio said she should avoid dancing or running (but she hates running anyway) - but that cycling and swimming were a good idea, to help build up strength.

She hates swimming (she doesn't like getting wet), but she is ok with cycling, so it was the choice we went with.

And for the record I hate dancing - but yes, I would dance for her. E.g. see here:

Alpha and Victor's Proposal (Pitt St Mall, October 2012) - YouTube

(And yes, that is her, at 3:00).

Cheers,
Victor


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## orbit

Your proposal made me smile, congratulations, she looks like a sweetie 

Yes, the PD-A850 might be good for her. You could also consider the big platform of the T400.

Shimano Click'R PD-T400 SPD Pedals

Go together with her to a bike store and have a look at them so that she's involved in making the choice. Some of the stores will set up the pedals on a bike on a trainer for you to try out, (call beforehand, some stores will, others wont.)

Best of luck.


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## spade2you

victorhooi said:


> Are there any severe issues with only clipping in one side?


It's going to be unrealistic to develop a good pedal stroke and/or spin at reasonable cadence with one foot clipped in and the other just pushing down. My guess is that her clipped in leg is pushing down only, too. 



victorhooi said:


> And yes, it is a weekly ride of 30 minutes. Is that not enough to see any serious improvement on her climbing/riding?


No.


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## love4himies

victorhooi said:


> She injured her ankle a few months ago, and I've been encouraging her to go to physio for it. The physio said she should avoid dancing or running (but she hates running anyway) - but that cycling and swimming were a good idea, to help build up strength.
> 
> 
> Victor


That's how I got into cycling. Had to stop using the elliptical after twisting my ankle, so I hopped on my mountain bike, hated being passed by those who were on road bikes, so I bought one. 

Ask her if she would rather not be clipped in at all for now. If she says no, then put on some cheap platform petals until she is ready to be clipped in. 

Yup, women are different and some have what appears to men, to be unrealistic fears.


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## BostonG

love4himies said:


> Yup, women are different and some have what appears to men, to be unrealistic fears.


If that was directed at me, I in no way meant to imply anyone or any gender has unrealistic fears about anything. Although the OP is talking about his gal, I believe the best way to approach the answer to his particular question/s is to err more on the gender neutral side rather than box it into or make it about a gender specific cycling issue – because that’s just not what it is. 



love4himies said:


> cheap platform petals



My wife prefers the more expensive one’s, she says they have a more pleasant aroma. 

I’m just goofing.


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## aureliajulia

Forget clipless and get some bmx pedals. (Or similar).


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## QED

What everyone else has said about easy gears. 

Tell her that her legs will actually get smaller and more defined. I have big legs and a big butt and cycling is the only exercise I have found that slims them at all. Whenever I am cycling a lot, my legs look fantastic. When I am not cycling, they look like tree trunks. 

Technique for hills. Tell her to bring her elbows in and roll her wrists back. And point her boobs toward the handle bars. That doesn't mean lean over, it is directional. The boobs toward the handlebars opens her chest up, gets her shoulders down and back which increases her oxygen by opening up her lungs.


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## aureliajulia

I don't know your financial situation, but perhaps a non-road bike would be a good addition for her? Something more upright where she can just tool along and get comfortable cycling. Then maybe she would ride around the neighborhood just for fun more frequently. Once a week won't do much to rehab. A hybrid, city bike, commuter, or even a mountain bike with suspension. A road bike seems like overkill for this situation. Not that she shouldn't have one. But I don't see much benefit for the use you describe. If she rides a simpler bike in between, it will be easier to rehab. Also more fun. The way it sounds now, I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up quitting soon.

Another thing. Team Estrogen women's cycling forums may be enjoyable to her.


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## DaFlake

aureliajulia said:


> I don't know your financial situation, but perhaps a non-road bike would be a good addition for her? Something more upright where she can just tool along and get comfortable cycling. Then maybe she would ride around the neighborhood just for fun more frequently. Once a week won't do much to rehab. A hybrid, city bike, commuter, or even a mountain bike with suspension. A road bike seems like overkill for this situation. Not that she shouldn't have one. But I don't see much benefit for the use you describe. If she rides a simpler bike in between, it will be easier to rehab. Also more fun. The way it sounds now, I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up quitting soon.
> 
> Another thing. Team Estrogen women's cycling forums may be enjoyable to her.



This is actually a great idea. Having just bought my road bike (I used to ride years ago before I was married), my wife took one look at it and said "have fun". However, once I took her to a bike shop, she looked at the hybrids and said "this is more my speed". 

Everyone engages in activities differently and she may just be doing this to make you happy. Talk to her and she how she really feels. 

Lastly, if you are competitive, dial it down a few notches and remember that she isn't a teammate (as in race) or in training. She just wants to have fun but I know that sometimes our competitive nature can be a very negative influence. That happened to me with my wife when I was body building and she wanted to start lifting. Luckily I was able to back off before I ran her off.


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## Cdale EVO Tom

Clipping in with only one foot is an awkward arrangement that will sap any confidence in riding securely.

Agree completely with aureliajuia that substituting for a set of campus pedals would be a big step in the right direction.

And the fear of going clipless is not a gender thing. As a male, 62 year old ex runner coming to bicycling after a torn meniscus, ACL and arthritis issues, I ignored all advice from well meaning friends and stayed in tennis shoes my first year back in the saddle.

This gave me the time to get comfortable on the bike and not worry about getting trapped in the pedals while learning basic skills. It also made for an easier transition to Shimano SPD-SLs this spring.

Best of luck with your girl friend's riding. Time spent on the road with friends is special.

Tom


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## kimpossible

I ride with Team in Training training to ride Century's and this happens to many participants and the feel that we have is do your best with what you have. Endurance,Strength,weight,mental strength all play a part along with all those possible upgrades to make it less of a struggle. I was this person, I started out riding on a Marin Mountain bike and did most of my training on it. Then I purchased a heavy Fuji Newest 3.0 for me I needed to build upon my cardio more to help with my breathing when plowing up those steep hills. I don't have a triple anymore and am eager to take on Mt. Diablo in our area to see if I will miss those gears.


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## nOOky

I didn't want to comment, since I'm a guy and all. But I was there when my gf started riding 5 years ago, at my suggestion of course. She now can do metric centuries, and she's into tri's so being good on the bike helps.

First off the bike has to fit. If she can't ride more than a half hour because of pain or discomfort, well who would want to?
Then she has to increase her fitness and her rides gradually, just like anything else. This early training period is a good time to dial in her fit as well as get her used to the bike. There are many other muscles that come into play in biking as the mileage and duration increase. Your neck, back, etc. all have to adapt to the position.
If she is afraid of falling over and not being able to unclip well then make her feel better with platform pedals, so that's one less worry for her while she's figuring it all out. Probably best to avoid hills that her gearing won't accommodate anyway.
I wouldn't spend any money on new components or gear until she masters what she has, because she may either outgrow what she has, or she may quit the sport if she doesn't like it.

I do know that constantly correcting or suggesting is really a turn off during the ride. My gf hated me for it, and I realized how it must have sounded from her perspective.

When we go out together nowadays one of us suggests something to train or focus on, like cadence, not letting our feet stop spinning even downhill, or drinking and eating at the right times. We also try to have fun, doing small sprints, stopping at times to take a photo, or squirting each other with water on hot days. Her favorite is to suddenly sprint ahead of me, cross some imaginary finish like, throw her arms up and yell "winner!" course she learned that from me :blush2:


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## JoBe

*Hill Climbing*

I've only been riding about 4-5 years. I initially purchased a Canondale (sp?) Quick 4 (hybrid) and it was heavy. I walked more hills than I rode up. I then decided I needed a road bike that would make it easier to climb hills so I purchased a Specialized Dolce compact. I still had trouble on hills so I invested in clips--bad idea for me. I get up most hills but it is truly a struggle even with clips. Now I've decided to test a Specialized Vita Comp (3 chainrings) and the Specialized Dolce Triple, thinking I need a "granny gear." 

The reason why the clips were a bad idea for me is that I'm kinda clumsy. I'd forget I was clipped in 'cause my hybrid only had cages. Consequently, I broke my ankle, sprained my wrist, dislocated my left shoulder, and have fallen too many times to count. Having said that I love the clips on hills--pulling and pumping is the best way to navigate the bloomin' hills. 

But I don't want to be rude but my advice to you is stop pushing your girlfriend. Let her go at her own pace. If she has to walk some hills, so what. She'll get better the more she rides. If she asks you a question, answer it but don't browbeat her.


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## regnaD kciN

Second the recommendation on the Click'R pedals -- easiest clipless to get out of, and a real confidence-booster for those afraid of falling.


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## Floppybike

I live in Tucson, AZ and climb the famed Mt. Lemmon every week. It's a 26 mile long climb, but I rarely make it past mile 11---no patience...but what I've learned to do is to not try to keep up with people when the climb first starts---I let my legs and lungs adjust to the climb and then fall into a rhythm. Climbing a mountain is like dancing...you have to find your rhythm


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## Jayseakay

Just as a reference I started cycling to lose weight. I've never had really big legs (I always carried my weight in other places) but when I started cycling my legs slimmed down A LOT!! They just got really toned and lean. So tell her that it varies and she shouldn't worry about getting huge legs too much


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## anotherguy

Does she have a computer on her bike that let's her see her cadence? A friend of mine would ride with me once or twice a week as well as on her own and would always seem to be dying while I was really, really taking it easy. In trying to figure out what was going on, I setup my garmin, powertap, etc. on her bike, handed her an hrm and sent her to do a lap of the normal route we ride. When she brought everything back, I showed her the data and walked through what was happening. She was more or less lifting weights due to her gear selections. 

We discussed the physiological systems in play with how she was riding, and then talked about cadence and gear selection can affect that. Sent her out for another lap the next day with very minimal data visible on the garmin and told her to focus on one thing, keeping her cadence between 85 and 105. If she fell to 85 I told her it was time to shift. Above 105, time to shift. She came back with a huge smile on her face. Got her setup with a cheap computer that displays cadence and she enjoys riding a lot more and is progressing much faster now. Find a route she can ride without having to grind her way up hills and have her focus on cadence until she doesn't have to look, but knows what feels right. Once she is good there start increasing length of rides, volume of climbing, etc.

In addition to once a week not being often enough to see any real progress (don't doctors reccomend 30 minutes of exercise a day at a minimum just to be healthy?), pedaling at a low cadence in a big gear will do less to develop her cardiovascular system. 

As far as the pedals...there is no way she is pedaling efficiently with one foot unclipped and it opens the door to injury. I smashed my ankle the other week when a light changed and caught me off guard, car behind me honked, couldn't get my left foot clipped in and the very slick sole of the shoe slipped off the equally slick pedal. It's not a good idea. That said, if she sn't comfortable, she isn't comfortableyet. Either go to flat pedals or go to a park with a nice patch of green grass (healthy grass is usually a decent indicator of softer ground) and have her practice in the grass. 

And if you feel like you can safely fall at low speed, fall over while she watches. It's not the end of the world. Don't try and convince her that she won't ever fall. She will. I think everyone does at some point, or at least comes very close, but I think most people would agree that the majority of "ohmygodiforgotmyfootishookedintothiscontraption" moments happen at a very low speed if not completely stopped.

Overall, it sounds like the biggest issue is just lack of experience which is where we all were at some point. It takes learning the hard way or someone explaining the how, what and why and finding ways to teach that aren't intimidating or off-putting.


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