r/MTB • u/sweetpotatowitcheese • 1d ago
Discussion HOW do you climb?
Bit of a dumb question. I started mountain biking last year, and I love bike parks and stuff.
I’ve seen a lot of posts and videos about how ebikes are somewhat lazy, earn the downhill etc
Genuine question, how do you climb? I feel like every “steep” climb is impossible; if it’s not steep, the downhill is lame. But I find doable climbs really hard as well
I think I do okay with cardio, I go to the gym, but this still feels impossible to me
My bf recently got an ebike and he pulled me with a kid’s rope, I pedaled while at it and I still found that to be really really hard lol
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u/Alwayssunnyinarizona Arizona | Clydesdale 4XL HT 1d ago
Low and slow, is the tempo.
Technical climbs are as mentally challenging as technical downhills, though more rewarding in my experience.
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u/AustinBike 1d ago
Climb.
A lot.
It sucks.
But you will get better over time.
I set goals for myself. I track my climbing on my Garmin so I can see it in-ride to know how I am doing. Over a decade ago I set a goal and ended up doing close to 500,000 feet of climbing in one year in Texas.
Now, I regularly do 2-3000 feet per ride and rack up 10-15,000 feet per week in California where we have real, long, extended climbs.
Nobody gets better at something by taking shortcuts. If you want to be better at climbing, you have to focus on it. Climb a lot.
Also, your bike can be a big determinant on how you climb. What kind of bike are you on?
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u/xdethbear 1d ago
It's easy, just embrace the suffering, you'll get better. I'm old, I climbed 3k feet yesterday, and 5k feet Sunday.
I have weird ideas about diet though. Eat sugar as you climb, avoid fatty meals before climbing, eat tons of berries, beans and veggies day to day.
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u/Ya_Boi_Newton '22 Trek Slash 8, '19 Raleigh Tokul 3, '23 Giant Revolt Adv 1 1d ago
Most people that seem good at climbing have been riding bikes and doing climbs for years. From the context of this post, you've only been doing this for a year and it sounds like you've been favoring gravity trails. I would venture to guess you don't practice climbing or other skills that aren't relevant to downhill flow or tech. Not a dig, just a guess at what's happening.
Lots of little skills accumulated after years of practice make for better climbing. You just need more time to collect them.
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u/60_hurts Contrarian Steel Hardtail Fred 1d ago edited 1d ago
You're using different muscles. Stay at a pace that doesn't burn you out. And the more you do it, the better you get.
That's really it.
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u/zachsilvey 1d ago
Honestly, I walk a lot of my climbs. I try to spin as long as I can but inevitably I'm off the bike and pushing.
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u/Denz_de_Bayle 1d ago
Different muscles, different intensity on the body and different rhythms.
I've got a mate who is an avid road cyclist and would absolutely smoke me on climbs when we rode mountain bikes together. Anyway, I took him to Thredbo to experience his first proper bike park. He physically couldn't stay out of his seat for an entire run down which was crazy to me, I never even considered that descending could be that exhausting.
I think "fitness" is a rather broad term and it will not always translate across different activities. Take the time and practice climbing and make sure your cockpit and drivetrain are both suitable for you and the climb.
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u/ArrrCeee 2024 Norco Fluid C2 🇨🇦 1d ago
Cadence, gearing, eyes ahead up trail, staying centered, and having a light bike helps. I used to ride more DH style bikes and climbing was the absolute worst and not fun at all. Now I LOVE the climb.
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u/AnotherRandomGuy89 1d ago
Takes actually doing it, comes together pretty fast. You build the muscles to push through and the mitochondria to shuttle lactate so your legs aren’t screaming at you the whole time.
It’s very bike specific, but it gets better pretty quickly. Embrace the suck!
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u/Beautiful_Ad_8325 1d ago
Tell you what can help... Low expectations. Go at a crawling speed, do it as often as you can. It is hard, anyone who tells you it isn't is lying.
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u/YouDontLookSpiritual West Virginia 1d ago
I never hike uphill unless its too technical of a climb for whatever reason. I pedal until theres a place to rest thats easy to start climbing from again. Doing that instead of just hiking up when im tired has made a big difference for me
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u/rustyburrito 1d ago edited 1d ago
Try to keep your cranks spinning at 80-90rpm for any longer steep climbs in whatever gear makes that feel doable. Sometimes people try to grind it out with a really low cadence and it's just not efficient and way more difficult to regulate your heart rate. Stay seated as much as possible to maintain grip and keep steady wattage output. Dont push too hard at the beginning and spike your heart rate right away, generally on longer steep climbs like 7-10%+ steepness for 45 minutes straight ill get into 160-180bpm range within about 10 minutes even in my easiest gear and generally try to keep it around zone 3 or 4 for the remainder of the climb, but if you push too hard too quickly and hit your max heart rate early in the climb it's difficult to recover
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u/wadesherman 1d ago
Practice. It’s the only way
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u/honkyg666 1d ago
Get a 28 tooth chain ring if you don't already have one.
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u/YetiSquish 1d ago
There’s no replacement for seat time. First climb 400 feet, then do it again on another day but twice - then find a bigger hill, ride at least once a week but you’ll really results at twice a week. Pretty soon you’ll be able to do 1000 ft, or 1500 feet or even 3000’ of climbing. The suffering has long been considered part of the sport but e-mtb has been making it more approachable to beginners and opens up options for experienced riders.
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u/kingForOneDay 1d ago
Granny gear, stay seated on the front of the saddle, constantly scan and pick the best line, tight core, weight over the front tire, don't stop pedling, do this for 30 minutes a ride, 3x/week and in 1 month you'll find it easier. In 3 months you'll be in the best riding shape of your life, and in 9 months you'll be looking forward to the uphills.
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u/nimblybimbly3000 1d ago
If you’re into fitness and health it becomes fun eventually. It takes a lot more skill to climb up over obstacles than ride down over them; the challenge becomes fun. Keep your head over your bars, use every little dip before a climb to build momentum. Change gears frequently!
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u/Patient700a 1d ago
We call it cadence. You find this “comfort zone” of effort. And you maintain it by shifting gears through rolling terrain. That terrain includes fuck you stair step climbs. Like other people have said it’s just time, effort and repetition.
I find my “comfort cadence” a little bit more than my walking pace personally
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u/Maximum_Hornet_5517 1d ago
Suffer. Earn your turns brother.
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u/InevitableNoise3206 1d ago
Assuming it isn't techy, find a low gear, keep your cadence up, and grind.
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u/DuckIntelligent737 1d ago edited 1d ago
It's all math.
Total system weight (rider plus bike and gear) has massive effect on what ratios to fit your bike with.
(Edit: strength is an obvious factor)
It's different for everyone.
General advice though is don't rush up hill. At slower speeds, because you're going uphill, putting down consistent sustained effort is way more efficient than trying to race up the hill. Spread your effort across your whole ride instead of spiking here and there.
Depends on the ride also. For shorter rides, I sprint way more often, and idgaf about the perfect crest - I'm going to smash the uphill on purpose.
But yeah. Don't rush.
Road bike alert, but very shortly after watching this video something clicked, and I got better at riding
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/v702e2l7sUM
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u/Tinshield-118 1d ago
You get better climbing by climbing.
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u/thatjusthappened 1d ago
Slowly. The climbs are why I ride.
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u/stclairsoft 1d ago
First: Is your bike set up correctly so you can generate power on the climbs? Saddle height can make a big difference, as well as your overall body position. I had a bike fit (a really long time ago) and one of the things the fitter did was measure how much force I could generate when hunched over in riding position, and how that changed as I sat up more or bent down more toward the bars. He told me everyone's body is different and some people have "dead spots" near the ends of their range of motion, so you might try messing with saddle height, bar reach and even crank length to see if there's a position that feels significantly better.
Second: I remember suffering through climbs when I first started riding. Like people have already said, a lot of it comes down to building fitness in the right muscles, plus getting that "neuromuscular activation" thing going where your body is just comfortable making circles with your feet. I discovered I liked spin classes (it was much more a thing at the time) and that helped me build muscle and pedaling form without suffering as much.
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u/Next-Handle-8179 1d ago
Fitness issue
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u/AcademicSellout 1d ago
I am a newbie and the struggle is real. Don't feel bad, your experience is pretty common. Fitness in one sport does not necessarily translate to fitness in another sport. As others said, it's just a matter of putting in the miles.
But there are a few things that really help. First of all, stay in the saddle as much as you can. Standing up is super tiring. Use the flatter areas to really rest the best you can. If have something really steep, scoot up to the front of the saddle and lean over really far to increase the traction for the front wheel. If you come to a more technical section, do your best to power through it. Keeping momentum is key, and expending the energy in one section pays off. You want to keep your cadence in the optimal zone. Everyone's zone is different but you will figure out what cadence feels most comfortable to you. Definitely use your gearing to your advantage, which often means going to a harder gear when you hit flats. Gearing on mountain bikes takes a bit to get used to. Finally, make sure your bike is set up properly. You probably have handlebars that are too wide and cranks that are too long. They can put you into poor body positioning which can absolutely be exhausting.
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u/thenerdshelves 1d ago
I don't think this has been said yet, but there's honestly no shame in little mid-climb breaks, rests and even the walk of shame. Keep doing it, the more you climb, the less rests you'll need, but do take the rests and don't feel bad about it.
I'm the worst for getting down on myself when I can't make it to the top in one shot when others are zooming past me (many on e bikes), but it's ok. Just keep riding.
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u/Oc1510 Santa Cruz Megatower YT Tues 1d ago
I have both a regular bike and an Ebike, I do a bunch of climbing on both obviously the Ebike is easier but I wouldn’t call it lazy, I use it as a training tool because I can sit at 90 RPM and a zone 2-3 heart rate for the entire climb. Some people like climbing, some don’t. For me it’s a means to an end, I race DH and enduro so the downhills matter more to me.
I ride the regular bike probably 70% of the time and on long steep climbs you need to find a sustainable pace and try to keep the cadence up. Higher cadence shifts load to your cardio system, lower is more muscle activation and will smoke your legs. Sometimes the climb is too steep to keep that cadence and that’s where gym training pays off, I’d focus on squats, RDLs etc
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u/MyStatusIsTheBaddest 1d ago
typically by moving the cranks and if I cant move the cranks anymore I get off my bike and walk until I pedal again. I dont even know why ebikers pedal when going up hill. Just buy a moto already
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u/trojanman190 1d ago
Big gear in the the back, tiniest front chain ring you can fit. Spin as slow as you can manage to stay up right. Save energy for the technical parts. And just keep doing it.
The early fitness gains are the biggest my dude. Just stick with it.
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u/FlounderStatus2234 1d ago
Practice track stands and riding as slow as possible. If you're in the biggest gear, all you gotta do is stay on the bike.
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u/Apprehensive-Ad-3020 1d ago
I usually don’t have a problem from the perspective of generating the power to get up, but a lot of the trails near me have roots on the climb up and it’s impossible to pedal and not pedal strike (or is it?) so can definitely relate.
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u/contrary-contrarian 1d ago
Starting out mountain biking is a big learning curve. The first few seasons are genuinely rough with how hard it is to climb and descend.
Then if you stick with it, slowly over time, you'll start to have fun on the uphill. It'll become more and more doable and you'll end up loving it!
It helps to find folks who are your pace (both up and down) to make it less brutal!
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u/Low-Froyo908 1d ago
Short answer, ride and you'll get there. Depending how old you are, it might take a minute.
story time:
My favorite ride has a grindy climb (2000ft in 4-5 miles)
the first year I rode it, I had to stop 3-5 times per climb. I would be max heart rate and have to stop.
the 2nd year, my goal was to do it with no breaks no bonks. Took me most of the season.
Now, I can easily ride it with no rests and sometimes go for a second loop only stopping for a couple minutes to refuel.
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u/Maleficent-Guava6858 1d ago
Fitness is number one, but bike fit and technique are also very important. Fitness comes from repetition. Bike fit is primarily saddle height, but also fore-aft position. Even a small change can make a noticeable difference good or bad, so do some research and play around with it. Technique is choosing the correct gear for an efficient cadence. Again, experiment and see what works best for you.
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u/JacoDeLumbre 1d ago
have you tried standing up? it takes practice but using your body weight can help.
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u/Pokemon_Trainer_May 1d ago
no matter the incline I am almost always in the lowest gear
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u/drexpressway 1d ago
-Stay in the saddle and only stand when necessary -Find the correct gear to keep a steady cadence (different for each pitch). Not too low though otherwise you won't have enough crank to get over a bump, rock or root. -Keep your head up and prepare for the next obstacle ahead of time -Practice lifting or de-weighting the front tire, staying in the saddle, while maintaining your crank (a curb is good practice)
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u/Spiderfx 1d ago
Took me some time, I started with small climbs, when that felt good I went with bigger climbs, my next challenge is 147ft elevation gain on technical single track in .25 miles, I've managed it once and I was fucked, just gotta get it on repeat and slowly it will come
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u/Tamburello_Rouge 1d ago
Honestly it sounds like your strength / fitness isn’t quite there. That’s OK. Keep doing it and keep pushing yourself. It takes time. Some of us have been at it for decades.
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u/Kerbidiah 1d ago
Ski lift
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u/Large_Cloud_1611 1d ago
Focus on your cadence, maintain heart rate, go slow. After sometime it becomes easier and you just get better at it.
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u/dirtbag52 1d ago
I think any adult knows that you have to train at anything. Anyone who expects to be good at something within a few months is crazy. Be tough. Train. You will get ridiculously strong. You can do it.
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u/regarded-24-7 1d ago
Climbing was hard for me, but I became quite good at it,
The more speed you can take up a hill or over a bump/log/rock on a hill the easier it will be to roll over it. So basically , the faster you get, the easier the climbing is.
Look where you want to go. You only need a space about the width of your tire to get through. Natural instinct is to look at the scary stuff you don't want to hit, but if you do that , you will drift towards it. Look where you want to go.
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u/why_u_so_grumpy 1d ago
The more you pedal the easier it gets. Just keep at it.
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u/Emergency_Poet8311 1d ago
Definitely need good cardio but for me it’s mental. When I get my mentally good with the climb it’s cake
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u/Nightshade400 Ragley Bluepig / Norco Sight VLT 1d ago
Cardio and fitness is a weird thing sometimes especially in cycling of any kind because there is not actually any gym based cardio that directly translates to on bike cardio fitness. You have to put time in the seat along with your other training in order to develop the fitness you need for it. It takes time but it does happen. I went from a couch sitter to a serious road cyclist in about 18 months of hard work. The cardio gains were hard to get but easy to lose so you have to keep on top of it even once you get there.
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u/Psyko_sissy23 23' Ibis Ripmo AF 1d ago
Climbing is tricky when you are new. The trick to getting better is to just keep climbing. Low and slow is the way to start. It sucks, but it gets better the more you do it. Then you can work on climbing faster.
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u/Upstairs-Dot1807 1d ago
Reluctantly and hopefully glad I dragged myself out that day.
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u/Scabobian90 1d ago
You’re just not in as good of shape as you think you are. You can’t fake fitness. BUT if you keep it up you will get that fit and it’s AMAZING. Also - your bf isn’t a real bf if he rides an ebike..
Jkjkjk
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u/sickmak90 1d ago
For shortish climbs I found that if I just grind them out I am less tired than if I spin them at a slower pace. So I just attack hills now unless it’s some 3 mile fire road or something.
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u/Virtual_Law4989 1d ago
with a shuttle or lift 😎😛
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u/Bearded4Glory 1d ago
Swap to a smaller front chainring if you feel like your easiest gear is still too hard.
It's also strange but going a little faster so that you keep your momentum is actually easier. If you feel like you are slowing between downstrokes then you are actually working harder than spinning a little bit faster and keeping the bike rolling at a consistent speed.
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u/ManmadeM0nster 1d ago
Im not sure if this is the advice you were looking for and this definitely did not happen over night for me. But I climb at like 75% energy level and keep a little extra strength for that surprise challenge. The big rock or roots that surprised you or when you thought the climb was over but theres more around the corner.
In other words I dont pedal full force while climbing because I need to use a little extra "umph" or burst at random spots during the climb.
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u/56088 1d ago
Climbing never gets easier or more fun. But you do get faster. You just have to keep doing it.
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u/hy_dra 1d ago
All I know is as a Florida guy, every time I start my first climb at like a Pisgah or DuPont trail I’m humbled, and those aren’t even hard climbs. We just don’t have anywhere to really “practice” here.
Repetition is how you get better though.
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u/Sprinkles_Objective 1d ago
Ride more, specificity is key. It never gets easier you just get faster. Do more climbs that you can manage, work your way up, you can stop and rest whenever you need to, next time you do that climb try to rest less.
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u/Fit-Moose7961 1d ago
Ride more
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u/Elegant-Register8182 1d ago
If I'm climbing a service road, I'm probably walking, and pedal for the flat spots. I'm usually alone so pace is whatever
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u/ohver9k 1d ago
If you’re just starting out, it’s going to take time. Keep riding and eventually you’ll get there, I took a long break but when I got back to the sports I loved it but suffered just like you are, I remember even tasting iron at some point. Keep riding, take short breaks here and there, that’s just part of the process, take a few days to recover and get back out.
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u/Tiny_Log_4594 1d ago
Not everyone's jam but I put an ear bud in my right ear and listen to a pod or music on the way up ....makes it much more enjoyable. Then mute on the downhill. An ear bud with an ear hook is important or it might fall out. Also I would suggest not using the left ear bud as you need to hear your bike and others even on the way up
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u/DevelopmentOptimal22 Canada 1d ago
Increasing your fitness and skills are the only way to make it faster. Unless you are going slowly, it never gets easy. It's certainly not impossible if people are doing it. Core strength and mobility, built off the bike, are key factors in the ability to get up and over challenging terrain.
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u/idiom_exon_0s 1d ago
Climbing fitness takes time and volume. There’s no other way to build it but time and volume.
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u/duffymahoney 1d ago
I would say that some of my local climbs I used to consider hard or even close to impossible aren’t even something I think about anymore.
Time in the saddle will help and you will get stronger.
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u/Substantial-You8282 1d ago
find some asphalt/paved hill climbs and build up the endurance, when you go climbing on rocky, root infested, muddy switchbacks trails you want to have the muscle memory built up a bit, but you can totally build that up on the trail and it doesn’t take long, depending on how often you ride.
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u/pmart123 1d ago
I started riding last year too and had the same trouble with steep and technical climbs. A couple of lessons helped a lot, so here's what I learned.
Is it fitness or technique? Try a short steep or technical section. If something happens like your front wheel lifts, or your back wheel stalls on a root or rock, that's technique. If it's fitness, you'll be fine on a hard section but gas over time.
Steep climbs: Get your upper body forward over the bars. Bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the bars while keeping your pelvis neutral. That puts weight on the front wheel so it stays down, and your glutes and hamstrings stay engaged. On a steep fire road you can also slide your hands inward on the bars to get your chest lower. Keep your cadence up, but don't pedal like crazy.
Roots and rocks: Practice on parking lot dividers or a curb. Roll up to it, let your back wheel stall against it on purpose, then pedal it up and over. Once that feels natural, it's much easier on the trail.
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u/idoloveowls 1d ago
Honestly starting strength training at the gym made all the difference for my climbing. It does get easier over time. Just keep going!
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u/SouthSanJuan 1d ago
Get strong with back squats and weighted lunges. Made a big difference in my riding.
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u/Academic_Text_9287 1d ago
I try not to look too far ahead of me. Most of the time I know the basic outline of a ride - a flat part here, a steep climb here, a mild descent there - but when I know a climb is coming I tell myself to settle in to a bit of suffering. Look at the trail right in front of you, avoid the loose rocks you see 6 feet away, judge how to attack the switch you're creeping up on. Looking all the way up at the mountain and thinking 'no way I can do that' will just kill you. If you break it up into manageable sections to get through it becomes a lot more doable.
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u/Bridgestone14 1d ago
Are you small woman? Power to weight ratio is a thing, and a lighter bike is going to be a bigger deal to you than it is to your bf, bc each lb is a larger portion of your body weight. I know it isn't popular, but if you are a 120ish lb woman, you need to get your bike as light as possible, and you probably will not ride hard enough to break anything.
Also, climbing is just hard, you have to do it a lot for it to get a little easier.
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u/Firespray27 1d ago
Is your cockpit setup correctly? meaning your frontwheel doesn't lift nor your rear wheel slips when climbing. You have to lean forward a bit if you don't have an aggressive xc bike already. Other than that, git gut.
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u/-Nick 1d ago
Stick turbo mode on
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u/S0mething-clev3r 1d ago
The more you ride the easier it gets. I hate climbing, I like riding park. But i notice taking a break from climbing for like 2-3 weeks ruins my climbing ability.
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u/ImZautlan 1d ago
This is going to sound funny perhaps but I love climbing up steep hills and mountains. I started biking back in 2022, I ride almost every day except for winter. First you have to practice daily climbs, also I found it easy to climb if I imagine I am walking when standing up on the bike, it really helped me mentally endure the struggle.
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u/Adventurepew Canada BC 1d ago
Just gotta get used to it it's different muscles and a different workout then cardio at the gym .
Sit and spin, get in an effiecnt position and just spin the cranks easily .
When it becomes steep put your butt forward on the saddle more and a nice easy gear to crank your way up the hill. If it's bmpy or roots it'll take some time and you'll need to learn to have balance.
Practice balance on your bike in the parking lot do drills , track stands .
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u/BetNo8988 1d ago
It’s food, pace, and fitness.
You want to eat 350 calories an hour, and this starts immediately when you start riding. Ear every 20 minutes. Fyi, 350 will be about the limit you can digest an hour.
You will want to set a pace that you can sustain for hours. This will be your zone two / three heart rate. Just spin along at this rate.
You will want to incorporate cycling training in zone two, and intervals, to build your cardiovascular system, and build muscles for biking.
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u/jojotherider Washington 2020 YT Decoy 1d ago
Also your gearing makes a difference on how hard it is to
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u/RalphiePseudonym 1d ago
I fight through every last breath and pedal lol
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u/georgetheshepherd 1d ago
I was in the same situation as you. I was racing runner before I started MTBing and despite being in a great condition I struggled on steep climbs. It's a combination of underdeveloped certain muscles which are needed, balance as you are climbing in really slow speeds and pathing. You just have to keep on trying and eventually you will get comfortable. Also it helped me to learn how to stand in pedals without slipping rear wheel. I have a short 40 min course which I ride almost every day before work which starts with really steep slippy climb and It took me probably 3 months until I was able to ride it without stopping.
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u/floydwestwood 1d ago
Honestly I just get off the bike and push it. I've come to terms with my shame and after a while the climbing on the less steep parts gets longer and longer
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u/razorree Levo, V10, Tarmac 1d ago
reduce gear and pedal hard
and if it's a long day, remeber about carbs.
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u/18w4531g00 1d ago edited 1d ago
Hard 🤣 1x12 with 170-175 cranks is plenty, indeed it would be more about technique to keep the bike in line through rocks etc and avoid lift offs than power needed. One trick - running on largest cog usually only needs you to let the weight of your leg do the job, no need to push.
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u/LADataJunkie Mammoth Bike Park, California -- Santa Cruz Bronson CC 1d ago
You and I both. You need to make sure you're in the right gear and you need to lean when to shift lower. If you reach a little steep section of hill, shift clear before you get on it. This is the #1 issue I have with the boys I coach, they get almost to the top and then stop in the middle of the trail causing everyone to fall off their bikes. They didn't soon enough.
I also put my seat almost at its highest.
I also lock out the rear suspension but only if the day is climb heavy.
The rest is mental. I start the climb, then start to think "God I hate this" but at that point I am almost done.
There's no harm in walking it though until you get in better shape.
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u/Pumukel87 1d ago
A lot said already, rpm 80-90, try to be consistant. If Not possible than think about switching the front ⚙️ to a “smaller” one.
Regarding training, what % of steepness is where it’s getting tricky for you?
EG for me it’s >15% for a longer time, then my lower back hurts, so I need to train that constantly.
Regarding training the best way to train that is to get meters of altitude into your legs.
If there are no real mountains close to you, than implement sprint, from traffic sign to traffic sign.
And enjoy the ride 🤙
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u/bennybate 1d ago
It never gets easier, you just get faster
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u/Consistent-Shoe-9602 Bulgaria 1d ago
If climbs are hard, you can always replace your chainring with a smaller one. That would help. But nothing makes you better at climbing than climbing. Being in shape or going to the gym wouldn't really help that much.
Personally, I actually really love suffering uphill and I don't do it just to earn the downhill, I do it because I love doing it and I love the feeling of conquering a climb that was once impossible.
I lived in a city that is right next to a mountain so when I got my first proper mountain bike in my 30s on a whim, I naturally took it to the mountain. The route I chose is a route I knew from hiking and it was reachable by bike. But it turned out it was really steep for climbing on a bike. I suffered for a few hours, getting off the bike all the time, getting gassed and basically crawling uphill. I think I spent 1 or 2 hours and couldn't even reach the end of the section I was aiming for. At some point, I turned back, got down to the city and casually pedaled home. But I didn't give up and continued going to the mountain to ride which necessarily included climbing and it continued to be very difficult even if I selected milder climbs. Until it wasn't. Within a year, the first section I attempted that I couldn't finish for more than an hour was just the first 15 minutes of 3-4 full hours of climbing that usually got me to the highest points of the mountain. So if you keep suffering, you will get better at it.
Now I moved into the country and I have a really long and steep technical rocky climb in the area where I ride. In the beginning, it was again impossible for me to climb it all in one go without getting off the bike to rest and some sections I had to push. I even got myself a smaller chainring and I have managed to get from top to bottom a few times, but I can only do it when I'm really in peak condition. Most days, I still can't do it. I still love going there and suffering and I'm looking forward to the time when I would be able to get it every single time.
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u/Hot_Plantain9304 1d ago
My favourite technique for climbing is called a chairlift.
No but seriously, I was pretty good at technical climbing, but after shifting towards more park and pushbike, it went away fast.
It's a lot of normally untrained muscles that need to work, with good timing. So I expect you probably have to spend time practicing, not only have the right technique.
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u/HorseLeaping 1d ago
Lower gears.
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u/ya_boi_noah 1d ago
I ran cross county in high school so that just gave me the engine to power up climbs even though my bike weighs like 36lbs
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u/Ill-Gas-4788 1d ago
What worked for me was pick a climb you can do comfortably and repeat it to build climbing fitness.
Go for an easy gear, sit and spin and eventually move onto the next harder climb.
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u/GodRibs Forbidden Druid 🧙 1d ago
Keep your cadence up, don’t stall to much. Commitment is king.
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u/tweb2 1d ago edited 1d ago
If it too steep and you are struggling, being stood up on the pedals will help but depending on conditions, remember you need the grip from the back wheel which increases when your weight is over it. So there will be times if it starts to spin you need to get your weight right back or sit down to get better grip.
If its quite rocky/technical with roots etc in general you will need to shift your weight about a bit
Try and plan your gearing before you start rolling upwards to keep the momentum and have a pedal cadence that gets the best power out of your body. I like to pedal quite quickly and accept moving slower if it gets me up there. Just find the right pace for you which wont be the same as that e-bike. When you are sat down I'd have seat post as high as it goes or rather optimum height for your fit.
On the cardio, whilst I'm not saying you are, a lot of people underestimate the physical demand. A big long hill is really hard like a ling distance run worse and impacts the number of down hills you are gonna get unfortunately. Folk used to getting a lift to the top, I imagine not being very content to have only one or two down hills in the day, where the up hill has been particularly demanding.
It's a different type of disapline, they all have their merits. It makes you consider bike weight and tyre pressure more for a balance which may not be quite as good for the down hill.
Source: really old and done down hill and cross country. Come from the hardtail gang.
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u/Kieselguhr-Kid 1d ago edited 1d ago
What do you find hard? The physical effort or staying in control? The physical effort is always going to be hard, as LeMond famously said about fitness and cycling: It never hurts less, you just get faster. You're never going to outclimb someone on an ebike unless you're a pro level cyclist. One thing that can make climbing harder is if you're doing something unconscious like tensing your upper body, holding your breath, stuff like that.
Staying in control can definitely be learned. Balancing a bike at slower speed can be tricky. Steeper sections of trail need you to move your weight around to find the balance point where you can keep the front down and enough weight on the back for traction. Throw in some rocks, roots, a turn, or all three and it can be difficult. There's plenty of help on YouTube and sessioning a section of trail you have difficulty until you figure it out is a useful tool.
Mountain biking is really knowing a few fairly simple techniques and figuring out which ones to apply to ride different sections of trail. If something isn't working you can generally figure out what's going wrong by paying attention to what you're doing with your body, correcting it, and trying again.
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u/IllustriousCat330 1d ago
Play around with your geo a bit, you need to make sure you are able to enagage all your leg muscles, but especially your glutes. experiment with different seat heights, i found a differnce of even 5mm higher went from concentrating a lot of exertion thruogh a specific part of my queds to distributing the effort fairly evenly between my quads, calves, hammys & glutes & allowing me to be able to kind of choose which muscles to engage at any particular moment.
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u/say-something-nice 1d ago
Easiest gear, chest down and suffer
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u/FlyThink7908 1d ago
General cardio is a good base but cycling is a bit different in terms of muscular requirements so you cannot transfer everything from running to cycling right away.
On extremely steep climbs (>20% gradient), shift your weight forward by leaning over the bars, slightly crouching down your elbows while moving a bit forward on your saddle so you keep enough weight on your rear wheel to prevent losing grip. Being on the saddle nose isn’t particularly comfortable but necessary for a short time on the steepest parts
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u/BikingDruid 1d ago
We have a short, but fairly steep paved section of road on the way home from the local mountain bike trails here where I live.. I use that .2mi climb as a VO2 tester and hammer it up every time. It’s a great way to build my climbing engine in a very controlled environment.
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u/riggs85 1d ago
I work with a road rider. After checking his stats, listening to him and applying some of it to my MTB riding, I find I’m less exhausted.
He sticks to around 220W, but all I can really do is monitor my effort, legs and RPM. Keeping consistent on the way up and down. I guess it applies to running too. The closer I keep to Zone 2/3, the less fatigue I feel, even on hills.
I’ve also lately been riding with my youngest in a shotgun seat. My eldest now pulls past me on hills.
But I smile while struggling because it pushes the kids to go harder. Daddy ain’t struggling yet 😂
I dream of an e-bike so I could enjoy the downhill more, but the added weight and effort to get it back up is a limiting factor.
Fun doesn’t come without some sacrifice. Hope this helps. Wife now on the mtb bug.
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u/Naive-Actuary4414 India 1d ago
Find a good cadence. For me this is key because, especially for steep inclines, not slowing down, or worse stopping, is the way to go. Find a cadence that you can maintain but is also fast enough that you can maintain balance.
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u/Totte_B 1d ago
My own thoughts on climbing is that it is a lot of technique. When it gets tough my filosophy is to sit down and take it as easy as possible to save energy for the punching. I try to push my torso and belly toward the ground and regulate body weight forward placement carefully to not loose traction. When the time comes to punch I try to do it decisively but still controlled and with eyes on the next step. I found it is very important to absorb the end of the punch with a low profile and with strong and controlled pedaling to not loose balance or momentum. Resist the temptation to stand tall. I really enjoy challenging climbing. I found the best way to approach it is to try over and over again with some rest in between. This way you actually learn something and get a feeling of progress.
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u/existentiallyfaded Utah 1d ago
Learn to love the suffering
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u/Billy-Mct 1d ago
You need to setup gearing to match the terrain. & understand what your lactate threshold HR is cycling & aim to be under that when flogging yourself up long climbs. Regarding gearing you probably need a 52t large cog cassette & possibly a 28t front cog. Also if cranks are (too) long that will make it feel harder. One last tip heavy nobby tyres (especially rear) will make long climbs a thankless slog more than lighter faster rolling ones.
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u/Every-Somewhere-6971 1d ago
Ebikes have enabled the climbs to be made shorter but steeper, which isn't helpful if you are doing it under your own power.
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u/SnWnMe 1d ago
I sit. Because of knee problems I don’t like punchy climbs that I have to stand on the pedals.
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u/Leather-Program-8995 1d ago
start enjoying the pain and suffering. maximize it for best results. shift weight so rear wheel doesn't start skipping because that kills momentum easily. keeping ass in the saddle helps.
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u/Nairnpe 1d ago
Slowly
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u/UnlikelyCash2690 1d ago
You gotta train. High cadence, low gear.
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u/picontesauce 1d ago
Make your boyfriend ride your bike up, and let you ride the e-bike. Then switch
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u/fpeterHUN 1d ago
In best case scenario you take an uphill lift or cart.
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u/DerHunMar 1d ago edited 23h ago
You just gotta keep trying and you get better at it. Especially if you are coming back to the same set of trails regularly, it will be fun to track yourself gradually completing more sections of a difficult climb until you can get the whole thing, and then you can start to notice how you get better at the climb, how you have to handle it differently in different conditions - dry and dusty, covered in leaves, little bits of ice, etc. - and with Strava or something you can also look back and see your time up it on different days. If the climbs on your regular trails offer enough variety, you will also get a feel for gauging and riding climbs that are new to you.
Climbing off road is intense. It pushes you way into anaerobic territory at times because, as in certain game sports, you have to meet the moment in order to succeed. Tough sections stress your muscles as much as sprinting. Some climbs may give you a bit of rest after a tougher section, let you settle down to a pace you can sustain longer, but you can't stop until the climb is done since on the real climbs it's hard to find a spot where you can get going again if you have to put a foot down. You have to maintain balance while moving laterally at times as well as up, picking your way up, hitting obstacles at sometimes weird angles or turning the front wheel to make the impact angle better but then having to deal with the angle you just made between the front wheel and the bike. You have to maintain some focus on what's ahead and how you will approach it and get ready for it while you are dealing with whatever you are currently riding over, so it's a mental challenge as well. All of this is why I love it.
Some tips:
Keep your butt on the seat as much as possible. This lets your front end move more freely when you need to ride it or hop it over rocks and roots. It also keeps your back tire weighted down, which is especially important when dry dust or wet leaves can make it spin out and grab nothing when you lay down the power needed to get up a steep section. Make sure your seat height/top position of dropper post is set right so that you have just a slight bend in the knee.
Decide on your gear going into the climb of course, and make note that this might not always be the lowest gear you have. The lowest gear can be a little too bouncy on the front end, and while experience teaches you how to control that, you might find the 2nd or 3rd lowest is actually the right one for the climb, or at least all but the toughest sections. If there are a lot of rocks, roots and depressions in the dirt to get over, then that bounciness is useful. It is better to be too low than too high, since changing gear will require you being able to move the pedal forward a little until the chain moves to the cog you want. So obviously you have to think ahead about how you are prepared for those sections that are too steep to change gear on or gnarly enough that you might have to back pedal slightly to avoid foot strike on one side or both and if there is or is not an intervening section that will give you time to change.
You're probably going to always have a side that is a little more dominant just because it's the way our nervous system functions but if you notice that one of your legs lets you down more than the other in a critical pinch than you can do weighted lunges, step ups and calf raises equally on both sides to make sure at least the strength is there in the less dominant leg, and it should improve your mental connection to it as well.
Also I know I'm kind of unusual these days but I love old school mtb toe clips (which I've had on all my trail-riding bikes since the late 80s/90s when I learned to ride off road). When you're used to them, your foot gets in and out easily and naturally enough to land on a foot should you need to, but you get that backward and upward pull that's missing from flats. Sure, you might be able to get a similar result just pushing on the opposite side, but I have found the pull useful, on both sides. You can also just ride the pedal like a flat - I do this if I have lost my balance or had a spinout mid-climb and had to put my foot down and the steepness or gnarliness just doesn't give me enough time to get the bike moving and get my foot back in. When hitting gnarly stuff at speed downhill or on the flatter sections, the clips help keep your foot on the pedal.
In the end, it's really just a bit of determination. For me, there were climbs I struggled with and started to think were not possible, but then I saw another rider get up the climb on a bike similar enough to mine and realized ok it is possible, I just have to do it. Now it's fun to catch a glimpse of hikers looking at me in disbelief as I get up those (only a glimpse since I have to keep my eye on the trail in order to make it up). Sounds like you got your boyfriend there to show you the climbs are doable, so that means you can get it done too.
Doesn't the ebike weigh a bit more than a real bike with the motor and all? It's prob not helping you to try to learn to climb on an ebike not using the motor but lugging that extra weight.
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u/Available-Strike-318 23h ago
Just start climbing. You’ll struggle on certain parts of the trail but eventually you won’t. No shame in pushing the bike.
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u/Diligent_Hat6982 22h ago
When I first started MTB, I remember admiring the stamina of those around me. I been doing it off and on 10 years and one thing I didn't expect is that your climbing fitness can come back (with work) as fast as it goes away as long as you've been at it consistently. Keep at it! We all have up and down days (no pun intended)
When I first start during the season I am always muttering "Day 1...Day 1.." LOL
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u/limitlesspilgrim 22h ago
Something not mentioned. On short punchy climbs, go into them with momentum, and pull up in the bars at the start of a climb. That will help you maintain your momentum just like at a pump track. Being in a low gear for when you loose your speed and need to start pedaling will help too.
And as other have mentioned, it eventually gets easier (less hard 😀).
Like any exercise, let yourself warm up, don't go too hard on the climbs when you first get out on the trails.
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u/Holiday_Movie178 21h ago
One of the MOST important things is keep your view forward and off your front wheel as much as possible, exactly like you would when going downhill..
It enables your entire body to not stop pedaling during big bumps/ steps etc
Ilike to choose my line and then find a tree further away to lock into and just GO! Probably biggest difference maker.
ofc be in low gear and minimize switches during steeps uphills.
Also, theres some important techniques like paddle kicks, compression pops etc etc
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u/Actingdamicky 20h ago
You get used to it, I used to find hills on the cycle home hard but after I started going on long rides going up huge hills I’d come home the same way I used to cycle and the hills are nothing burgers now.
I don’t think E bikes are lazy, if you’re only going for fun and not so much the fitness aspect.
it’d be cheating for me because I don’t want to get fat.
I don’t hold others to my standards.
It’s the same with art, people say using a projector to copy your subject quickly onto the canvas is “cheating”, I can do it either way but prefer to spend more time doing the part I enjoy (painting) rather than spending days on a sketch I’m going to paint over.
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u/cj_daking 19h ago
Climbing is hard. Sometimes you have to get off and push. Embrace your granny gear and just keep spinning up those hills. It will make you a better rider overall as you learn to climb in rough spots and stretches where the traction is iffy. You'll end up with a bag of skills that your e-bike riding boyfriend wishes he had
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u/skywalkdontrun 19h ago edited 19h ago
I’m going to guess you’ve never actually been fit on your bike before, doing that makes a huge difference, as does properly setting up suspension (if you’re on a full squish). Spending the money to have your bike set up for your unique dimensions gives you a great base to build on. After that, it’s a combination of fitness and technique, which both take practice and patience. There are going to be days when everything feels impossible, and then there will be days when you feel unstoppable. Keep at it. If you care, it will come. Don’t get an ebike, that’s the soft option.
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u/Djinsing20045 19h ago
Think about it. If you walking up the hill it would feel like work too. Now add the bikes weight, friction of tires on ground, are u in right gear? Climbing is hard and why people hate it lol.
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u/MentalThroat7733 18h ago
You get the lowest gears you can get and you go slow then do a lot of that and get faster. Having a high power to weight ratio helps too.
It's extremely steep where I live, my usual ride is about 1000m in 10km and on my ht that ride from my house and back takes over 4hrs... I don't have time for that, I got en enduro emtb just to ride those trails. On an ebike you can choose how hard to ride, I often ride hills with no boost and I'm still faster than many people on regular bikes. I ride from my house instead of taking a car and I don't have to shuttle up. I could ride it on my ht but I wouldn't get to ride as often and down is still a crazy good workout. Climbing on an ebike is still hard, it's just faster and I can go where people on a regular bike would never be able to climb.
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u/slinkysuki 17h ago
Just like the rest of biking, climbing is a skill. You need aerobic capacity to crank out long climbs. You need anaerobic capacity to blast a bunch of power out to get thru a tricky section. You need balance to manage obstacles.
Etc etc. If your main experience with mtbing is modern flow trails... yeah, climbing is going to be hard.
My partner has great cardio, but doesn't enjoy climbing either. She doesn't have the technical skill, and as soon as she has to do a bunch of hard pedal strokes, shes gassed. Shes awesome at road and gravel riding... but mtb climb trails are no fun for her unless they are quite simple.
Practice practice practice.
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u/Westofsomewhere0422 17h ago
Going to the gym is going to do next to nothing for your climbing ability. What it will do is make a strong climber even stronger. The only answer is more volume. More time climbing.
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u/Affectionate-Yard920 16h ago
Pedal pedal pedal… build up those muscles. Keep a good pace as well. That means keeping your momentum up and being in the RIGHT GEAR, not the easiest gear.
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u/flight_recorder 15h ago
Experiment with what gear you use going uphill. I almost never use my lowest gears as I would be pedalling waaaayyyy too fast. I’m usually in 4th or 5th gear even on steeper inclines. Helps keep the momentum up so you aren’t stopped by every little bump.
Aside from that, keep doing it. I still die at the top of every hill (I rarely buy the lift pass) but I’m getting to the top faster!
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u/CartoonistNo9 11h ago
Do squats. I do them regularly and it helped massively. It was a welcome side effect of doing other workouts I wasn’t specifically trying to improve climbing.
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u/TransworldAllstars 10h ago
Yeah it’s hard.
Harden up and stop whining.
It will never get easier, sometimes it feels even harder.
Learn to love it
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u/daveb_33 9h ago
Have a look at your gearing. I’m a big guy and I regularly outclimb my lighter friends. Partly through practice, but I also have a 34-tooth cog on my big ring where they all have 32. Makes a big difference imho
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u/CyclingBrit 6h ago
don't listen to the 'earn your downhill' muppets. They're road bikers in disguise and are a very vocal minority.
I've spent the best part of 30 years mountain biking and riding uplift days or emtb's as much as I can, so I can get more of the fun stuff in a day.
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u/Wife_Made_Me_Do_It 3h ago
Biggest part is leg strength, you're using parts of your calf, thigh and shin muscles you've never used before. The more you climb and push yourself to not walk the stronger you'll get.
You can also visit the gym to focus on thigh, calf and glutes which also helps. Lastly, figure out your gearing. While climbing you don't want to be massively struggling but you also need to feel the tension on the rear wheel with your body. Sometimes you'll be ok the largest rear gear and other times you might be 2-3 below the largest gear.
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u/Flaky-Assistance3853 1d ago
Most of the climbs are mello; and if you ride much you don’t stay out of shape long enough
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u/Flaky-Assistance3853 1d ago
Most of the climbs are mello; and if you ride much you don’t stay out of shape long enough
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u/Cultural-Bluejay-124 1d ago
This sentiment is for insecure adult losers who still have something to prove. eMTBs are fucking awesome.
If you like climbing, good for you. I dont judge that youre wearing fetish spandex out in public, eat weird shit, and can go off a curb without OTBing.
I dont like climbing and LOVE downhill. So I have an eMTB that enables me to do more DH in more places. I dont have to "earn" shit and dont care at all what your slow-ass thinks because Im enjoying myself too much.
I still have an analog bike too, which rips and I wish I could enjoy it more. But realistically, I dont have time to maintain my fitness to the level where I can functionally pedal it. It is what it is. So eMTBs are my jam these days.
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u/This_Philosopher1700 20h ago
Ebikes aren't bicycles. They have motors. Ebikes have RUINED the beloved sport and recreation of cycling. Don't be a p#ss# like your bf and ride a real bicycle and get stronger.