| Climbing Steep Hills Out of the Saddle |
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| by Diet Detective Editorial Staff | |
| Thursday, 29 June 2006 | |
 Getting off the seat adds power, but it also uses more energy.Getting off the seat adds power to the pedal stroke for hard efforts up steep or short hills, but it also uses more energy. Most cyclists will find, though, that with the proper technique out of the saddle they can conquer a hill with less effort by using their body weight and upper body strength. Done properly, it looks like this: out of the saddle with your hands holding the brake levers, you pull with the right arm as the right leg pushes down on the power stroke. You then shift your weight from right to left and pull on the bars as you push with the left leg. On steep grades it's almost as if you were walking up the hill. The bike will have a natural sway from side to side as your body weight is shifted. But make sure you have good control over the bars so that you don't zigzag up the hill. Getting out of the saddle can be valuable for two other reasons. On a long climb it can be a way of "stretching" the legs and giving them a bit of rest while they work in a slightly different way. In addition, because this technique adds more power to the pedal stroke, a rider might get off the saddle for a short section of steeper grade where he or she would ordinarily have to shift to a lower gear. Generally speaking, you can climb in one gear higher out of the saddle than while sitting. Bookmark:            Trackback(0)
Comments (1)
  written by Reyn, December 16, 2006
Getting up off of the saddle also helps improve blood flow to the land down under.
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 29 June 2006 ) |
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