camjr

I'll typically only ride off the saddle on steeper climbs. In my part of Texas, they're usually few and far between, and short. I'm breaking in a new Brooks B17 and thought I would be standing on the pedals a bit more than I am, but I guess my 225 pounds is making quick work of the breaking in process.

Cheers.

Thomas15

A few months ago I couldn't stand, if I tried it my legs went into full rebellion. Lately though I find that as my fitness has increased it has allowed me to stand to pull the hills. I find myself standing more and more, not because I have to but because I can. And it is a great feeling for me personally to stand and mash down.

rseeker

On my old bike I rode standing quite a bit, because it was the only way to force it and me up a hill. On the new bike -- lighter and with narrower tires -- I got in the habit of staying seated, mainly because I could now, and my ability to stand went away since I never did it. But this summer I'm riding steeper and longer hills and I'm both having to stand and able to stand more. It's nice. I'm trying to build that up.

lelenz

Not many hills on my rides and very little time out of the saddle. Stand to help with blood flow every now and then.

CyclingBK

Haven’t started yet. There is one hill on the 3 mile loop I ride in Prospect Park that I see a lot of people standing on. The pic below shown the part of the loop I’m referring to. But I haven’t really tried to do that yet.

I haven’t tried doing hill training but think I’m getting there and will try soon.

cybirr 

Starting out, I leave my bike in a high gear so the first couple pedals are on the stand.
The occasional sprint, rare, but occasional.
And the steep bits of the hill. There's a 10% grade section on one I got to stand if I want to get up it for instance. Wrecks me after though.

Mountain Mitch

Road rides 5 - 10%. Usually uphill but occasionally when I want to accelerate quickly.
Mountain bike rides 40 - 50%. Usually downhill but sometimes uphill if it’s a short climb. I particularly like rollers where you can do repeated short sprints and pick up speed on the downhill side.

jleeg

I live where every ride from home is uphill, to nearly 10% grade, and I hate but love it. I am now nearly 69, but jump out of the saddle much the same way, same places, I did as a younger rider. I jump on most hills even bough sliding back in the saddle and pushing is or can be as effective. I’m slower etc but I still like the climbs and the jumps. I admit to being a little less certain with rocking my bike than I once was, but I’m kind of tickled to do it. I often think of Pantini for inspiration. Cycling is so great!
Best,
j

Ronno6

Today,I rode out of the saddle on the small rises we have here in South Mississippi way more than usual.
As I have lost significant weight this year, my knees didn't seem to mind.
I was able to stand for considerably longer periods than before....30 to 40 strokes.
My riding buddy typically stands up at about any rise, but is usually in too high a gear.Since he leaves me behind,
it is of no consequence. Today, when I got out of the saddle I was in a lower gear then he and was able to pass him about every time.
But, we were not really pushing the pace today.............

tntyz

It's something I'm trying to do more often. Having some trouble transitioning between standing and sitting on steep hills (9%+). I'm losing momentum during the switch to seated and fiddling with finding the right gear. Hoping to get better with practice . . .

fietsbob

@ Stoplights & Signs..

tobey

I did very little standing until I took spin classes over the winter. Now I make a point of standing not just going up some hills but also on the flats. Also make a point of reducing my cadence which helps avoid getting tired to quickly.
I find that now I enjoy standing way more then I used to. My butt likes it to.

SammyJ 

I thought you were supposed to set on it. Actually, I prefer to adjust my gears and keep a spin between 65-85

Jumpski

I've always climbed seated, and stand periodically to stretch.

diphthong

if it's some 60+ mile climbfest where i've got to reserve some energy for the last half of the ride, i'll rarely stand except to stretch for 15-20 seconds every 20 mins or so or if the grade gets above 9%.
if it's a whatever ride of less than 50-60 miles, i'll likely try to do a few hills/climbs of a half mile (or less) standing.
if there's a 3+ mile climb with a steady(ish) grade, i like to stand every 5 mins or so and count to 30 before sitting back down.
if it's a century ride, i'm standing/unweighting the saddle and counting to 60 (or sometimes 100) every 10-15 mins. if i'm doing an urban(ish) century, getting stopped at traffic lights counts.

in short, it usually feels good to recruit different muscles for a shortish spell. when you're in the perfect gear, standing, and the legs feel good, it's magical.