MinnMan

Hi all - I haven't posted in months 'cause I've been in the gym rather out in the cold Minnesota elements.

When I ride on a stationary or spinning bike, I try to spend a little time standing. Usually, I just stand up and mash against a hard setting. This is like what I do on a steep hill on a road bike and it's never occurred to me to do it differently - when I stand riding up a hill, I am at a relatively high gear ratio and I mash. Today, I tried something different - I leaned forward and put a huge amount of weight on the handlebars and I was able to do something like spinning while standing. So it got me thinking whether this is possible or desirable on the road.

There's lots of discussion all over this board about riding technique, but can somebody point me to a discussion about improving one's standing technique? Is it all about mashing, or is there something more to it?

Can't wait until spring time.

doctor j

If I stand while ascending, I'll usually shift one gear higher then stand. I try not to "mash" while standing. I'll try to keep the rpm up.

Sgt. Spillco

Ditto what doctor j said. I try and keep the rpm's up and less mashing, much easier on the knees however I do most my climbing in the saddle. Standing uses more energy so unless I'm on a 8% or higher I usually stay seated.

Allegheny Jet

When I stand the rpm's will be about 10-15 less than my normal 90-95 cadence. When standing I also try to think about the effort as a controlled run that will keep me moving at a good effort but not hard enough to go into a hole or blow up. I also try to keep as little weight on the bars as possible and let my weight push down on the pedals unless it is a really steep section when I need to pull up on the bar. When standing you are using less muscles and place additional work on the quads, I don't want to waste energy holding my upper body up when gravity could be helping.

In the indoor cycling program I attend we will sometimes do 20 minute standing intervals using our largest gear @ 50-60 rpm's then and every 2.5 minutes we will lauanch into an interval at 75 to 85 rpm's for 30 seconds then return back to the 50-60 pace for recovery. It seemed impossile to do the interval at first but I learned to relax and use only the muscles needed to sustain the effort. The quads will really burn the first couple minutes but will not stop the effort.

stapfam

I stand to give the butt a rest or when I have run out of gears- or normally when I can't be bothered to change from big to small on the chainrings for the last 100 yards of a slope.

Occasionally I have a couple of mates that want to race the last 100 yards of a slope--But I get ready for them. I am waiting for the first sign that they are going and as soon as I see it I change a couple of gears higher on the cassette and then get out of the saddle. Works every time. They may gain a couple of yards initially but they rarely get to the top first.

And watch out for those spinning bikes- They don't sway from side to side when honking so teaches you to be smooth on your leg movement. But big lads can still get them rocking at times.

NOS88

I stand to climb under the following circumstances: 1. It's a very long climb and I need a break from sitting; 2. The incline has gotten so steep it's the only way I can continue; 3. I need to accelerate quickly (to jump the gap... ). Generally, my standing reduces my cadence to somewhere in the 70 rpms range. When climbing in the standing position, I use the nose of my seat as a guide for how far forward I want my weight. If the backs of my legs can just brush the seat I know I'm in my correct position. Too much more forward and I'm putting too much weight on the front wheel and trying to push this up hill (not the most effective). If I'm too far back, I increase the chance of pulling the front wheel off the ground on really steep inclines. I also tend to get a slight rocking side to side rhythm going (not more than an inch or two). Finally, on really long rides (centuries) I'll stand for 60 to 100 pedal strokes when on the flat to give muscles a rest.