nleor623

Hey, I'm new here and new to cycling in general. I just got a bike about a week ago and before that hadn't ridden since I was a kid. Where I grew up was an extremely flat city, and while where I live now probably isn't ridiculous, it's considerably more hilly. Basically everything is at least somewhat sloped, with several smaller or longer steep hills. Sometimes I think a path is flat and wonder why I start to get tired quickly until I go back the other way and can hardly pedal because I'm coasting so quickly.
Anyway, I guess I'm wondering if others living somewhere like this (or significantly worse/better, depending on how you think of it) has any advice--I feel like I can't build a general stamina when I'm either climbing and get tired much quicker than I would, or coasting and not really getting much exercise out of it. I've gotten a lot better just in a week so I'm wondering if you usually just build the muscles to compensate for the hills with practice.

dspilot

Just keep riding. You'll get stronger. One day you'll realize that you're having to put out a lot less effort than you used to. Time on the bike will make you stronger without even really knowing it.

Viich

Do you have gears on your bike? Because that's pretty much the point of them. Change to an easier gear when going uphill, and a faster one going downhill (ie. keep pedaling). I have a slight suspicion that you just bought a single speed bike, or you may have either forgotten or never learned how to use gears.

nleor623

I do have gears, but I'm still learning how to use them properly. For instance, sometimes when switching them I can tell that the thing that moves them shifts correctly (sorry, don't know the names of things yet) but it doesn't always successfully move the chain over, and I can't tell if that's a bike issue or a me issue. Sometimes if I pedal harder or stand up to pedal, it'll also sound like it snaps or changes quickly even if I didn't change the gear while doing this. To my understanding you have to be moving to switch it but not pedaling too hard, but even trying to keep this in mind they're still acting a bit strangely and I'm nervous to be changing them as frequently as the terrain calls for until I figure it out.

SylvainG

+1

Like OP, I started riding last year after many many years of, well, not riding. I despised one hill near my work place last year. It wasn't big but I was still drained at its top. This year, I climb it out of the saddle in about half the time it took me last year, I'm still (almost) drained at its top but I've conquered it

deapee

You're problem is gears. Once you learn them you'll be fine to build your endurance.

If you spin out on a slope that you can't really tell is a slope, that's definitely the problem. you can spin hard down fairly steep grades no problem.

I told my buddy whose new, small front for uphill and level, big ring for down hill. Then fine tune with the back shifter. Eventually the big front will be for flats too, but it's easier to remember that way.

GrainBrain

I believe it was Greg Lemond that said something like "It doesn't get easier, you just get faster".

When it comes to using gears don't over think it, just keep shifting till you find yourself in a comfortable pedaling speed. Not mashing but not spinning like a mad man

cyccommute 

Your drivetrain needs some tuning. It is likely cable related and may be as simple as doing a slight cable tension adjustment.

DO NOT FIDDLE WITH ANY SCREWS!

That's usually the first thing that people start doing when the "shifting is funny" and fiddling with the screws doesn't make the shifting better while causing a whole lot of other problems. The red arrows on following pictures show a few of the cable adjusters on mountain bikes and road bikes

IMG_1156 by Stuart Black, on Flickr
IMG_1157 by Stuart Black, on Flickr
93980011 by Stuart Black, on Flickr

Shift to the highest gear in the back and pull on the cable. It should be taut but not tight like a guitar string. If the cable is loose, then turn the barrel so that the cable becomes tighter.

As for gearing and understanding it, look at this gear calculator. Count all the teeth on your rear cogs and the front chainwheels and put them into the calculator. The silver gears in the calculator are the front one and the black ones are the rear. You can drag them around to where you need them or you can use a pull down list.

The graphics tell you how the shift pattern works and you can see what changing from gear to gear does to your speed.

simplybao

Keep riding, it'll get better. That's the best advice I can give. We ride all over the place and switch where we ride. We ride the same route a few times then on to something else. What once were hills that we hated, now we just ride up indifferent. Where once some hills seemed steep, now they are nothing. You'll get stronger and you'll get used to it and go up faster. Of course, if faster isn't your thing, they will get easier.

spinnaker

Just keep ridding. In a year, those "hills" will seem more like bumps and you will be wondering what you were getting so upset about.

Machka 

We moved from relatively flat places ... to Hobart. Hilly, hilly city.

First, I had to lose a whole lot of weight so I would have a fighting chance of getting up the hills.

Second, I started climbing stairs in my office building. That really helped me build up the cardiovascular and muscular strength to get up the hills.

Third, I rode hills.

I'm still no mountain goat and every time I think I'm doing all right, a local mountain goat flies past me up a hill, but I am definitely doing better than I was.

Sangetsu

Whenever I begin riding again after the off season, the hills are very difficult. That first hill on the first day is the worst. I climb slowly, my legs burn, my heart beats quickly, and I run out of breath soon. But the second week I can do noticeably better on the hills, and so on. After 4 or 5 weeks, I am no longer shifting down as much. After 8 weeks, I can do short hills at nearly full speed, and I can grind my way up the long hills without using the granny gear.

Riding a bike with gears should be the same as riding a car or motorcycle with gears. When you slow down to a stop, you shift into lower gears. As you accelerate from a stop, you shift up through the gears. Since you cannot shift when the bike is stopped, you shift down through the gears a short distance before you stop. In time, it becomes second nature.

europa

I can always tell when I'm in my driveway... suddenly, it's flat

If you're concerned about your bike's shifting, go back to the shop you bought it from. It's not unusual for cables to stretch or settle a little resulting in funny shifts. It'll take the mechanic about 2 mins to fix it and you shouldn't be charged anything. For heaven's sake, don't fiddle with the gears until you know what you're doing.

You are aware that when shifting, you have to take some of the pressure off the pedals? The gears won't shift unless the chain is moving (ie, you are pedalling) but if you've got pressure on the pedals, they won't shift either or will be reluctant to shift.

Tony P.

The first thing I'd adjust is your expectations. A week is nothing in the life of a cyclist.

I moved from a flat area to a hilly one two years ago. Although I'd ridden 1-2 hours regularly for years I found myself unable to go more than 30 minutes on hills. Now (2 years later) I'm doing twice the distance I handled 2 years earlier.

It takes time and effort. But, also, understanding gears is an integral part of hill riding. Pedal at a cadence you can handle comfortably then change gears as hills force a slowdown so the cadence continues at the same rate even though you're traveling slower.

jgwilliams

I know just how you feel. I moved house a couple of years ago and went from a commute that followed a river to one with a 600ft climb to get home. I know 600ft is probably nothing to most of you folk but at almost 60 years old it seemed a lot to me. Someone on this forum gave me some good advice which I shall pass on here: pedal up the hills a bit slower than you think you can. Day by day you'll gradually get quicker. My personal advice would also be to choose a gear that lets you keep up a high rpm on the pedals - around 90 or more. That is a personal preference but in the long run I think your knees will thank you and I find that when I'm getting tired it seems to be easier to maintain a given speed at a high rpm than a lower one.

Finally, just keep it up. You've chosen a great form of transport, one that is cheap to run and maintain, that will keep you fit and give you joy all your life.

John