What bike to get to improve ..........

[Teardrop]

I am looking to get a new bike but need some advice on what to look for.

 

At the moment I have a 54 cm carbon bike but my climbing ability is just not there Tried everything, strong enough to give pace at front on the bunch on uphill drags flats etc, but as soon as I need to go up a hill I fall off

 

At the moment what people are advizing is that I get a smaller frame i.e. 52 cm and compact cranks. I am 174 cm in lenght.

 

What do they mean with compact cranks? Must I get smaller crank arms say 172.5 mm on a 53,39 chain ring or get smaller chain rings 50,34 with the 175mm crank arms?

 

What type of bike must I look for or which are the bikes which is known to be good climbing bikes. I read in reviews that say the cannondale super six is an excellent climbing bike due to it very stiff frame. Then on the other hand should a bike with a stiff frame from any other make do the same thing..........

 

Any help would be appreciated

 

 

Budget will depend on what is left after the wedding and the honeymoon!

 

Thank you

Edited February 18, 2011 by Teardrop

[Gravity]

why not keep your bike and build some strength plyometric (bodyweight) training into your off the bike workouts.

 

Squats, lunges , squat jumps, burpees stuff like that?

[gummibear]

What do you weigh?

 

What hill training do you do?

 

Who are you comparing yourself to in the bunch?

 

Do you do weight training?

[428 others]

It's not about the bike... What is your power to weight ratio?

[Tuxstir]

no bike will improve your perfomance..

the best bike in the world is one that does the miles.... period.

your weekness need specific training.

if you get a smaller frame...a0. you'll look stupid all squashed up on it.... (used to have a that had a too small a frame.)

B). your body geometery will be all out.. so injuries will be more comon place.

[andretraut]

If you suck on the climbs, a compact crank (50/34 with a 172.5 crank arm) will suit you well. Hill training is just as important, but having the correct equipment is imperative. A size 54 (medium) is the correct size for your 174cm height, don't go smaller. Just remember, the more hills you ride, the flatter they become, but don't just struggle over the climb to get to the top, train so that you can race the hill.

[Minion]

Get a coach or, failing that, a properly designed training program. There've been some past threads about both that you can search for the info.

 

I guarantee these will improve your performance significantly and will probably be the best money you will spend on anything cycling related.

 

My personal experience is that getting a generic training program improved my riding by rougly 10% (from no guided training). A new bike and wheels produced almost no noticeable improvement on my performance (though I enjoyed riding them a whole lot more than the old ones - this can be important). My performance then plateaued for a while until I got a coach. This resulted in another 10-15% improvement within the first six months, followed by continuing, incremental improvements.

[Gumpole]

It's not about the bike... What is your power to weight ratio?

 

100% correct, if you are really strong on the flats and weak on hills then you are:

- A big strong guy built like a rugby player

- A big strong with a bit (lot?) of extra body fat

 

if you are struggling on exceptionally steep climbs then a compact crank or 12-27 on the back will help

 

if you struggle on all climbs you are overweight! (for a cyclist)

 

solution - lose some weight, especially if the extra weight is fat!

Edited February 18, 2011 by Gumpole

[Zeps]

If you suck on the climbs, a compact crank (50/34 with a 172.5 crank arm) will suit you well.

 

Snip snip snip

 

 

Then you'll be crap on the flats and downs and people will point and laugh and think you're a girl

 

'Everyone can race the flats and the downs, train for the hills' Dangerous Dan circa 1991

[DaLoCo]

A pro elite once told me this when I asked him about my climbing:

 

1. Lose weight (I am a bit chubby)

2. Find the meanest hill in your area and climb it five times in a row, once a week. The first time I did it I realized by the 4th time up the hill that I was actually climbing faster than the first time.My training hill climbs about 90m in 2kms.

 

My training ride now is 41 km with three climbs totalling 320m. I run a 3km/h better average than my previous route which was 50 km with 80m of climbing.

 

I am not a super climber, but I am not scared of hills anymore. It's all about breaking the psychology of climbing, and then training the muscles.

[kennyg]

I suggest after honeymoon and wedding, a detailed weight control program will need to be implemented. Save the additional equipment money for the next full upgrade.

 

The guys mentioning power to weight ratio are all correct:

 

Look at the little sample:

 

80 kg and 320 w is your 4 watts per kg.

75 kg and 320 w say 4.25 watts per kg.

 

With no extra leg power you are looking a 5.89 % improvement, in personal power output, maybe 5 kg is a lot for your frame, but losing a few kgs and gaining a few watts will have a similar effect.

 

The advice of riding hills, that always works, but is not always possible, so look into develop/strengthening exercises for quads/hamstrings/calves/glutes will all improve climbing.

[The Drongo]

I strongly recommend that you go for a Reba Race fork.

[Teardrop]

Well i am about 80 kgs weight plateau at this levels for the past three years. I am going to change gym program to include explosive power excersizes after the wedding.

 

Staying on the west rand thus I do my fair share of climbing do not know the total climbing as I have a normal speedo and normal polar. All my routes that I do use for training has quite a few climbs.

 

Personally I think I need a stiffer frame to better utilize my power as I think my frame is a little bit to flexable.

 

As they always say the correct equipment make a job so much easier.

 

PLEASE KEEP THE ADVICE COMMING!

 

FYI BMI is about 10 - 12 on the virgin active maschines (know you can actually trust those maschines)

Edited February 18, 2011 by Teardrop

[Teardrop]

100% correct, if you are really strong on the flats and weak on hills then you are:

- A big strong guy built like a rugby player

- A big strong with a bit (lot?) of extra body fat

 

if you are struggling on exceptionally steep climbs then a compact crank or 12-27 on the back will help

 

if you struggle on all climbs you are overweight! (for a cyclist)

 

solution - lose some weight, especially if the extra weight is fat!

 

 

Not a rugby player, weight about 80kg not alot of fat! 12 - 27 sounds like an good idea!

[Teardrop]

What do you weigh?

 

What hill training do you do?

 

Who are you comparing yourself to in the bunch?

 

Do you do weight training?

 

Hills in and around the west rand area. Ride with cycle lab group on tuesdays in JHB

 

Comparing to the A bunch racers

 

Weight is about 80 kgs

 

Yes do some weight training

[I FLY]

Not a rugby player, weight about 80kg not alot of fat! 12 - 27 sounds like an good idea!

 

You could be my twin

 

My measurements were:-

 

1,74cm

81kgs

Not a lot of fat

Climbed like a lung shot buffalo.

 

After losing 5kgs and riding 17 hours a week, I am able to climb with my friends whose climbing abilities I have always envied.

 

I ride a 53/39 with 11 -25 cluster.