RaeTrewBrowne Posted February 18, 2011 Posted February 18, 2011 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 didn't you read Lance's book "It's not about the bike"? there is no substitute for training, if you want to beat the A group riders you have to train more than they do, they will probably be doing a minimum of 600k's a week! That being said Carbon will give you more of an advantage than alloy, but I have nailed by okes on clapped out bikes and I have nailed okes on R90 000 bicycles... train, train, train, train!!!
LeTurbo Posted February 18, 2011 Posted February 18, 2011 Get rid of all those bloody gears. Get yourself a fixie and your riding will improve dramatically. Also technique: use a slightly harder gear uphill than your mind tells you to - spinning uphill is overrated. Don't stand and pedal - push your arse right off the back of the saddle and put some muscle into your legs. That's my 2c.
Guest agteros Posted February 18, 2011 Posted February 18, 2011 didn't you read Lance's book "It's not about the bike"? there is no substitute for training, if you want to beat the A group riders you have to train more than they do, they will probably be doing a minimum of 600k's a week! That being said Carbon will give you more of an advantage than alloy, but I have nailed by okes on clapped out bikes and I have nailed okes on R90 000 bicycles... train, train, train, train!!! Freak, is that why I can only hang with the front bunch in A for an hour... I do a weekly MAXIMUM of ~200km
andretraut Posted February 18, 2011 Posted February 18, 2011 (edited) Teardrop, I retract my advice regarding the crank set-up, just because you were rude to my favourite bikeshop. These guys go out of their way to make us cyclists here in Cape Town happy. They offer you help, and instead of just declining because of your location, you chirp them k*k. Uncool dude! Suffer on the climbs bro! Edited February 18, 2011 by atraut
Cyclewizz Posted February 18, 2011 Posted February 18, 2011 At the moment I ride a specialize raubix 2004. Upgraded parts from 105 to dura ace. Have a bontager race lite crank 53/39 with 50mm Carbon clinchers. Bike tends to squeeck and creek when I climb and excellerate had, That is also an indication that I need a new frame or bike I think the squeaking must be a Spaz thing :D Get rid of the deep sections and put normal light wheels on the bike.You'll be disappointed if you spend all that money and find yourself going at the same speed. If you insist on spending money then buy yourself a Garmin 500 or something similar so you can start tracking your progress. Then just put the hours in the saddle and I bet you that you'll improve. Hill repeats & intervals, once a week.
RaeTrewBrowne Posted February 18, 2011 Posted February 18, 2011 Teardrop, I retract my advise regarding the crank set-up, just because you were rude to my favourite bikeshop. These guys go out of their way to make us cyclists here in Cape Town happy. They offer you help, and instead of just declining because of your location, you chirp them k*k. Uncool dude! Suffer on the climbs bro! all he did was explain HIS experience with the said store!! flip this forum is seriously aggressive!! not cool
FrancoisC Posted February 18, 2011 Posted February 18, 2011 (edited) Hi Teardrop. Please give us a call or pop in at our shop in Tygervalley. I am sure that should you want to buy a new frame or components then we will make sure that you get the best advice and price in the country. Please call Chris jnr and setup a time even if it is after work and discuss your problems with him. Chris, ASSEBLIEF TOG!!!!!Stop sniffing chamoix cream and sweaty bibs.He lives on the West Rand.?????In J-O-H-A-N-N-E-S-B-U-R-G.You Capies are a LOT dumber than you look!!!My man, if you need advice on technique, training and generally how to improve your climbing, talk to Spinnekop or Dangle.They have been around the block a few hundred thousand times."Oh just pop in, blah blah blah"For Petes sake. Edited February 18, 2011 by FrancoisC
Minion Posted February 18, 2011 Posted February 18, 2011 Comparing to the A bunch racersYou also need to look at how you get dropped and where you are in the bunch when it happens. Steady hill riding may not necessarily be the problem. I was in the exact same position as you and I found the the problem wasn't my sustained hill climbing ability, but rather my position in the bunch and also the way they attack the hills. There's usually an initial surge that pushes me above my VO2max power for a minute or two and then it dies down to a steady pace until the next attack.I found I was getting dropped because I couldn't stick with the short, sharp surges. Being at the back of the bunch also made it worse as this magnifies the effect of the surge.My coach focused my training on doing shorter intervals of around 4-5min at VO2max and I focused on being near the front of the bunch at the start of the climb. The focused training meant I could stay with the surges and being near the front meant that even when I couldn't, I could drop back through the bunch and then work my way up again, rather than being dropped completely off the back at the very start of the climb.
LeTurbo Posted February 18, 2011 Posted February 18, 2011 Chris, ASSEBLIEF TOG!!!!!Stop sniffing chamoix cream and sweaty bibs.He lives on the West Rand.?????In J-O-H-A-N-N-E-S-B-U-R-G.You Capies are a LOT dumber than you look!!!My man, if you need advice on technique, training and generally how to improve your climbing, talk to Spinnekop or Dangle.They have been around the block a few hundred thousand times."Oh just pop in, blah blah blah"For Petes sake. Had a bad day, Francois?
RaeTrewBrowne Posted February 18, 2011 Posted February 18, 2011 Had a bad day, Francois? it would seem so......
Teardrop Posted February 18, 2011 Author Posted February 18, 2011 Teardrop, I retract my advice regarding the crank set-up, just because you were rude to my favourite bikeshop. These guys go out of their way to make us cyclists here in Cape Town happy. They offer you help, and instead of just declining because of your location, you chirp them k*k. Uncool dude! Suffer on the climbs bro! If you do know the story do not give youre 2c worth. Have gotten an mail today from Chris snr and is busy sorting the problem that occured
Teardrop Posted February 18, 2011 Author Posted February 18, 2011 You also need to look at how you get dropped and where you are in the bunch when it happens. Steady hill riding may not necessarily be the problem. I was in the exact same position as you and I found the the problem wasn't my sustained hill climbing ability, but rather my position in the bunch and also the way they attack the hills. There's usually an initial surge that pushes me above my VO2max power for a minute or two and then it dies down to a steady pace until the next attack.I found I was getting dropped because I couldn't stick with the short, sharp surges. Being at the back of the bunch also made it worse as this magnifies the effect of the surge.My coach focused my training on doing shorter intervals of around 4-5min at VO2max and I focused on being near the front of the bunch at the start of the climb. The focused training meant I could stay with the surges and being near the front meant that even when I couldn't, I could drop back through the bunch and then work my way up again, rather than being dropped completely off the back at the very start of the climb. Get what you are saying, normally I get dropped on the last thrid of the climb
ichnusa Posted February 18, 2011 Posted February 18, 2011 (edited) no.. a 29er will do the trick... regardless of the fork. i will however recommend a through-axle... Edited February 18, 2011 by ichnusa
MTB_Roadie Posted February 18, 2011 Posted February 18, 2011 You also need to look at how you get dropped and where you are in the bunch when it happens. Steady hill riding may not necessarily be the problem. I was in the exact same position as you and I found the the problem wasn't my sustained hill climbing ability, but rather my position in the bunch and also the way they attack the hills. There's usually an initial surge that pushes me above my VO2max power for a minute or two and then it dies down to a steady pace until the next attack.I found I was getting dropped because I couldn't stick with the short, sharp surges. Being at the back of the bunch also made it worse as this magnifies the effect of the surge.My coach focused my training on doing shorter intervals of around 4-5min at VO2max and I focused on being near the front of the bunch at the start of the climb. The focused training meant I could stay with the surges and being near the front meant that even when I couldn't, I could drop back through the bunch and then work my way up again, rather than being dropped completely off the back at the very start of the climb. Thats what I always do, I work in the bunch, normally would be leading the bunch up the climb, sometimes stay infront, sometimes drop about 4 places back, but will always work again in the front...so that way I dont get dropped but still being able to rest at some places
'Dale Posted February 18, 2011 Posted February 18, 2011 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.My post of the day.Excellent!
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