How to boost your climbing ability
Mountain biking is as much about the climbs as it is about the descents. Some riders enjoy the climbs and view them as a challenge, others would label these riders as certifiably insane. Why climb when you can go to a bike park with an uplift?
Many mountain bikers don’t visit bike parks too often, I know I don’t, so love them or hate them, being comfortable with climbs is a necessity to allow you to hit the killer descents. As a mountain biker being able to climb should be part of your skill set.
But why do some riders seemingly have no problem with climbs, do they do anything fundamentally different?
Perhaps. But there are plenty of strategies and simple tips that everyone can implement to make those long steep climbs less intimidating. With a few tweaks to your technique, climbing will soon become less of a chore and a lot more ‘fun’.
Here are my top 7 tips to get you started.
Sort your cadence
How fast you spin the pedals can have a real effect on your climbing ability. Selecting a gear and cadence that gently burns your legs whilst remaining tolerable is key to your performance, especially during longer climbs. Lower cadence i.e the slower your legs are spinning, will place more strain on the muscles in your legs which means you will likely fatigue much quicker. Where as if you spin a lighter gear with a higher cadence, the theory is it will put more strain on your lungs, which should keep going for longer. This way you will be fresher for the all important descent when you get to the top.
You may think that powering your way up a climb in a higher gear is quicker, but working anaerobically will soon drain your energy levels. A higher cadence in a lower gear is simply more efficient and should keep you in your aerobic zone for longer allowing your muscles to clear out any lactic acid build-up.
Smooth your pedal stroke
When climbing it’s usually the case that mountain bikers have to deal with unpredictable features. We have to wheelie over rocks and roots, as well as find grip in the wet and mud.
Trying to maintain a smooth pedalling action can be tricky depending on the terrain, so slowing down and being more methodical and deliberate in your movements and line choice can help. In general on steep technical climbs you want to make sure that the power you’re laying down on each pedal stroke is even, the smoother the pedalling action the better. This means selecting the right gear at the right cadence. Pedalling round like a crazy person with uneven spikes in power is only going to cause you to lose traction, as well as burn your thighs and drain your energy.
Understand the effect of differing tyre pressures
The correct tyre pressure will make a huge difference to how you are able to tackle and approach a climb.
On smooth surfaces like roads and lanes higher tyre pressures might offer you faster rolling resistance, but on steep technical climbs the smaller contact area with the ground will have you struggling for traction. You’ll likely just end up spinning your wheels wasting precious energy. Lower tyre pressures will offer up more grip but with a marginally slower rolling resistance, not that it really matters when riding off-road. When it comes to climbing and finding the perfect tyre pressure, it’s all about finding the sweet spot where grip and rolling resistance is optimal.
I’ve written a post previously on all you need to know about tyre pressure, so it may be worth a recap.
Stay seated
It’s tempting to get out of the saddle when a climb becomes steep and loose. You may think that it will help you to keep the pedals turning over but it won’t, not on loose terrain anyway. The minute you stand up out of the saddle the distribution of your weight is uneven, with too much weight over the front wheel and too little over the rear wheel, all leading to a loss of traction.
Sometimes on the steep climbs you may find that your front wheel pops up off the ground like you are pulling unintentional wheelies. There are a few reasons for this; as mentioned your weight distribution is uneven and you are likely pulling on the bars as you try to lay the power down.
If you can stay seated aim to dip your chest towards your stem, and consider moving slightly further forward on the saddle. This should help balance your weight across the front and rear wheels so you can maintain traction. It’s also worth noting that relaxing your grip on the handlebars and keeping your elbows tucked in may also help. If you really need to get out of the saddle, shifting up a gear or two to slightly reduce the torque pulses to the rear wheel may help you to maintain traction. Failing that just watch a professional XC race and see how the top riders have the technique nailed.
Adjust your mental approach
Climbing hurts. It doesn’t matter who you are, if you push hard on a climb it hurts, once you have accepted this you can begin to develop some strategies that will help massively with your ability to become more comfortable with climbs. Instead of focusing on the huge climb you are ascending, try to break the climb down into more manageable chunks. Target making it to the next rock, the next tree, the next switchback, it doesn’t matter how short the distance is just make it manageable. Then once you are there find another target further ahead. On the less technical climbs, for example on fire roads, you could even count to a minute in your head or count your pedal strokes. Then once you make it to the end of your count start from the beginning again.
These strategies may sound simple, but they help take your mind of what you are riding up and can be a great way to improve your mental game.
Focus on your breathing
It may sound a bit patronising but you would be surprised at the how many people struggle with breathing during any form of cardio effort. It’s important that you try to stay relaxed, and focus on inhaling and exhaling at a good pace. This is key when you are trying to put in a big effort, such as on a steep climb. Try and tie your breathing in with your pedal stroke, just as you would with foot strikes when running.
The more consistent your breathing is the more likely it is you will be able to maintain a steady and consistent pace. Remember your muscles need oxygen to allow them to function efficiently. The increase in oxygenated blood flow through breathing consistently will also allow your heart to work more efficiently. Once you have completed the climb try to maintain a similar breathing pace as it will allow you to recover, ready for the next climb.
Ride more
One reason that many people struggle on climbs is that cardiovascular wise they simply aren’t fit enough. If this is the case you want to aim to increase your overall aerobic fitness. Yes, you could do this riding, but for some finding the time to go out for an extra ride can be tricky. However, you don’t need to train for hours to boost your fitness. I would recommend focusing on interval style training, where you work hard for a minute and recover for a minute, and repeat it for 15-20 mins. You could even do this during a walk by mixing it up with some jogging. It could literally be anything, but if you go to the gym before, during, or after work, you have an excellent opportunity to mix your training up and give your cardiovascular fitness that boost it needs.
It sounds painfully obvious, but alongside these tips one of the most effective ways to get better at climbing is to do more climbing when you are out riding. Don’t shy away from it. The more time you spend practising, as with your riding in general, the more you will adapt and become stronger.
Initially you will probably hate climbing, and may spend more time hike-a-biking rather than riding, but by following my tips you will soon develop the skills required to improve your ability to climb.
In time climbing will become more tolerable, and who knows maybe you’ll get to the point where you look forward to trying to clean a technical climb.
Earn that reward.