Climbing Technique
I have a feeling the answer to this may be personal preference, but I was wondering what constitutes a good climbing position. I have never had any instruction on climbing correctly and I guess most cyclists just go with what feels best. I started out cycling on mountain bikes and the thing to do was sit with your butt glued to the saddle and spin at a high cadence while using the bar ends. To some extent this has carried over into my road cycling but I find that against conventional wisdom I seem to always end up sitting at the front of the saddle rather than sitting back. I have the correct saddle position with my kneecap above or just behind the axle and my handlebar is setup correctly. Apparently you get a leverage advantage sitting further back and I remember reading somewhere that you also use more of your muscles when sitting further back in the saddle thereby improving power. I guess the only way to find out is to do a couple of timed runs up a hill trying different positions.Comments:
I've found that if you make a conscious effort to keep your arms and shoulders relaxed you naturally move to the back of the saddle while climbing. On the other hand if you are all tense you tend to pull yourself towards the front of the bike. A relaxed upper body also seems to help keep a smooth pedal stroke.
By
phill
By
phill
You're right about moving back in the saddle as you relax. It feels a bit weird changing my technique but I'll stick with it and hopefully things will improve. Thanks.
By iain
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