guide to getting better at road climbs<\/a>. It’s all entirely applicable.<\/p>\nWith their wide range gears, grippy tyres and suspension, mountain bikes make for impressive off-road climbing machines. There is a limit to the sort of stuff that they can get up but usually it’s the rider who gives out first.<\/p>\n
By trying the techniques and tips covered in this blog, you’ll hopefully be able to get you and your bike up steeper, looser and generally more tricky ascents.<\/p>\n
J.F.D.I.<\/h2>\n
The annoying truth about climbing is that it gets easier the more you do it. If you’re always avoiding climbing it will always be very hard. To get better at climbing, you need to do it more. Sorry!<\/p>\n
![\"smile\"](\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\")
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Don’t be a hater<\/h2>\n
Perhaps the key thing to do is to change your mindset. Stop hating the climb. We’re not saying that you have to pretend to enjoy climbing. You should just try to treat them as a fact of life.<\/p>\n
Don’t waste energy moaning about them. Don’t set off up that incline with a defeatist mindset. You’ll always struggle if you do.<\/p>\n
Climbing is a skill<\/h2>\n
Remember that climbing is a skill. It’s not entirely about boring boring fitness. Every mountain biker likes to be thought of as skillful. Being a good climber is part of being being a decent all-round bike handler. Climbing doesn’t get the media hype that descending does but it’s all part of the deal.<\/p>\n
Right then, that’s the pyschological tips over with. On to the practical on-trail stuff you can try.<\/p>\n
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RELAX!<\/h2>\n
Un-tense your hands. Relax your jaw.<\/p>\n
Keep your cadence high<\/h2>\n
Keep those cranks spinning around swiftly – around 90rpm (1.5 pedal strokes per second). This will make your thighs burn and you won’t be able to sustain it for long at first, but after a few rides you’ll notice huge improvements.<\/p>\n
High cadence is better for achieving high levels of traction over loose ground. You won’t spit traction, or stall, anywhere near as much as a slow-pedalling rider.<\/p>\n
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Don’t use up all your gears too early in a climb<\/h2>\n
Give yourself an emergency ‘bail out’ gear and really push yourself to go as far you can before resorting to it. Modern drivetrains are perfectly capable of changing gear under pedal load (tip: keep your thumb on the shifter lever until the change is complete).<\/p>\n
Far too many riders change down to their easiest gears at the start of a climb. They always end up climbing for much longer periods of time. Far better to go harder for shorter.<\/p>\n
You should also try to change back up a gear or two as and when the climb gets easier – this gives you back your emergency gear should the climb get tricky again up ahead.<\/p>\n
Climbing crouch<\/h2>\n
When it gets really steep it gets difficult to avoid\u00a0the\u00a0front wheel lifting or the rear wheel spitting traction. To counter both of these problems, slide forward so your sitting right on the nose of the saddle, get your chest as close to your stem as you can, put your thumbs on top of your grips.<\/p>\n
It works! It’s not a comfy position but hopefully the climb will be over soon. Check out the video below.<\/p>\n
![\"Everest_North_Face_toward_Base_Camp_Tibet_Luca_Galuzzi_2006_edit_1\"](\"https:\/\/www.merlincycles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Everest_North_Face_toward_Base_Camp_Tibet_Luca_Galuzzi_2006_edit_1-768x511.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"smile\"](\"https:\/\/www.merlincycles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/smile-150x150.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"frankie-say-relax\"](\"https:\/\/www.merlincycles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/frankie-say-relax-150x150.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"HM-911\"](\"https:\/\/www.merlincycles.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/HM-911-150x150.jpg\")
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