out of saddle climb... in the drops... or not?

[thwart]

Hey---Pantani climbed this way.

We've had quite a bit of windy weather lately and I've found myself climbing in the drops a lot more. And I kinda like it... feels like I can get a bit more power down in that position.

Well... in a relative sense... power might be too strong a word. :rolleyes:

However, I know there are some theoretical breathing benefits to climbing in the traditional position.

[dookie]

i like it.

[avalonracing]

I've seen people climbing while on their aerobars. Now that is just wrong.

[Ray]

Depends on the climb. For extended climbing at typical intensity, I'll tend to use the hoods mostly and occasionally use the drops when it gets really steep and I need a bit more leverage (the drops are a bit wider than the hoods on my bars) and getting lower doesn't hurt either when it gets really steep. For shorter, higher intensity climbs, like the upside of rolling hills when you're practically sprinting to maintain momentum from the previous downhill, I'm almost always in the drops.

None of this makes me climb ANYthing like Pantani. Dammit.

Then again, I'm alive in my 50s, so I wouldn't trade places with him.

-Ray

[zap]

Hey---Pantani climbed this way.

We've had quite a bit of windy weather lately and I've found myself climbing in the drops a lot more. And I kinda like it... feels like I can get a bit more power down in that position.


Yes, it's great for short efforts.

[Charles M]

That's pretty much it.

You're going to have greater exertion putting your upper body in to play when you stand up and go to the drops... And doing so gives you a bit more bracing and leverage.

The terrain doesnt really matter much. when you stand up, you recruite more muscle and change the way you produce power. You also burn your candle faster,

[RADaines]

You also burn your candle faster,
This is what, for me, is so impressive about Alberto Contador. He is able to climb, and accelerate, standing for incredibly long stretches. I need to climb seated for as long as possible and reserve standing for only the final section of the climb if necessary (but I'm an old guy). :(

[thwart]

Yeah, no doubt standing climbing uses up more energy, and is more difficult to maintain. Contador and Pantani clearly were in another league there.

Seems that being in the drops---while doing standing climbing---is easier for me to do, and feels more effective than being up on the hoods. At least right now.

I think Ray hit it on the head... yet another position to enlist while climbing. Especially if you really need to 'put it down'.

[Charles M]

I prefer enlisting slower people to make me climb relatively faster...

[jlwdm]

Article in VeloNews on training for Gran Fondos.

In the climbing article No. 1 , efficiency, includes don't climb in the drops.


VeloNews Climbing (http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/05/news/training-for-gran-fondos-part-3-climbing_115654)


Jeff

[johnnymossville]

very short steep hills where you can "sprint" up over them is pretty much the only place I could see climbing in the drops. Pantani was an exception, he looked good climbing that way.

You could possibly "climb" in the drops on long super very gradual inclines with some sort of efficiency also.

[Ti Designs]

My next climbing class will be in November - this topic will be covered.

[Louis]

My next climbing class will be in November - this topic will be covered.

You're such a tease...

[Ti Designs]

OK, here's the deal: It's about momentum or how to maintain it on a climb. I always break down climbing into in the saddle technique and out of the saddle technique. Most of it is based on a sustainable effort, so gravity is used. I always paint the picture of getting your hip right over the pedal, standing upright so your body weigh is all over that pedal and allowing the hip to fall into the pedal with the knee almost straight. This lowers quad usage and lets the rider use mostly body weight. Sprinting technique is very different 'cause it doesn't have to be sustainable. The body is more level with the ground and you think of taking the bars and pedal on one side and tearing them apart, using more muscle and the bike as a point of leverage. The technique of climbing using the drops is a balancing act of sprinting technique and lowering the gear and spinning the pedals in the saddle. There's a timing to it, say four pedal strokes sprinting, 20 pedal strokes in the saddle. While maintaining a higher momentum isn't really sustainable, it's a way of going faster than you could with just one method of climbing.