Hi all! First real post, don't know if this is a sign of getting "older" but, one of the places I ride there is a medium length "punchy" climb right out of the parking lot. When I'm fully warmed up, it's no problem, however if I try to climb it soon as I get there, I get about 1/2-3/4 the way up and it feels as if my hamstrings are gonna rip out of my thighs, so I dismount. I even try to warm up in the parking lot by riding in circles, but doesn't help. I currently ride 32/18 and would like keep my gearing the same. Any recommendations other than changing gearing, or is this something I'm just going to have to live with?
A good warmup seems to be more important as you get older. It takes time to get the legs, lungs, and heart on the same page. Stretching and off the bike exercises may also help your hamstring issue.
Do you think you fitness is at the same level as in the past?
Ego says yes, reality says no. Lol. I agree, probably additional stretching as I do feel "tight" when first starting out, even more so now than in my youth.
MT : I forgot to mention, wheel size is 650B/ 2.1W. I do have a 20T in my parts bin just to try, have used it in the past but top out earlier on the flats.
32/18 on what size wheels/ tires? That's a tall gear for a 29er IMO. I live in central Texas which has more hills and punchy climbs than you might think. Many of the trails follow creek beds that have dug deep, forested canyons into the limestone. I ride with a few strong riders and most of them have settled on 32/20 with on their 29ers.
SS riding is always a compromise. Would you rather spin out on flats or walk the climbs?
Try a 19t cog too. Also consider that if the resulting chainstay length is not optimal, a 34/21 combo is slightly harder than 32/20 but easier than 32/19.
Sounds like you just need a warm up. As we age it takes longer to warm up. Don't fight it just plan for it. This may mean your warm up is 1/3 of the way up the climb then down. Then go back and start your ride. My guess is your parking lot ride is not really warming up the climbing muscles. You can also do short "sprints" where you are out of the saddle accelerating full bore for 10-20 seconds. Do that 5-6 times and that might help too. I would not changing gearing as it sounds this mostly related to warm up needs rather than problems. You don't want to select a gear ratio for the warm up period. You select it for the balance of the ride. If you can do it fine once "warmed up" the problem is not the gear, but the warm up. That said some trails just force you to go hard out of the gate.
- I gave up on the ego eons ago; I'm 56 and ride 32/22 and that puts me at the edge of what I can attempt......living in N-GA, I have a number of foothills rides I can run but for bigger mountains, I just pedal the fully geared bike..........
Thanks for the replies! I like the idea of doing short "sprints" in the parking lot as a warm up, better than just doing circles. I'll try this before switching cogs. Thanks for the tip.
some of my best rides are after 5 mile warmup, or if no time for that, 5-6 telephone-pole sprints pre-ride. for a stiff climb at the start the 5 mile warmup is far better
Yes I do, mainly free weighs and some resistance training along with hiking my local MTB trails with my dog. She's too old to be a MTB dog, so we hike and perform some trail maintenance as we go.
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