Any good technique on getting going again halfway up a steep incline? On a regular bike I would just stand on the pedal and off I go. In my Q45 it’s a struggle to get started halfway up a steep hill. If it’s really steep I cannot get started on my q45 so I walk the rest of the way up and start biking from the top, lol.
Any good technique for starting in an incline?
- Thread starter glar
- Start date
Flying Dutchman
Active Member
mixed success... make sure you're NOT in the lowest gear, but one or two gears down. This gives you a longer turn on the first crank turn. Put the crank in the 10 'o clock position, so facing towards you but a good bit past horizontal, again to make the first crank turn as long as possible. Sit a bit forward so there's more pressure on the front wheel.
I managed to get going on 15% in this way
I managed to get going on 15% in this way
Frito Bandito
Zen MBB Master
I almost always do the butt slide to start again, which means to straddle your CB and walk forward to get it moving, and then plop down on the seat where the pedals are already in a good position to immediately start pedaling, and while in an acceptable gear. On a hill it is going to be tricky since you will stop rolling soon, so it may help a little to take a little bit of the slope out of a hill by cutting across a lane or two at a diagonal when there is no traffic.
With all of that said, I simply don't stop on a hill that will be difficult to restart on unless I crash or cramp. When riding with friends I let them know that, and why I won't stop on a hill, before the ride even starts. So, I do a bit of route scouting to know in advance when the difficult bits are to make sure all my ducks are lined up before I even start it.
With all of that said, I simply don't stop on a hill that will be difficult to restart on unless I crash or cramp. When riding with friends I let them know that, and why I won't stop on a hill, before the ride even starts. So, I do a bit of route scouting to know in advance when the difficult bits are to make sure all my ducks are lined up before I even start it.
JerseyJim
Well-Known Member
Making sure you're not in the lowest gear is good advice. The Flintstone scoot to start is also good. On a Q45 you don't need to slide down into the seat as you do on the more reclined Cruzbikes so that's an advantage. For me the thing that helps is to remember you don't have to fight the hill. If there's room on the road, start *across* the incline, get going and then start climbing up. It's the same tactic you'd use climbing really steep inclines when you zig-zag. You're effectively reducing the slope by going across instead of directly up. Once you get some momentum you can resume normal climbing. As long as the road traffic allows, and you have room, you should be able to get started on just about any incline with this method.
Another contributing factor is the pedals you use and if you clip in. If starting on steep hills, I would go for pedals that support easy use without clipping in and worry about clipping in once you are moving. My V20 with Look Keo pedals/cleats is quite a pain for this. I typically avoid stopping on a steep hill at all costs! Compared to my upright bike, I tend to rid quite differently on the V20 as generally starting is more difficult. I tend to like to keep moving on the V20, so choose routes that do not require much stopping.
JerseyJim
Well-Known Member
This is a good point. Pedals and cleats are a personal choice, and flats vs cleats is an evergreen topic for debate, but for the Q45 and T50 with their upright positions, flats are a good option. I use 2 bolt SPD (MTB) cleated shoes on pedals that have the SPD on one side and a platform on the other. This way I don't always have to put on my cycling shoes when I want to take a spin on my T50 and in the situation we're discussing, the platform side of the pedal is an advantage to get going.
Robert Volk
Member
once in Utah i had on a 15% i went to the other side of the road and went straight across the the other side, that got me going fast enough to begin the climb again
