Uphill, both ways, in Pittsburgh

September 8, 2008 7:29 AM

How can I make it so that I can make it up the hills on my bicycle?

I recently bought myself my first ever bicycle, figured out how to generally not fall over (I'm actually pretty good at the not falling over), and have discovered that I am gloriously excessively out of shape and cannot make it up even the modest hills. This is a problem. I live in Pittsburgh. It is all hills. I live halfway up a rather large hill. I'd like to be able to commute to work, but the last mile of my commute home is a 300' rise in less than a mile, which is way more than I am currently capable of. Everywhere I want to go involves going up a hill. There is a threat of a bus strike soon, so cycling and walking may soon be my only options for getting places. Whenever I cycle now, I end up walking my bike a good amount of the time.

What would be a good training regime for getting myself able to not collapse or pass out or fall over, and make it all the way up some rather big hills on my bicycle? What sort of training and practice can I do with a) a bicycle and b) no other equipment? How often do I need to do these exercises to get better? I am up for various exercises that do not involve cycling, as long as they don't require various gym equipment or any other exercise equipment, really. I don't particularly want to go out on my bicycle in the dark, and with the days getting shorter, the amount of light I have on weekdays is starting to get pretty small.

posted by that girl to sports, hobbies, & recreation (46 comments total)

How many gears does your bike have?
posted by [NOT HERMITOSIS-IST] at 7:33 AM on September 8, 2008

Are you downshifting?
posted by mr_roboto at 7:35 AM on September 8, 2008

These folks ask about gears because the lower gears help you climb hills using less power. Of course you pay for that in more pedaling, but you'll get up the hill nonetheless.

The lowest gears are the ones closest to the center of the bike if you can see the gears. I used to get really confused by the numbers on my shifters and how you turned one up to go lower and one down to go lower.

BTW, when you're in a very low gear, you may notice that you often get to the point where turning the pedals don't see to do anything and that's because the wheels are turning faster than you can turn the pedals. This is a good time to shift up.
posted by advicepig at 7:44 AM on September 8, 2008

Learning to use your gears will make a huge difference. I used to think that you stayed basically in one gear most of the time. When I started learning to ride for racing, it became clear that gearshifting is what makes it possible to climb and descend hills and make good time in relative comfort. Do yo know any cyclists who race or do long rides? A half-hour lesson on gearing could help out a lot.
posted by Miko at 7:48 AM on September 8, 2008

Push yourself. I also live by a huge hill, and I couldn't do it at first. But you get in shape faster than you think. I could do the hill after only about 10 tries no problem. What really works for me is to set goals for myself such as "I will not stop to take a rest until I reach that tree", and sticking to it. I also find I can climb hills much easier if I am distracted, so I always look at trees.

Also, if you're wearing a backpack while commuting, consider getting a pannier.
posted by shamble at 8:00 AM on September 8, 2008 [1 favorite]

Even after shifting gears, if you're not in shape it'll be hard. So you have to give yourself time to develop muscle, strength and stamina. Also pace your breathing. I've found that listening to really good music will give me that extra oooooomph up if I need it. Also, don't beat yourself up, sometimes the wind goes against you - in that case - walk it.
posted by watercarrier at 8:18 AM on September 8, 2008

Good for you! I'm making a similar change in my life. I can tell you it'll get better just from the biking alone. There are a bunch of hills around me (Portland OR), and still plenty of em give me trouble in the very lowest gear. I just go insanely slowly til my legs can't push any more, then walk the rest of the way up the hill if I need to. The more often I ride, I can notice better ability to get up there. And I've gotten a little better at picking routes that avoid some of the worst hills, even if the distance ends up being longer.

For leg strength overall I think one of the best things is squats. A site like stumptuous will give you lots of info about how to do them safely. And you can do squats almost anywhere with no equipment.

Are you going to be able to commute on your bike and avoid the dark hours? You may become more comfortable riding at night over time like I did (and I use tons of lights). I am pretty lucky because I can go about half of my commute on a trail instead of a road, and I am willing to spend a lot more time biking when it's not in traffic. Any options like that near you?
posted by olecranon at 8:20 AM on September 8, 2008

You need to have and use your "granny" gear. Also, find out if you have sports related asthma. I was able to go great on the flats for long periods, but could not go up more than a 1/4 mile on a hill without my lungs burning. Turned out after I used a co-rider's inhaler, that I could then go much farther. Check with your doctor.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 8:20 AM on September 8, 2008

7 Tips for Climbing to the Top, this is a training regime aimed at racing cyclists but it has something useful takeaway lessons that you can use. Specifically cadence (the speed the pedals turn at). Beginners often make the mistake of using too low a cadence -- grinding a big gear around at too slow a pedal revolution. Its better for you, and better exercise, to go for a high cadence, pedalling as fast as you can comfortably sustain, For training you can go for short runs where you pedal close to your max.

This will really help you when it comes to hills when you need to be in a low gear and pedalling at a reasonable speed so need the endurance to be able to sustain till you are at the top.

One of the reasons why people like me (and er fixedgear) ride fixies is that it forces us to ride at a high cadence and, despite the fact that we only have one gear, fixed gear riders often have the edge when it comes to hill climbing.
posted by tallus at 8:23 AM on September 8, 2008 [1 favorite]

This was linked in Projects a while back, but I found this video on gear shifting really helpful. From Bicycle Tutor.
posted by peep at 8:24 AM on September 8, 2008 [2 favorites]

PS- depending on your age, lifestyle and fitness level - give it at least a month of riding of at least 5 miles a day. You can increase as you feel needed. Also - hint - don't breathe the fumes, try to bike off the main highways - sometimes one street over makes all the diff in traffic and fumes. Also shoes. Yeah - a good tread does push harder.
posted by watercarrier at 8:27 AM on September 8, 2008

Your neighbourhood sounds like mine: it's uphill no matter where I go and there's a headwind from every direction. :-) I've been commuting by bike since April, and some hills still kill me, but here's how I've improved:

1) Yes, downshifting and spinning in a gear with less resistance can make bigger hills manageable, although as advicepig says, there's a point of diminishing returns. There are no miracle gears, so even the lowest gears and lots of spinning may still mean that you don't have enough cardio fitness yet to make it up the toughest hills. This will come with time.

2) Momentum, momentum, momentum. I expect someone more experienced to come along and slap my hand for this, but if you are going downhill or are on the flat before the hill, push yourself to the fastest speed you can manage. You may even upshift to a relatively larger gear so that you're eating up as much ground as possible. Just before the hill starts, downshift to your usual comfortable gear, and as you climb the hill, progressively downshift as often as needed to spin more and save your knees.

3) In your off time, not your commutes, train yourself on your killer hills. Approach the hill as usual, then push yourself to spin in low gear to the point where you can't go any further. Return to the base of the hill and attack it again. Do this three times, then walk up the rest of the hill if needed. Try this 3x a week and see if you can go further week by week.

4) And what olecranon says about Stumptuous and squats. I'm doing Krista's unweighted squat program and will be moving to dumbbells, but even unweighted squats can do a lot for your strength. If you can't get the full range of motion and keep your balance at first, hold onto a heavy piece of furniture that won't tip, like a bed footboard, or a stair railing. etc. Trust me, unweighted squats will seriously kick your butt.
posted by maudlin at 8:29 AM on September 8, 2008

The answer is train twice. First, train your body. To get good at hills you want to do some hill training which essentially involves finding a hill that is short but hard for your current level of fitness and then attacking it at maximum output, rest, repeat several times. Try to stay in a gear that keeps your legs spinning about 90 rpm. This type of interval hill training will strengthen both your legs and your lungs. Second, attend to your gear train. If you don't have a low enough gear get a new cassette in the rear with a larger sprocket. Have it installed by a competent bike mechanic so that you don't exceed the capacity of your dérailleur and that you get the chain length correct. I bought my bike used from a pro racer and he had a tiny little cassette on it that was great for racing with tightly spaced gearing. However, it sucked for me, a decided non-pro, when climbing hills. A 24 tooth rear sprocket solved all that. The traditional solution to hills is a triple up front. Converting a double to a triple is just too expensive so that is really more appropriate for when you next purchase a bike. In the meantime a bigger sprocket on the rear can really help.
posted by caddis at 8:34 AM on September 8, 2008

Yet another vote for shifting and a high cadence. You can make the hills work for you: on a downhill, instead of coasting the whole way, shift into a higher gear so that you can pedal and go faster, traffic lights permitting. That gives you momentum for going up the next hill. When you hit that next hill, downshift well before it becomes too hard to pedal--the minute you start to slow down. You might need to shift down several positions rather quickly.

Running up and down stairs is a great aerobic workout that will also strengthen your legs.

P.S. I love to ride at night. Of course, I'm lit up like a nuclear explosion (bright, bright lights and an exuberant application of 3M reflective tape to every possible surface). One thing I like about night riding is that it's easier to see cars, since they're all lit up, too. It's also cooler and there's less traffic.
posted by PatoPata at 8:35 AM on September 8, 2008

Oh, and if you want to improve your cardio fitness on the bike, which you need to spin up hills, try intervals twice a week in addition to your usual rides. For up to a 15 minute period, push yourself on the flat as fast as you can go for a minute, then drop to your usual speed for a minute, then speed again, etc. You may not mange the full 15 minutes at first, or you may need to set up 30 seconds of speed and 60 seconds of recovery, but you will get better.
posted by maudlin at 8:36 AM on September 8, 2008

I don't have much to add to the advice upthread, but memail if you want advice on routes in Pittsburgh. I live in Squirrel Hill and bike to work downtown, which I know can be a grind (well, the way home anyway). Plus, you know about the local bike map available here at bike pittsburgh, right? I mention this in case it helps you find some not-so-steep alternative routes. Of course, in this city sometimes you have no choice... Good luck!
posted by chinston at 9:04 AM on September 8, 2008

Take your bike to the bike shop and ask them to make it easier for you to go up hills. Most hills shouldn't be too difficult, and shouldn't require too much effort as long as you take them slowly.

I travel a lot of long slow climbs -- my punishment for commuting in a hilly area -- but I'm no athlete, so when I bought my bike, I swapped the granny from a 28 tooth to a 22.

What's the setup on your bike?
posted by popcassady at 9:08 AM on September 8, 2008

Not mentioned so far is a fact many people over-look -- saddle height.

I've found that with a saddle set to the correct height, I can bike up hills far easier than with a saddle set too low. And since most people bike with their saddles too low, it's likely that your saddle is too low.

Here's a great reference on determining how high your saddle should be.

Once you set your saddle to the correct height, you may find that it's harder to stop and start your bike, as the higher saddle makes it harder to stay seated while putting a foot on the ground. If so, Sheldon Brown has what you need.

Other than that, all I can suggest is to keep riding those hills until they get easier.
posted by iwhitney at 9:12 AM on September 8, 2008 [1 favorite]

One other thing, make sure your tires have enough air. It's amazing what a difference that can make even on flat rides.
posted by slowfasthazel at 9:24 AM on September 8, 2008

Bike as far up the hill as you can, then get off, take a rest if needed, and then either walk your bike the rest of the way up the hill, or if you're feeling up to it, continue to cycle.

Make a note of how far you got. In future trips, you could note progress this way, or perhaps make yourself a rule that you're not allowed to get off the bike before reaching the point where you last had to get off last time you were doing this hill. So your point of dismount should creep further and further up the hill, until you can make it.

Even if you can't make it up the hill, you will notice real progress over the weeks in how far you can get, which will reassure you that it's only a matter of time.
posted by -harlequin- at 9:28 AM on September 8, 2008

As someone who lives and bikes in Pittsburgh, this is my advice.

Take it slowly and take advantage of buses that have bike racks. I don't know where you live, but many of the inner city buses have racks on them that you can throw your bike on. I started out by biking half the distance that I ultimately wanted to bike and then taking the bus the rest of the way. After doing this, I started increasing how far I bike every other week or so. Now, I bike about 10 miles a day (up many hills) and barely use my car at all.

When you reach a big hill (Bates St, I'm talking to you!) bike as far up it as you can without making yourself sick. Remember the point you made it to. Try to make it somewhat past that point the next time. If you keep doing this, you will build up your stamina and endurance in no time. You'd be surprised how quickly you can improve.

Also, don't be afraid to walk up a hill. DO NOT push yourself so hard that you could injure yourself. That won't accomplish anything.

Another idea, is to start riding the bike trails to build stamina. There's a really nice ones along the river on the Southside, along Second Ave (jail trail), and along the Allegheny river. These are all rails-to-trails type paths, have a small upgrade, and they stretch for miles. bikepgh.com has more information about these.

Biking in Pittsburgh is an endurance test, but just think of the payoff to your health and wallet :).

Feel free to message me with any specific questions.
posted by Raichle at 9:35 AM on September 8, 2008

Incidentally, what kind of bike are you using?
posted by Raichle at 9:56 AM on September 8, 2008

Not to highjack, but as someone with a single-speed cruiser from the 60s which weighs more than I do, am I totally screwed when going up hills?

Also, doing calf raises and lunges require little to no equipment and will exercise those underserved biking muscles.
posted by zoomorphic at 10:01 AM on September 8, 2008

@ zoomorphic.. I would bet you'll have a hard time as it's probably really heavy and not suited for that type of riding.
posted by Raichle at 10:23 AM on September 8, 2008

Okay, various responses and information.

I have a 21-speed hybrid step-through bike which certainly isn't the lightest thing in the world. My saddle is high enough that I just barely can get my foot on the ground when I'm stopped. I know about shifting, and even in the lowest of the low gears where I'm pedaling at about 90 rpm I can't make it. I am very extremely out of shape, and not steady enough at biking to not weave around like a drunkard at those speeds. I think my problem is more cardio related than muscle strength. If I push too hard I get into the realm of dizziness/nausea.

For people who live in Pittsburgh, I live in Greenfield, so the Mon river trails are extremely convenient for me to get to, but I have to go back up Greenfield Ave + some to get back home which is the killer hill. My bus isn't one of the bus rack ones, or else I'd probably ride the trail to the 2nd Ave. trestle and catch it up the hill. I know about the bike maps and I stare at maps of this fine city all day long, so I know the routes and the options and all of my options have hills I can't do.

Flats for intervals are not too easy to find--my best chance would be the rail trails, but those are often heavily trafficked and I'm not quite confident enough to be sure of not wiping out and hitting someone else.

5 miles daily requires at least a half mile of steep hill (the kind I'm incapable of) for me, and with my work schedule and requirements of making people dinner, it's very hard for me to get in 5 miles a day. I would like to have a little more endurance (for making it at least halfway up Greenfield, maybe?)

Further question: What's the minimum amount of times a week I should be on my bike to build up cardio endurance? Running is probably a good idea for this, but I have some clicky hip issue which makes me wary about running. I don't think I can bike every day unless I bite the bullet and commute, as even a short ride round trip from my house probably has at least 25% uphill, which takes time to walk. Even if I can do those first four miles in 20 or so minutes, that last mile will probably take on the order of 30 minutes walking a bike.
posted by that girl at 10:39 AM on September 8, 2008

Nth'ing everything everyone else is saying about "learning how to use your gears". I can't tell you how many times a day around town I notice someone on a bike riding in the wrong gear.

The best advice I can give you is to (simply) get out on your bike as much as you can.. .and ride enough variety of terrain that forces you to "cycle" through all your various gears enough that you get a feeling for what gears are good for the incline you are currently covering. You should do it often enough so that it becomes 2nd nature. (you dont even have to think about what gear you need to be in - you just intuitively "know" that downshifting or upshifting will give you better leverage to power through the hill. )

You could be a peak olympic athlete ...but you'll still get your lungs handed to you if you try riding a hill in the wrong gears. Also (if you arent doing this already)... personally I recommend standing up while powering through hills. Standing changes the angle of stroke your legs have on the gears and gives you more "leverage" so to speak . (die-hard peddle-bikers may disagree with me, but all I know from personal experience is I have no problem conquering hills while standing, and I live in the Mtns at about 5000ft altitude.
posted by jmnugent at 10:42 AM on September 8, 2008

It does get better, honest, even though progress seems slow right now.

If you don't have much daylight time, and you can't get away from hills, you might try a stationary trainer attachment for your bike so you can get in some training time 3-5x a week indoors. They can be pricey, but you can find barely used ones cheap. (I'll MeFi mail you a link).

I found the trainer boring compared to real biking, but YMMV. Watching tv or listening to music may help you a lot.
posted by maudlin at 10:49 AM on September 8, 2008

OK - cool. The best advice and I've been biking my entire life - is go at your own pace. You need to become one with the bike - literally and feel your limitations and decide when it's right for you to push them further. There is no set science to this, simply because no two bikes or bodies are the same. So you have to trust your instinct. From experience you will naturally progress and will want to increase your distances because it's just so much darn fun. I know, it's hard now and muscles will be aching for a while. This too will pass and you will soon find that you're stronger and can endure a heck of lot more than you ever dreamed. Just take it one street, avenue, hood a time. And when you get to the hard parts, pace yourself - and keep markers. Very important to do this. When you have a visual marker, say a bridge or a sign that you got to yesterday, today you'll go past it just a few feet to a new marker.
posted by watercarrier at 10:51 AM on September 8, 2008

Seems like the best way to train is to keep riding and then walking the hills until you establish some endurance. I would do this five times a week for at least an hour each time. If you're that wobbly, putting in as many flat miles as possible will help your system acclimate to the bike. Contrary to popular belief, developing cardio is done best at moderate effort. Walking briskly each day for an additional hour would go a long way.
posted by luckypozzo at 10:56 AM on September 8, 2008

What about just adding an electric assist? http://www.bicycle-power.com/electric.html
posted by tke248 at 12:45 PM on September 8, 2008

I bile commute about 6 miles each way daily with hills similar to what you've described. Since your cadence and gearing look adequate, all you need now is practice. :) Since you have a tight schedule, I'd personally recommend trying to ride more rather than trying to fit in another workout to try to improve the process. In my opinion, you're going to improve faster riding rather than doing something else.

Ride as far as you can, and walk the rest. You don't have to improve every day, but what works for me is to every day do at least as much as the day before--ride to at least the same point on the hill before calling it quits, and try to keep pushing that point up the hill. You *will* get better; just keep making it to that point, and moving it up when you feel good enough.

You didn't mention if you have a car. If you do, you can park at some convenient halfway point until you have the hills tamed down. If you keep it up, you can get lights for the darker months and bike with confidence.

So--I would personally recommend cycling to build up cycling endurance, and I'd do whatever I could (route selection, car or bus hybrid commute, full bike commute some days with no bike commute others...) to accommodate doing the necessary cycling during my commute--not at a different time. Personally, I'm both somewhat bored by working out, and prefer to get my exercise at the same time as my commute, killing two birds with one stone. I can justify a longer commute if it contains my workout.

Happy to answer more via mefi mail if you'd like.
posted by RikiTikiTavi at 3:47 PM on September 8, 2008

One somewhat contrary thought: YMMV on climbing cadence. Essentially the high cadence transfers the "load" to your heart and lungs while a lower cadences loads the muscles.

What has worked for me on longer and/or steeper hills is steady riding in a higher gear at a lower cadence. I have a steepish 1/2 mile hill that I climb regularly and I have a much more comfortable trip up at 65 RPM than at 85 RPM in my lowest gear combo. Climbing at 85+ RPM just leaves me out of breath. It was a night and day transformation for the better when I didn't force myself to spin. As I said, YMMV, but it works for me and I made it up this hill a few weeks ago without undue distress.
posted by turbodog at 4:05 PM on September 8, 2008 [1 favorite]

I would add too that standing while pedaling uphill can help significantly.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 4:07 PM on September 8, 2008

So, do people think it would be worth it for me to just bite the bullet and actually start commuting via bike instead of bus (I own no car for convenient parking)? It seems like it would be the best way for me to get in the practice every day.

Even though I can't make it up the hill, I guess I can work at it, and I am always capable of pushing my bike.

The other issue is that the a good portion of the steep part of the way home is a relatively busy and narrow street. I could probably get away with riding on the sidewalk, as I almost never see people walking on it, and as far as I hear, the Pittsburgh laws and regulations do not forbid sidewalk biking.
posted by that girl at 4:52 PM on September 8, 2008

Well, double check Pittsburgh law, but here in Toronto, even experienced cyclists often take to the sidewalk when climbing a narrow and busy street. It's against local laws, but you have to choose what's safe.

I cycle about 7 miles each way to one of my teaching jobs. The route to the office is mostly mildly hilly, but it includes the mother of all killer hills about a mile from the office. I climb as far as I feel comfortable, then walk the rest of the way. But if that hill were on the way home, when arriving sweaty wouldn't be as much of an issue, I would try pushing myself a little further each time.

Go for it, and have fun!
posted by maudlin at 5:24 PM on September 8, 2008

Lots of good advice above. To oversimply it, I think it was the great Eddy Merckx who said, "Ride lots." He also said, "Don't buy upgrades; ride up grades."

Sidewalks are sometimes okay, sometimes not, depending on width, presence of broken glass and gravel, the state of tree and shrub pruning, etc.

Aim for a climbing cadence of 60-75 rpms (around once a second or a teensy faster). Your cadence on the flats should be between 80-90 rpm. (I see a lot of people riding who are pushing too hard of a gear, their cadence is waaaaaay too slow. They are pushing the pedals hard, and they are wobbling all over the place; they are spending a lot of energy pushing the bike laterally, not forward.)

When you stand, shift to the next hardest gear. When you sit down, shift to the next easiest gear.

Buy a floor pump and top off your tires every other day. Don't do it at a gas station, please. You probably won't be properly inflating the tires, and could risk a blowout.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 6:18 PM on September 8, 2008 [1 favorite]

Nthing the advice about gears. They're there for a reason, and hills is the main one, to my mind. Can you get a running start at the hills? Wait for green lights and time it so that you can hit the hill at high speed (and in a really high gear), and downshift as needed going up. Your thigh muscles are what you need to build up, as well as your cardiovascular, and if you're eating right and all that, you should build up an endurance to those hills sooner than you might think.

That's what you should do. But the devil on my shoulder is telling me to tell you to get one of these. I think he may talk me into it as well.
posted by zardoz at 6:43 PM on September 8, 2008

A few years ago I had the chance to spend one month in the countryside with a bike -- I had not been riding regularly for some time. I scouted a route and the terrain seemed reasonable; the hills did not appear to present a problem. Then came my first ride. I had to walk that long climb with the false flat half-way up. I was very discouraged and considered conquering the hill to be impossible. The next ride…better…the third ride…no walking. By the end of the month I was not using my granny-est gears.

My point? Just keep riding. You will conquer that hill. And others. (In other words, your training regimen is to do the ride you need to do. Until you find yourself wanting more. Then that becomes your training regimen. Etc.)
posted by Dick Paris at 7:22 PM on September 8, 2008

Just wanted to point out that there's no reason that you have to ride to and from work everyday, assuming there's somewhere at work you can leave your bike overnight. Ride in one day, home the next.
posted by kjs4 at 8:12 PM on September 8, 2008

Yes, you can ride on the sidewalks in Pittsburgh outside any business district. Greenfield Ave. is definitely clear for sidewalk riding, and I see people riding on the sidewalks there all the time. Just watch out for that one street crossing, because cars don't always look. Greenfield can be a challenge, but if you do as much as you can every day, you'll soon notice improvement.
posted by chinston at 8:18 PM on September 8, 2008

Climbing the hills, you shouldn't feel like you're having to mash too hard on the pedals. If you do, you want a lower gear. If you haven't got a lower gear, you might want to buy a new chainring/chainset/cassette.

FWIW, Shimano do a cassette called big range or something. It might be worth your while looking into that.
posted by popcassady at 7:39 AM on September 9, 2008

I sympathize. Regarding tke248's comment, that's basically what I ended up doing - I bought an electric bike. They're getting more and more popular among commuters and the less-than-triathletes who want to start cycling. I'm now able to cycle commute 12 miles to work along a not-flat surface and up a very big hill at the end. The bike I bought is the absolute cheapest complete e-bike out there, the eZip. I also added a rather more expensive LiFePo4 battery to extend my range, which made it a little pricier upfront, but still doable and probably more cost-effective over the long run.

Shoot me a memail if you want more info. Good luck.
posted by acridrabbit at 9:17 AM on September 9, 2008

With the caveat that I don't really know your level of fitness, etc., I would say generally that buying (a) a bunch of new parts for your existing bike, (b) a new bike or (c) a new power assisted bike is probably not necessary.

Your 21 speed bike's lowest gear *should* be plenty low. If your bike is like this one, your lowest gear is 28x32 which is really, really low.

The majority of the weight you're moving uphill is you and not the bike, so don't worry about bike weight either.

You mentioned a 300 ft height change on the hill in less than a mile. Do you know roughly the distance? 300 ft in 1/2 a mile is 11% grade, nothing to sneeze at, but if it's 3/4 of a mile, that's ~ 7.5%, which should be doable once you've built up some strength.
posted by turbodog at 11:02 AM on September 10, 2008

My fitness level is pathetically low, turbodog. I know this for a glorious fact. I am gifted with a productive metabolism but I am really out of shape. I'm also not convinced that I need STUFF, just more ability to successfully get my body to Do Things. I think it's closer to the 3/4 mile, and it's probably closer to 2/3 mile at about 6% and the rest at closer to $STEEP.

I really believe the best solution is for me to GET MORE EXERCISE, but I'm trying to figure out what are the appropriate levels of MORE EXERCISE are, as it's hard for me to get out every day. If someone tells me that I'll get better enough if I go out once a week, I'll make sure I'll go out once a week. However if I need at least twice or three times a week, that's what I'm really looking for. I tried to use the bold text for emphasis, but people never read the questions the way you want them to (nothing against people, it's just the way of things).
posted by that girl at 7:33 PM on September 10, 2008

A couple of (late) points of advice:

A free simple exercise that somewhat approximates climbing on a cycle is stair climbing. You can do this during the winter, indoors, too. Danny Chew, Pittsburgher and twice winner of the Race Across America, uses the stairs in the Cathedral of Learning.

While I agree you don't need to buy anything, you could consider setting your bike up indoors on a trainer to keep up cycling fitness when you can't go out (e.g. through the winter).

Speaking as a cyclist in Pittsburgh, I think you almost certainly need to ride or exercise more than once a week to build strength and endurance required for our hills. Push yourself a bit, but make sure to let yourself recover, too. It can be a frustratingly slow process, so don't let yourself get easily discouraged. Keeping riding fun is an important part of that -- finding riding partners can help a lot.
posted by alb at 6:03 AM on September 12, 2008

If your legs hurt, shift down. If your lungs hurt, shift up.

Granny gears (smallest chainring) and a rhythm are a very good start.

"It doesn't get any easier. You just get faster." -- Greg LeMond
posted by Wild_Eep at 7:03 PM on May 20