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at that point you gotta get your center of gravity forward, so get off the saddle. Not gripping the bars too hard helps as well.

Either scoot forward on the saddle or get out of the saddle as Ted suggests.

You might be interested in the "ultra climber "

ultra climber video

My only suggestion is don't watch reddan try to ride his 'bent up Canton.

+1 on moving up on the saddle

I think you want your body to be over the cranks and the steeper gradient you're on, the further away you are from being in that position

My only suggestion is don't watch reddan try to ride his 'bent up Canton.

For reasons of poor technique, or poor taste?

I rode up rising main st on the north side and I was up out of the saddle leaning over the handle bars almost. That was the steepest hill I have climbed, I think.

Was that Mick in that video?

For reasons of poor technique, or poor taste?

Yes.

Everyone says go forward, but if the road isn't nice and smooth, be careful to not move too far forward, or you'll lose traction at the rear wheel.

Playing around on a mountain bike should give you a good feel for where you need to be on your bike for any hill, and improve bike handling in general.

I'm in Deep Creek so plenty of climbing on my ride today. I noticed that I tend to pull on the handlebars for leverage when the hill is steep. Obviously this is stupid.

I think it's physics in action. If you let go of the handlebars on a steep hill, you might fall off.

Also, because you're applying more pressure to the pedals, your body wants to move up. Having a more rigid upper body helps prevent that movement

At some point you come out of the saddle. Be careful if you are clipped in or have straps.

ultra climber's outfit really spices up that video.

@Sarah Q, not dumb at all. Once the hill gets steep enough you have to pull on the bars because they are that much higher in front of you. Also, you're putting out more power (probably. At least more peak power) and you gravity isn't pull straight down on you when you're on a steep climb. So absolutely you're going to pull on the bars.

What's causing the lift is a combination of not enough weight on the front end and really high peak forces in your pedaling stroke because of the grade. Might be worth shifting down one gear harder. Or just put more weight on the front end.

Chris, very insightful comments. Thanks so much. I am determined to become a better climber.

I have a power meter; yes, more power output on climbs.

Harder gear? I ride a triple so I'm usually in the granny gear on a steep climb. I could pop down a few on the rear cassette, assuming I can still turn the pedals over.

You can practice on my tall bike--the center of gravity is high, it becomes unstable out of saddle, and it doesn't have any extremely low gears--it will be great to finesse your climbing skills.

If Chuck Mangione pops into my head the next time I climb a hill I'm gonna be p*ssed.

My husband and I are like the two cops from CHiPs (the 70s TV show) when we ride side-by-side so that's the usual theme song in my head while riding. Chuck Mangione would be an improvement!

That video made mailman-ing look like a viable option.

Nick, I am terrified of tall bikes. I have two bikes, a Trek Madone (with a triple) and a Scott urban commuter (with a triple).

Wow, ok, so if you have a powermeter then you know what's going on. On a climb your power is spikier eg you push down really hard on the pedals and not so much elsewhere. That's fine. But if you have a low enough gear you're going to spike the front wheel, as you're experiencing. Might be worth trying one gear harder to even out those spikes. Or just scoot forward on the saddle a bit to redistribute your weight.

My cycling is nothing to write home about. I'm 5'9, 175 lbs (about 10 lbs heavier than I usually am this time in the season, sigh).

Average power over a typical training ride just shy of 200W. MAX will hit 560-590 (hills).

I will try one gear harder although I am dreading this. I am always so sad when I run out of gears on a climb.

I will try one gear harder although I am dreading this. I am always so sad when I run out of gears on a climb.

A few weeks ago, I rode a geared MTB in the woods for the first time in a decade. I was downshifting on some of the steeper hills (I figured I should since I could) and I struggled mightily to keep the front end done. I'm so used to mashing up stuff on a singlespeed that I forget there was a technique to "spinning" up stuff in lower gears.

You don't have to home in on the one gear harder part. There were two pieces of advice in this thread, the other to scoot forward a bit. Heck, get out of the saddle if they really are that steep.

@ sarah I am always so sad when I run out of gears on a climb

That might be a sign you need more gears.

Although, as Chris rightly points out, there are front end issues (as well as balance and start-up issues) with a really low gear.

A third option is to practice enough on steep hill to "unicycle" up with all your weight on the back wheel. Probably not recommended.

Oh, I should say I have tried scooting up. Maybe I can scoot some more? When I stand up my bike wobbles all over the place -- perhaps because my balance sucks? So the harder gear was the "new idea", hence my focus on it.

sarah - this may be a stupid question, but it's the first thing that came to mind given my experiences with the front wheel lifting off... are you carrying any kind of load on the bike? If so, maybe adjusting the weight distribution might help. I know when I switched to real panniers from a crate it made walking the bike up the remainder of My Whale a lot easier (hard to push down and forward on handlebars, even though it's walking).

I think you and I have two completely different riding styles, so my question may not help you at all, but I figured it won't hurt to ask.

Anyone who unicycles a bicycle up a steep hill is the new definition of badass. (and wouldn't they be breaking the law? or is that just motorcycles?)

The power meter is on the Madone and I am in full spandex/triathlete mode on that bike. My commuter has a rear rack that I sometimes strap my messenger bag to if I don't feel like throwing it over my shoulders; I don't use panniers unless I am doing an overnight trip.

If the front wheel thing is a repeated issue, and it's worse when you have your messenger bag with you, I'd try redistributing that weight. My backpack (laptop + change of clothes, lunch, and a towel) moving from my back to the crate to panniers made surprisingly significant differences in how the bike handled (how I handled the bike?) starting up that steepest hill of mine (normal riding didn't make much of a difference at all).

Not that all the other suggestions aren't better! It's just something I noticed that might be of use.

I too had the "pulling back on the handlebars" habit, and just realized it went away when I swapped out... the gears on front for more granny-like ones at Mick's urging. But I like spinning and hate mashing (because I'm bad at it, finding endurance to be more of a personal strength than, well, strength).

@ When I stand up my bike wobbles all over the place

You might try rocking the bike from side to side when your out of the saddle, also then your pulling up with one hand and pushing down with the other which keeps the wheel down -- plus its more fun. When your leg is on the downstroke tilt the bike over to that side and pull up on the handlebar with the other, I think thats right, its so natural for me that I don't even think about it.

Long ride today and definitely was testing out the advice I got here. Thanks so much. I am still definitely a work in progress.