Hill Climb Set Up & Position

So I want to have a go at Hill climbing this season. My size will prevent me from being a serious competitor, but I'm hoping the competitive edge will push me to train harder and imporve my climbing technique for next seasons road racing.

All of this is relevant because I don't want to spend more than £70 setting my bike up for this purpose.

I'd like to use my track bike as it's light and I like climbing fixed. So was thinking of these changes to use it for hill climbing:

• Swap drops for bull horns
  
• Swap forks for drilled road forks
  
• Fit front brake.
  
• Swap the sprocket/chain ring to suit whichever hill I'm going up.
  
  

Pretty straight forward, but I'm interested in the finer detail of the set up and whether I should consider changing my saddle height/angle/ fore-aft position, reach, bar height etc. to suit a climbing specific position.

I'm probably just overthinking this, but any advice would be appreciated.

Not sure of how wise it is to change much of your normal position, to be honest.
You've got used to riding in a particular way, exerting a certain amount of leverage in a specific position - it could be that a change of position might result in a drop in performance or even a back injury - just a thought.

What forks are you running at the moment?

My track forks? They came with my Condor Lavaro, no idea which forks they actually are.

I'm planning to swap them with some Pro Lite Giovanis that I've got spare.

Seems like a fair few riders use normal drops cut off just below the hoods

pm, bmmf

I don't ride competitively but I've been doing a lot of training lately in preparation for doing some (fixed) tt's next year (where I come from is fucking hilly though). First things first - work out where the local clubs run their events and try riding the hills, a brake is a good idea as is a wheel with 2 cogs (one for up one for down), a simple speedo is as important as any of the other stuff as you can work your cadence out from it. Bars aren't really an issue (drops or bull horns obv.) but good tape is essential. I would also rate clippless pedals and shoes with a decent retention system (velcro alone doesn't really cut it).

I wouldn't bother changing anything position wise, as long as your not sore. Also combining the hills into a normal ride is a lot more satisfying than going: bottom - top - bottom. As far as gears go, I would work from what you ride normally first, concentrating on building strength and technique before making any rash purchases.

Anyway good luck

pm Hippy.

Might be worth running longer cranks for extra leverage rather than short 165 mm cranks. This may push you over budget though unless you find a deal.

Might be worth running longer cranks for extra leverage rather than short 165 mm cranks. This may push you over budget though unless you find a deal.

Don't let RPM hear you say that - he doesn't believe in leverage

try riding the hills

a brake is a good idea

a wheel with 2 cogs (one for up one for down)

I would also rate clippless pedals and shoes with a decent retention system (velcro alone doesn't really cut it).

I can't tell whether you're taking the piss.

a wheel with 2 cogs (one for up one for down)

This one has perplexed me actually, do you swap your wheel round during training for a fixed TT? Will you do this when TTing?

Bye bye.

Might be worth running longer cranks for extra leverage rather than short 165 mm cranks. This may push you over budget though unless you find a deal.

Good point, I've already got 170mm cranks on my track bike. Having had 165's on another bike you definitely can tell the difference going up hill.

Crank length makes a difference, but you can adjust technique to get the best out of various lengths. Longer cranks have helped some hill specialists, notably Jeff Wright (180s), but he'd have trained specifically for slower cadence climbing (relative to some peers, and only in the region of +/-5rpm or something). Downside is it can make your stroke a bit choppy.

I could never be fucked with the expense/rigmarole of different cranksets. Same goes for bar width. I've managed to climb certain hills just as fast with a 165mm/44cm combination as I did with 170mm/46cm. But I pedalled slightly differently. Just make sure you spend a few weeks acclimatising to your racing setup.

Front brake is mandatory on a fixed rig for CTT events.

Most roadies (as opposed to hill specialist TTers) use their normal bike with no changes; and very often win. TTers are more likely to drag out a fixed machine or an idiosyncratic geared thing with bits missing.

It's going to fucking hurt. That's the bottom line.

Is the hill climb calender listed anywhere online?

Here.

But that doesn't include all the little climbs (club events). You need regional handbooks for that, or people in the know, or to just hang around gradients on cold, wet, and miserable Sunday mornings in October and November.

Thanks BMMF.

Always a pleasure.

This one has perplexed me actually, do you swap your wheel round during training for a fixed TT? Will you do this when TTing?

sorry I'm not taking the piss, it's just that its fucking harcore what your letting yourself in for!

This is one of the local hills by me and the bikers going down the mellow side
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qURNyxb9Rs"]YouTube-
Cairn o' mount, Banchory, Aberdeenshire z1000[/ame]

I just run 48 - 15 everywhere, I can get up most things (slowly) and its good for over 40 - 45mph on the way down. I've been told that even in hillclimbs some of the guys change there wheels round just cos it's ludicrous going down a 12% incline even with 70gi. I heard a story about a guy who lost control going down the above hill, crashed into one of those snow posts and split his bike in 2. He was supposedly found concussed rambling about the heather with his bars/forks in one had and his backwheel in the other moaning he'd lost his speedo . The thing I was on about with the shoes is it fucking wrecks them

sorry I'm not taking the piss, it's just that its fucking harcore what your letting yourself in for!

A hill climb is only about climbing the hill, you don't ride back down it. It was your comment about using more than velcro for your feet that gave you away as not being serious.

Have a read of this http://cyclinginfo.co.uk/blog/cycling/hill-climbs/

Whatever...

Going up is measured obv. I've never been to a hill climb but I've been led to believe the guy's im my locale ride back down (why else would a front brake be mandatory?) As far as velcro goes it was clipless shoes with just velcro tensioning straps that I was on about.

Not taking the piss, stating the obvious? ;)

At some climbs, you have to ride down the course to get to the start from the signing on bit. I managed it on 25% descents on my 50-55% gear. The last thing I'd want to do, either just before an event, or in the long dark tunnel immediately afterwards, or during the intermittent vomiting and muscular spasms in my back for the next hour or so, would be to flip my back wheel around to another ratio. Fuck that.

Whatever...

Going up is measured obv. I've never been to a hill climb but I've been led to believe the guy's im my locale ride back down (why else would a front brake be mandatory?) As far as velcro goes it was clipless shoes with just velcro tensioning straps that I was on about.

Not taking the piss, stating the obvious? ;)

A front brake is mandatory because the bike needs to be road legal I think. See what you were getting at with the velcro now, although my velcro on my 5 years old shoes never budges whatever I do I suppose it could be a weak point on some shoes.

Most roadies (as opposed to hill specialist TTers) use their normal bike with no changes; and very often win. TTers are more likely to drag out a fixed machine or an idiosyncratic geared thing with bits missing.

That's interesting, my new road bike won't be ready till mid to late October and my current road bike has developed drive train issues that make hills pretty difficult. Don't really want to spend money on the old bike with the new one iminent.

It's going to fucking hurt. That's the bottom line.

can't wait