Hey Folks,
I recently tried mountain biking for the first time and I loved going downhill on a trail. It was marked green and the steepness grades were between 5 to 10%. I had a blast going down but climbing kicked my ass and I spent a lot of time walking my bike rather than riding it. Am I completely out of shape or am I doing something wrong? It felt like I spent 80% of my time walking/riding the bike up and 20% coming down.
Here is the trail I took: https://sfbayareamountainbiking.com/regional-finder/penninsula-south/pearson-arastradero-palo-alto-city-park/pearson-arastradero-easy-ride/
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by Fantastic-Ad454
30 Comments
Welcome to mountain biking. My heart rate stays between 150-180 the whole time.
you’re out of shape, but 300ft a mile isn’t easy.
I’ve ridden this trail, there are some steep sections, which generally makes things way harder physical. Trails are rated on technical difficulty in mountain biking, not physical difficulty.
Make sure your seat height is right..and your fitness will improve!
Unless you want to go to a bike park with a lift every time you ride, climbing is where you’ll spend most of your time. Also a great way to get in shape!
You’re out of shape by mountain bike standards. Keep at it and you’ll get better.
Its hard, but the more you do it the easier it gets as you get in better shape and better pedaling position/technique.
Any time you start something new it will take some time for your muscles to get used to that activity and build strength and stamina.
Some people will use shuttle trucks or pay to ride at lift access bike parks to avoid the uphill. Other people really embrace suffering that the uphill provides.
Your first climb is the great humbler. 80% up 20% down is really good honestly. I typically ride in zone 3 and it’ll take me an 1-1.5 hours to climb 2k elevation then maybe 10 mins to come down on a flow trail.
I think the mistake most people make is to think that riding a bike isn’t hard work, it absolutely is and it doesn’t mean you’re out of shape or doing anything wrong. It just confirms that you aren’t cycling fit and that’s okay, it builds up fairly quickly and you’ll be climbing hills in a short window of time. Embrace the suck and wait until you start sending it and realise that fast downhill is also hard work.
Yes climbing is hard and takes consistency to get better. The saying goes, “it doesn’t get any easier, you just get faster.”
Nah, it’s hard. It’s why lift assisted mountain biking and e-bikes are a thing. Don’t let the masochistic lycra boomers tell you otherwise.
That being said, I do recommend you get in shape and get better at climbing as it expands your envelope of opportunities to shred. Health and being in shape is a great byproduct of the sport, but, if it were the goal, we’d all be roadies.
You’re not doing anything wrong. Mountain biking requires much more fitness than people expect, but being hard is one of the great things about it.
Ride more, and consistently, and it will get a little easier. It never gets easy, but you will get faster
That’s a decently steep trail, but you’re probably also out of shape.
If you’re new to cycling and or endurance sports in general then it should be no surprise you have to walk at times.
But everyone starts somewhere. Just keep cycling, try to incorporate longer, flatter rides for a bit to get your cardio up.
Climbing sucks when you are in shape also.
climbing will always be the worst part of bikes.
the people that make it look easy are actually just very fit
I took me a couple of months of riding almost daily before I started feeling stronger. Feels like a long time. Until then, even small climbs feel like a slog.
You better enjoy that 20% a little more!
Just keep going. Consistency is king. Also you will be amazed at how quickly you improve, at least early on.
Also, don’t get frustrated with yourself. If some feature or obstacle is too hard, just walk it. Reaching the top of the hill through some combination of biking and riding is a success. You can worry about cleaning technical stuff later once you have plenty of excess stamina.
You will always spend much more time going up than down unless you’re using lifts or something.
Two things can be true. Mountain biking is hard and you are out of shape. Ride more and you’ll get stronger.
Wheels (especially 29ers) aren’t designed to go up the hill.
Some say it never gets easier, you just get faster. That’s partially true. If you ride a lot, you will eventually get to where you CAN pick a slower pace and be less exhausted, or you can go hard and be exhausted.
If you want to get better at pacing, ride a lot. But also learn how to pedal in your easiest gear without losing balance. Practicing track stands will help with this.
Riding off-road is far more energy-draining than riding on-road.
You are not in a competition, do what you can. You will improve over time.
Don’t take risks, have fun. We all went through it.
If you have to stop & push, or rest, fine. Next time try to get just a little further up the track before you rest. After 10 times you’ll only need 1 rest. After 20 times you can make it all the way.
If you wear yourself out before the top, you wont have as much fun on the way down.
In anything new we do we dont have the muscles or technique, so its hard. After practice we get better & find it easier. The journey of improvement helps us get fit & we are rewarded by achieving that which we thought impossible.
Get an e-bike or get in crazy good shape. I chose an e-bike and have no regrets. Btw I ride 3x more often than when I had an analog bike now. More miles, more smiles is our motto over at r/eMountainBike
You’ll improve, stick with it. That elevation profile isn’t the easiest but it will get easier. This sport is so rewarding.
Now you know why ebikes are becoming so popular.
“20 up for 2 down.”
hang in there man. It gets easier. Watch youtube videos on how to climb. Biggest thing I see beginners do is come out of the saddle. The saddle needs weight to keep the rear tire down.
Yes. It’s fucking hard to climb. You’ll get better at it and be better for it if you hang in there.
Literally same thing happened to me 3 weeks ago at the same trail. I even threw up at one point. For me it was a combo issue of fitness and being new to biking. Make sure you’re in a gear that’s easy to keep a good cadence. Time the downhill into the uphill to hold the momentum. I’ve only gone one more time since and it was already easier.
Otherwise I’m in the same boat and I’m just gradually upping my fitness level.
If you’re physically fit and do cardio it’s just a matter of time till your body adapts to the load. I had a runner colleague who’d gas out on climbs I find easy and I’m a smoker and usually have 5-6 beers in my backpack. Took him exactly two weeks to adapt and shred laps around the rest of us (who aren’t cardio-bunnies).
It’s hard, a lot of it is bike specific fitness. You’ll also learn as you go and pick up ways to improve your climbs