Standing vs. climbing

[gopherhockey]

Ok, this topic could get out of control if its too general.. but, thats ok I guess.

I never really worry too much myself about how I'm positioned.. in fact I often find myself standing or sitting without realizing what I'm doing unless I stop to think. (it just sort of happens I guess)

The problem I am having is to explain to a beginner what is "proper" and when. Maybe there is no real right or wrong way?

For example, I rarely stay seated going over any obsticle. I don't stand all the way up either - it seems to depend. I find myself getting off the seat about 1" on some (like the large uphill log in the intermediate trail) or standing all the way up on the larger piles in the expert loop and riding it like I'm on a motocross bike.

If I'm in a place like the rock gardens, I'm standing. If I'm in a real fast downhill, I'm standing. I sit most of the other times.

But.. the more I think about it and try to explain it to others the more I question even my own techniques.

What do you guys do? Do any of you actually sit during a whole log pile.. and I mean really staying on your seat? I see many beginners doing this and it seems to throw them around, not to mention zapping their momentum when they hit the face of the log while seated...

I want to hear from others before I get into a group ride situation where people might be looking for some real advice, not personal preference...

[Trevize1138]

I think I'm about the same as you in terms of when I stand and how far up. Sometimes on downhills I'll actually move my butt back behind my seat and pinch the nose of the seat between my thighs, too. makes me feel a little more confident about taking bumps at speed when my weight has been shifted back more.

I try to remain seated as much as I can, especially for climbs or any time I'm needing to pedal but save energy. Lately I *have* taken to the occasional stand up and pump a couple times on the uphills. There is a benefit in certain circumstances, I think. Also, when you're standing up you tend to give your legs a little break and use your arms a bit more to help climb. But, for the long uphill climb I'm seated with the exception of a couple bumps here and there.

For log rolls I like to feel like my torso stays even while the bike rolls up and down underneath me, so I'm definitely standing up quite high for that stuff.

[manual63]

I stand over logs and use my legs for suspension (hardtail). I can't imagine sitting while going over a log pile. For one, I would think you could get bucked off easily like your on a bull.

Downhill I actually sit when I can and I pedal when I can, but when on rough sections I stand. On a fast turn I will stand slightly and lean my seat on my inner thigh to stabalize the bike.

Most of the time I think I am seated. Climbing, flat paths, slower turns, etc.... Technical sections like Rock Gardens, logs, tight turns and dips, I stand. Actually, going through minor dips in the trail, you can gain speed by standing and pumping through them. Pumping is hard to explain, but you push down with your arms and legs into the dip and relax and let your arms and legs absorb as you come out.

While standing, the seat is your best tool. You can rest it on your inner thighs for stability and you can also use your legs to push the bike around a bit to get it leaned correctly. That's why I like my big fat Dirt Jumper seat....:)

[Trevize1138]

Yeah! Pumping the bike! I just started catching on to how to do this last year, and could tell immediately how much it helps. There are a couple great spots for pumping through turns at Lebannon. One is just after the fun root jump on the first intermediate loop, another is after the "easy" rock garden in the expert loop.

I've found myself caught behind other riders on those sections who were pedaling 1/2 the time, trying to get speed through turns like that ... meanwhile I haven't pushed a single pedal and I'm grabbing brake to avoid rear-ending them!

I'm sure the single speeders out there have figured this trick out, considering they talk about the need to carry momentum through things more without gears.

[pwpatton]

I'm a bit confused what you mean by "pumping the bike". Can you explain further? Where exactly is this technique useful? How might I replicate the movement?

If the move is suble (I'm sure it is) please explain it in exagerated terms. Ya know, in a way I can practice it at slow speeds... if possible.

Thanks,
Phillip

[Trevize1138]

It is more subtle than this, but the exaggerated "feel" can be described as your head and torso stay stationary as you push the bike out to the right of you with extended arms and legs, then pull it back, then push to the left ...

That's pumping for quick turns. You can pump your bike for a variety of things on the trail: over log rolls, through dips ...

Basically, when I learned to start pumping my bike it was my first step away from the mentality that I was nothing more than a motor driving the pedals and rear wheel. The more you learn to pump the more Zen you and your bike become as you use your own weight and momentum in combination with the bike to push and pull your way through things.

You'll also get more of an upper-body workout ;).

[pwpatton]

I'm looking forward to trying this movement in sections other than corners, especially dips and logs. Cool!!!

[manual63]

With dips and logs, you can use your legs a lot. It's the opposite motion for both. In a dip, push down through it by extending your legs, while standing and have pedals level. On a log roll or dirt roll, you compress your legs as you go over them, but then extend them once your rear wheels starts down the back side, also while standing and having pedals level.

Bigger Dips: Push then compress.

Small dips: Wheelie over them and push down with your legs on the rear wheel as it goes through the dip.

Logs: compress then push.

The better you get, the harder you will push and compress or visa versa and the faster you will go. I can actually pick up speed using this technique without pedaling.

[pwpatton]

Thanks, I have a very good idea about where I'm going to try this at leb and how to going about practicing it. Thanks for the descriptions....

This is gonna be great!

[Trevize1138]

When to stand, when to sit. And, what's this thing about "pumping" the bike?

[manual63]

This one has changed for me quite a bit. I used to try to stay seated almost all the time and especially during climbs. Now that I have been riding singlespeed for awhile, I stand and crank up stuff a lot more often and I don't get any more tired. I don't know if it's conditioning or what. More power and I can use my arms a lot to power up hills and over things. Staying seated, you really only use your legs. Standing, you can get your whole body into it and generate more power!

[Trevize1138]

There is certainly a difference in when to and when not to climb depending on if you have gears or not.

If I'm riding with gears, I strive to never stand up on climbs. Use your gears to adjust your cadance, stay seated and climb while conserving your strength, but don't be afraid to push a bit rather than spin.

If I'm riding a singlespeed, I tend to like a bit more spinny gear, so I think I'm still seated a lot more than others on singles, but there are times when you just have to stand because your legs have only so much torque at certain speeds, gear ratios and slopes.

I've tested the standing vs. sitting thing among geared riders, though. Every time I'm behind a guy on gears going up a hill and he stands up while I'm remaining seated ... I reel him in like a dead fish. Happens every time.

Riding a singlespeed, Shad, I think has taught you to take the hills the way you should have been when you rode gears. You've come a long way from two or three years ago when you'd see a hill ahead, downshift to granny and start spinning while it's still flat. Now, you attack the hills the way you attack obstacles. Works pretty slick, don't it? :)

[mara]

I was very unkind to my knees back in high school and college so seated climbing always used to involve my granniest of granny gears. Now on the SS, I've learned to stand and pedal with my entire body. It gets me up tougher hills than I used to be able to do with gears. I can rock section six at Theo, something I could never do in the days of Stumpy. :D

[manual63]

Now, you attack the hills the way you attack obstacles. Works pretty slick, don't it? :)

Then, I hated hills and sucked at them.

Now, I hate hills and suck at them a lot less than I used to.

Moral of this story, it's best to get it over with as fast as possible.....:)

[Trevize1138]

Moral of this story, it's best to get it over with as fast as possible.....:)

Something my assistant CC coach in high school said always stuck with me: it's just as tiring to run the race slower as faster. So, you may as well run it faster. I've found that true for hills: if you ride slower it just takes you longer to get up the hill, and you're just as tired at the top.

Now, that assistant coach may have been blowing smoke up our @zzes ... :)

[Thewavebb]

Something my assistant CC coach in high school said always stuck with me: it's just as tiring to run the race slower as faster. So, you may as well run it faster. I've found that true for hills: if you ride slower it just takes you longer to get up the hill, and you're just as tired at the top.

Now, that assistant coach may have been blowing smoke up our @zzes ... :)

My XC coach said the same thing. I have always had the faster i run the sooner i'm done mindset with running and the painfull aspects of biking.

[homebrewbiker]

My XC coach said the same thing. I have always had the faster i run the sooner i'm done mindset with running and the painfull aspects of biking.

This works great until you max out your heart rate and get to a point where you can't sutain a fast pace. I think it is a good technique on shorter hills, but on long sustained climbs this will not be as effective, unless you are well condtioned enough to sustain a fast pace.

That being said, that is pretty much my climbing philosophy.

Also, only ride up in a gear that is just easy enough to complete the climb. Riding in too easy or too hard of a gear can equally cause problems. That is if you have gears from which to pick.

I have also read that if you stand up on a climb you should be prepared to stand for the whole climb or you will see a dramatic power drop when you sit down and you may very well stall out on the climb.

[berrywise]

My XC coach said the same thing. I have always had the faster i run the sooner i'm done mindset with running and the painfull aspects of biking.

I always find it amazing how much riding technique plays a factor in how fast and far you are able to go. I'm far from in shape right now yet when I go out and ride with people who are in shape but new to cycling I have absolutely no problem keeping up with them just because it takes me less energy to get up hills, over obsticles etc.

They are not used to the fast paces on a bike so they put themself into an easy gear which causes them to pedal at a much higher rate and tires them out. Whereas I find a much more natural gear that allows me to navigate the trail using as little as energy as needed.

For fun though I recommend riding down technical downhills with butt on the saddle and feet off the pedals. Woot!

[syntaxjunkie]

Staying seated, you really only use your legs. Standing, you can get your whole body into it and generate more power!the one thing that standing tends to do, unless you've got immaculate form, is lead to you expend energy doing things with your body that don't necessarily transfer power to your wheels and may compromise your control and traction. i did find that, when I was riding a singlespeed, I'd stand a lot more when climbing. of course, nothing teaches you efficiency of motion like riding a singlespeed. but I tend to do most of my climbing, especially on steep or dodgy technical climbs, with my butt planted on the nose of the seat. keeps the rear wheel down and puts all of your power to the pedals.

[RedSquirrel]

Agree. Standing is a short term solution to keep momentum or flash a hill. If you we're to repeat the hill over and over again until failure you would go longer sitting. I found in the long run standing too much caused a performace issue on the race course in later laps.

Short stints of standing is good if you use up the lactate created during. Also, I agree additional muscles are recruited when standing which is not efficient.

Single speed, I'm sure more standing (and eventual run a bike) is needed to avoid a slow rpm death.

[manual63]

Since I started riding singlespeed and standing a lot more during climbs, I no longer get that sore lower back. To me, that is the best part of the way I ride now. Now if I could stop having my hands fall asleep......:)

[homebrewbiker]

Another thing I read mentioned that technical climbs (roots, rocks, logs etc) are better done standing up than sitting.

[Uncle Leo]

I've been starting to stand more often on uphill rock sections and I seem to have immediately gotten much more consistent at cleaning them.

I've seen huge improvement in 3 places - the uphill rocks at Theo, the uphill section in XX at Leb, and the very beginning part of the X rock section at Leb, where it goes between a big rock and a tree.

Probably equally important is that I've stopped spinning in low gears as much as I used to and try to carry more speed through those sections.

[manual63]

This is mostly because standing while on rocks or any other objects allows your bike to move and pivot under you. See the section on staying loose. If you are seated, all the weight is on the rear tire so when the tire hits a rock the wheel does not want to bounce easily over it because you butt is keeping the back end from lifting and flowing over the rock. The bike should be able to bounce and move a bit and pivot at the pedals, it will get over objects easier this way.

Sit down and ride up a curb, then stand and ride up a curb. Big difference....and please don't do this at higher speed or you might need a new tube and/or rim.

[Uncle Leo]

This is mostly because standing while on rocks or any other objects allows your bike to move and pivot under you. See the section on staying loose. If you are seated, all the weight is on the rear tire so when the tire hits a rock the wheel does not want to bounce easily over it because you butt is keeping the back end from lifting and flowing over the rock. The bike should be able to bounce and move a bit and pivot at the pedals, it will get over objects easier this way.

That's well put, it matches with what I feel when I'm going over the rocks standing. I do feel the bike move around a bit. It also lets me concentrate on what's in front of me instead of worrying about all the things my rear wheel has yet to run into.

[stoneage]

you can get your whole body into it and generate more power
stand for the whole climb
True too a point. Your upper body pulling up alternately with gravity letting your body fall on the pedals will generate more power, but it is shortlived. Great for a quick steep, get over quick hill. Longer hills should be attacked at or just above LT, with a few standing sessions to relax the lower back and stretch the hamstrings. With gears, shift up 2-3 gears, stand and try to relax and stretch, then carefully shift back down, sit and continue spinning.

[jitterjepp]

I used to sit when I was riding 26-inch wheel more often but I'm more about the standing. Especially on the 29'er. It seems to work better for me partly because I currently have no motivation to go out and train on big hills (which are all on the streets in my area) while just sitting there so I'm not that good and going up hills sitting down. I'm also only 5'6 and it seems like my legs just work better going up hills standing on a bike that many would say is a bit too big for me.

When it comes to the jumbo hills like the man handler at Afton you can attack them one of three ways from two different stand points when it comes to an endurance race in my book.
And since Afton is the big thing around here right now anyway I'll just post on that.


Stand point1: Train, train, train for big hills and they won't such be a problem and you'll figure out what really works best for you. More on this person....

So this person trained. He or she is there to race and the whole "we race at Afton to have fun cause we love biking" is a bunch of BS to them. They know there is no big $10,000 prize and a trail snapshot of them in Mountain Biking Mag but this person is going the distance and wants the bragging rights to in their mind the toughest race in the Midwest. This person thinks stuff like "and Tinker only got 14 laps here? What a wuss" This person doesn't take naps and only takes rests on the trail so they don't get hunkered down at camp for an hour. (Hint) Still we are mountain bikers and we love it and if you're stuck on the trail with a busted chain they'll stop and give a hand or slow down or let you follow them back down to the gate if your light goes out in the middle of the night. This person is serious but not serious enough to act like they are at the secret rodeo night ride that leaves a guy from Minneapolis in the middle of St. Paul at 3am with a busted rim. It still is about biking and fun some how. I would be this guy but I'm simply too lazy to train. Anyway...


Stand point1 Attacks

1. You've trained. You get in your spinning gear and inch your way all the way up then jump to a bigger gear and keep going. They'll probably do #2 attack at some point to switch it up because spinning gets boring. Race on dude!

2. Grab a big gear, stand up and go. When you get to the top drop to a spinning gear for a few seconds to give your power muscles a break, then suddenly realize exactly how slow you are going and shift back to a bigger gear and go. You might drop to a spinning gear and sit but it's not really as much of an issue of burning but rather conservation to avoid cramps later in the race. Again, Race on dude!

3. Not telling you cause the race is coming up. :laugh: But it's only in the last hours of the race if you're really busted up and tired.


Stand point 2. Do as usual and just ride when you do and ride whatever. There is no training plan what so ever no matter what you think. It just doesn't exist. You are either there to have a blast and see how you do or you wish you had trained and were doing better. You finish somewhere in the middle of the pack or are horribly beaten down and go home feeling like a Lake Calhoun roadie who only rides on the bike path and only a few times a year. Your trail thoughts: “what the hell was I thinking” If you want to do better you tell yourself you'll be back next year after a long training regime that starts right after the snow melts in the spring and keep training until the race. In the spring you start then fall off training or completely forget about and sometime at the end of June you run out the door and get on your bike all freaked out like a person who is late to work for the third time this week and is about to lose their job a week before rent is due and they're broke because they just bought a new bike. Or an entirely different thing all together. You do a lap or three, drink a few beers, walk around and chat, take a nap, watch other racers or do a few laps then sit there with your buddies and get smashed and burn off the hangover in the morning with a few great laps at Afton. You're living the life and no one here can tell you any different. Your motto "I gotta be me" You got your six or eight in. Now back to the beer. It's all about beer and bikes and good times.

Stand point 2 Attacks
(for the serious race minded folks)
1. You haven't trained at all. You grab a somewhat comfortable spinning gear and peddle your a$$ off as far as you can. Then you push your bike the rest of the way up. Maybe you find a short flat spot on the way up and get back on the bike for a bit but chances are you push just as much or more than you ride. By hour 14 at Afton as a solo rider life sucks and you approach the hills a beaten down man who cowers to the hills. When approaching the man handler you come flying around the corner with much speed and momentum so you can get as far up that beast as possible because you know in your heart that you're jumping off and pushing after 15 revolutions of peddling up. It's going to be a long painful and slow walk up that hill. Your trail thoughts: "next year I train or I'm on a team"

2. You grab a big a$$ gear and go for it. Soon your legs are burning and screaming but you're the guy who grabbed a big gear and powered past all those spinners. You're full out gonzo man! You won't back down because you'll look like the show off who bit off more than he could chew. So you drop gears and almost bust a chain on the way. You sit and spin in a less manly gear but hey, you're still going. Maybe you make it maybe you don't. At this point its more about genetics and weather you went to the bar the night before and how much beer you drank. If you make it to the top you'll probably look back and see where the others are at to see if there was any benefit to all that. Satisfied with the results you keep going but on hour 9 you're pushing your bike up hill in the dark when no one is looking. (Your trail thoughts at hour 9: "I hope there isn't anybody out here in the dark with a camera") Then when the sun comes up you emerge from you tent and go with the same plan and just refuse to slug the pain.

If you don't make it all the way you go with either do the push all the way to the top from the point where you burned out in the spinning gear after being schooled by the big gear or you do the push, then ride, then push then ride and either go right away from the top of the hill or think, "this is a good place to take a drink and rest a bit" and stand there next to your bike and suck on your camel back straw. Your knees hurt really bad and you've got the double leg cramps going. You blame it on forgetting to bring bananas or forgetting to eat the bananas you did bring. Back at camp you drop 800mg of Advil or a bunch of Midol to quell the leg cramps. Then you get back on your ride or decide to rest for an hour and get back on the bike but you sleep until sunrise.

Either way with Attack method 1 or 2 this happens.
Monday morning 7am the alarm goes off and the dog wants to go outside but your knees are all messed up. You can’t get out of bed. You can't walk to the bathroom or the back door. You've got to come with a plan to get down the hall to the bathroom and the back door so fido can go too. Still you rocked at Afton. It's a small price to pay. If you cry for help I don't know what will happen because I’ve always gotten up but if you get out of bed and don't slug the pain you'll probably be back next year and you already have a big training plan that in your heart you know will never happen. After a few years you're kind of like Tinker. You keep showing up to the biggest race ever and you never win. You gotta train man or it’s really unlikely.

3. Guess what? Not telling you.


Anyway that’s my hill experience from an Afton standpoint. This will be my 5th consecutive year out there and I think it pretty much sums it up. This year is going to be Standpoint2-Attack methods 2 and 3. <!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"/> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"/> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"/> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"/> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"/> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"/> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"/> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"/> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"/> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"/> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"/> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"/> </v:formulas> <v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"/> <o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"/> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="" style='width:11.25pt; height:11.25pt'> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/Owner/LOCALS~1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" o:href="http://www.morcmtb.org/forums/images/smilies/laugh.gif"/> </v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->

[ryno]

:D I've been riding a rigid for 10+ years and started this year the same, but riding with friends that have F.S. posed quite a challenge to keep up. Especially downhill sections. So to make up for it I adapted to standing pretty much all the time and now that I have Finally made the switch to a F.S. I have continued the same mechanics. There's more control up & down hills, corners and technical sections. If you're off the bike the reactions don't transfer to the rider and that provides a lot more control.

Later,
Ryan.

[soupboy]

on them. Duh.

Now if I could stop having my hands fall asleep......:)

[Trevize1138]

Wanted to bump this thread and see how the original posters have changed over the years. :cool:

Someone asked about tire width and traction in the "Gear" section and it brought up in my mind the subject of traction while climbing. I believe traction on the rear wheel while climbing has far more to do with body position than tread type. If your technique is right you shouldn't have a problem with spinning out the rear tire even on a semi-slick.

Another piece to this big puzzle: last night I took my newly built-up 1x9 geared bike to Theo for some fun. I'm running a 34t ring on the front and for my first lap I tried running 34:14. It worked surprisingly well and I wasn't dogging too bad on the hills. The only problem was I couldn't repeat my performance in that gear on lap #2.

One thing I thought of today is how I wasn't spinning out my rear wheel with such a tall gear even when I'd stand up on climbs. Seems like several factors go into this. A taller gear meant starting the climb faster and that made it easier to keep up my momentum the whole climb in that same gear. Since I was going faster I was able to stand and pump without a spinout because somehow spinouts happen much easier if you're going slower.

Running that tall of a gear threw a big old complication into what gearing I should choose for my SS ride. I pushed 32:20 at Afton Sunday because of the big hill climbs but now I'm wondering if I could have even had a 32:16 and done just as well or better.

[Heuy]

last night I took my newly built-up 1x9 geared bike to Theo for some fun. I'm running a 34t ring on the front and for my first lap I tried running 34:14. It worked surprisingly well and I wasn't dogging too bad on the hills. The only problem was I couldn't repeat my performance in that gear on lap #2.

One thing I thought of today is how I wasn't spinning out my rear wheel with such a tall gear even when I'd stand up on climbs. Seems like several factors go into this. A taller gear meant starting the climb faster and that made it easier to keep up my momentum the whole climb in that same gear. Since I was going faster I was able to stand and pump without a spinout because somehow spinouts happen much easier if you're going slower.

Running that tall of a gear threw a big old complication into what gearing I should choose for my SS ride. I pushed 32:20 at Afton Sunday because of the big hill climbs but now I'm wondering if I could have even had a 32:16 and done just as well or better.

Well. I don't know what would have the best effect on your total ride time, but I can tell you why you don't spin out in a taller gear.

You can't produce the torque to make it happen.

Ever wonder why its easier to lay rubber with a Corvette than a pinto? TORQUE:cool:

If you're spinning out it means you're doing something right in the power generation department. Next is to stay back, keep weight over the rear and be smooth through your pedal stroke so you can get all of that power to the ground.

Also, running a lower cadence and pedaling harder to achieve a given speed is generally harder on your muscles. Your second lap may have been slower due to muscle fatigue.

[GearDaddy]

Well. I don't know what would have the best effect on your total ride time, but I can tell you why you don't spin out in a taller gear.

You can't produce the torque to make it happen.

Ever wonder why its easier to lay rubber with a Corvette than a pinto? TORQUE:cool:

If you're spinning out it means you're doing something right in the power generation department. Next is to stay back, keep weight over the rear and be smooth through your pedal stroke so you can get all of that power to the ground.

Also, running a lower cadence and pedaling harder to achieve a given speed is generally harder on your muscles. Your second lap may have been slower due to muscle fatigue.

Yep, right on the money. You've got to spin smoothly in an easier gear because it's easier to apply too much torque and then cut loose. So, either spin real smooth or pick a harder gear and grind it out.

I would agree that body position is key as well. Another thing that has affected this is that mountain bike geometries have changed over the years. My first mountain bike in the late 80's was a bit more "roadie" with a shorter wheelbase. The old school geometry made for great climbing bikes, but scary endo-feeling on the downhills by today's standards. Every once in a while I borrow a friends Bridgestone MB-2 from that era, with Deore thumb shifters and rigid fork et. al., and it's fun to reexperience the lively handling of those bikes.

[simpkins]

I run a 32x18 on a 29er. The climbs out here are miles long so you have to adjust speed so your lungs don't blow. I have found that pushing my weight back over the seat while standing keeps the back tire from spinning, and since it's gettin dry out here that tire really wants to spin. Most of the time I actually try to have a real light grip on the bars while climbing and not just mash but spin while standing. This prevents my forearms from spontaneous combustion, however when the steep gets steeper I have to resort to full on death grip. SS really dose force you to learn how to use your whole body to your advantage. I do think we have swayed a bit from the original topic, but the later part is where it started to get interesting for me.

[simpkins]

PS, I didn't realize this thread had started in 2003, so I don't think it matters how far from center the thread has swayed.

[Trevize1138]

PS, I didn't realize this thread had started in 2003, so I don't think it matters how far from center the thread has swayed.

I don't think it's strayed at all. It's becoming a good, comprehensive thread on body position :).

[manual63]

For me this comes so natural. So it's hard to know exactly what I do. I know people say you get better traction when seated, but I don't have issues with traction while standing. If my rear tire starts to spin, I don't do a lot to my body, maybe slide a little weight back, but mostly I pull on the bars with my arms. This puts traction to the rear wheel right away. I can pull each time I turn the cranks when in the torque zone, usually as the cranks run parallel to the ground. When I am in the non-torque zone, pedals vertical, I push forward on the bars to help turn the cranks over. When climbing, you are usually going slow enough to do a lot with your arms to help you move forward. Not many people use their upper bodies. Give your legs a break, use your whole body when climbing.

I do think tires matter a lot. Both the tread and the pressure. I actually love the tires on the XXIX. They are those WTB 29er tires. They have a shallow tread with enough to give you plenty cornering traction. They also roll nice with a decent centerline tread on them. They may not look like much, but these tires seem to work well for me in all conditions (I don't ride mud!!!).

One tip I gave Chris when climbing SS is to change between seated and standing on long climbs. A couple of reasons to do this. When riding SS you need to keep your momentum up. So I stand and get my speed up, then I sit and maintain that speed as long as I can, then I stand again and repeat process. The other reason is to give different muscle groups a break.

On shorter climbs, I just stand the whole way and crank up the grade as hard as I can. Seems to work for me quite well. I am a lot faster on an SS than I ever was with gears.