How to Climb Steep Hills While Cycling

How to Climb Steep Hills While Cycling: 10 Steps (with Pictures)/**/var WH = WH || {};WH.lang = WH.lang || {};button_swap = button_unswap = function(){};WH.exitTimerStartTime = (new Date()).getTime();WH.mergeLang = function(A){for(i in A){v=A[i];if(typeof v==='string'){WH.lang[i]=v;}}}; Sign Up or Log In or Log In via

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Pin ItArticle EditDiscussClimbing hills on a bicycle isn't everyone's idea of fun... Yet, if you live in a hilly area or you're traveling through hills, why deny yourself the pleasure of continuing to ride regularly just because of those steeper hills? Climbing steep hills on a cycle requires knowing a few tips about increasing your stamina, positioning yourself correctly on the cycle, and changing those gears. So hop back on your bike with this advice and find yourself a few steep hills to practice on until it feels much easier!

Edit Steps1Prepare yourself mentally. If you've cycled a hill before, you'll already know that it hurts physically and takes a lot of effort. If you've long been the sort to hop off the bike and walk it up the hill, you'll need a little mental prepping first!

Accept that riding uphill is more effort. Once you stop fighting it mentally, you can spend more time motivating your body and learning how to make the ride easier on you.Get excited about the challenge of making it to the top of the hill. This is something that you're quite capable of doing and proving it to yourself can be a lot of fun in between the agony!Don't expect to go fast. That's unrealistic and likely to wear you out before you've hardly begun.Understand the benefits to your body of cycling on hilly terrain. Hilly terrain builds your fitness levels up by helping your body learn to use oxygen more efficiently. Also, the process of climbing the hill on a bike uses different muscle groups as you shift about on the bike to maintain maximum power. The climb allows you to work hard, and the descent allows you to recover, providing a perfect exercise workout per each hill.[1]2Start the hill climb staying seated on the bike seat (or saddle). Keep your weight back and hold the handlebars over the top and close to the center.[2] Your hands should be about 2-3 inches (5-7.5cm) from the center stern to allow maximum breathing. If your chest is open and shoulders back, you'll be able to breath much more easily.

3As you move up the hill, crouch down. This requires you to keep your body low and your elbows low but slightly pointed out to keep your chest open for easier breathing and to keep your upper body relaxed.[3]

4Toward the top of the hill, stand up from the seat (saddle). At this point, use all of your body weight to assist you in pushing down hard on the pedals. Standing up takes a lot more energy than sitting down, so don't overuse this technique; keep it till the last portion of the steep hill. Your hands should now sit on top of the brake levers.

Shift your body in time with your legs. Keep your back straight and your chest open to aid good breathing.[4]5Learn how to shift gear going uphill. Those gears are there to be used, and uphill they will definitely assist you with extra power if you change them effectively. However, it takes practice to get used to how it feels to change gears as a method of changing the pace and power when climbing a hill, so don't despair, just keep practicing it.

Shift the gears in anticipation of or just before each terrain gradient change, not once you've already reached each gradient. Keep pedaling while you change gears, so as to maintain momentum.[5] The aim is to keep your effort as constant as possible.A low gear is needed for going uphill (you'll need the higher gear for going back down).6Keep practicing. This technique won't be easy for the first few tries but it's important to persevere. It is only in the doing that you will learn the feel for climbing the hill on the bike and learn the right timing for shifting your body weight on the bike to achieve the maximum power for the least effort.

Start with shorter hills and gradually increase your trials to steeper ones.7Try using low gear with a steep hill. Once you're feeling more confident with hill climbing on a bicycle, learn the technique for climbing a hill economically. This technique requires that you stay seated and use a low gear, and don't rely on standing up for much of the time:[6]

Breathe regularly and deeply.Keep it slow and gradual in the early stages of the hill climb. This isn't a race, it's about economizing your energy usage.Select the low gear that will still allow for reasonably fast pedaling.Sit up and hold the outer edges of the handlebars. This will ensure that your breathing is made easier by an open chest.Once the hill gets much harder, and you notice you've no lower gears left to use, grip onto the brake hoods. Pull them to give you more power when pedaling.Only now use standing briefly if needed. At this point, you should intuitively know what feels best for you in the combination between standing and sitting in the bike, for the most economic use of your energy.Stay focused on a steady, rhythmical climb that makes the most of every turn of the wheels to pull you up this hill. This kind of slower but powerful riding takes time to master but it's efficient and is good for longer rides, such as when traveling through hilly country for long distances. You are far less likely to tire out than using the method that requires standing to get you up the hills.8In turns, take the long way on the outer side of the turn. It may seem illogical, but you'll lose less momentum that way.

9Have a rest at the top of the hill. For a particularly strenuous hill climb, a brief hilltop rest may be in order, especially while training yourself to get used to it.

10Descend with care. Be alert for obstacles like cars, pedestrians, animals, and objects on the road. Don't go down too quickly – use both your brakes to pull back the speed, and by sitting upright in your seat, so that your body acts like an "air brake".[7]

If you're descending over uneven terrain such as on a mountain bike trail, it's best to get out of the seat and let the bike take all the bumps for you. The steeper the descent, the further back you should place your weight while looking forwards.[8]

Edit Video

Some excellent advice for hill climbing on your bike.

Edit TipsWhen you're really good at dealing with hills, you can start to learn hill sprints if you're into racing on your bike, or you just want a really strenuous workout.Always look ahead so that you know where you're headed. The temptation can be to look down in concentration but you risk crashing into something or missing something if you do this too much.Lean forward when going uphill.Off-road hills require a different climbing technique. Standing on trails and other terrain that has loose surface can risk a fall off the bike, so you have to be very careful to only use this when really needed and to weight yourself well. Use the gears as explained above but keep your weight as much as possible over the back of the rear wheel to maintain the bike's traction on the loose surface. If you do have to stand on an especially steep part, keep your weight back and your body low and barely leave the seat (think "hovering" over it). Pull back, not up, on the handlebars.[9]

Edit WarningsDon't climb something too steep; know your limits and push yourself only as far as is safe. The hill will still be there tomorrow for another try.

Edit Things You'll NeedBicycleHelmet, cycling clothes, appropriate shoesSome hilly terrain

Edit Related wikiHowsHow to Put On a Bicycle ChainHow to Unwobble a Bicycle RimHow to Ride a Bicycle with Your DogHow to Ride a Bicycle in TrafficHow to Adjust a Front Bicycle Derailleur

Edit Sources and Citations? Chris Sidwells, 7 Week Cycling for Fitness, p. 76, (2006), ISBN 1-4053-1101-0? Chris Sidwells, 7 Week Cycling for Fitness, p. 76, (2006), ISBN 1-4053-1101-0? Chris Sidwells, 7 Week Cycling for Fitness, p. 76, (2006), ISBN 1-4053-1101-0? Chris Sidwells, 7 Week Cycling for Fitness, p. 111, (2006), ISBN 1-4053-1101-0? Chris Sidwells, 7 Week Cycling for Fitness, p. 67, (2006), ISBN 1-4053-1101-0? Chris Sidwells, 7 Week Cycling for Fitness, p. 83, (2006), ISBN 1-4053-1101-0? Chris Sidwells, 7 Week Cycling for Fitness, p. 77, (2006), ISBN 1-4053-1101-0? Chris Sidwells, 7 Week Cycling for Fitness, p. 106, (2006), ISBN 1-4053-1101-0? Chris Sidwells, 7 Week Cycling for Fitness, p. 115, (2006), ISBN 1-4053-1101-0Article Info Featured Article

Categories: Featured Articles | Bicycling

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How to Do Laundry While Traveling

How to Do Laundry While Traveling: 19 Steps (with Pictures)/**/var WH = WH || {};WH.lang = WH.lang || {};button_swap = button_unswap = function(){};WH.exitTimerStartTime = (new Date()).getTime();WH.mergeLang = function(A){for(i in A){v=A[i];if(typeof v==='string'){WH.lang[i]=v;}}}; Sign Up or Log In or Log In via

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HomeArticlesCommunityMy Profile WH.translationData = {'es': {'msg':"\u00bfTe gustar\u00eda saber Como lavar la ropa durante un viaje? \u00a1Lee acerca de eso en espa\u00f1ol!"},'pt': {'msg':"Gostaria de aprender Como Lavar Roupa durante uma Viagem? Leia sobre o assunto em portugu\u00eas!"}};WH.mergeLang({'navlist_collapse': '- collapse','navlist_expand': '+ expand'});EditHome » Categories » Travel » Travel Tips » Travel PackingHow to Do Laundry While TravelingEdited by Dvortygirl, Krystle, Eric, Sujeki and 16 others

Pin ItArticle EditDiscussIf you're going to be away from home for more than a few days, washing clothes along the way will mean carrying far less. On an extended trip, washing clothes may be the only way to travel. It's not difficult or even time consuming to wash your own clothes while you are away.

Edit Steps1Plan ahead. Part of being able to do laundry on the road is packing accordingly. Pack lighter, wrinkle-resistant clothing that will dry quickly.

If it will be cold at your destination, dress in layers. You can use lighter garments, and you may not need to wash the outer layers as frequently as the inner ones.Pack fewer garments. Plan to wash a few items more often. You can travel with as few as two or three changes of clothing and not have to carry so much luggage.Plan to wear some items more than once before they are washed. You should wear clean underwear daily, but you can wear pants and outer shirts a couple of times before washing, if they are not too dirty. However, make sure they pass the smell test: if the strong odor you notice is not detergent or fabric softener, wash it.2Bring laundry supplies. It is generally easiest to find these items at home, where you know the area. See the list below in the Things You'll Need section. If you choose wisely, all the laundry supplies together can take up less space and require less weight than one change of clothes.

3Keep alternatives in mind. If you are more willing to spend money rather than time, you need not do all your laundry yourself.

Find out if there is a laundry service where you are staying. Many hotels and hostels offer laundry service, which can be a good option if your budget permits or your wardrobe requires it.Look for a laundromat or laundry service near where you are staying. Most towns and cities have them. They are a good alternative to washing clothes by hand, especially if you have more clothes to wash at once.Remember that you can mix approaches for laundry. You might pay to send clothes that need to look good for a business meeting but wash underwear and pajamas by hand in the sink to save time and money.Check days and times. Depending on where you are, laundry service may not be available on Sundays. You may need to drop off your laundry before a certain hour to have it back the same day or the next day.4Watch your timing. If you have a couple of days' outfits and you think ahead a bit, you can generally avoid having to cram damp clothing into a suitcase just before a long flight or bus trip.5Shower first. While not strictly required, it will get you out of your dirty clothes (the ones you need to wash) and it will mean you shower with a dry towel if you're doing laundry by hand.

Consider showering in the evening, either before dinner if you need to freshen up, or before bed. You'll avoid taking the day's travels with you to bed, and your laundry and towel will have overnight to dry.6Plan where you will hang the laundry before you get anything wet. Almost any hotel or hostel room will have some option for hanging laundry if you get creative, but it's far better to figure out where to hang stuff before you have a bunch of wet laundry.

7Place the sink stopper in the drain.

8Add laundry and soap, shampoo, or detergent, as you fill the sink with cool or warm water.

9Wash the clothes by moving them around in the soapy water. You can apply extra soap or detergent directly to any stains and any places you know are dirty: bottoms of socks, underarms, underwear, and so on.

10Rub the fabric against itself gently to help the soap do its job.

11Drain the soapy water out of the sink and squeeze the laundry gently to get most of the soap out.

12Refill the sink with clean water to rinse the laundry. Squeeze the water through the fabric a bit.

13Drain the sink again and let the laundry drip out for a few moments.14Squeeze out excess water with your hands. Do not wring or twist the fabric. Just squeeze. The more water you get out this way, the less your towel will need to soak up.

15Lay the damp garments in a single layer on a bath towel.

16Roll the towel around them and squeeze to remove most of the excess water, or put the rolled towel on the floor and walk back and forth on it. At this point, most garments should dry reasonably quickly and you should be able to hang them without too much dripping.



17Hang the clothes to dry. Leave as much space around them as possible, and leave closet doors or windows open (climate and security permitting) to ensure air circulation.

Many hotel rooms include at least a few hangers in their closets.18Hang the towel to dry also, especially if you will be reusing it.19Dry garments the rest of the way. If hanging overnight did the job, great. If not, try these options.

Use the hotel iron. Many hotel rooms include irons and ironing boards, and you can press the whole garment or just touch up cuffs, collars, pockets, etc. that didn't dry completely. Make sure the fabric can take the heat, and avoid ironing silkscreens on t-shirts.Leave it hanging longer. If you're staying another day and one or two things in the closet won't be in the way of the hotel staff, leave it be.If the room has forced-air heat or ventilation (like a blower, usually below the window), drape the garment so the airflow hits it. Either hang the garment on a chair in front of the blower or -- for faster drying, although it can make your garment kind of stiff -- drape it directly over the blower vent (reposition as needed).Put it on, anyway. It may be a bit uncomfortable at first, but your body heat will help to dry stuff the last part of the way in a reasonable time. Don't do this if it's cold or if you already have a cold and are trying to stay warm.

Edit TipsKeep on top of your laundry. Wash clothing every day or two, and don't accumulate dirty clothes. You can travel with just two or three changes of clothes if you want to, and if you're doing laundry by hand, it's far easier to find enough space to hang up one or two days' worth of clothing than a weeks' worth. It will also take less time.Try washing your clothes, and especially try washing them by hand, before leaving home. Leave behind anything that runs, anything that takes an unduly long time to dry, and any other potential problems.Squeeze, don't wring. Wringing stretches the fabric.Hair conditioner can be used as a fabric softener. They have the same basic chemical composition and effect on fibres. Fabric softener isn't always necessary, though.Socks and underwear can easily be washed when you shower before bed - put them on the shower floor (avoiding the plughole), and agitate them with your feet as you shower. Shampoo is a mild detergent that also works on washable fabrics, and you can rinse as you step out.Learning not to wash every item every day is also a big plus for the environment - most outer garments can go a few days being clean enough for everyday wear.If just a small part of a garment is still wet, like the waist band of boxer shorts, you can use the hair dryer on just those spots for a few minutes.Choose your fabrics carefully. Cotton garments can take a long time to dry, while wicking fabrics dry quickly.Keep the humidity in mind. Lightweight garments will dry overnight in most climates, but articles will take longer to dry in jungles and rain forests than in deserts.Look for clothing and underwear made from fast drying materials such as polyester or Coolmax. These can dry in a few hours. You can travel for several weeks with only one change of clothing.Keep hotel and hostel housekeeping staff in mind. Don't hang laundry where it will drip onto surfaces that could be damaged, such as wood or carpet. Keep laundry out of the way of housekeeping activities such as cleaning the bathroom.Hang clothes as close to the air conditioner fan as you can. Air conditioning dries out the air, which gives a faster drying to your clothes, and it helps add some moisture back into the air to aid a more natural sleep. Carry a bar of laundry soap, or a piece of one.A small squeeze bottle of Woolite or travel packs make an excellent travel detergent for cold water washing. Or, carry a bar of laundry soap. It's designed for hand washing laundry, you can carry it through security, and if you allow it to dry out between uses, one small bar lasts and lasts.

Edit WarningsDon't drape wet fabric over finished wood. You could damage both the wood and the fabric.Don't hang clothes from anything that needs to be accessible in case of emergency, such as escape handles, fire sprinkler heads, and such.Avoid packing clothing that is still damp. It could get smelly or mildewed. Put it on if you can, or simply don't wash it if you know you're about to pack up and move.Wet laundry can be heavy. If you're improvising hanging space using towel racks, shower rods, plumbing fixtures, doorknobs, or anything else, make sure that it can take the weight.

Edit Things You'll NeedA universal sink stopper. This is a flat disk of rubber that fits over any drain. In a pinch, a sheet of flexible plastic wrap (such as Saran® or Glad® brands) works too.A travel clothesline. Look for one at a camping or sporting goods store.Inflatable or folding hangers.Laundry detergent, or the shampoo or bar soap that you're already carrying or getting from a hotel.Stain treatment.A towel. If you do not expect to find one where you are staying, carry one with you. Look for a quick-drying travel towel that can be wrung out and reused or packed.A laundry bag, if you wish to isolate dirty laundry from clean laundry in your luggage.Money or coins, if you will be using a laundry service or laundromat.

Edit Related wikiHowsHow to Wash PolyesterHow to Dry Laundry Without a MachineHow to Wash Clothes by HandHow to Use a ClotheslineHow to Become a Low Impact TravellerHow to Travel With One BagArticle Info Featured Article

Categories: Featured Articles | Laundry | Travel Packing

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