Climbing Cheats – Mechanical Edition

Alright, they’re not cheats; none of these tips involve strapping a hidden motor to your bike and quietly whizzing your way to the top…

But they are a set of directions that will make climbing feel like cheating compared to how much you struggled before.


Suspension

Is your shock set up like it should be? No, I don’t mean just flicking the lockout switch – although if you’re not using this and struggling to climb, it should be the first thing you change! You don’t have to be the world’s best home mechanic or a tech wizard to set up a shock; google your frame manufacturer’s advised setting for that shock (and if that isn’t an option, revert it to the ‘factory’ option). It’s just turning dials and setting pressures so there’s no harm in repeatedly adjusting things until they feel right. Rule of thumb is that the more air in the shock the stiffer it is, but that doesn’t mean whack it up to max pressure and leave it there; it won’t be good for the shock and will completely obliterate ride quality. The better option is to make sure you’re factoring your riding weight into shock calculations and fit an appropriate spring / pump it to a suitable pressure. This means taking your water bottles, backpack, pads, tools, helmet etc into account and setting you shock and fork weights based off of this number. Bear in mind that for really rocky, technical climbs a bit of inefficiency is a fair trade for grip, so sometimes it’s better not to lock out the suspension and keep traction as you’re scrabbling over roots and rocks. In this case, having a shock set to your weight is essential in making sure that traction is there without needless pedal-bob wasting your energy.

Drivetrain

Is your drivetrain working how it should? You don’t need to spend thousands upgrading to XTR DI2, but is everything free moving and efficiently? There’s a reason the top road racers are riding ceramic bearings on immaculate, perfectly-aligned drivetrains. Mountain bikes get dirty; even when the trails aren’t muddy there’s inevitable dust which gets everywhere and builds up. Ensuring that yor drivetrain remains as free from this as possible keeps it running much easier – jockey wheels are a prime area for grime build up. If you find during cleaning that the teeth are mashed, it could be time to upgrade to a metal counterpart, giving you the option for easier pedalling and a shiny new anodised addition to your build! Use a suitable lubricant on the chain to make sure everything is as slick as possible; WD40 is great for shifting rust but not as a consistent lubricant, so make sure you have some dedicated chain lube in stock. Ensure that your gears are as crisp as possible by using the twist adjustment on the shifter itself because a poorly-functioning drivetrain costs energy, speed, and money as things wear out at a faster rate than necessary. Fitting an oval chainring, designed to get more power with additional consistency out of each rotation, could be a worthwhile upgrade but is one of the more expensive options on the list.

Bearings

It’s worth noting that it’s not just your drivetrain which needs maintaining. Check your pedal bearings, as a stiff pedal (especially if you have adjustable resistance) can make a massive difference, as does a notchy bottom bracket affecting the perceived consistency of pedal strokes. Likewise, wheels with notchy bearings not only ruin the feel of the trail, but could actually be slowing you down; get that buttery smooth new-bike feel and you might just find that new-bike enthusiasm emerges.

Wheels and Tyres

Upgrading from 26” to 29” might be a bit extreme (and impossible, on most frames) but getting tyre choice and pressure perfected can make climbing a breeze. Step one is making sure the wheels are as true as possible, as a buckled wheel is throwing your energy all over the track. Similarly, make sure tyres are seated properly and relatively ‘straight’ because you’d be amazed how many wheels look buckled because the tyre isn’t a straight fit; the more linear your contact points with the trail are, the more efficiently your energy is transferred through them. Tyre choice is completely personal preference, and an expensive pursuit if you keep trying different configurations without success. If climbing is your issue, consider two questions: are your tyres set for the conditions, and how much rolling resistance is there? If you’re trying to sprint up cross country climbs on a 2.5” super tacky wet tyre when the ground is just a bit damp, you’re carrying a lot of weight and throwing a lot of unnecessary rubber down. I’m not saying to fit up some gravel-esque slicks, but consider if a marginally narrower tyre with a tread that has less resistance could do the same job. If changing tyres aren’t a choice, consider the pressures. Too low, and that same issue of dragging an inordinate amount of rubber over the ground slows you down. Too high and the wheels will spin quickly, but offer no grip on the climbs. Again, this is personal preference but it could be worth experimenting by adding 3-5 additional PSI, testing it on the trail, and adjusting it accordingly.

Saddle

Are you sitting comfortably? Everyone knows the tiptoe-test for seat height, but have you considered the position of your seat in relation to the rear wheel? If you find yourself struggling for grip when things get steep, consider moving your seat; most will have two lines signalling the amount of available adjustment. Not only is this upgrade easy, it’s completely free! If sliding the seat on your existing post doesn’t do the job, consider a layback post which automatically pushes the saddle roughly an inch over the back of the seat tube, putting your seated weight over the rear wheel. However, the trade-off here is that you’re most efficient when directly over the pedals so there has to be a balance between being able to leverage your weight when pedalling, and keeping the rear wheel planted; nobody wants an ideal riding position that goes to waste as the wheel skids inefficiently over the ground rather than thrusting you forwards, but there’s also a reason that ‘cool’ laid-back chopper look never caught on in the Tour De France! If you’re feeling flush, dropper posts are a brilliant, but expensive, option for getting seat height perfect by allowing you to adjust on the fly so that no momentum is lost between differing terrain.

Finishing Kit

So obvious it goes without saying; if you’re uncomfortable, you won’t perform at your best. Make sure your contact points with the bike are as good as possible. If you’re using flat pedals, are the pins long enough and are you in receptive footwear which grips these pins effectively. If you’re maxed out on flats, consider the clip-in option as a means of transferring as much of your power through the pedals. Without going into a lecture on ergonomics, make sure your grips are in a comfortable position. As a cost-saving exercise, starting by simply adjusting the angle of your bars is the best bet, bringing in the option of cutting them down or buying a wider / different rise set later on. It’s worth considering width as a slightly wider bar (whilst still remaining comfortable) opens up your chest and makes breathing, particularly on the heaviest of uphill sections, that bit easier than if you’re shoulders are slumped forwards gripping narrow bars. Similarly, whilst a stem’s length influences handling agility, the rise of the stem can help keep you comfortable. Finally, makes sure you’ve got a comfortable grip with some give because the majority of us squeeze the bars, bracing our upper body when really putting the power down through the pedals. The softer the grips, the more comfortable this often-involuntary response to climbing becomes as you are left to focus on building up lactic acid in your legs rather than through an unnecessary death grip on the bars.

Try these tips and let me know how you get on. Best case scenario: you gain climbing abilities that you never knew you had from some relatively cheap and time-effective pointers. Worst case: you’re still not as quick as you’d hoped on the climbs, but your bike is mechanically spot-on with all aspects dialled in exactly how you want them, with maybe a few new shiny bits too!