Standing or sitting

[Herb Cunningham]

I was in the spinning class at the Y yesterday and Tom, the instructor, who is one of the
Riders who does Umstead a lot said “one should not stand while riding, sitting is better”

Being in early geezerhood (72), and trying to build up my strength for hills, I have been
Working diligently on being able to stand and pump up hills for quite a while, especially in
The gym on the spinners. It has helped on trails, as I can handle a lot of long slow hills standing
Where I could only spin in the past.

Wazzup with the idea of not standing?

Herb

[Pugsly]

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/standing.html

[Michael Ross]

Hi Herb,

I would amend your instructors comment to, one should not stand for long while riding - sitting IS better.

However, as Sheldon Brown's article says there are still reasons for it.  I have adopted a habit on the 200K rides I do of standing for 6 to 12 strokes every time I start to lose momentum on a grade, when my cadence gets low enough that I can stand and stroke smoothly.  I do this to keep my butt happy, and it works really well.  I have to practice standing to have the strength to do that on such a long ride.  You might see me practicing standing for that reason.  Standing also shakes the cobwebs out of your back, neck, arms, etc. I also stand because it is fun. On certain roads with a long series of little short steep  "rollers," it is possible to stand and "run on the pedals."  This is an incredible feeling for as long as it lasts.

The situation that Sheldon did not mention is keeping warm.  On that cold ride some of us did two weeks ago, I was purposely doing all sorts of unusual things in order to enjoy temperatures in the teens.  Because standing IS inefficient is is a great way to get heated up in the cold.   We would brake going downhill and stand going up.  It is also inefficient to put 30 pounds of rocks in your pannier, but that too keeps you warm and working hard at lower speeds (less wind).

Also, the inefficiency is a good way to get more of a workout in a short amount of time.  If I only have time for 20 miles, I might stand up and hammer the hills too get more out of the limited opportunity.  If you only have 30 minutes to spin in class, you might want to stand to get a higher HR - not that you can't achieve the same thing sitting.

But for Umstead on a leisurely ride, I am with you instructor, using a low enough gear, being practiced enough to maintain a high smooth cadence, and sitting is the most efficient way to make good time on a hill that has a good surface.  For 99.9% of road riding as well sitting is the best thing.

Anyway, for me I need to maintain the ability to stand, even if I don't do it much becasue it is inefficient.

Mike

--
                   Michael E. Ross  
       ArcAngle Design | MX Automation
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[John Rider]

I'll throw in my 2 cents too.

 

standing or sitting is very situation and rider dependent.

 

sitting allows maximum efficiency, smooth cadence, higher cadence and even delivery of power.  so if you are doing a steepish gravel climb, sitting is one way to keep the rear wheel hooked to the ground - standing might cause you to spin out.  if you want to do a fast time trial, you will do best if you sit.

 

standing allows extra bursts of speed, extra torque for that steep grunt of a hill, change of position, relief to the posterior anatomy.  you will never win the bunch sprint if you are sitting.  you might not make it up that steep hill if you stay in the saddle.

 

i have found about a 10 bpm difference between sitting and standing, but your numbers may vary.

 

if you really want to go down hill fast, you will crouch - neither sitting nor standing to best be able to negotiate the downhill curves coming off the back of Alpe d'Huez.  mountain bikers will assume the halfway position for a down hill too.

 

all that standing, I like being able to really crank on the pedals from a standing position.  nothing better than pulling up on the bars while driving the pedals down with all your might.  maybe that's why I still sign up for mountain centuries.  I like to stand in spin class, at least a little because it really engages lower back muscles with a lot of resistance - better preparation for those long steep climbs.  of course, since I teach the spin class i go to, if I stand, so does everyone else.  it's kind of funny how that works out.  ;-)

 

Marco Pantani would climb out of the saddle, but he was so proficient that he was spinning while standing and climbing the mountain - very inspirational to watch (doping aside.)  Jan Ulrich almost always went in the saddle, but he could crank out the watts at 70 rpm and keep on going.

 

long story short, do what you want and do worry about what other people say!!

 

later,

john rider

[Gregg]

largely agreed,

when i was a 'kid' standing was no biggie, now it hurts my knees, not my muscles, my knees, not good. if it hurts something other than muscles, then sit. but if it feels good to stand then stand.

i think from a strict efficiency standpoint, if you weigh more than something like 2.25 pounds per inch of height (ie, if you aren't a string bean) then it is less efficient to stand ( I think I got that from Joe Friel, I read way too darned many articles!), but again, if it feels good to stand, what the heck. Wish it didn't hurt my knees or I'd try it more often. I miss it. As we age, it is better to err on the side of caution more so; recovery from little aches and pains takes longer.

if you are going to stand, be mindful especially if it is wet, sandy or slippery in any way as there is going to be a marked shift in front to back balance/traction when your weight moves forward when you stand.

sorry if that is repetitive.

gg