Which is faster - climbing in or out the saddle? | Cycling Weekly

Which is faster - climbing in or out the saddle? | Cycling Weekly

We performed a basic experiment to see if there is a significant aerodynamic difference between climbing in and out of the saddle

Is it faster to climb in or out of the saddle? Riders like Chris Froome remain mainly seated when climbing while the likes of Alberto Contador and Nairo Quintana dance up the slopes.

Which of these is more biomechanically efficient is likely to depend upon the individual, however should we also factor in aerodynamics?

Science tells us that aerodynamics become significant above 10mph or 16kph and pro riders will often climb faster than this for long periods.

Therefore we want to know, is climbing out of the saddle slower because you are less aerodynamic and if so, how much slower?

To do this, we did an experiment on Mount Teide in Tenerife, riding a 5km section of Mount Teide with an average gradient of 7 per cent both seated and in the saddle.

The first run was seated and the second run was standing. To keep it a fair test, power was kept as close to 300 watts for both runs as possible.

This section of climb was chosen because it is representative of many European climbs (such as Sa Calobra).

To find out how the experiment went, watch the video and let us know what you think of the results

More at:

[slowtwitches]

For short punchy climbs I like to ride out of the saddle.
For sustained climbs I like to climb in the saddle.
For really long sustained climbs I go home and sit on my couch.

[floblang]

The problem with your test is that you´re focussing on doing the same power for each run, but for people like Contador it´s about producing maximum power over an extended period of time. You can normally produce more power when out of the saddle. Of course there are exceptions like Froome.
There´s probably no point in trying to figure out which style is fastest because it´s individual how you can produce a high wattage over a certain amount of time.

[Timtimzi]

Every time im out of the saddle, I feel like I burn out faster as opposed to being seated.

[inSideMusicGroup]

You might be right by saying out of the saddle is less aerodynamic than seated. But I really dont think anyone ride up a whole mountain either full seated or full out of the saddle. Sure you should primarly be in the saddle and sometimes get out if there are brutal gradients or you want to use different muscle groups of your legs to dont overuse your main muscles. Use "out of the saddle" wisely and you gain 25% of power while up. But keep in mind its like a turbo, its not permanently. I like to ride a constant pace and sometimes drop 1 or 2 sprokets and go out the saddle short then getting back seated and shift up to my previous gear, nice relaxation.

[gueroblanco]

You've completely missed the point here. Some riders are able to produce significantly more power out of the saddle, so it even compensates for the disadvantage in aerodynamics. This makes these riders much faster than their seated position with much lower power output. Examples: Alberto Contador, Nairo Quintana, Marco Pantani.

[reginaldscot]

But it depends on the situation. The gradient is very steep then need to get out the saddle.... some sections there is no way I could do it seated. I was on the ride two days ago and I passed everybody who was seated climbing by getting out the saddle.

[cyclejockey]

A mixture of the 2 has always worked best for me !

[itsianwood]

One thing you didn't mention, obviously you had time constraints, is the method of being predominantly in the saddle and standing up every now and then to inject surges of speed. I find this method can give a higher average speed on climbs.

[jshepard]

Here in Florida we don't have any long, steep climbs.  We have short climbs and only some of those are really very steep at all.  Therefore, out of the saddle for the 30-60 seconds up the hill is way faster than staying seated.  On longer climbs, I find it's best to change it up to recruit different muscle groups and keep your legs as fresh as possible.  Seated to start, then out of the saddle for a bit etc...

[farturinn]

an out of saddle position averages much higher wattage than seated given same speed. The test you need to do is same speed in/out of saddle then look at the power and heartrate. The conclution should be what method is more efficient.

[swites]

Interesting. Didn't realise the aero effect would be that much
I used to ride naturally in a big gear, low cadence, and out of the saddle a lot on climbs. Got an injury which forced me to remain seated, so taught myself to stay in the saddle and spin in a smaller gear. Anyway went for a pb up a 2min 13% powerclimb the other day and decided I'd stand the whole way. I was faster but ended up with back strain for the last 2 weeks because of it! So you'll be better at what you do more of, and it takes awhile to get used to a new style of riding.

[richardtstockton]

Thank you for including the Heart Rate, I am trying to get back into cycling and my Doctor wants me to keep my Heart Rate Down as much as possible (just had a stent implant), I wear a HR monitor but have never been able to climb out of the saddle (I feel off balance for some reason) but I will give it a try and practice a little at it, again thanks

[carlofino]

check your ppowermeter's reading. 2.5km/h less due to aeaerodynamics at 17 km/h is just not credible

[wizardzx]

the fact is that riders need to vary the muscles they are using to prevent muscle fatigue. it you have to ride standing anywhere it should on the steepest parts of the course.

[segmentkings]

I don't buy this! You even mentioned h/r was lower. Most likely because you weren't pushing the same power.
I can't see what powermeter did you use, but it was certainly not a crank based one.

Of course wind can change too, and traffic overtaking you helps a lot.

[TheMrBennito]

my god. I used to be 68kg at 1m86. now it's 85 at 1m84. maybe bike without a bike? safes weight....

[Cruzanracer]

I believe it's easier to match the worm-drive's rpm when seated....

[stevemcgrath]

Congratulations you just tested which is more aerodynamic, with the obvious result. By the way you didn't need to do that on a climb...You should have kept the system weight and climb conditions (sales section, temp, wind etc) as well as heart rate constant and determined what power differences and therefore time were...or...kept power constant and sea what happened to heart rate. Ultimately the result is standing provides more power, much more than needed to offset less aerodynamic position, but at a cost of higher heart rate.

[Hotitalianman]

Did you do the runs in succession one after the other? You could have been more tired for the second. Maybe reverse them and see what happens? then compare.

[joshstrub]

maybe go back the next day and do the same climb out of the saddle first then do it seated