My wife and hills

[knucklebuste]

I love my wife so much for being so patient with a nutcase like me. It's not easy for her to put up with such a high energy dude like me, and it's so nice to have my wife as my riding partner. I hate riding alone which is why I quit 3 years ago, my previous x wouldn't ride, but my new wife always goes with me and I'm so psyched to be back into it with the new bike an all. I just hope this bug does not go away. I love mountain biking. I got to get my wife good, so she can ride with me at NAM. She does alright, but gets winded with the hills. I use my nordic track, 5 miles a day to keep up my endurance on the bike, but theres no exersize like the bike itself. I also love the hills. My wife walks the bike up the hill and I tell her to stop, catch her breath, take a drink of water then ride a little further up the hill. Take as long as you need, but don't push the bike. My goal is this, to laugh at any hill. I see a hill and I get pissed off at it. I view it as a demon which must be trampled upon. I get angry at it and attack it with a vengence. Let's face it folks, hills suck bad, so my philosiphy is this. Do all the hills and one day you will laugh at the hills. KILL THE HILLS. Kevin

[Sylvan]

Ummm.... Is this a complaint that she can't/won't do the hills, or a happy that she bikes with you at all post?

Being a wife that doesn't enjoy hills, I'll say that every time I go out riding, I surprise myself with what I *can* do as opposed to the last time we went out. This last time we did a certain 6-mile loop, I was able to tackle all the hills, which I couldn't do the time before.

I know that some hills just aren't for me. And if I try to ride up them and either tip over halfway or just get too worn out to get the whole way, trying to restart while *on* the hill is much tougher then starting at the bottom. On the road, hills are a challenge because you can see how far you have to go still, and it gets depressing. On foresty trails, it can be near impossible to get going when there's roots and rocks and stuff on the hill.

Just give her some time. She'll realize that she *can* do some things she isn't letting herself try just yet. Her endurance will start to build. If she's getting winded, don't push her too much. Some people just aren't built to push their physical limits like that. That's me all over. This summer we went out riding and I was labeled "delicate" because I started getting heatstroke while on the trail. Because I was trying to keep up with "the guys", and I was getting winded and not allowing myself enough water.

But that's my two cents. :P :D

[I Are Baboon]

Ummm.... Is this a complaint that she can't/won't do the hills, or a happy that she bikes with you at all post?

He's happy his wife rides. Finding a woman that rides ain't easy, and after reading knuckleshuffler's post, I get the impression he appreciates the fact that she rides.

My wife also rides. Actually, she is an MTB junkie. She rides, wrenches, and shops for MTB stuff all the time. If it weren't for her, I would have never been introduced to the sport. THANKS, WIFE!!! ;D

[knucklebuste]

Thats cool. I don't push my wife at all, we take breaks all the time. We stop on hills and drink tons of water. I hate hills, but they seem like a natural part of the terrain wherever we go. So I say F&^$%K the hills, they are not gonna get the best of me. It's worse for me on the hills as I run a single speed 38T on the crank which makes the hills a nightmare. I just try to push myself as hard as I can in hopes that someday I'll laugh at the hills. Believe me I hate hills, theres nothing worse than coming around the corner of a nice smoothe single track and then seeing a 45 degree 1/4 mile incline. Thats one of the things I hate about mountain biking, but it's part of the sport like it or not. F the hills. Kevin

[LB]

Since we're on the subject of hills - I have trouble with hills too. Not the long, arduous kind (oh, like THOSE are easy), but the short, steep kind that sneek up on you from nowhere. What's the trick here? Weight forward? Weight in the middle? I can't seem to do it without popping up the front wheel and then losing control, if there's a rock or root in the way forget it!

(I also like the idea of not pushing your bike up a hill. Take a rest if you have to, then continue to pedal, I'll have to try that.)

[robgaloshes]

LB, if your front wheel is coming off the ground that easily you may have your seat jacked up too high. leaning forward also helps me.