How to Climb on a Bike: Gears, Pace and Training

How to climb on a bike: the short answer

Climbing well on a bike takes three things: a gear easy enough to hold 70-90 pedal strokes a minute, a pace at which you can still speak in full sentences, and training done on real hills, with short repeats and longer rides at steady effort. Most riders go wrong in the first half hour. They go hard inside the group, push a gear that is too big and reach the top with empty legs.

This guide gives you gear combinations with estimated speeds, a simple way to work out your climbing speed from your power, the right position in the saddle, a six-week plan, the most common mistakes and when to see a doctor. For the wider picture on gears and cadence, read our guide to bike gears and cadence.

Climbing gears: which chainring and cassette

On a climb the gear should let you spin, not grind. A compact chainring (50/34) with an 11-32 cassette is the most common setup on modern road bikes. A 34 or 36-tooth chainring with a 32-tooth sprocket covers most Alpine climbs. For walls above 12% you may need a 34/34 or a wider cassette.

Estimated speed at 80 rpm with a 700x25 wheel (about 2.10 m of rollout):

- 34x32 (ratio 1.06): about 10.7 km/h

- 36x32 (ratio 1.12): about 11.3 km/h

- 34x28 (ratio 1.21): about 12.2 km/h

- 50x32 (ratio 1.56): about 15.8 km/h, a flat-road gear rather than a climbing one

Cadence is the number that matters. Choosing an easier gear is not a weakness: it keeps your legs fresh for the whole climb. If your bike has a 50/34 with an 11-28 cassette, ask a mechanic whether a 32 or 34 rear sprocket fits your derailleur and chain length before the season starts. Test your own combinations with our bike gear calculator.

Pace on a climb: the talk test and the right effort

Going too hard is the most common reason riders blow up. On a climb you cannot hold the power you sustain on the flat, so effort is a better guide than speed. The talk test works: on a long climb you should manage a full sentence without stopping to breathe. If you can only get out two or three words at a time, you are above what you can hold for an hour.

The first kilometres cost the most. Riders who attack a 10 km climb at full gas often fade badly in the last third. Split the climb into thirds in your head and decide in advance how hard to go in the first one. If you use a heart-rate monitor, the heart-rate zone calculator helps you set a ceiling for long climbs.

How long will it take? Watts per kilo and gradient

On a climb your speed depends mostly on the power you produce and the total weight you carry up: you plus the bike. The figures below come from a simple model (80 kg total, air density 1.2 kg/m³, standard rolling resistance and a frontal area of 0.32 m² in an upright position) on a steady 8% gradient:

- 200 W: about 10.7 km/h

- 250 W: about 13.2 km/h

- 300 W: about 15.6 km/h

- 350 W: about 17.9 km/h

Two practical lessons. First, every 10 kg less, in you or in the bike, is worth about 1.5 km/h at 250 W on this gradient: the same 250 W at 70 kg total gives about 14.8 km/h. Second, watts per kilo is the figure to compare with other riders on climbs: 250 W at 70 kg is 3.6 W/kg. It is an estimate. Wind, road surface, temperature and real aerodynamics change the result. Check your own numbers with the watts-per-kg climb time calculator and the climb gradient (VAM) calculator.

Position on the bike: seated, standing and hands

Stay seated for most of a climb. Sitting usually costs less energy and lets you turn the pedals more evenly. Stand for 10-20 seconds when you need a change of rhythm: a steeper ramp, a change in gradient or a pass. Then sit back down.

Hold the bars on the top or on the lower part of the hoods, with relaxed elbows, and do not rest on the brake levers in corners. Keep your shoulders loose and your weight centred: on very steep sections, sliding too far back unloads the front wheel and makes steering vague. Your breathing is the best signal. If you are clenching your jaw and holding your breath, you are going too hard.

If a climbing position hurts your knee or lower back, check saddle height and cleat position before changing gear. Pain that comes back on every climb is a sign that the set-up or the gear is the problem, and a bike fitter can check it in person.

Training for climbs: a six-week plan

Climbs are trained on climbs. The plan below assumes three rides a week with at least one rest day between hard sessions. It is a general outline: adapt it to how you feel and how much time you have.

1. Weeks 1-2: one 60-90 minute ride with 500-800 m of climbing at a relaxed effort where you can talk easily. One shorter easy ride with cadence drills.

2. Weeks 3-4: four or five 5-minute climbs at an average gradient of 5-7%, hard but controlled, with about 4 minutes of easy pedalling down to recover.

3. Week 5: two blocks of 8-10 minutes at a strong, steady effort with 5 minutes of recovery, plus one long climb at a steady pace.

4. Week 6: a lighter week with one quality climb and less volume before your event.

Cadence drills fit into any week: 3 minutes at 90 rpm on an easy gear, then 3 minutes at 70 rpm on a harder one, repeated three or four times. If a tendon or knee hurts, drop the hard sessions and get it checked. For a reference climb with gradients and gears, read our Mortirolo climb guide. You can find climbs near you in Routes, and for events with serious climbing see the 2027 calendar.

Common mistakes on climbs

1. Starting at flat-road pace: the first kilometre of a climb at full gas is the most expensive.

2. Choosing a gear that is too hard to look strong: it is better to spin a 34x32 than to grind at 60 rpm.

3. Forgetting food and water: on climbs longer than an hour, plan carbohydrates and fluids before the start, not when you are already hungry.

4. Matching the group: on a climb everyone has a different threshold, and yours is the one that counts.

5. Stopping at the top sweaty and cold: in the mountains the temperature drops by roughly 6 °C every 1,000 m of altitude. Keep a windproof layer in your jersey pocket.

When to see a professional

If you get chest pain, breathlessness that does not settle, dizziness or faintness on a climb, stop and get help. If you have a heart condition or have not ridden hard for a long time, talk to your doctor before intense sessions. For tendon or knee pain that persists, a physiotherapist or bike fitter will assess your position far better than any training table.

Sources and notes on the calculations

- Il Sole 24 Ore, interview with Paolo Savoldelli on riding climbs (in Italian): easy gears (a 34 or 36 chainring with a 32 sprocket), not forcing the pace at the start, and the talk test.

The speed and watt figures are the editorial team's calculations from a simple model, not measurements. Use them to understand the order of magnitude, not to set race targets.