Hills Are NOT Harder Than Cycling On The Flat (Says Science)

It took me many years to enjoy riding up hills! Like most people, I hated them... My first road bike was handed down to me as a young teen. It was an old steel racing bike with 53-42 tooth front chainrings and a 13-21 tooth cassette. I loved riding it because it felt so fast, but as soon as I got to a steep hill, I'd often need to get off and walk to the top. All along, I figured I just needed to get stronger, so I persisted with that vintage bike for years and years. But looking back, I was already super strong, I was already super light, and I was always up for a challenge. Why were hills so damn hard?! It wasn't until I truly understood mechanical advantage that I realised that hills were hard NOT because I was inadequate... but because I didn't have low enough gear ratios on my bike. 😅

I completely agree, hills are definitely not harder than the flat......... (as long as they're downhill)!

Depends on how you define "harder". You are definitely expending more energy for the same distance covered.

For really steep grades, where you are pedaling under 10 kph, why not just walk? There are a few benefits to doing so: 1) no more obsessing over super-wide drivetrains, 2) save your quads, 3) good opportunity to change position, stretch your legs, and work different muscle groups. I have done this on recent tours, even wearing MTB cleats. The loss in speed is small compared to the benefits, and once you factor in reduced muscle fatigue, you will probably gain mileage on the day. "Sending" big climbs can be fun, but it isn't mandatory.

Yes they are harder, even in easy gears. Because while going slow, between each pedal stroke you're slowing down a lot, which forces you to constantly accelerate, which consumes a lot of energy.

As a fixed gear rider I can say that inclines are definitely harder. :D

On very steep climbs, I've found that resting my biking muscles by using my walking muscles instead is a good idea. The speed won't be too different and I'm able to speed up more when the climb ends. Depending my condition and how steep the climb is.

I think a key factor is speed. Once you get to too low of gear ratios balancing adds a lot of extra energy in addition to riding.

Having watched the video, and having had A-level physics in high school and briefly at university, I still don't quite grasp how science says it is not harder to bike uphill. Power is a measure of energy expenditure per unit time. As you gear down going uphill, you will move less distance at the same power output. Thus, moving equidistant uphill would take longer time than on a flat surface. Total energy = Power x time. This means that the determining factor is the total time taken given constant Power output. As you spend more time going uphill = total energy expenditure is bigger. This also makes intuitive sense. Additionally, human muscles are not machines. The metabolism and chemical release of power from the muscles is to some extent time-constrained. Thus, spending more time going uphill WILL feel harder the longer it takes, even at lower power outputs. The muscles WILL break down more spending more time under constant load. Muscle recovery from long periods of stress WILL take longer. It just is, factually, objectively, scientifically, HARDER to go uphill, even with correct gear ratios, compared to going on a flat surface. I would argue that the title and content in this video is not only misleading, but actually FALSE.

I'll remember this next time I'm struggling with a hill on my single speeder, thanks!

nevertheless the gear, you ultimately need a lot more energy to cover the same distance on a hill than in a flat road.

60 years ago when I was a young apprentice engineer, our tutor used to tell us something very similar but in his case he was referring to using a hand held hacksaw to saw through a piece of steel 2 inches in diameter. His favourite saying was always - 'Let the saw do the work lads' Eventually we came to realise that this was true but only within certain parameters. One of these was the necessity to have already developed the muscles needed to accomplish the task comfortably. The second was to have developed the stamina needed to last out comfortably over the extended length of time needed. Despite our repeated requests though, he always declined to give us a practical demonstration.

Living in the Austrian alps and cycling uphill pretty much always in the lowest gear I gotta say, climbing IS harder than cycling on flat terrain. 😄 But it's actually what I'm going for. I find it harder to push myself to the limit without elevation gain. After a tough climb I feel much better. Climbing is a challenge, and a challenge is fun!!!

Yup, most people smash it up the climb, coast the descent and hardly pedal on the flat, hence they think hills are harder. If you have a power meter try doing your next ride at the same power whether you are on a climb, flat or descent. Your perception of what is easiest and hardest will be flipped with descents being hardest to maintain power on and climbs being the easiest. Climbs aren’t harder, you’re just riding them harder.

Short version: Hills are not harder than flats, just slower when you use the right gears.

That last piece of advice was so on point "Ease up and measure your effort". I try to stop myself panicking on a hill and just take it easy. I'm not a racing cyclist, just a tourer. And I'm totally going to use your tools for measuring max output etc. Thanks

Being a distance runner helps me with the hills for sure. There's no soft pedaling or coasting when you're running so the idea of a sustained effort over the course of a long period of time is something I've trained for off the bike.

One further factor to consider is higher momentum at higher speed. The power application to the pedals at speed is more like a 'tap' on the downstroke, whereas uphill, power needs to be applied more evenly all around. If you didn't apply even pressure you'd slow down between each pedal rev. Perhaps this simply means that riding uphill is different rather than harder.

Well... at <5km/h I might just as well walk uphill with my bike without worrying about consistency of my cadence or balance or saddle comfort just as I did to get on top of Topes de Collantes in Cuba. But I am a heavy rider and travel with lots gear on a heavy durable bike.

Very interesting and quite in line with what I’ve always felt. The cut off for me would be around 14-17% grades as you really start to feel gravity trying to pull you down, making it feel like you are battling gravity instead of just keeping the bike going. This actually makes them a lot more rewarding than slogging up an endless climb that’s a lot mellower, I’d prefer a short 20+ degree climb over a long 10% one any day.