Do you ride out of the saddle?

[531colin]

Oh yes....off the back of the saddle for steep descents....that too.....

[mjr]

Doesn't "Yes whenever I feel like it" cover all the other yeses?

Possibly but I'd like people who know they only do it for climbing or showboating or avoid it when loaded to pick the more specific option, please.

I forgot about descending off the back but I'm not going to add another option now unless someone really squeals.

[Psamathe]

My thought when voting "Never" was that I rarely get out of the saddle to pedal. However, reading comments others have made reminded me that I will often coast along standing on the pedals out of the saddle to relieve bum pressure, allow some air movement and stretch a bit. I do that most rides after 30 miles. However, I sort of mentally (and maybe incorrectly) excluded this from the question.

Ian

[mjr]

No, you're correct. I should have written "pedal out of the saddle"

[jamesgilbert]

I will often coast along standing on the pedals out of the saddle to relieve bum pressure, allow some air movement and stretch a bit.

I do this a lot, I don't consider it "riding out of the saddle" though.

[rfryer]

If I stand to relieve bum pressure, it's always on an incline in a higher gear than I'd use seated, but while trying not to work any harder. I figure that the muscles will recover their shape faster if being used. But that's very much distinct from standing to climb, where I'd be putting extra effort in.

[Tigerbiten]

No never.
I ride a recumbent, so standing up is impossible .......

[Vantage]

Only when I'm setting off from a standstill, if the hill is steep enough that sitting wont do it but short enough that the extra effort required wont kill me or when my rear end needs a break.

Funnily enough, I just remembered an article in a mountain bike magazine years ago where the author suggested that (cross country) mountain bikers were getting lazy and spending too much time in the saddle

[pjclinch]

This is the touring board, and I generally tour on a 'bent, so that kinda limits me to the nice comfy chair...

But changing to a 'bent did change the way I ride, getting me far more appreciative of spinning gears sat down, and even on the upwrongs I'm far less likely to get out the saddle to pedal than used to be the case (when I was a kid I was a terrible masher so practically lived out of the saddle, if you can dignify the plastic thing on a Raleigh Olympus with such a name... maybe that's why I was so keen on standing up!).

My first ever loaded tour, I went around the corner from home, stood up and swung the bike as usual, and got that entertaining rack and luggage oscillating slightly out of phase with the bike thing. Didn't crash, but it was a close thing. That gave me a rather different perspective on standing with a load and without, but now I'm coaching sporty cycling for kids I've got to re-acquaint myself with swinging the bike when standing. The main problem is getting the kids to sit down more often and use lower gears, they're almost as bad as I used to be...

Pete.

[simonhill]

Never really thought about it, but saw this post yesterday and stood up today. Unfortunately not one of your examples.

Riding in town, came to 5 way junction. Approached slowly and double looked all ways. By this time I had slowed down a lot (not stationary) and was in too high a gear for the 'quick' pull away so had to stand to get the bike going.

Showed lack of anticipation and over caution, must try harder!!