I am starting to use a HRM again
How do I use it so I can finish the climb fastest without blowing up and without under performing?

Step 1: Take off the heart rate strap, put back in box.
Step 2: Tape up your watch.
Step 3: Start the stopwatch and start climbing.
Step 4: Once completed climb, stop watch, record time and your Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) on a scale of 1-10. (9 would be gasping for air, struggling to turn the pedals. 10 would be throwing up, falling off the bike and passing out... generally aim for 9.)
Step 5: Repeat. Try to improve time keeping RPE around the 9 mark.

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"Physiology is all just propaganda and lies... all waiting to be disproven by the next study."
"I'm not a real doctor; But I am a real worm; I am an actual worm." - TMBG

Try to learn to gauge what kind of heart beat you can sustain for how long. It takes time to learn this, but it goes a long way. For example, I know I can sustain 190bpm for 30 minutes if I go all out, 193bpm is 20 minutes. It changes from person to person, but you learn these little things and you try to find a pace at which you can sustain for the length of the climb.

Just my method:

1. Do the intended climb as hard as you can and notice the highest sustainable heart rate you can maintain.

2. Take a couple day's rest, then repeat. But this time gradually increase the effort to that sustainable heart rate BUT DON'T GO OVER. Just sustain it until about the last minute, where you know you can make it, then go "all out" for that last little bit.

3. Re-assess what you think the highest sustainable heart rate is and repeat Step 2, continually trying to hone in on the highest sustainable heart rate, and then also improving that number. So, for example, if you think you can sustain 170, try to sustain 172. Maybe sometimes that will make you "blow up", in which case you back down a little next time.

You can see two forms of improvement: Increase in sustainable heart rate, but also your times at a given heart rate should improve even if the heart rate itself does not go up.

After a while, you can sense when you are at "max heart rate" without having to wear a HRM. But the value to me is learning how to not overexert when you are fresh and feel good. Overexertion is invariably followed by a dip where I have to reduce power below my known sustainable effort to recover.

How long is the climb? How long does it take you to complete it?

IME individuals who can nail their HR down to a single beat are rare. You really want to find a zone.

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"Nothing compares to the simple pleasures of a bike ride," said John F. Kennedy, a man who had the pleasure of Marilyn Monroe.

The climbs I have problem with are around 4 miles, it takes me 25-30 minutes to complete, when I want to get into low 20s. I know I lose my concentration and slowed down here and there on this kind of climb. Mainly I am afraid of blowing up on the steep ramps / strong wind ahead but I don't know if I will.
Its more of a mental thing but I am hoping having a number to look at will get me within the right parameters and avoid soft pedalling parts of it.

I have started recording only these longer climbs on the garmin so I can race against myself and make sure I stay ahead of the previous if possible.

First thing is that you want to find yourself a zone you want to stick to. If you have a HRM that you can download after your ride, don't even look at it the first time.

Once you find that zone, learn how it feels. You don't wanna hit the bottom of the mountain and sprint until you reach your zone, then back up to still go over the zone and soft pedal until you're back in. You want to go at your climbing effort and the HR will follow not the other way around. See Tapeworms advice. You really want to feel the same pedal resistance at all time and shift accordingly.

HR is variable from day to day and from bottom to top for the same effort, so it's still up to you to kick yourself all the way up to the top, but it will likely tell you if you've been going too slow or too fast for a while.

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"Nothing compares to the simple pleasures of a bike ride," said John F. Kennedy, a man who had the pleasure of Marilyn Monroe.

I tried to increase my power via higher cadence OR heavier pedal strokes but either way I can get cramp problems if I get too enthusiastic with the climbing.
Currently it's not a bottle neck because I feel my cardio is also close to its limit, but it would be nice if the cramps were not there so I don't have to worry about it.
Do you think it might be a fit issue. But it seems the more I train, the faster pace I can push before I hit a cramping zone.

I'm not sure if repeated full-on training on the climb you want to work on is the best way to do it, going all too hard in the 20-30min range can cause lots of damage (overtraining).

I would recommend adding some low-cadence / high power training, say 3x20min at 85% HR max, riding at the hardest gear you can push. And do hill sprints, something like 8-10x 2-3min full power, but slow enough so you can do a consistent set. In addition to your nomal, low intensity training, naturally.

Also, learn to feel how you are doing. Hearth rate can be very different, depending on temperature etc. Free your mind and feel your effort (doh), and you might be able to do better than looking at your HRM. I think HTM is great for training, but not sure it works very well for all-out efforts because of all the variables involved.

(I am not a coach, (ex) pro, or elite racer. All this is just pointers that might or might not be helpful.)

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Bikes: Raceur, Beateur

You'll have to clarify what you mean here. In terms of genetic potential I doubt very much you are at your limit.




See the thread re: cramping, lots of possible causes.

_________________
"Physiology is all just propaganda and lies... all waiting to be disproven by the next study."
"I'm not a real doctor; But I am a real worm; I am an actual worm." - TMBG

So I forgot my HRM again!!
I am giving it kind of a 8/10 and some steep parts 9/10 = my wind pipe wheezes..
I am using a lap timer right now, I am sometimes using the virtual partner feature so I am comparing my previous time as I climb. Is that good enough for now?

I would be happy if I can decrease my time from 25 min to 22 min by the end of the year (about 4 miles avg grade 6.5%), riding about 300-500 miles a month? Is that a realistic goal? So I only have to ride 12% faster, doesn't sound like alot but I think it is difficult.