Taken for granted...techniques for new riders.
05-26-09, 06:10 PM
#26
one less horse
From Lopes/McCormack:
"Free your front wheel, and the rest will follow. You'd be amazed at what your rear wheel can get over if your front wheel is already clear."
And they are certainly not the first to say it.
We're apparently talking about two different things here.
"Free your front wheel, and the rest will follow. You'd be amazed at what your rear wheel can get over if your front wheel is already clear."
And they are certainly not the first to say it.
We're apparently talking about two different things here.
05-26-09, 06:27 PM
#27
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Lopes is a Hack 
What we have here is...failure...to communicate
I see where you're coming from...I'm not talking about getting up and over stuff...more or less slipping off something sideways.
edit: I am not afraid to be called out b/c I'm often wrong and big enough to admit it. Besides, this crap is good for the community to read. To finally know that I am not perfect...I know it's a shock...but it's true.
So yeah, I could copy and paste Lopes book if I had the time. He is my favorite rider with EC coming in a close second. I Tevo'd a 4x race where Lopes and EC were in the final...Lopes won the race, EC won the season...it was the greatest.
What we have here is...failure...to communicate
I see where you're coming from...I'm not talking about getting up and over stuff...more or less slipping off something sideways.
edit: I am not afraid to be called out b/c I'm often wrong and big enough to admit it
. Besides, this crap is good for the community to read. To finally know that I am not perfect...I know it's a shock...but it's true.So yeah, I could copy and paste Lopes book if I had the time. He is my favorite rider with EC coming in a close second. I Tevo'd a 4x race where Lopes and EC were in the final...Lopes won the race, EC won the season...it was the greatest.
Last edited by ed; 05-26-09 at 06:39 PM.
05-26-09, 06:49 PM
#30
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After you said you see people treating their bike like a sherman tank, I cracked up. This is exactly what I did yesterday 
. So it was my first day at this area, and well.. Picture this with 2 and a half foot tall grass rather than trimmed grass, and then see some "newbie" flying down it at 20 mph, soon to fly off the edge at 20 mph, and continue to go through two foot tall grass/bushes at 20 mph. Then I went back, tried again, and did the same thing. My fast turning skills need some work.
. So it was my first day at this area, and well.. Picture this with 2 and a half foot tall grass rather than trimmed grass, and then see some "newbie" flying down it at 20 mph, soon to fly off the edge at 20 mph, and continue to go through two foot tall grass/bushes at 20 mph. Then I went back, tried again, and did the same thing. My fast turning skills need some work.
05-26-09, 07:34 PM
#33
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After you said you see people treating their bike like a sherman tank, I cracked up. This is exactly what I did yesterday . So it was my first day at this area, and well.. Picture this with 2 and a half foot tall grass rather than trimmed grass, and then see some "newbie" flying down it at 20 mph, soon to fly off the edge at 20 mph, and continue to go through two foot tall grass/bushes at 20 mph. Then I went back, tried again, and did the same thing. My fast turning skills need some work.
. So it was my first day at this area, and well.. Picture this with 2 and a half foot tall grass rather than trimmed grass, and then see some "newbie" flying down it at 20 mph, soon to fly off the edge at 20 mph, and continue to go through two foot tall grass/bushes at 20 mph. Then I went back, tried again, and did the same thing. My fast turning skills need some work.Edit: Never mind, saw the thread
Last edited by ca7erham; 05-26-09 at 07:46 PM.
05-27-09, 07:34 AM
#35
Who farted?
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05-29-09, 06:45 PM
#37
Old School Rad
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05-29-09, 07:59 PM
#39
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I feel like my priorities are jacked...I remember the eggs way more than the blonde. (re-evaluating life...wife...kids...love hot legs) Okay, I'm back. Still a guy.
Last edited by ed; 06-03-09 at 01:36 PM.
06-03-09, 02:42 PM
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3, 5, 7 and 8 are more down to personal prefernce IMO, but all in all a good set of general things to watch out for.
Oh, and about hitting slippery roots at 90*, I generally find as long as I can get my front wheel up them, genrally by just pulling it over, I get can my rear up as well, even if it does slide along a bit. Not always possibly to hit them square on so it may be useful for people to practice.
Oh, and about hitting slippery roots at 90*, I generally find as long as I can get my front wheel up them, genrally by just pulling it over, I get can my rear up as well, even if it does slide along a bit. Not always possibly to hit them square on so it may be useful for people to practice.
Last edited by Dheorl; 06-03-09 at 02:58 PM.
06-03-09, 07:32 PM
#41
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if you're at slow speeds, you can get away going over the roots/trees/w.e. by manual-ing the front and twisting it midair to 90 degrees, even if the approach angle is off.
06-06-09, 11:26 AM
#42
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another tip taken for granted... when crossing narrow bridges, don't look at your front wheel look ahead at where the bridge goes.. this way you will go straight. never thought much of this until they painted the parking lot at the trail head and I tried the white line test.
if your on the side of a hill.. dismount to the uphill direction.. this tip borders on common sense, but I've seen folks go down this way or get personal with their top tube..
also momentum is the key on up hill small logs or medium rocks. pedal hard before you get there then stop pedaling get the front wheel over and then pedal again to avoid pedal/ foot strikes..
mountain riding is like a chess game you have to think several moves ahead,
if your on the side of a hill.. dismount to the uphill direction.. this tip borders on common sense, but I've seen folks go down this way or get personal with their top tube..
also momentum is the key on up hill small logs or medium rocks. pedal hard before you get there then stop pedaling get the front wheel over and then pedal again to avoid pedal/ foot strikes..
mountain riding is like a chess game you have to think several moves ahead,
Choccy...
06-08-09, 02:05 PM
#43
I got 99 projects
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One thing that really helped me improve was becoming aware of my center of mass relative to the bike. Somewhere in middle of your torso is your center of mass. If that ever gets ahead of the front axle, you go over the bars. That's why you should get behind your seat on steep descents. By the same token, if you get your mass behind the rear axle, your front wheel comes up. That's why you keep your back flat and your chest down close to the bars on steep climbs.
06-08-09, 10:23 PM
#44
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One thing that really helped me improve was becoming aware of my center of mass relative to the bike. Somewhere in middle of your torso is your center of mass. If that ever gets ahead of the front axle, you go over the bars. That's why you should get behind your seat on steep descents. By the same token, if you get your mass behind the rear axle, your front wheel comes up. That's why you keep your back flat and your chest down close to the bars on steep climbs.
06-13-09, 08:49 AM
#45
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I like this information, well thought out, you don't even think about doing half that stuff
06-22-09, 03:14 PM
#46
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Cover it with dirt!! I stepped on one of those once... very inconsiderate!
06-23-09, 02:46 AM
#47
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...dont undestimate the power of the humble front wheel loft. if you cannot do a reliabe wheelie or manual to get the front wheel up onto an object, it's perfectly acceptable to simply yank up on the bars and plop it there.
...use the damn seatpost quick release. it's quick. drop the saddle for anticipated descents. lower than that. LOWER. i said drop the goddam saddle so slam it, fool. i dont care if it feels weird. make yourself some room and you'll soon figure out what to do with it.
...if whatever you are riding in/on sounds "crunchy" you are asking for a puncture.
...learn to differentiate between pulling up on the bar and pulling back on the bar. likewise, pushing down on the bar and pushing forward on the bar. it's easy to mix them up when you are clueless. different muscle groups are involved so take note.
..don't lockout suspension for technical climbs. only the smoothest climbs are lockout time.
...just because a tire has tread depth does not mean it's good. it't the sharp edges of new treadblocks that generate grip. compared to the very gradually wearing height of knobs, those sharp edges can be lost very quickly. pavement absolutley murders them.
... don't butt your brake lever right up to your grips. move them inwards so that your index finger lands on the hooked tip of the lever. that's where the leverage is. if you have to use two fingers.... that sucks. find a way to improve your braking power so you don't compromise your grip. if you ever use more than two fingers - congrats you have basically let go of your bike.
...the front and rear wheels have vastly different jobs to do. the tires to not have to match. the rims can be different types. the pressures can be way different.
...no bike really shifts that well. experienced riders can shift well. a derailler just pushes the chain left and right. to get consistant and smooth shifts you will need practice. don't expect an upgraded shifter or derailler to act like a proper gearbox.
...you may kiss my ring.
...try to pay attention to what your tire contact patch it actually doing. no, don't look at it, numbnuts.
...effective climbing is not all about fitness. it's mostly about form and experience.
...learn how to squeeze on power so you dont have to think in terms of pedal strokes. this is what they call "spin".
...riding with no hands is not a party trick. it's the gateway to trackstanding (which you do use your hands for).
...track standing is the abolute bomb. you should be practicing it constantly. totally clutch skill for cycling in general.
... for choppy descents, shift the chain to your big ring. it leaves less slack in the chain and reduces likelyhood of dropping or sucking which you in particular could stand less of.
...use the damn seatpost quick release. it's quick. drop the saddle for anticipated descents. lower than that. LOWER. i said drop the goddam saddle so slam it, fool. i dont care if it feels weird. make yourself some room and you'll soon figure out what to do with it.
...if whatever you are riding in/on sounds "crunchy" you are asking for a puncture.
...learn to differentiate between pulling up on the bar and pulling back on the bar. likewise, pushing down on the bar and pushing forward on the bar. it's easy to mix them up when you are clueless. different muscle groups are involved so take note.
..don't lockout suspension for technical climbs. only the smoothest climbs are lockout time.
...just because a tire has tread depth does not mean it's good. it't the sharp edges of new treadblocks that generate grip. compared to the very gradually wearing height of knobs, those sharp edges can be lost very quickly. pavement absolutley murders them.
... don't butt your brake lever right up to your grips. move them inwards so that your index finger lands on the hooked tip of the lever. that's where the leverage is. if you have to use two fingers.... that sucks. find a way to improve your braking power so you don't compromise your grip. if you ever use more than two fingers - congrats you have basically let go of your bike.
...the front and rear wheels have vastly different jobs to do. the tires to not have to match. the rims can be different types. the pressures can be way different.
...no bike really shifts that well. experienced riders can shift well. a derailler just pushes the chain left and right. to get consistant and smooth shifts you will need practice. don't expect an upgraded shifter or derailler to act like a proper gearbox.
...you may kiss my ring.
...try to pay attention to what your tire contact patch it actually doing. no, don't look at it, numbnuts.
...effective climbing is not all about fitness. it's mostly about form and experience.
...learn how to squeeze on power so you dont have to think in terms of pedal strokes. this is what they call "spin".
...riding with no hands is not a party trick. it's the gateway to trackstanding (which you do use your hands for).
...track standing is the abolute bomb. you should be practicing it constantly. totally clutch skill for cycling in general.
... for choppy descents, shift the chain to your big ring. it leaves less slack in the chain and reduces likelyhood of dropping or sucking which you in particular could stand less of.
06-23-09, 10:05 AM
#48
Who farted?
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06-24-09, 12:56 PM
#49
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Re: braking...
Learn to use the middle fingers to brake. You have much more control with the thumb and index finger gripping the bar. Feels a little weird at first, and you have to be okay with giving everyone else on the trail the inverted bird.... but this method is best when you need to have control in technical sections and still cover the brakes.
Learn to use the middle fingers to brake. You have much more control with the thumb and index finger gripping the bar. Feels a little weird at first, and you have to be okay with giving everyone else on the trail the inverted bird.... but this method is best when you need to have control in technical sections and still cover the brakes.
06-24-09, 01:15 PM
#50
Pokemon Master
