bikers-corner

"To get any bite at all from the rear break, you need to have your butt over the rear wheel. In fact, on a really steep descent, your saddle should be under your stomach."

-*ON SHIFTING*
"Always maintain pedaling when approaching a climb. If you coast in, you increase the chance that when you resume pedalling you'll be in a gear that's too large. Then you bog down."

-*ON JUMPING*
"Landing takes a little practice. Usually, the smoothest landings are rear wheel first or at least both wheels together. The main thing you want to avoid is a front wheel landing, which can cause an endo."

-*ON CRASHING*
"A particularly bad crash is an endo downhill. As the bike tips up on the front wheel, pull a foot and extend that leg over the handlebar. Take a giant step as the other foot releases, and leave the bike tumbling behind you. After that, you have to half- run, half- slide as you try to stop."

-*ON DOWNHILLS*
"Vision is the key to descending. The faster you go, the faster things happen. If you are concentrating on the trail in front of you, it severely limits your speed. Instead, you should scan the terrain, looking up to the farthest point on your horizon for new developments."

-*ON SADDLES*
"A level saddle works well for the road, but for mountainbiking I recommend tilting the nose up a degree or two."

-*ON ROUGH TERRAIN*
"Ride so that the bike floats beneath you. Get into the attack position on choppy ground so you can soak up the chattering with bent arms and legs."

-*RIDDING OVER LOGS*
Logs can be great fun and can occur singly, in a pile, or in succession. Any combination is possible. One key is to lift up the handlebars either before or during contact with the log. Frequently, your chainring will contact the log as you pedal over. A good one will not bend or be damaged. A rock ring may be used, but I prefer just using the large chainring. Teeth can be damaged on rocks or logs, so maximum ground clearance is important. Good mountainbikers know when they will hit the log with the chainring, and when they will clear it. Use the lift and lunge technique.

Water bars are intentionally placed on some trails for erosion control, and it is best not to go around them as you create a funnel for the water to follow. Hit logs as close to 90 degrees as possible, and if they are wet or slippery, be especially careful. Be prepared to put your foot down if necessary if you are not clipped in. If you are clipped in, you may be able to "hop" the logs to some degree and not even touch it. If a log looks to big to cross, either dismount or be prepared to just get the front of the bike over and then stick out your foot and push yourself across by placing your foot on the top of the log.

Big logs are certainly good candidates for doing and "endo", where your front wheel is too vertical after going over the log and the bike flips over and throws you off. It is important to look ahead on the trail coming off of a log, as this will help keep your weight back at the moment when your front tire contacts the ground after coming down the log. Be prepared for this on every big log you cross. Sometimes, a front fork can aggravate this problem and "dip under" and increase the likelyhood of flipping over. To avoid this, keep your weight WAY BACK after you crest the top of the logs and are coming down the other side. On logpiles (multiple logs) remember that a nice sloping pile to the top of the log in front doesn't mean you will have the same ramp on the downside! It might be a drop off; be careful unless you have ridden it or souted it out..

-ROUGH TERRAIN :

-RIDDING OVER LOGS:

Don't begin braking while turning. Brake gradually to a safe speed before you go into the corner, then begin to accelerate as you come out of the corner.

Skidding. Applying the back brake hard can put you into a skid. This robs you of control of your bike and may cause damage to the trail.

Tips for riding on:

Usually, in loose or deep sand, it is best to stay on your seat and keep your weight back on the back part of the saddle.

A single grain of sand can go unnoticed, but when it assembles together it can begin to conspire against you.

The idea is to keep your front wheel light so that it doesn't plow under and throw you off the bike! It is important to keep your body relaxed, and let the front wheel float a bit, but try not to let it turn or wander off course. It is advisable to keep up your momentum, have even pedal strokes, and not make any sudden movements. Try to steer by gradually leaning your body and not turning the handlebars.

Some sand may be impossible to ride thru regardless of your technique (try riding on the deep sand of the beach!) As a last resort, you can always stand up and pedal to use the weight of your body to generate force, but this is usually a last resort and you will most likely soon come to a stop! If you encounter a lot of sand, or like to ride in the sand dunes, use the widest tires your bike will accept to allow for maximum floatation. Be prepared to pedal HARD to keep going>>at least if you wipeout you will have a soft landing...

Avoid any sudden or quick movements and try to keep your momentum. (like in sand)

Mud presents one of the most difficult terrain types, especially combined with hills, rocks, logs, or roots. You may want to lower air pressure in your tires for increased traction. Serious mud can accumulate on your bike and add 5-10 pounds in a hurry, as well as prevent your wheels from rolling and turning properly. With heavy mud accumulation, your front tire may not want to rotate at all, but tend to skid and slide without the wheel moving! Steady pedal pressure and strength are required, and try to avoid the brakes if possible. Hit any obstacles as close to a 90 degree angle as possible, and keep your weight centered between the wheels. Ride light, be balanced, centered, and ready to slide out.

There will be times when your bike will slide out from under you, and it is a question of how fast you can recover as to whether or not you will fall. The Wrecking Crew has found that a stick can be somewhat useful in removing built up mud from the tires, frame, and brake areas if you have the time to stop and do this! Going uphill, you may wish to select a slightly higher gear and do not stand up. Build up momentum before going into these uphill sections. Another problem is that shifting may be difficult, as mud may coat the drivetrain. It may be beneficial to use the middle, and not the small, chainring. Also consider that if it is that muddy, maybe you should not even be riding on the trail, as you may do some serious trail damage. It is also a good idea to give your bike a thorough cleaning before the mud dries and cakes up on your bike.

Be prepared to pedal real hard in a bog, and expend quite a bit of energy for the length of ground covered.

Bogs are areas of still water, sometimes with peat or mud, and it is difficult to ascertain when approaching them how deep they are. Be prepared for anything. You may go in up to your axel, come to a stop, and then have to stick your foot out and get it soaked. We have been in bogs where, once you put your foot down, you pull it out and your boot gets sucked right off of your foot! Some bog areas will have boardwalks built over them to facilitate crossing. Use them.

Avoid sudden movements, grip the handlebars firmly, go light on the front wheel, and steer gradually by shifting your weight and not turning the handlebars.

Gravel is an area where you don't want to wipeout!! Be careful upon the entry to gravel, and keep your weight back and stay in the saddle. Gravel comes in all shapes and sizes. Some gravels may feel like you are riding on marbles, and other gravels may be more similar to rocks. Good balance and vigilance are KEY here.

Use a similar technique as in sand or mud.

Snow can vary tremendously, and be treacherous (ice) or a lot of fun (powder). Let a little air out of your tires and run about 25-30 psi. The front tire will tend to move sideways quite a bit, and want to nosedive as well. It can be quite a balancing act just to keep the bike upright. You can sharpen a lot of biking skills in the snow. It improves cornering, and teaches you to conserve momentum. You can also get first tracks alot easier than your favorite ski area. Consistent pedal pressure is needed and it teaches you to avoid surging because you will loose traction. You get wonderful balancing skills in snow, and learn good pedaling technique. Stay in the saddle, especially when you are just starting from a stop. Conditions vary depending upon snow depth and consistency, and anything over 12" - 14" may be difficult or impossible. Even the slightest hill can pose a strenous problem in deep snow, so select fairly level terrain for your ride. Also, stick to well known trails and terrain in case of an injury or difficult conditions, and consider having your cell phone handy in case of emergency...in the matter of a few hours, conditions may change dramatically, both with the snowpack your are riding on, as well as the weather!

Be sure your pant cuff or gaiter will not get caught in the chainring, and don't forget your balaclava or hat under your helmet. Dress warmly and have fun! Remember to have some storage area on your bike in case you want to shed a layer of clothing - you can also fold up your outer layer if thin, and stuff it into a water bottle holder!! Very often, you can get too HOT on a snowy ride due to the amount of exertion necessary to just pedal. If you like to bike on ice, please consider adding spikes to your set of tires, or chains, to improve traction. Stick your foot out in a turn and reduce speed. Falling on ice will frequently result in bruising, so be careful. Many northern riders have a BLAST on ice riding on frozen lakes.

A good line thru the rocks may make the difference between satisfaction or demise.

Rock riding can easily get out of hand as the rocks get bigger and closer together. If you have full suspension, it can be a blessing and a curse in heavily rocky terrain. Sure the suspension smoothes out the ride, but it can also work against you if you are traveling slowly and the rocks are big. You hit a rock, and instead of rolling over it, your fork stops and compresses and you can go right over the handlebars. For this reason, it is good to keep up momentum and ride in a slightly higher gear. Pull up on the handlebars for every prominent rock you have to go over. You must also remember the rear tire may go over the same rock, and if you simultaneously hit another rock with the front tire, the bike may come to an abrupt halt.

Good ground clearance is a good thing to have if you ride rocks a lot. Your selection of "the line" is also critical. Don't expect to do a lot of turning either. A good visual scan thru each section ahead of time is important if you hope to make it thru.

Sometimes you can get carried away and end up in rocks that are really not rideable, so STOP if you need to rather than wiping out and going down (or more likely over the handlebars). After many years of rock riding, I have become quite adept at doing a "walkoff" when the bike stops and tries to flip over. Try to land on your feet, and make sure they clear the handlebar, which will probably be near the ground level at this point as the bike goes vertical and then flips over!

Piczo