Whats the worst that can happen

[jimmy hardtail]

Some downhill tips? Ok. Use flat pedals. Lower your seat. Never put a foot down unless you are stopping. Lean back . Easy on the front brake. Practice lifting your front wheel over small things like roots etc. Slowly at first till you get used to it. RELAX! Being tense on the bike means that you wont be able to move your weight around to control the bike. The faster you go the smoother it gets. It has taken me years to beleive this but its true. And most important, have fun. See you on the trails.

[TNT1]

The faster you go the smoother it gets. It has taken me years to beleive this but its true. And most important, have fun. See you on the trails.

 

Don't most of the top downhillers have a passing interest in MX? "When in doubt, throttle out"?

[jimmy hardtail]

It works if you have the balls. Its hard to push yourself to go faster than your comfort zone. I find myself in races shouting into my helmet " let go of the brakes, leave the brakes" !

[Lou Zealand]

I don't really know what to say but, anyway

 

I am very slow downhill, and i think the idea of this thread is to have a whole bunch of post telling me(and others) that falling is overrated and if do this e.g. ignore the small rocks, but don't watch for the big ones, watch for the line next to the big rock.

 

also please don't post dumb things, or if you do make sure to have it with some useful information

 

Rule 85 of the Velominati demands that you "descend like a pro" I quote: "all descents shall be undertaken at speeds regarded as 'ludicrous' or'insane' by those less talented [...] brakes are generally not to be employed, but if absolutely necessary, only just prior to the corner"

 

If in disagreement with the above, remember Rule 5...

[Lucky Luke.]

I can turn sharper left than right, is this normal?

 

Yes, solution is to extinguish your cigarette and grip the bar with both hands.

 

Store your toilet roll in the rear middle pocket of your jersey to keep yourself centred.

[jimmy hardtail]

If you ride with your left foot forward you will feel better turning right and vice versa. Everyone has a natural way. Left or right. Its like skating. Natural or goofy footed

[patches]

I can turn sharper left than right, is this normal?

 

ummm... no... I turn sharper to the right than the left. You should go get that checked out by a doctor.

 

But yes... it is normal. most people have a strong side and a weak side. When you approach an obstacle/jump/drop-off you will tend to have the same foot forward each time. Wild guess, but from the sounds of it, you ride with right foot forwards.

 

This is similar to skateboarding/surfing where they have the "natural" (left foot forward) and "goofy" (right foot forward) stances. I think there's even a connection bewteen the two. I skate "natural", and ride left foot forward.

 

This also means that I find it easier to get the tail out to the left (using my right foot)... hence cornering right feeling a little more in control.

 

But hey... that's just my take on it all. It may be a medical thing after all?!

 

What works best is to relax! When one tenses up you tend to be too "stiff" and the downhill feels much worse than it is...

 

Amen brotha!

 

tensing up is the one of the worste feelings. Especially when jumping. We call it "dead sailor"... you tense up in the air... and start "sailing" (drifting) sideways. Then if you're lucky enough you get to ride out a super sketchy landing. Dead Sailor is often the cause of dirt jumping bails. Well mine anyway

 

As for the relaxing... I find movement relaxes me. As I approach a jump, I wiggle the bike a little from left to right. Play with it a bit. This helps me stay fluid in the air. I know some MX guys say it's easier for them to whip than jump straight... for this very reason... some movement keeps them loose and more in control for the landing.

 

So yeah, that's my theory on relaxing for jumps... I think something similar can be done for downhills. stay light and bouncy. play with hte bike. If you watch all the top free-riders, they seem to "bounce" along the trails

 

just finished cleaning all the drool off my keyboard . that ndiza is one of the awesomest bikes i have ever seen

 

haha! thanks! unfortunately like most beautiful things... she's demanding. And with the current exchange rate... CRC and I have become distant in our relationship

[patches]

If you ride with your left foot forward you will feel better turning right and vice versa. Everyone has a natural way. Left or right. Its like skating. Natural or goofy footed

 

hahaha! looks like I type slow (same thing is in my prevoius post)

[FLYIT]

Some downhill tips? Ok. Use flat pedals. Lower your seat. Never put a foot down unless you are stopping. Lean back . Easy on the front brake. Practice lifting your front wheel over small things like roots etc. Slowly at first till you get used to it. RELAX! Being tense on the bike means that you wont be able to move your weight around to control the bike. The faster you go the smoother it gets. It has taken me years to beleive this but its true. And most important, have fun. See you on the trails.

 

A good start is to spend some time on your bike playing around slowly.ride over small obstacles try tight turns without feet down.do this every day for a short time to build confid in your balance and bike control this all helps when you start to go faster.there is to much to type but a few basics are.

move your weight back,elbows up.look ahead.do not try to fight the bike let it go. hope this helps but important to spend time and have fun.

[FSA]

FSA I agree skills need to be worked at, but the fact is as you work on your skills and test your limits, develop technique you WILL see your @SS. Its an inevitable fact.And hey damn straight I am always happy to show off a roastie or two, it means I tested my limits and I went past them made a mistake and saw my @ss, great motivation to go back and do it again and again till i get it right. Its about dusting yourself off, clean the wounds, get back on the bike and nail it.If your permanently scared your going to fall, get a quad bike, on a MTB/XC/DH/FR bike you WILL fall. But alas theres hope, as you get better and better you generally tend to fall less :)And in my experiance you see your behind when you stop concentrating or get distracted, and people mostly fall in stupid locations, hell most falls i've seen is at the robots at intersections and in the parking lot as people get back from a ride. To the OP, just have fun buddy, skill will come with time. And the more skill you develop the faster you will go, the more you will test yourself and the more you will enjoy it.

Hi Covie, Sorry but I think you misunderstood my post there. Falling is pretty much a given at all skill levels. Learning to fall and being properly prepared for it is just as much a skill though. Being covered in blood and bruises is not something to be proud of. It shows that the rider was not prepared for the fall at all, and in the long run, it's unsustainable.

It works if you have the balls. Its hard to push yourself to go faster than your comfort zone. I find myself in races shouting into my helmet " let go of the brakes, leave the brakes" !

This is a good approach and I find I'm doing this a lot too these days. I used to get hard on myself, telling myself to "harden up" etc. Problem though is that if you place expectations on yourself, and you fail, there's an internal disappointment to deal with. I'm finding it really works to verbalise things as the come up. Telling myself "commit", or "loosen up" or "don't brake". My mind just seems to follow orders then, and not intellectualise it. It works well. Be kind to yourself, don't look at what other riders can do, and the little achievements will become rewards = happiness = fun, which is why we all ride.

[Nikolais]

Have a look at these articles/vids put up on Pinkbike, they should assist;

 

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/How-to-Corner-by-SGC-coach-Steve-Smith-2011.html

 

http://mtbstrengthcoach.pinkbike.com/blog/3stepcornering.html

 

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Body-Position-Clinic-mtb-strength-training-2011.html

 

and James Wilsons Channel:

http://mtbstrengthcoach.pinkbike.com/channel/MTB-Strength-Training-Systems/

[Ceres]

I'm not the best downhilerl but riding with my friends on Eselfontein two times a week you have to bite the bullet and just go for it otherwise you get left behind. These are a few things I have learnt.

 

1. speed is your friend you want your front shock to hit the rock and bounce over it too slow and it sticks in and over the handle bars you go. Once riding down death drop with my wife (she pushed some of the way) riding to slow, waiting for her and next thing I knew I was on my back.

 

2. try to look far ahead the faster you going the more ahead you should be looking.

 

 

3. brake before the corner braking in a corner makes the bike stand up and then you fooked.

 

 

 

4. tyre pressures is also is a big thing dont ride too hard a pressure also too soft without tubeless you can get snake bites.

 

 

 

5. the more often you ride technical stuff the better you will get.

[jimmy hardtail]

I dont know how relevant this is but one way that i use to get comfortable with speed on the bike is to bomb the hills on my hard tail. I mean the streets. Then you dont have to worry about the ground but you can get comfortable with braking and cornering at 60 kph. Although i dont go that fast off road very often. . .

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Hi Covie, Sorry but I think you misunderstood my post there. Falling is pretty much a given at all skill levels. Learning to fall and being properly prepared for it is just as much a skill though. Being covered in blood and bruises is not something to be proud of. It shows that the rider was not prepared for the fall at all, and in the long run, it's unsustainable.

 

This is a good approach and I find I'm doing this a lot too these days. I used to get hard on myself, telling myself to "harden up" etc. Problem though is that if you place expectations on yourself, and you fail, there's an internal disappointment to deal with. I'm finding it really works to verbalise things as the come up. Telling myself "commit", or "loosen up" or "don't brake". My mind just seems to follow orders then, and not intellectualise it. It works well. Be kind to yourself, don't look at what other riders can do, and the little achievements will become rewards = happiness = fun, which is why we all ride.

 

 

Absolutely agree here... I'm far more comfortable when I've got my elbow & knee guards on. I know that if I fall, I'm cool. And trust me - I do fall!

 

On the Urban Assault though, I found myself going wide on the corners and not railing them properly. This was purely down to me not looking through the corner, rather looking directly in front of me so I naturally washed out... Apparently it was quite funny to watch.

 

The Mountain Biking Skills book by Lopes & McCormack is fantastic. I cannot recommend it enough!

[GLuvsMtb]

hahaha! looks like I type slow (same thing is in my prevoius post)

Take it one further. Use the 6 o clock / 12 o clock position when you need to nail a corner (lift the inside foot and turn the knee out slightly, almost like a Superbike rider). Lowers your C.O.G. and gives the rear extra traction. Also assists to use momentum and body weight to turn in stead of the handle bars as you will end up leaning into corners more.

[patches]

Take it one further. Use the 6 o clock / 12 o clock position when you need to nail a corner (lift the inside foot and turn the knee out slightly, almost like a Superbike rider). Lowers your C.O.G. and gives the rear extra traction. Also assists to use momentum and body weight to turn in stead of the handle bars as you will end up leaning into corners more.

 

yup! outside foot down is the best way to get grip! only time I have trouble with it is when trying to take switchbacks fast. There's often not enough time to keep swapping pedal positions.