Gregory1986 Posted January 18, 2012 Posted January 18, 2012 Right so ive only been riding 4 times Twice on a downhill that was kinda rough, maxing out at arround 39km. Once i start feeling the bike drifting or sliding side to side(Basically becoming a bit unstable) i start stroking the brakes. My Goal was to break 40km which will happen before end of the month. I dont mean 40km on a nice tarred surface So do you guys have any tips besides, ride more id really appreciate it! ("Prepares for the ride more comments"). G
Capricorn Posted January 18, 2012 Posted January 18, 2012 well, one way would be to fist your way thru the 40kph barrier: grip those bars for dear life and dont lift a finger till you hit 41kph, come hell or highwater. Another way would be to set up your bike to be less skiitish. soften up the suspension a bit esp your arms and legs. let the bike move under you. as long as you have control over the front wheel. youll be ok.
Mads Posted January 18, 2012 Posted January 18, 2012 Right so ive only been riding 4 times I have only been riding a few times more. I believe that there is no skill to riding down a hill very fast. The skill comes in when something goes wrong and you then have the experience to know how to rectify it without seriously bodily harm and that comes with time. So at this stage I focus on going UP the hills faster as I think that is safer. The rest will follow. in due time.
Rain Posted January 18, 2012 Posted January 18, 2012 I'd say it's more about confidence than skill. Relax and accept that fact that you might fall and get hurt and don't worry about that. Before the downhill starts take up a comfortable position that enables you to control the bike in case it starts to drift or wobble. Then just let go (figuratively, not literally) and resist the urge to use the brakes until you're past 40km/h (unless you really need to brake).
tunariaan Posted January 18, 2012 Posted January 18, 2012 No skill for riding downhill fast...Maybe no skill till you fall on your face at that speed
Mads Posted January 18, 2012 Posted January 18, 2012 No skill for riding downhill fast...Maybe no skill till you fall on your face at that speed That is exactly my point.
Gregory1986 Posted January 18, 2012 Author Posted January 18, 2012 well, one way would be to fist your way thru the 40kph barrier: grip those bars for dear life and dont lift a finger till you hit 41kph, come hell or highwater. Another way would be to set up your bike to be less skiitish. soften up the suspension a bit esp your arms and legs. let the bike move under you. as long as you have control over the front wheel. youll be ok.Thank you Capricorn, im gonna just White knuckle it! I'd say it's more about confidence than skill. Relax and accept that fact that you might fall and get hurt and don't worry about that. Before the downhill starts take up a comfortable position that enables you to control the bike in case it starts to drift or wobble. Then just let go (figuratively, not literally) and resist the urge to use the brakes until you're past 40km/h (unless you really need to brake). Thanks for the Advice! the only thing is im too busy thinking about things like, look ahead dont look at the obstacles/debree too much. So i cant really see my Speed. I think once im comfortable doing 35km'ish enough to feel confident to actually glance at my speedo it will all come together.
Gregory1986 Posted January 18, 2012 Author Posted January 18, 2012 What about riding on terrain you havent really seen before... is that just for more experienced riders to deal with it as they ride... this may have been the problem, although i did ride up the same path, maybe next time ill pay more attention to put my mind at ease and focus less on the little details and more on staying loose flexible and fluid.
Capricorn Posted January 18, 2012 Posted January 18, 2012 whoever says it doesnt take skill to go downhill fast is def not going fast enough...
Ratty Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 Whats the big deal about the speed. Ride at what speed you are comfortable at and as your skill levels increase, so will your confidence and you will surprise yourself at how fast your are going. My first ever mtb race we did the short route. Got to the one "scary" downhill and the long route guys were passing us. We couldn't believe how fast those guys went. Now we are those guys. Part of the fun of mtbing is riding tracks where you don't know whats coming up. The quicker you can react, the faster you can go.
geecee Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 its more about learning how to react to certain things. in other words ride more the speed will come, you don't have to force it. but if you really want to hit 40 then white knuckle it.
Capricorn Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 agreed with what ratty and GeeCee, but it does help to sometimes just grip and rip: gotta risk it to get the biscuit..
Just Keep Pedaling Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 Bike stablity should generally increase with speed but so does the bikes reaction to things like bumps or you shifting your weight. You don't say if you are on a mountain bike or a road bike. Either way, if the bike is drifting and getting unstable it is the bikes way of telling you that the crash is coming if you go any faster.
Li Mu Bai Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 close your eyes! haha, also trust your bike and relax (especially your arms and grip on the handlebar), often speed is your friend over obstacles as lack of momentum or dawdling blocks your front wheel and causes you to fall. Holding the bars too tightly, stifles the subtle body movement you need to steer around objects at speed. place your weight slightly towards the back and stand up to absorb bumps in your legs more, lighten the front wheel, also assists with riding fast downhill and braking.
covie Posted January 19, 2012 Posted January 19, 2012 Keep the elbows and knees bent, take most of the weight off the handlebars, trust the bike, and remember if you see an obstacle that looks biggish, pull up on the handlebars so you dont hit it at speed and bottom out. Also take loads of elastoplast, anti-septic cream, and a couple of splints just in case.
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