Carrot Posted June 3, 2012 Share Semi thread hijack: I seriously don't get the flat pedal thing on downhillers, I'd just fly off the bike the whole time if i can't clip in Someone care to explain a bit please? On a side note to the original post, once you get the basics like setup right, the most important thing is experience. When your at speed and in the heat of it, you don't rely so much on "intentional decisions" but more on reflexes and muscle memory. Not so? So you have to train your body and mind so to say, simply by practicing. I read somewhere once that even after training, when you sleep, your body continues to grow those brain nerves (muscle memory). So just keep at it. If you like the sport enough you'll persist and eventually improve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flossy Posted June 4, 2012 Share Yeah! And if you go with an experienced person, make sure they are the type of guy that will ride at YOUR level, or just a Leeeetle bit higher, showing you the proper lines & riding positions etc. In other words, just how I got my wife into mtb! ha ha if I had someone like that I wouldn't need to come on here for help lol. do they sell them at the cycle stores? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lock Posted June 4, 2012 Share Do you have hydraulic disk brakes? I found that knowing you can slow down easily helps with confidence, other than that, take the speedo off..helps mentally not to know how fast you are going, take the same peace off downhill and go down it, just aming at getting down it a bit further each time...soon you will down the hill all the way, then you can start working on the pace... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
covie Posted June 4, 2012 Share Do you have hydraulic disk brakes? I found that knowing you can slow down easily helps with confidence, other than that, take the speedo off..helps mentally not to know how fast you are going, take the same peace off downhill and go down it, just aming at getting down it a bit further each time...soon you will down the hill all the way, then you can start working on the pace... If you have time to glance down and read your speed you sure as hell aint going fast enough TheV 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheV Posted June 4, 2012 Share If you have time to glance down and read your speed you sure as hell aint going fast enough Why, you have "perfect tracking" and 0-bob. You sir, should be able to bomb a downhill and play farmville on your iphone at the same time? GLuvsMtb 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
covie Posted June 4, 2012 Share Why, you have "perfect tracking" and 0-bob. You sir, should be able to bomb a downhill and play farmville on your iphone at the same time? Only if you come riding with me, ill have so much spare time waiting, ill be sure to pack some beers and some smokes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lock Posted June 4, 2012 Share If you have time to glance down and read your speed you sure as hell aint going fast enough For the ladies...it just makes them nervous, they try and see how quick they go to make sure it isn't too fast...my wife goes about 10kmh quicker on road bike on the downhills when her speedo does not work...but shhhh!! As for the men....I like to keep mine on..try and get it to the next interval of 10... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
covie Posted June 4, 2012 Share For the ladies...it just makes them nervous, they try and see how quick they go to make sure it isn't too fast...my wife goes about 10kmh quicker on road bike on the downhills when her speedo does not work...but shhhh!! As for the men....I like to keep mine on..try and get it to the next interval of 10... Lock i was only half taking the micky out that statement, but in reality, you should be focusing on where you are going not whats on your handlebars, one second of glancing down at your speedo is enough to hit an obstacle and splat undesired result. But i get what your saying, though my GF knows she's allowed to look at her top speed after the ride, and she is the type that tries to better it every single time. Edited June 4, 2012 by covie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaydenWilson Posted June 4, 2012 Share With the old flat vs clipped arguement.... falling with cleats sucks and i find that you need a bit of experience to get your feet out of them before you fall off. which, if you are a begginer is super trixy. I spent a lot of time falling hard on technical sections just cos i could not get my feet out. A good compromise is toe straps. 5.10 freeriders are awesome but a bit pricey. takkies and toes straps give you the stability you need but also the ability to get your feet out in a hurry! @carrot. the flat pedal idea is that you move with the bike. when you dirt jump (I dont know about downhill as i have no experience there!) you use the bike to launch you but you bend and move your legs with the movement of the bike so your feet stay on the pedals. you are not a rigid thing attached to the bike, more of a fluid dynamic thing which compensates for the bike movement. Have you ever watched bmxers or trial riders when they bunny-hop? their feet never leave the pedals! i think it might have something to do with energy transfer. Give flat pedals a try on a play bike. you can have a lot of fun bouncing around on things and i feel it really helps your riding technique. (which is maybe why the dh'ers are so scathing of cleats? ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwan Kemp Posted June 4, 2012 Share Some good advice here, but also some stuff that's a bit all over the show. TheV gave some solid tips, but like Mayhem said best will be to ride with someone who can ride and will be willing to ride at you pace and level and part with knowledge. You need someone to show you how to and watch you doing it to give you some pointers. When you get the basics down it will give you confidence to try some stuff that will be too scary now. Small steps and always ride within your limit. There's no pressure to do stuff you're not comfortable with. MTB'ing is all about being outside, enjoying the flow of the trail and soaking up the happy vibes of the dirt and grime! Captain Fastbastard Mayhem 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kosmonooit Posted June 4, 2012 Share As the V said you should be looking 3-5m ahead, not what your front wheel is going over, so you won't be getting the opportunity to see what speed you are doing. Braking hasn't really been mentioned (besides good brakes) - but a combination of front & rear to keep control is vital, although some say it should be a hands-off affair. Front brake is more effective because the weight of the bike is on the front wheel so more braking power. The back wheel will skid more easily and you don't want your front wheel locking up because it will more than likely wash out and end up in tears due to a loss of control. So ignore all those skid marks on those Table Mountain roads, its just the lads showing off. Skidding is not good from a bike control p.o.v. and also an environmental one. Edited June 4, 2012 by kosmonooit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted June 4, 2012 Share HaydenWilson - TOESTRAPS!!!!? Really!? NOOOOOOOOOOO! Those are the worst of ALL! pull them too tight and you won't get out of them in a month of sundays, and if you leave them too loose it defeats the object of fastening your feet to the pedals. The only reason toestraps are still around is, well, I don't know why they're still around! They should be burnt, re-forged and burnt again! And Crow - another thing I find is that (especially when my wife was starting) ladies are worried about going too slow for the partner that they are riding with, even if you insist that they are the pace-setters for the day and it doesn't matter if you're the rabbit or the tortoise. How I taught my wife is by telling her to "follow me" and I literally rode at her pace all the time. I showed her the right ways to go around / over rocks & roots (depending on their size) and how to get out of the saddle in the right places. I also did that (and still am) with another mate of mine who is getting back into MTB after a long lay-off, and who never really got into it when he first tried. I've lent him my wheels, told him to ride my DH bike and showed him the right way to go in order to build his confidence. Also - if you ride in Tokai - ride the middle bit of Vasbyt all the way to the quarry at the bottom. There are 2 places that you may have to walk, but the rest of the trail is nice and flowy and perfect for beginners. Moral of the story: Speed IS your friend. But it's no use going 15kph if your sphincter is closed so tight that it's preventing you from movig around the bike. Rather learn the right lines, the correct approach tactics and the proper positioning before going with the increased speed. Once you've got a modicum of confidence over the obstacles themselves, and can tackle them at low speed, any increase in speed will change your riding for the better! lock 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwan Kemp Posted June 4, 2012 Share TOESTRAPS!!!!? Really!? NOOOOOOOOOOO! http://funcorner.eu/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/open-in-case-of-1994.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwan Kemp Posted June 4, 2012 Share Some of the worst falls I've seen, road and mtb, have been toe strap related. I say ride what YOU are comfortable with. I ride 5.10 / flats combo, but when I did a race or two earlier this year on a 29er I wore clips. Had one VERY scary moment, cause reflex reaction now is to just take my foot off - not used to unclipping first. But you get used to it quick enough either way. Flossy, for now I'd say stick with flat pedals. Will help having one less thing to think about when things get sketchy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
covie Posted June 4, 2012 Share Some of the worst falls I've seen, road and mtb, have been toe strap related. I say ride what YOU are comfortable with. I ride 5.10 / flats combo, but when I did a race or two earlier this year on a 29er I wore clips. Had one VERY scary moment, cause reflex reaction now is to just take my foot off - not used to unclipping first. But you get used to it quick enough either way. Flossy, for now I'd say stick with flat pedals. Will help having one less thing to think about when things get sketchy. Agreed nothing worse than toestraps, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted June 4, 2012 Share Agreed nothing worse than toestraps, Full body spandex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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