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Technical Riding
- Thread starter Slaverson
- Start date
HARD! At least on the pump track at Trailside in Park City it is. Very eye opening for sure!
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2015
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- 4,123
Trail side is very nice pump track and easy to ride. But learning to ride pump tracks makes you much stronger at tech riding.
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2015
- Posts
- 4,123
the one at Kingdom is impossible to ride, not well built....to many flat spots. On pump track the entire thing has have angles even single flat spot or berm not built high enough can ruin it.
I am sad I just visited my local pump track
and its become an unridable mess.....I was the one maintaining it though..........and I kinda of quit bike for the last couple years....
There is so much similarity between pump track and riding on our chunk eastern terrain, or the flowly stuff out west. The trail pictured looks moderate speed and I can ride it faster(heck the only person faster than me down it on strava is legit DH pro that is 15 year younger than me), but the ability to pump well let me soak up the huge bump while the suspension soaks up the little roots and rocks.
The thing is if you can track stand/rachet pedal/and ride pump track to the point of not pedaling(realizing some pump track like KTA are just poorly designed) I can nt imagine any tech riding except for intimidating stuff that it going to be a problem. Ill be honest I am complete wimp on bike compared to many of my biking buddies, but I can hold my own on those grind tech trails that most people hate because of how active I can pump, and when I can not pump and ride slow and get back on line.
I also feel this can be the time to talk about how learning to ride a hard tail can make you better technical rider on a FS bike because the hard tail can teach you though punishment how to actually pump.
Marty likes to drop names without actually dropping them.
- Joined
- Nov 24, 2017
- Posts
- 2,235
Out of respect for this individual. They are retied from coaching, and is doing this because they feel sorry for me.
Another idea that I haven't seen (don't remember seeing) yet mentioned.... Drop your heels when going downhill, especially when your pedals are level (3 & 9). That way, if you accidentally touch your front brakes, your body will brace against the pedals rather than getting launched "over the handlebars" (OTH).
See this video from 2:38
Also, I like to set up my brakes such that the rear brakes engage just a slight bit earlier than the front brakes. Use the fine tuning barrels near the brake handles. This way, your momentum will hopefully move backwards before going forwards again in a panic braking situation.
Practice feathering your brakes... Like mentioned above, speed is (usually) your friend. If you have to slam the brakes, you're going over your skill level. Slow down a little and learn to take the terrain smoothly without braking much.
Totally agree with taking smoother lines mentioned multiple times above. If it's a rock garden, I tend to ride the tops of the rocks, not the holes between them. Especially if the rocks are larger and the holes are pot holes sized or trenches. But, if the trench is smooth and wide, than that's the easier line.
See this video from 2:38
Also, I like to set up my brakes such that the rear brakes engage just a slight bit earlier than the front brakes. Use the fine tuning barrels near the brake handles. This way, your momentum will hopefully move backwards before going forwards again in a panic braking situation.
Practice feathering your brakes... Like mentioned above, speed is (usually) your friend. If you have to slam the brakes, you're going over your skill level. Slow down a little and learn to take the terrain smoothly without braking much.
Totally agree with taking smoother lines mentioned multiple times above. If it's a rock garden, I tend to ride the tops of the rocks, not the holes between them. Especially if the rocks are larger and the holes are pot holes sized or trenches. But, if the trench is smooth and wide, than that's the easier line.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Nov 24, 2017
- Posts
- 2,235
My coach and I had the discussion of weight back, dropping heels on day one. He said nope.
We spent that AM on very gradual descents and worked our way up as movement patterns allowed.
When I got home I watched a bunch of UCI footage, mainly XC - and if you have ever seen a UCI XC course few recreational riders could clean it, much less race it. What you see:
- Hips may shift back a few inches, but in no way off the saddle.
- Pressure on peddles stays in pretty much the same place.
- Weight is universally balanced on the bike.
What I found with my coach was that my descending posture was all wrong - weight too far back. If anything, my weight needed to be far more forward, and my chest far, far lower. It felt like I was doing this until video-analysis time. Then I saw what I really looked like.
When you weight is centered my coach said that the bike should just feel loose underneath you. He practiced this with me in a stationary position, so I could familiar with it. It is one of the things that I am sessioning now. It is extremely counter-intuitive to be that far forward, but once you lower youtr chest, it falls into place. When it is right the feeling of riding tight switchbacks is effortless and fun on a different level. A good analogy might be your skills journey in skiing, working with coaches and instructors; learning how to ski from your feet up, and directing your skis instead of pushing them - it just becomes effortless.
And the journey continues...
We spent that AM on very gradual descents and worked our way up as movement patterns allowed.
When I got home I watched a bunch of UCI footage, mainly XC - and if you have ever seen a UCI XC course few recreational riders could clean it, much less race it. What you see:
- Hips may shift back a few inches, but in no way off the saddle.
- Pressure on peddles stays in pretty much the same place.
- Weight is universally balanced on the bike.
What I found with my coach was that my descending posture was all wrong - weight too far back. If anything, my weight needed to be far more forward, and my chest far, far lower. It felt like I was doing this until video-analysis time. Then I saw what I really looked like.
When you weight is centered my coach said that the bike should just feel loose underneath you. He practiced this with me in a stationary position, so I could familiar with it. It is one of the things that I am sessioning now. It is extremely counter-intuitive to be that far forward, but once you lower youtr chest, it falls into place. When it is right the feeling of riding tight switchbacks is effortless and fun on a different level. A good analogy might be your skills journey in skiing, working with coaches and instructors; learning how to ski from your feet up, and directing your skis instead of pushing them - it just becomes effortless.
And the journey continues...
Absolutely true, most people are too far back, and the bike doesn't want to turn.
Also important is to hinge at the hip, back not rounded, this way the butt will be somewhat behind the saddle, but your nose should be above the stem. With the chest way low
Also important is to hinge at the hip, back not rounded, this way the butt will be somewhat behind the saddle, but your nose should be above the stem. With the chest way low
& so much better for the longevity & condition of the trail!
“Eyes up when dropping down”
What does everyone consider technical riding anyway
?
Lowering the chest is my go to move. I took a clinic when I first started riding and the instructor hammered this point pretty hard--think you're low enough? Get lower!