"How To Ride Obstacles" thread

[Vibrato]

This could be cool or it could be a bust. While FORC has many riders with mad skills, we also have many riders that LOVE mtbing the trails, but who may not have have the technical skills to ride some types of obstacles. I propose this thread for more advanced riders to give a short "How To" on certain obstacles.

[Vibrato]

And now it's time for.. Vibrato's "How to ride this Rock Garden."(yes I'm aware how often I crash... Thanks for clearing that up... HA!)

1. Enter at a moderate speed so you don't have to pedal through it, it's down hill so you don't have to be going very fast at the top. This garden is at a slight slope so you should be able to stay off the brakes once you enter it. If you need to brake, BE CAREFUL! A little front brake when the front wheel is going up a rock will throw you over the bars faster than you can say Doh!! and rocks hurt.

2. Full attack position, pedals level, butt behind the seat, arms SLIGHTLY bent, knees bent enough to get your butt back.

3. (Mentally, This is the hard one) Do not try to pick your specific lines! Instead, try to let the let the bike "float" under you while "aiming" the bike in a direction. I think there are too many rocks here to pick a line between them all, you'll never make it. Stay back, stay loose, the bike is gonna kick and bounce, let it do that without doing it yourself by using your arms and legs to absorb the rocks and guide the bike around and through the bigger rocks. Did I mention STAY BACK on the bike.

If you do not know what the attack position is, have someone with a little more experience show you and have them critique your attack position to be sure it is correct for this obstacle!

When learning this technique, many people have a tendency to not get as far back on the bike as they think they are, instead they tend to be back a little and too high in the saddle. If you enter this obstacle tall in the saddle you will go over the handlebars head 1st. This obstacle is rideable by most everyone IF you take the time to learn the techniques involved. Good Luck!!

If anyone who wants to try this with spotters, post up here and we"ll try to set up a "skills" learning session. I crash way too much to be a know it all, but there are some really good riders in this club who we can tap into for suggestions.

Yes- You too can be a big time, hard core, Mountain Biker!! I believe in you.

-Vibrato

[Vibrato]

I'll try another one... (any chance someone could help me out with manuals and larger size jumps)

Skinny's, there are 2 things to know to ride skinny's.

1. Look at the other end of the skinny.

If your eyes are focused straight down at the skinny where your front tire is, you lose balance too easy, so focus your eyes out ahead on the skinny.

2. You get to decide when to get off.

Just because you rode onto a skinny doesn't mean you have to clear it. If you feel uncomfortable, like you're not going to make it, then ride off of the side of it. People crash on skinny's when they're trying to stay on it even though they're not going to make it to the end. Lots of us doods who ride skinny's playing around will crash because we just don't want to give up on it, but when you are 1st learning- the best skill to master is when to say "Oops, not gonna make this one" and hop off of it while you still have control.

Locally- for people who want to learn, I like the skinny just after the big log pile on LT at Sunderbruch. It's VERY skinny, but it's only about 10-12 inches high so if you need to get off of it you can just ride off the side. (Watch you rear derailler!)

As with anything, practice works.

Good Luck!!

[DH001]

Riding up a Drop/Step: Works for riding up curbs, large roots on climbs, the watermelon feature at Sunderbruch, etc.

• Approach the step perpendicularly with some speed while in the attack position (elbows out and pedals level).
• Just before the step shift your weight back a little and lift the front wheel to clear the top of the step much like riding a wheelie. This may require a quick pedal turn to pop the front wheel if the step is large.
• When the front tire makes contact with the ground on top of the step, shift your weight forward and lift the rear of the bike in the same manner as with a bunny hop.
• If the back tire doesn't clear the front face of the step, apply moderate force to the pedals to climb the bike over the edge once the rear tire has made contact.

[bleedfororbea]

the last two posts should end with. "if you have a 29er none of this will apply to you. The bike will do it for you because the wheels are bigger and that is better..."

[Gunchie]

Great article for how to manual: http://www.bikeskills.com/blog/?p=1424

Great skill to have no matter where you ride.

[jimithng23]

the last two posts should end with. "if you have a 29er none of this will apply to you. The bike will do it for you because the wheels are bigger and that is better..."

+1 for immense awesomeness!

[Vibrato]

the last two posts should end with. "if you have a 29er none of this will apply to you. The bike will do it for you because the wheels are bigger and that is better..."

26ers are so light they'll float over anything and take you to the nearest pub!!

Enough Thread hijack- back to the goodies!!

Although that is a REALLY good article on how to manual- THANKS GUNCH, My Brotha from anutha Coloruda!!

[Vibrato]

BIGGEST NEW MTBer MISTAKE!! (ok, so it's not an obstacle thing- it's still good info)

In the "how to ride skinny" post above, I note to look at the end of the skinny because your tires have a tendency to go where you look. The same thing happens on the trail. Focus on where you want the tires to go, not on the things you want to avoid!!

If you're staring hard at that tree, log or rock- you are increasing the chances of hitting it. Focusing on the little gap between the obstacles will greatly increase the chances that you will go through it!!

It's common to see people when they are 1st starting REALLY tight and kinda freakin out about some little thing that's not even hard to miss, but because they can't stop staring at it, they end up hitting it all the time.

Next time you're out riding- give this a shot- I bet it helps!!

[DH001]

Effective Braking

Another common mistake beginners often make is not knowing how to use the brakes effectively. This is one of the most essential skills to learn if you want to improve your riding. Using mainly the back brake and skidding the rear tire all over the place is not the proper technique for quick controlled stopping. Using only the back brake and skidding makes it harder to control the bike during maneuvering and usually damages the trail.

The proper technique involves using mainly the front brake; this is where most of the stopping power in the braking system comes from. Also, keep the tires rolling during braking. Most vehicles come equipped with anti-lock braking because they stop faster and are more controllable when the wheels keep turning; the same applies to bikes.

Using the front brake requires positioning your body differently because the rear wheel will want to rise up under heavy braking. This pitching is easy to counter by extending your arms and getting behind the saddle. This distributes your weight over the rear tire and will keep it down with the added benefit of increasing the amount of front brake you can use.

Practice the technique on open level ground at first; a grass field will work well. Start slowly and gently apply only the front brake until completely stopped to get a feel for it. Increase speed and braking force as you learn the feel of the front brake. Once you master the front, add in the rear brake for even quicker stops. This type of panic braking exercise can get you out of some hairy situations on and off the trail.

[Vibrato]

Basic way to Setting the proper Seat Height-

Do your knees hurt? Almost ALL new riders start with their seat too low and this causes so many ailments it would take a chiro to list them, so here's a good rule of thumb to start! This even works with short travel full suspension bikes as a starting point.

Next to a wall or something else you can hang onto, sit lightly on your bike with your sit bones on the wide portion of the seat, one foot on a pedal in the all the way down position. Place your HEAL in the center of the down pedal. Is your leg straight? If not, you need to raise the seat until it is "just" straight. Now, when you think you have it high enough, place both heals in the center of the pedals and pedal backwards so they spin- if your hips have to move up and down to stay on the pedal, then you raised it a bit to far.

Generally, when people 1st starting out think this "feels" like it is too high because you can't stay on the seat and touch the ground, However this is correct, in fact a lot of cross country riders will eventually raise their seat slightly higher once they get used to it.

If you feel this puts too much weight over the handlebars, then it may be necessary to raise the bars a bit or get a slightly shorter stem. This would put your upper body back into the position you were in before you raised the seat. If this sounds like a major pain, believe me, it isn't, but NOT doing it can cause major pain!!

If you aren't sure what to do to the bars and stem to get the "feel" back, get a buddy to help or head to the bike shop that's closest to your house (or your favorite one) and ask them for help.

ALSO- make sure you ride with your sit bones on the wide part of the seat, and make sure your seat is level or with the nose SLIGHTLY pointed down. If the seat is pointed up it can cause long term damage.

When you 1st start riding, you may feel a soreness on the sit area of your rump. Be aware that the same muscles that you are sitting on are the ones that you are working when you pedal- so if you do a few short rides a week, you will find that as those muscles get stronger, the soreness will go away. Usually this only takes a week or two!

[Gunchie]

ALSO- make sure you ride with your sit bones on the wide part of the seat, and make sure your seat is level or with the nose SLIGHTLY pointed down. If the seat is pointed up it can cause long term damage.

That can be disputed. There are are lots of resources saying it's ok to SLIGHTLY tilt the saddle up. I personally do so myself and have had no issues. Anyway, level is still the best way to go. To do this, set your bike on a level surface and place a book on the saddle. Place the level on the book and adjust it so the bubble is dead center. Once level go out and ride it a couple of time. The first ride may not feel like it's comfortable, but after several it should. If after several rides it still feels off then readjust using the dead center as a benchmark. Some saddles are not truly level with the bubble dead center since they all have different shapes, but this will at least give you a benchmark to start from.

Adjusting Fore/Aft

Take a place of string and tie something heavy to the bottom. I like to use several big washers. This creates a pendulum. As said earlier "Next to a wall or something else you can hang onto, sit lightly on your bike with your sit bones on the wide portion of the seat". This time put the pedals so your crankshaft is horizontal. Put your foot on the pedals the same way you as if you were riding. Position your body as closely as you can as if you were riding (in other words when you have your hands on the handlebar your body is tilted forward so try to mimic that position). Now take the pendulum you made and put the top of the string at the top tip of your knee on the side that is vertical. Let the pendulum hang down and hover over your foot. The string should align with the shaft on the pedal that screws into your crank. If it isn't that adjust accordingly. If you feel too stretched out or too crunched into the cockpit when riding then CHANGE OUT THE STEM, DO NOT ADJUST FORE/AFT TO ACCOMMODATE. This position is were your knee needs to be. Prolonged riding in a incorrect position could cause knee pain.

[Russhole]

I recently put in a small loop in my back yard with some obstacles. I have a 4x4x8 about 6+ inches off the ground, a railroad tie sticking out of the ground on a downhill for a drop, and some other railroad ties to make a skinny about a foot off the ground. It is all pretty condensed so it is all low speed obstacles. Pretty tuff stuff. If you need to learn to ride a skinny, this is the place.

All FORCers are welcome. Just give me a call.

[druien]

Finally got to see/ride the rock garden today....AWESOME. that whole loop is becoming quite the trail. great work, hope I can make it to the next "trail day" to help out

[Gunchie]

Pulling this thread out from dead...

Great seat height article:
http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/art...t-right-14608/
I use 109% method to get a base and then use the Holmes method to dial it in.

Great cleat position article (oh yeah, I'm that obsessive over bike fit):
http://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/...leat-position/
How to properly find ball of foot which goes in conjunction with the other article: http://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/...w-their-nails/


Isn't having OCD over bike fit great!