Help i want to get more out of my bike.

sparrowlegs78

I am such a wimp! Went out round Gisburn forest yesterday, only on the middle route due to having a few weeks off the bike :oops: but i was really struggling on some bits.
Its doing my head in having so many confidence crises and anyone who as been round Gisburn will know its not exactly challenging :oops: .
I don't really know any other bikers to go out with up here ,and i'm always worried about holding people back if we do meet up with anyone, so would going on a course help me or should i just go out and practise more on my own?
I otherwise love my bike and going out.
Help plzzzzzzzzzzz Caz xx

supersonic

What sort of terrain are you struggling with?

As a starter can you:

Bunny hop? Lift the back wheel?
Lift the front high? Manual?

teacherman

Have heard mixed things about skills courses.

It's a mindset. There's a moment when your brain goes 'Nooooo!' If you give in to it you're lost.

Find bits you don't feel you can do and then ride them over and over again, picking lines and trying different approaches/gears etc.

You'll be amazed by what you can ride through and over if you keep your speed high and just go for it.

Most of all if you're enjoying it what does it matter if you bottle the odd bit? Don't let it put you off - if you keep riding you'll keep improving 8)

sparrowlegs78

I sruggle with the rocky stuff mainly, i am convinced i'll get launched outta the front door :oops: particularly on downhills,i still get off on short, steep rocky hills.
I can't do any thing like manuals, bunnyhops etc, i practise them everytime i go out but i just can't get the bike to lift.
Yes i am a wet blanket
Caz xxx

stumpyjon

Don't worry about holding others back, if you go out with other riders and they know what experience you've got most will be more than willing to slow down / stop to let you catch up. Two of my neighbours bought Scott Aspects over Easter, I've been out with them 3 times since then, first time out it took us over 3hrs to do a loop I can knock off in an hour and 10 and I really enjoyed it. For once I wsn't pushing myself silly (or always at the back, I'm no riding god ) and as a result I actually had a really good ride. Plus I knew I was helping others get into riding, enough people have done it for me.

Going out with others also helps expand your comfort zone, just don't try to do everything the others can, at least not at first, just build up slowly. The real key is to ride as often as possible and build up fitness and experience.

shin0r

sparrowlegs78 wrote:

I sruggle with the rocky stuff mainly, i am convinced i'll get launched outta the front door :oops: particularly on downhills,i still get off on short, steep rocky hills.
I can't do any thing like manuals, bunnyhops etc, i practise them everytime i go out but i just can't get the bike to lift.
Yes i am a wet blanket
Caz xxx

I wouldn't worry about it - everyone has their bogeymen. For me the key to getting down rocky sections was realising that as long as the bike is going forward, everything will be ok. Later I found out that the quicker you get down the steep rocky bits the easier they become.

sparrowlegs78

Stumpyjon,
You know how pants i am after you saw me and the Hubby up at Rivington that time and us having to get off to even get up that path behind the Barn :oops:

Teacherman
Speed! :shock: you mean i'll have to stop holding my rear brake in a death grip then.
I go up to our local woods a few times and practise up there on technical stuff but i give up if i struggle so i was wondering if a course would work as in there would be someone there to give me a" mental kick up the bum"

Caz xx

dave_hill

A lot of it is mind set - if you talk yourself out of doing something, the next time you approach it it will be worse.

I try not so much to be positive but to not think at all. I'm a natural pessimist so if I do start to think about stuff I always err on the side of caution, even if I'm being positive.

Riding rocky or rooty technical trails is about keeping up momentum, planning ahead, good use of your brakes and distributing your weight properly. I hate to say it Caz but being so tall and having a big bike you will always have a slight disadvantage here becasue you will have a very high centre of gravity which can make things, er, interesting !

Let's assume that you're approaching a short, steep rocky chute. You need to have enough speed to carry you through it, but not so much that you can't keep control. Conversely, you don't want to be going so slow that you grind to a halt!

Keep your weight back and down. The steeper the grade the further back your weight needs to be - stick your butt right out over the back if you have to! You'll almost be dragging it on the back wheel!

Do all your braking on the back wheel and use tiny amounts of front brake to control your speed. If you are too handy on the front brake, as soon as the wheel meets any resistance it will stop - and over the bars you'll go! If you feel the back wheel lock and start to slide, momentarily release the brake to get it turning again and bring you back upright. Pump the brake if you have too - this is called cadence braking and gives you much more control than just grabbing a big handful and hoping for the best.

Look well ahead - don't fixate on a point 6 inches in front of your front wheel. If you do, you can't see what's coming so you can't plan your next move. Mountain biking is a lot like snooker in that respect - you've got to plan two, three or more steps ahead.

Look at where you want to go, not where you don't want to go. Ever ridden along a canal bank? If you look at the water it "draws" you - it's the same with big rocks. If you fix on a big rock that you want to avoid, you'll hit it.

Above all, Practice, Practice, Practice! There's no substitute for it.

There is an awful lot to technique - some of us master it easily, some of us never will. At the end of the day if you concentrate too much on what you don't do well it start to impact on what you can do well. If you're in doubt, just get out, ride and have fun!

sparrowlegs78

Wow! Cheers for that info I've got a QR seat post but yesterday i forgot i had it so went down the hills with the seat up, and you are right, its damn high from my perch!

Caz xxx

wordnumb

dave_hill wrote:

Practice, Practice, Practice!

Yup.
My bugbear is having a couple of weeks off and forgetting my confidence. This causes me to slow down, making everything more difficult. I can't understate the value of riding with someone above your ability and taking the 'I'm going to keep up' attitude. So much is down to finding the right speed range for each type of terrain.

Matteeboy

Sparrow - is there a local MTB club?

Really helps when you ride with a group of like minded people.
There are usually all sorts of abilities and fitness levels and instead of worrying about falling off, it becomes a source of comedy (as long as the fall isn't too bad).

There must be one near you - ours in in Cornwall - not famed for it's MTBing!

DarkStarr

I think this group might be in your area

http://www.bogtrotters.org/index.php

OwenCB

DarkStarr wrote:

I think this group might be in your area

http://www.bogtrotters.org/index.php

You can see me on there looking like a clown

Also to the thread starter, I recently did a beginners skills course in Hamsterley Forest run by the Hamsterley Trailblazers, it was run over two days at a fiver a session or free for members, and though basic I still learnt a lot from it and have noticed an improvement in my limited abilities from going.
I think they're doing a female specific course soon so perhaps it would be of interest??

Thewaylander

If you ever travel to a trail in wales, like cwm carn, thats south wales. i will come out with you, cwm is a great place to go to get trail skills, lots of rocky sections that you can ride and ride again.

sparrowlegs78

Cheers for the replies
There is a local club near me, i 've been out with them twice but ended up having to break away from the group coz i was too knackered to keep up
I think i might hit Rivington on Sunday and play round there and end up getting laughed at by my motorbiker mates who go up there..i'll give em a thrill at me in my Lycra
Caz xxx