Riding Techniques

UK2004

Had first cross country ride on new Rock Lobster Tig Team this past Saturday, bike is lovely, noticed though in a forest I was in was quite slippery as had been raining trying to go uphill had a few wheel spins and front wheel lifted up sometimes, is this a question fo wrong gear or technique, anyone got a guide to getting up wet slippery hills without wheel spiinning.

pirwin1

Sit on the nose of the saddle and lean your upper body forward. This should allow you to keep your bum on the saddle to weight the back enough for traction without the front lifting.

Klein XC

Also, make sure you're in a very low gear to prevent the rear wheel spinning all the time. The idea is to maintain continuous circular pedal momentum rather than stomping on the pedals in a higher gear which just spins the rear wheel.

If the front wheel continues to lift, even when positioning your body forwards, then your saddle may need adjusting. E.g. play with the fore / aft position on the rails to get the knee inline with the front of the crank arm, when pedals are parallel to the floor, like in this picture:

http://www.bikefitting.com/English/FAQ/KneeFemur.aspx

This should help to centre your weight correctly when sat normally on the saddle, and more crucially, will make sure your knee alignment is good.

elPedro666

There are a bunch of technique features on Radar, including climbing, have a search - they're generally pretty good!

boneyjoe

What's the best way to ride those horrid bits where a steep downslope goes straight into a steep upslope - the type where you can easily bury the front wheel, and go straight over the handle bars? Is there a technical name for them; really showing my ignorance here!. Is it just a question of keeping your speed up, weight back, and lifting the front wheel at the right moment, or is there a bit more too it? Many thanks!

elPedro666

Just a case of getting the front end up, which is difficult because you're pointed down, but if it's a sharp transition it's the only way! I do have a name for them... :twisted:

boneyjoe

Cheers, many thanks elPedro! Will practice a few when I get the chance.

ObscuraSky

boneyjoe wrote:

What's the best way to ride those horrid bits where a steep downslope goes straight into a steep upslope - the type where you can easily bury the front wheel, and go straight over the handle bars? Is there a technical name for them; really showing my ignorance here!. Is it just a question of keeping your speed up, weight back, and lifting the front wheel at the right moment, or is there a bit more too it? Many thanks!

Pull a wheely before you hit the start of the upslope.

Depending on the length of the transition this might even mean lifting the front wheel before you've left the downslope. It's not as hard as it sounds and I know a couple of rides near me where this has to be done, otherwise you loose too much speed and the climb becomes harder.

Shaggy_Dog

It's called a g-out.

The ultimate technique is to pump it and then pedal hard to maintain your momentum, the beginner technique would be to throw your weight right over the back just before you get to the bottom of the downslope. The only issue with doing this is the front wheel may wander as you start to go up the slope as you have no weight on it.

To pump it, stay well away from the brakes! Bend your arms and legs with your weight centralised on the bike as you come down the slope. As you hit the g-out, straighten your arms and shift you're body weight slightly to the rear wheel. As you hit the upslope, bring the bike up into your body and shift your weight slightly forwards, then either hammer the pedals hard out of the saddle or drop to the nose of the saddle and spin up the remainder of the slope in a low gear.

Tyr practising pumping at your local BMX track

boneyjoe

Cheers, thanks for that Shaggy - I'll practice the pump technique asap - think the hardest part will be to stay off the brakes though! Also suffered a bit from a wandering font wheel on muddy climbs at last race, so the bit about keeping some weight forward sounds good.

Just also wanted to ask what people think of doing a practice lap before an XC race? As off road riding time is very limited, due to young family, I find a practice lap really helps to get to grips with the technical stuff. However, on tougher courses, I'm then totally knackered halfway through the race. Trying to get fitter and stronger of course, though any other advice would be much appreciated.

Shaggy_Dog

Walk the lap, look out for tricky sections, watch the junior's race and try to find where they're cocking up or over-pacing themselves. That's what Oli Beckinsale does, also good to give the groms some support!

boneyjoe

Cheers, thanks Shaggy. As I really do need to practice the technical bits, think I'll try doing a very slow practice lap instead - granny ring or even walk the climbs, and save legs for the race as much as possible. Great idea to watch/support the early cats!

Shaggy_Dog

I'm not taking the credit! I saw it in a WMB article years ago!