Riding down slow steps

.blitz

Those of you who have visited Cannock will know there are a few places where you have to ride down some slow-but-steep steps. For me it's a case of holding on and letting the bike sort it out but there are a couple of bigger ones where it sounds (and feels) like an earthquake when I roll down them. The front end goes over OK but the back end really slams into the ground.

I just wondered what I could do to improve my technique apart from MTFU

cavegiant

not much you can do about it, just relax and let the bike flow, keep ligh and use legs/arms to soak up the thuds.

Either that or huck it.

Or like me, cheat, 29er 6" FS, makes it smooth as riding over a babies bum ;-)

ride_whenever

Not familiar with the steps, but if the run off is good then take them at speed, light on the front, or drop the lot.

Duffer

I've never been to Cannock, but with steps just hit them as fast as you dare - your wheels will simply skip over the top of them.

bails87

Which steps are these .blitz?

Do you mean actual steps:


Or like a step down in the trail, like the ones on the switchback descent on the Monkey, before you cross the railway?

kieronymous

Duffer wrote:

I've never been to Cannock, but with steps just hit them as fast as you dare - your wheels will simply skip over the top of them.

Only up to a point. If the steps are large enough there's a pretty good chance of ending up over the bars when you run out of leg and/or shock travel and get pinged into a front flip. Sod's law says you will then hit the lip of a subsequent step with your teeth.

dan shard

I did Cannock 2 weeks ago and didn't notice any steps...not sure where you mean...

toasty

Do you mean the loose ones on the link section or the rocky steps like before Klondike Bridge and on the old Monkey?

The link section is getting lethal with all this dry weather Saw 4 people falling off those steps on our last run alone.

Phonk7

What is the spacing in between the steps? if its quite small then try bunnyhopping into them and pushing down on the bike using the steps as a landing ramp, if the spacing is quite long then just treat it like a steep DH bit

joshtp

try and float down them.. i know it sounds lame and obviouse, but go light on the back end, and let the bike flow down, rather than letting your body impact on every hit, just let the bike do what it wants under your body... your head should stay totaly steady and still, while the bike goes mental.


thats the theory anyways....

bamba

.blitz wrote:

Those of you who have visited Cannock will know there are a few places where you have to ride down some slow-but-steep steps. For me it's a case of holding on and letting the bike sort it out but there are a couple of bigger ones where it sounds (and feels) like an earthquake when I roll down them. The front end goes over OK but the back end really slams into the ground.

I just wondered what I could do to improve my technique apart from MTFU

do you mean the part on the down hill link from s8, of the old bit on to the new before the rail crossing ?
not to fond of that bit, first time over it i locked the front wheel on the corner at the bottom and nearly wiped out, manage to bail out in time, found my self gettting off the second visit. :roll:

Raymondavalon

Toasty wrote:

Do you mean the loose ones on the link section or the rocky steps like before Klondike Bridge and on the old Monkey?

The link section is getting lethal with all this dry weather Saw 4 people falling off those steps on our last run alone.

Tell me, I lost it on one of the rocky stepped ascent on the Monkey Trail ("other" side of the railway) on Saturday and thumped a tree with my right shoulder and clipped the tree with my ear. It tore my ear! Off to A&E for fixing later that night!
I heard other riders noting how the dust makes things super slippy and unpredictable