Riding Advice

ollie_lucas1985

While riding some really rough terrain yesterday, downhill single track, not technical just bumpy.. I notcied that there was alot of feedback to my arms from the front wheels, infact when I was going down the hill there was so much shaking I was struggling to keep hold of the handle bars!!

I was in the "Attack" position, most of my weight was back and I was trying to keep my hands off the breaks!!

I have a hardtail MTB at the moment which I think should be upto the job, I have rebas on the front.

Is it possible I had to much pressure up front? When fitting the forks could I have tightend the stem to much?

Anyone got any tips on keeping relaxed during these things, I kept saying in my head "remember to stay relaxed and loose" but it felt like i was on some kind of bucking bronco!!

Any advice greatly apreciated!

Ollie

MountainMonster

I'm guessing it was quite a gravely/rocky trail you were riding. Unfortunately nothing an really help with the feedback that I have found. One of my regular trails has a very long section of gravel, and it always happens there. Even my mates on 5k+ costing FS bikes get alot of feedback through the bars as well.

JGS

I struggle with this sometimes as well due to a dodgy shoulder. I spent a few months with my sus set to be lower than recommended and while it felt plush over this kind of stuff I was going a LOT slower due to the reduced control over the bike. It's a tough choice, but in the end that feedback is showing you that you're tracking well over the rocks and keeping a good speed and line.

However you could probably have put too much pressure in, so check the RockShox manual/website to find the correct pressure for your weight + riding gear + liquids. And double check that your bars turn smoothly, but I think you'd notice if your stem was too tight and wouldn't need to ask. Tyre pressures can also be quite critical at soaking up small bumps if you don't have the plushest of suspension (I'm not saying rebas are in any way bad, but they are not the ultra-super-duper-bestest of all sus products). I found the Geax pressure list a good baseline and helped me set-up my Contis to reduce trail buzz, you can find it here: http://www.geax.com/en/technology/?cat=15&prod=79 .You could also try some gloves with a gel pad in the heel of the hand (Specialized BG / Giro etc) and some more comfortable grips?

CycloRos

Sounds like you may have too much rebound dialled in.

check the fork pressures in your Rebas against your weight (guidelines should be stamped on one of the legs), check the rebound setting (it should return quickly after being compressed without feeling like it's pushing you) and tyre pressures (around 35psi is good place to start). Have a play around with these and see if you can find something that works for you.

Further than that it's down to style, if your weight is back as it should be, you should hardly notice any feedback through the bars as most of your weight will be through your cranks and rear wheel. Another tip is not to grip too tight, doing so tenses your arm muscles effectively locking them up, which carries the vibrations through to your body.

wordnumb

I've found that Rebas respond well to tweeking. Find a rocky descent, ride it over and over making small adjustments to rebound and pressure between each.

getonyourbike

Your arms could also have not been bent, I'm currently riding a rigid and that's very important, its worth a go.

Mark909

I was watching something on vimeo the other day that might help. Have a look at this link:

http://vimeo.com/14924525