Can riding too slow be a hinderance

xterra

OK - did my first red this weekend and only came off once, but i think that was because i was going to slow and didnt really commit or truly feel that i was going to make the step.. thought i might fall off and did!!!

that said there were times slow (for me) was definitely the way ahead but the question is, can faster be safer at times!!!

peter413

Definitely, think about drops and jumps, how are you going to clear them if you are going too slowly

And the faster you are on rough stuff, the more you float over it which means it is easier to carry your speed over things and more comfortable

Foobies

+1 for speed, did my first real muddy ride this afternoon with a mate, he was going slowly and fell off a few times, so i decided to go for speed an made it through easy so deffo go for speed.

suzyb

Yes it can.

As a guy explained to me you need some momentum to get over obstacles, if you don't have enough you will stop or loose balance.

Jedi

you cant quantify fast or slow for a rider, a speed they are comfortable with is way better than saying fast or slow.

getonyourbike

I've found that first of all going fast helps you clear obstacles easier, for example a drop, if you go really slow then its going to end horribly, but if you go faster then it means that the bike lands flatter and less painfully. Next, going fast makes for a more comfortable ride. I've got a path with quite large bits of gravel and going down it slowly means I full every piece I hit but with a bit of speed the frame or somehing seems to absorb all the ting so i can happily pedal along.

tlw1

speed is your friend

Dirtydog11

matthew h wrote:

speed is your friend

No its not it's not. Its like having pet a lion it should be treated with caution and respect, drop your guard and it'll rip your face off.

diy

Generally you do need some momentum to carry you through flinty, loose stuff, but you also need to make sure you can stop if you need to (although some hills are so steep that stopping quickly is not really an option).

Generally if I have a tricky bit ahead I will go in slow and come out quick, by staying off the brakes when its at the trickiest point. If you go in to fast to a technical section, you really aren't left with many choices.

dubcat

After falling off twice on basic (green i guess) stuff yesterday i have come to the inclusion that it is staying loose which helps the most. I found that when i was going slowly it was because i was scared. This in turn meant that my body and limbs were very tense and almost locked in position. I am starting to feel like it was this tension rather than the lack of speed that made me fall.

.blitz

All good advice. Pussyfooting over obstacles can lead to all kinds of problems (mostly falling off). Bikes get their stability from the gyroscopic effect of the wheels and the slower you go, the more unstable the bike becomes. Tyres also have a finite amount of grip and if you're asking them to brake as well as steer, something has to give.

Look well ahead and let the bike do its thing. These modern MTBs are pretty good.

The Northern Monkey

yes and no.

if you know the trail, its easier to know your lines and have confidence then its fine to start taking things a bit faster to smooth out the bumps.

I wouldn't recommend going faster on unknown trails if you can't see a good distance ahead!

diy

.blitz wrote:

Bikes get their stability from the gyroscopic effect of the wheels.

Sorry, but actually thats not correct. there is some angular momentum (gyroscopic force) produced by the spinning wheel and it does exert some tiny force on the stability, but it is nothing compared to the momentum pulling you in the direction of travel which is many 100s if not 1000s times greater depending on the size, speed and mass of you and your wheels.

xterra

Dubcat wrote:

After falling off twice on basic (green i guess) stuff yesterday i have come to the inclusion that it is staying loose which helps the most. I found that when i was going slowly it was because i was scared. This in turn meant that my body and limbs were very tense and almost locked in position. I am starting to feel like it was this tension rather than the lack of speed that made me fall.

this is what i was trying to say at the start but explained much more eloquently and clearly by Dubcat... thnx..

after saturdays taster and experiance of Dalby Red ive even gone as far (welll the wife has) to book me a basic skills course - i can now get out and practice the theory and to top it off she cant complain - after all it is her idea LOL

Jeez this is like a drug!!!!! in a good way...

dubcat

xterra - a drug it is!! I plan to go on a skills course too as soon as i can after a) falling off stupidly and b) taken a chicken run when about 20 other riders of all shapes and sizes happily bombed down a slope

Jedi

dubcat,
i look forward to working with you on your riding.

dubcat

Jedi you didn't send me your phone number or email address Please send me a private message with that and i will be in touch with you.
Cheers,
Dub

Jedi

done now. i didi it earlier from my phone but it seems it didnt work

dubcat

Got it