Descending Skills

Peddle Up!

Apologies for resurrecting another topic that’s probably been done to death but at least it’s not “which bike shall I buy?”

I’ve never been a confident descender and after a nasty speed wobble on a busy downhill last year I got worse (understandably!). I’ve been working on techniques to improve my downhill performance including:

Tackling hills on a (more stable) hybrid bike to increase confidence. Putting my weight on the pedals, lifting out of the saddle and getting in the drops and looking a good distance ahead. Getting properly fitted to my bike – which has given benefits all round.

The problem is I can’t ride at the speeds that many other riders seem happy at. I always have the feeling that the front wheel is not really planted enough (why?) and any upset will see me off. Then someone comes whizzing by fists wrapped around the stem, miles from the brake levers! :shock: :shock:

Is there anything else I’m missing?
Is it possible to get one-on-one training on this sort of thing?
Would riding in a group help? That said, I’m concerned that if I couldn’t keep my line I might have someone else off.

All suggestions gratefully received – and thanks!

MountainMonster

How long have you been riding, and did you MTB before hand?

I found that descending was much nicer on my MTB when I first switched to road riding, and because of the complete change in position as well as much narrower bars, I was struggling to keep my head in the right place and not panic at every flinch. A few months now, I won't say i'm a pro, but i'm doing much better than I used to, and am much more comfortable on my bike. It does come with time as well, learning how the geometry of a road bike reacts to steering and high speeds.

merak

Just a a point - when you say you're lifting out of the saddle, you still have contact with the saddle through your thighs, right? You can get a wobble more easily if you have a death grip on the bars and no contact with the saddle.

Other than that it's a confidence thing and I recognise how dificult such a thing can be to overcome. Although Mrs Merak has been riding a road bike for many decades she won't descend as fast as I will even on a straight road. All I can suggest is finding a straight hill with a good road surface and gradually increasing your speed day by day. The reason people are happy to descend fast with hands not near the brakes is because you don't need hands near brakes when there is nothing to brake for.

I don't know if riding in a group would help - it might, so why not try it? You won't bring experienced roadies down unless you suddenly brake or swerve. And why would you swerve?

Pross

Don't forget that some people aren't thinking of the consequences when descending. It's not necessarily technique just that you may have a healthier fear of what could happen. I have one descent near me where 50mph is easy its 16% and pretty straight but quite narrow with lots of farm accesses so although I love a fast descent I back off as it only takes a car to pull out of one of the accesses and you are going to be seriously injured.

Monty Dog

It's worth riding with a group of more experienced riders, particularly to follow their line on descents - it's a lot easier to follow a fast rider than be on the front with little confidence.

morstar

When you're on a slope you are comfortable with, weave about a bit and just get a feel for how your bike handles. It just gives you more confidence.

I went out on a hilly ride last night in diabolical conditions knowing I would need to be cautious on the descents. The first descent is by far the worst (steep with a hairpin at the bottom) and was a bit of a brown pants experience but that was just a case of getting out of the way cautiously and alive.

On the longest descent which is not as steep but has a mix of tight and sweeping bends I had to get a feel for how the bike would handle and also just give myself a bit of confidence. Weaved all over the road just freewheeling at around 20-25mph just to gain trust in the bike and its grip. From there on, I was hitting the bends a bit slower than normal but with confidence.

One thing to practice is getting your weight forward going through bends. If you're nervous, the tendency is to lean back (see this a lot in skiing) which means the front end (that does the steering) has little traction and you are a bit like an unguided missile. Again, on a slope you are confident on, get your weight over the front wheel and feel how much more positive the steering is.

Note: On the skiing thing, this leaning back is where the whole bend ze knees thing comes from. A confident skier has their weight forwards and drives the skis through the turns. The leaning back skier tends to career round the turn and then slam on the anchors to regain control. Apologies for digressing but skiing is fundamentally about going downhill.

nferrar

Following a good descender helps, not only to better understand line choice but to give you confidence in how much grip you have (more than most new riders expect). After that's it's mostly about relaxing and some minor body repositioning as well as learning when to brake.

markos1963

I noticed the Op mentioned 'hands nowhere near the brakes' Perhaps this is a bit telling, there is no relation to having your hands near the brakes and being a good descender. If you are a nervous descender then having your hands on the brakes isn't gong to help, you'll be dragging them a lot more and more prone to jumping on them when situations occur. The key to going fast downhill is smoothness, good smooth lines, gentle braking into bends, no sudden changes of direction and the one qulaity you can't buy, confidense. You get that by regular riding, following good riders and maybe riding in a group.

neilo23

I don't know how old you are, but I used to be a fearless descender but as I've got older I terrify myself sometimes event though (touch wood) I've never had a nasty crash. I tend to worry about my wheels snappling in 2 or my forks snapping.

But recently I've done a little bit of mountain biking (hangs head in shame) which has made me more confident. The mountain bike feels more stable and you feel more confident descending and this has transfered to my road riding. I'm not dropping down hills like a missile as I did at 16, but definitely imroving .

dandrew

I thought I had cracked the art of descending after the Etape stage 1 this year. All it takes is to look ahead, 20-30 feet to where you want to go, moving your destination as you go. You will go where you look. Pressure on the handle bars rather than steering is key as is shaving the speed off before the bend.
Well I thought I had it mastered today as I went down the hill in Richmond Park. I always check there is nothing behind me before I go down as the last thing you want is a car trying to overtake not realising what line you are going to take.
Anyway there was nothing behind me as I went down at about 35. Then 2 lads whizzed past on bikes doing about 50! Chapeau but I've no idea how to reach that type of speed on such a pimple of a hill!

morstar

If you're going to follow a good descender, I'd recommend you will get more from this if you do it in consultation with them. If you just try and follow on a fast descent, you could do your confidence more harm than good. You may hit a bend much faster than you can handle. They may even be experimenting and not giving a good line to follow.
If you ask a good descender if they don't mind leading you down a descent, they will ride in a way you can follow (and possibly give some good advice on the way).
I'm a good skier but I wouldn't much fancy trying to follow Franz Klammer down the Hannenkahm.

oldhairylegs

Watch this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_wEG2RNMJc

Poetry in motion!

Who needs brakes when you can handle a bike like that......

Evil Laugh

Is your headset loose? I've had a few friends riding with loose headsets, tightening it up sure helps that "planted" feeling on the front end.

smurfylicious

If the OP needs a helping hand then here's how it's done, check out what happens 40 seconds into the video!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tFpNsZXWgc

Peddle Up!

Thanks for the advice guys - there are a couple of new things to try out.

The videos of pros descending are amazing. Such talent. Sigh.