Downhill woooose!
mcpasty
Posts: 7
Been riding "proper" for about 6 months now and feel pretty strong on the bike esp climbing BUT and it's a big frustrating BUT all my cycling buddies shoot past me on the downhill while I cower over the brakes flapping my chicken wings.
I've read a few bits about looking ahead, weight on pedals etc but just don't feel technically confident enough.
How can I "fix" this? Change stance, certain routines to improve balance and control (i can't even take both hands off the bars without veering off), just improve my climbing and kick ass en route to the top.
Mc
I've read a few bits about looking ahead, weight on pedals etc but just don't feel technically confident enough.
How can I "fix" this? Change stance, certain routines to improve balance and control (i can't even take both hands off the bars without veering off), just improve my climbing and kick ass en route to the top.
Mc
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Comments
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I'm not a technically good descender. Think it's a confidence thing and having a belief in your bike etc.
Find a long straight descent with plenty of room to brake at the bottom if needed.
This could help with getting used to going fast but not having to worry about corners etc.0 -
http://www.flammerouge.je/content/3_factsheets/constant/descend.htm
Read and learn from this. Just develop the skills at your pace and confidence will come.0 -
I think it just comes down to experience and practice and, to a certain extent, personality (and of course physics).
I have become a slower descender as I get older, I just grab for the brakes sooner and I don't have the confidence I used to have.....my experience isn't helping in this regard.
Sorry the above is not so inspiring, but if you really want to go faster it will come in time as long as you can have the confidence to take the risks and have the skills to minimise them....
Good luck!0 -
John.T wrote:Age has nothing to do with it. You need to be confident in your abilities and ride within them, just. It becomes a case of use it or lose it. I push just as hard down hill as I ever did and am now 69. It nearly compensates for no longer being able to get up them fast.
Just for clarification, I wasn't saying age had anything to with it...I was just saying I became less brave as I got older, that should apply to anyone else.
Cheers0 -
I'm fairly new to this as well and found the link very interesting. One thing that really got me moving better on corners was to make a conscious effort to relax my upper body, drop my shoulders down, flex my elbows more and relax my grip (after any braking). We have some wonderful descents round us so plenty of chance to practice e.g. Beeley, Froggat. I'm still quite tentative in the wet!
Martin0 -
markyboy2005 wrote:John.T wrote:Age has nothing to do with it. You need to be confident in your abilities and ride within them, just. It becomes a case of use it or lose it. I push just as hard down hill as I ever did and am now 69. It nearly compensates for no longer being able to get up them fast.
Just for clarification, I wasn't saying age had anything to with it...I was just saying I became less brave as I got older, that should apply to anyone else.
Cheers
I think you mean it could apply to anyone else.0 -
Bravery should not come in to it. Ride to your abilities which improve with practice. If you stop pushing the envelope you will get worse.markyboy2005 wrote:John.T wrote:Age has nothing to do with it. You need to be confident in your abilities and ride within them, just. It becomes a case of use it or lose it. I push just as hard down hill as I ever did and am now 69. It nearly compensates for no longer being able to get up them fast.
Just for clarification, I wasn't saying age had anything to with it...I was just saying I became less brave as I got older, that should apply to anyone else.
Cheers0 -
markyboy2005 wrote:John.T wrote:Age has nothing to do with it. You need to be confident in your abilities and ride within them, just. It becomes a case of use it or lose it. I push just as hard down hill as I ever did and am now 69. It nearly compensates for no longer being able to get up them fast.
Just for clarification, I wasn't saying age had anything to with it...I was just saying I became less brave as I got older, that should apply to anyone else.
Cheers
Very confused posts. Yes you did specifically make the connection with being older and not being able to descend as well.
Then you said 'it all comes down to experience' which would suggest the opposite...
Blimey why am i bothering...0 -
Holy crap....why am I bothering.
I was just saying practice and experience generally will make you faster and we have all agreed to that...but then making a point that I am getting a bit fearty and pulling the brakes too much.....so bravery does come into it (in my case I am not being brave enough to use the full potential of my practice/experience)
To the OP - practice and you'll get faster.
Navrig - yeah I meant could - fat fingers....
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RESPECT.....I was thinking now I'm approaching 50 I should start to be a bit more circumspect on the descents. If you're 69 and still going for it, then it's balls out all the way for me.John.T wrote:Age has nothing to do with it. You need to be confident in your abilities and ride within them, just. It becomes a case of use it or lose it. I push just as hard down hill as I ever did and am now 69. It nearly compensates for no longer being able to get up them fast.You've no won the Big Cup since 1902!0 -
theres no need to be calling him fat fingers, he was only trying to help.markyboy2005 wrote:Holy crap....why am I bothering.
I was just saying practice and experience generally will make you faster and we have all agreed to that...but then making a point that I am getting a bit fearty and pulling the brakes too much.....so bravery does come into it (in my case I am not being brave enough to use the full potential of my practice/experience)
To the OP - practice and you'll get faster.
Navrig - yeah I meant could - fat fingers....
fat fingers, thats you that is.0 -
I used to brake a bit going downhills, but gradually got more confident and now Im a bit of a maniac. Never made any effort to 'learn' to do it better, just over a period of time felt more balanced and safe and really learned to enjoy it. Probably was a good year or more after I took up cycling before I felt fully confident to whizz down hills. It can help to raise yourself a tiny bit off the seat just to put the weight on the pedals, this lowers your centre of gravity.
pick your battles though, dont whizz down where there is too many parked cars nearby or junctions to across.0 -
Couldn't get link open at work but will try again today. Thanks for hints and "anti"-hints!
Was out for 50 miles this morning on the single speed and, as the tyres are a bit fatter, i tried to be a bit braver. Mmm, almost ended up on my backside!
Practise practise practise- and not being a fool seem to be some sort of mantra to adopt?
Cheers0 -
I used to race motorbikes and transferring my cornering and down hill skills was second nature.
Couple of things to help: -
If you can't see round the corner then you won't be able to feel confident going round, on a left hand bend get into the middle of the road as a minimum and if it is quiet get right over onto the right hand side of the road. The opposite for right hand bends.
Make sure your bike is fully up to it.
Find a very long straight bit of downhill and just go for it, the more you do it the more you will trust your bike.
Transfer the weight of your bike as low as possible by standing on the opposite pedal when going round a corner, the lower the centre of gravity the more stable the bike.
Don't look down, always look as far into the distance as you can, use your ears to hear for traffic as well.
Practice, Practice and Practice.
There's more but these are just some useful tools.0 -
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Rick Chasey wrote:Brake less.
Press hard on the outside pedal when cornering.
Grow some balls.
Option 3 above is how you descend faster....0 -
i used to wrestle lions, being scared is no use.0
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Get yourself some really sticky tyres (e.g. Conti GP4000S), get in the drops (but watch out for the death grip), shift your weight back so you can really wind the brakes on if you need to and unload the saddle so your balance doesn't get upset by bumps. As Rick says, put your outside foot down in the bends to help your centre of gravity.- - - - - - - - - -
On Strava.{/url}0 -
Rick Chasey wrote:Brake less.
Press hard on the outside pedal when cornering.
Grow some balls.
Any opportunity to take a dig at Lance......sheesh!0 -
It just comes with practise. Everytime you come to a decent, just go down at your own pace. Next time a bit faster, then a bit faster...you get the deal.
I consider myself quite good at decending but everyone has their limits where they just need to hit the breaks. I remember going faster than I have ever gone down a bank in the Lake District. I mean, I was overtaking cars and it felt great. I had to evaluate whether or not I was gonna end up on my arse in order to stop the fun and slow down.
Bit by bit 8)Carrera TDF 2011 Limited Edition.
Crossbow Hybrid
Boardman AiR 9.8 one day..0 -
Know your road. There's loads of great downhills in ayrshire but spoilt by monstrous potholes and loose stones and grit. If you hit them at speed you'll get a skin graft for your troubles. As a newbie I've found that I'm getting faster all the time and doing speeds I wouldn't have dared do 3 months ago. So other than watching out for pot holes, good tyres and lots of practice, trust your bike and enjoy.0
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Don't get really strong crosswinds, a car following you all of the way down and slightly chilled because you underestimated the weather and didn't wear enough. Always seems to happen to me.0
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The problem I have with cornering is that living in the country there is so much gravel/debris in the middle of the road and I'm scared that if I cross that gravel at speed on a corner then I'll skid. I've read the flamme rouge page (have it printed out on my wall) where it suggests taking the outside of the corner and turning late into the inside but as I've said if I did that I would be crossing the gravel and feel that is setting me up for a fall. Any suggestions for this kind of situation?
Cheers0 -
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This is a well timed post.
I live on the SE London/NW Kent borders and Shooters Hill is literally on top of my doorstep. Got no issue on the descent into Welling, but the London side is a lot bumpier but still cope with it ok. I dont touch the brakes and come down around 35-40mph both sides. No issues at all.
However, as soon as I go further south to Westerham and the likes of Sundridge Hill, Brasted Hill etc, all around minus 10-15% average gradients, my ringer goes completely.
I have come down Sundridge around a dozen times in the last 18 months since and I come down fully on my brakes literally from top to bottom. I know thats bad as the rims will heat up and I risk the tyres blowing but I just dont have the confidence to come down any faster.
On Saturday, first time ever, I had to walk down after I talked myself out of it halfway down. I absolutely hate having to break so hard my hands feel as though they are breaking when the bike seems to be accelerating. My mate who I was with flew down in front of me and it took me so long he wondered if I'd had a crash. When I told him I couldnt get the bike to stop, he took at look at my breaks and adjusted them for me as they were too wide apart.
Felt a bit better after that but fully understand where the OP is coming from. You're not alone. I hate myself for it but what am I supposed to do. I've got a 6 year old daughter and I want to see her grow up. Yes, I'll get referred to rule #5 by some of you and rightly so but its really spoiling my enjoyment of being on the bike.
To be fair, I did have a very bad accident in my late teens which put me off cycling for 15 years so that may be at the back of my mind but how does one go about getting the confidence back?0 -
Read it again. The first section goes on about seeing rather than looking. Basically don't ride where you can't see. Always have room and time to change your line if you need to. This requires you to read the road as far ahead as possible. And always look where you want to go, not at what you want to avoid.Richard36 wrote:The problem I have with cornering is that living in the country there is so much gravel/debris in the middle of the road and I'm scared that if I cross that gravel at speed on a corner then I'll skid. I've read the flamme rouge page (have it printed out on my wall) where it suggests taking the outside of the corner and turning late into the inside but as I've said if I did that I would be crossing the gravel and feel that is setting me up for a fall. Any suggestions for this kind of situation?
Cheers
By not rushing things and developing your skills by gently pushing the envelope. Read the Flamme Rouge article and try to take on what it says but do not obsess about it, just get a general picture in your mind.but how does one go about getting the confidence back?0 -
I'm terrible on descents, not too hot on climbing and pretty lacklustre on the flat. What should I do?0
