How to build dismount confidence?

AllezAllezAllez

Hi All,

Any top tips for dismounts? At the moment I have to pre-unclip my left foot before stepping off. Looking at other riders they seem to unclip and land in one smooth motion. I've not had chance to practice, but this morning I've loosened the pedal tension.

Is it just I need more practice? Any advice appreciated.

antsmithmk

Be positive. There isn't a great deal of force needed to get your foot out of the clip.

Start very slowly, and practice.

mikpem

I'd say practicing is the best way, when I started I changed my commuting route so that I had to go up a flight of stairs forcing me to do it at least twice a day.
I've just watched the GCN clip of Sven Nys showing how to dismount, I tried his method of dismounting with your hand on the top tube and very nearly crashed outside my office as I got to work. I think I'll have another go on some grass.... in the dark!

tgotb

Pre-unclipping sounds scary. When I'm swinging my right leg round, I want to be confident the left one is still connected to the bike!

Practice on a bit of flat grass, without any hurdles or other obstacles. Keep your left foot clipped in, swing your right leg over, and then let the bike coast along; because there's no hurdle, there's no pressure to unclip. Do the whole thing at walking pace, then you know that even if you do fall off it's not going to hurt.

AllezAllezAllez

Thanks all. Slow paced practice and build up sounds like a plan.

devhads

At our coached training during the season we always practise dismounts step by step from the beginning every year even though a lot of us have been doing cross for years and have literally done 1000s of them.

We start by just swinging the leg over and scooting along then swinging it back, we're told to always keep the right hip tight to the saddle for an extra point of support. Repeat until confident
We then do the same but move our right hand on to the top tube a la Sven as noted above. Scoot along like this repeat etc
We'll then do this but add in a few slaloms around cones whilst scooting to show we have complete control over the bike repeat etc
We might then have to scoot along and wave at the coach again just to show we have control of the bike.
We then unclip. I've never really given any thought to this part as it just seems to happen as I hop off. I do have my pedal tension quite low though.
All the time we're make sure hip is against saddle and hand is on the top tube before unclipping. As said above do this on flat ground as slow or quick as you feel comfortable with and build up from there.

othello

Do you have any local cycling clubs running CX sessions?

Definitely worth attending and going through the basics, as it is all about splitting the technique into parts and repetition. Also looking at the different types; on step back, step through and swing through dismounts on both sides, so you can use the right one.

I coach at a youth cycling club and we run CX sessions, with some adults attending (mainly parents). We have some national standard adults and even they are getting smoother with their dismounts and remounts (don't forget that part!) with coaching.

Though it is always funny when the adults are practising and a 10 yr old comes alongside them and performs a perfect step through dismount, hurdle and flying remount.

AllezAllezAllez

devhads wrote:

At our coached training during the season we always practise dismounts step by step from the beginning every year even though a lot of us have been doing cross for years and have literally done 1000s of them.

We start by just swinging the leg over and scooting along then swinging it back, we're told to always keep the right hip tight to the saddle for an extra point of support. Repeat until confident
We then do the same but move our right hand on to the top tube a la Sven as noted above. Scoot along like this repeat etc
We'll then do this but add in a few slaloms around cones whilst scooting to show we have complete control over the bike repeat etc
We might then have to scoot along and wave at the coach again just to show we have control of the bike.
We then unclip. I've never really given any thought to this part as it just seems to happen as I hop off. I do have my pedal tension quite low though.
All the time we're make sure hip is against saddle and hand is on the top tube before unclipping. As said above do this on flat ground as slow or quick as you feel comfortable with and build up from there.

Cheers, sounds like a good practice routine and I'll give it a go.

Chris James

Out of interest, do you do the step through or step behind method?

The step through has a higher chance of not releasing from the pedal, so that might make you feel more nervous?

With the step behind then the left foot (assuming you are dismounting that side) will automatically release with the twisting of your body.

But as the replies say, the way to gain confidence is to practice. Dismounting is very easy - remounting smoothly without stutter steps and clipping in first time needs more practice!

othello

Chris James wrote:

...remounting smoothly without stutter steps and clipping in first time needs more practice!

Best way to practice is to count out the steps. 1, 2 and jump on 3. Another tip is to do it from your non-favoured side. This will be really hard, and it can take a while to get your brain to switch. But it makes you think about the process and what you need to do, then when you switch back to your favourite side it should be smoother.

devhads

Chris James wrote:

Out of interest, do you do the step through or step behind method?

The step through has a higher chance of not releasing from the pedal, so that might make you feel more nervous?

With the step behind then the left foot (assuming you are dismounting that side) will automatically release with the twisting of your body.

But as the replies say, the way to gain confidence is to practice. Dismounting is very easy - remounting smoothly without stutter steps and clipping in first time needs more practice!

Aaah, the step through, one of those anachronisms that seems to still persist in cyclocross, like cantis and tubs. Unlike tubs, and to a lesser extent cantis, there's no real performance benefit in the step through, which is why you very rarely ever see it.

The only real benefit is supposedly putting you on the front foot for the run and therefore retaining momentum. I've always found that I can retain more momentum whilst still on the bike by stepping behind which kind of negates this and is also simpler and more importantly less risky. Besides most course designers, myself included, will put hurdles either up hill or after a sharp turn to force you to dismount, rather than bunny hop. Step through is pretty pointless in these situations.

So yes, if you're doing step through try step behind, as chris says your foot naturally unclips with this method.

On remounts I stutter step, not a problem and doesn't slow me down at all. It may not look as stylish as leaping 3 feet in the air but it's not about style it's about getting round quickly which usually means making less mistakes. For me I make less mistakes with a small stutter than without so see no reason to change.

othello

devhads wrote:

Aaah, the step through, one of those anachronisms that seems to still persist in cyclocross, like cantis and tubs. Unlike tubs, and to a lesser extent cantis, there's no real performance benefit in the step through, which is why you very rarely ever see it.

The only real benefit is supposedly putting you on the front foot for the run and therefore retaining momentum. I've always found that I can retain more momentum whilst still on the bike by stepping behind which kind of negates this and is also simpler and more importantly less risky. Besides most course designers, myself included, will put hurdles either up hill or after a sharp turn to force you to dismount, rather than bunny hop. Step through is pretty pointless in these situations.

We have been teaching some of the kids at our CX skills sessions a third way -- the 'swing through'. Ideal for just before an obstacle i.e steps.

You can see Sven Nys doing it on video (albeit it happens very quickly!) via the following link: https://youtu.be/Bl9f2TcME0U Go to 16:47 rather than watching the whole lot....

Coaching guide is here https://www.dropbox.com/s/vmjc5o11di17d9j/CX%20-%20Swing%20Through%20Dismounts.pdf?dl=0

Chris James

The swing through seems to be what I do anyway. You certainly unclip easily that way.

for remounting I just jump on. I used to think about opening up my hips and sliding my inside leg onto the saddle, but after watching my 8 year old do them seamlessly at full running pace I decided to just jump on.

Actually the technique stuff is my strength in cross, my glaring weakness is riding a bike at any speed in a straight line!

devhads

The swing through seems to be what I do anyway.

Me too, seems fairly indistuingishable from the step back.

VamP

I don't think that you want too much dismount confidence, so you don't end up like Joey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNjWeATyylc

Seriously though. If you are bad at dismounts you probably lose about 1 or 2 seconds per lap, say 5 seconds per lap if there are two sets. Now have a look how many seconds per lap you need to challenge for the win. The big differentials lie elsewhere. Don't overthink it.

AllezAllezAllez

VamP wrote:

I don't think that you want too much dismount confidence, so you don't end up like Joey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNjWeATyylc

Seriously though. If you are bad at dismounts you probably lose about 1 or 2 seconds per lap, say 5 seconds per lap if there are two sets. Now have a look how many seconds per lap you need to challenge for the win. The big differentials lie elsewhere. Don't overthink it.

Go Joey.....

I think was trying the right leg through method and potentially my clips were on a too higher tension (road rider mistake).
Sounds like not over thinking it and some practice. I've only been racing this season so early days on most of the technical stuff. Getting around has been my main aim.

It is impressive to see some of the more experienced riders when they approach hurdles and smoothly dismount and run through at speed.