Wet Leaves Warning!

KonaKurt
KonaKurt Posts: 720
edited November 2009 in MTB general
This may sound like a stupidly obvious thing to say, but I will anyway because it's happened to me four times this week, once nearly sending me into the side of an overtaking HGV!


At this time of year, take great care when riding on wet leaves! They can be VERY slippery when against hard tarmac surfaces, or even large piles of them in woodland etc etc.


They are especially slippery when they have decomposed a little into that slushy mush. Add fresh rainfall and hard braking, and you could spin like a Jamacian bobsleigh.

KK.

Comments

  • weeksy59
    weeksy59 Posts: 2,606
    Wet tree roots are slippy too.

    In fact, most things are slippery when wet :)
  • P-Jay
    P-Jay Posts: 1,478
    Fooking right, got the back end out on my Honda!!

    It's bad enough on my 20Kgs DH bike, but a 180Kgs, 115bhp Motorbike is a tricky bugger to get back.
  • KonaKurt
    KonaKurt Posts: 720
    P-Jay wrote:
    Fooking right, got the back end out on my Honda!!

    It's bad enough on my 20Kgs DH bike, but a 180Kgs, 115bhp Motorbike is a tricky bugger to get back.


    Not 'alf!!! You're doing well to steer that bugger back in line!

    KK.
  • Yep, made the mistake at the weekend, My brother was down so we when out for a ride, he had my XC bike so caned me going up the hill, so I thought - right gonna show him what my new bike can do on the downhills and went hell for leather down a woodland trail that I know well....in the dry...but in the wet autumn - loads of wet leaves covering wet roots covering wet chalk. It wasn't long before my back wheel slid out and I continued down the hill on my side,like in films when you see them slide motorbikes under articulated lorries! - but not as cool. Not cool at all.

    :oops:
    Santa Cruz Chameleon
    Orange Alpine 160
  • Sarnian
    Sarnian Posts: 1,451
    From time to time my old regiment used to work with the army's railway squadron, one day I got chatting to one of the engine drivers and made a joke about delayed trains and wet leaves on the line. He started to tell me that leaves have a chemical In them very similar to Teflon, and when squashed this seeps out and makes things slippery, so the trains slide on the track and can't stop.
    It's not a ornament, so ride It
  • Turrican
    Turrican Posts: 755
    I can ride on ice :shock: without falling off :D and leaves moveout my way for me too .
    But as Sarnian says yeah they do have some sort of secreted resin from them that makes em slippy if touch the leave can feel it slimey :oops: :roll:, so if riding on road
    then yeah its slippy or even in woods, but so is mud, so is roots, its how you handle a bike and body postion when riding sketchy things that can make difference.

    P-Jay cant imaging whats its like to right a big bike from the drifting postion :) hardwork def.
    I don't have a bike addiction problem.....bikes seems to have a problem with me.....it just can't seem to stay on.

    http://www.moredirt.co.uk/users/FlowRideR661/
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  • x-isle
    x-isle Posts: 794
    Not only slippery, but can hide hidden dangers.

    I was hot tailing it down a trail last week through a leaf covered track when bang, big pot holle full of leaves.

    It woke me up!
    Craig Rogers
  • JamesBrckmn
    JamesBrckmn Posts: 1,360
    edited November 2009
    the other day i was going along the wet and grassy side of a path, to avoid the puddles in the middle, but then i suddenly saw a random hole in the ground ahead of me, so i braked suddenly with my rear brake forgetting i was on wet slippery grass and almost lost my back end. I ended up with my back wheel in the hole, and my front wheel in the path :shock: I'm glad i didn't go into the hole front wheel first though :)
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Yeah, the railways have special leave clearing trains in operation at this time of the year!

    Infact wet wood (insert joke) is so slippery that old ships used it as a bearings on the prop shafts.
  • redvee
    redvee Posts: 11,922
    weeksy59 wrote:

    In fact, most things are slippery when wet :)

    Album titles are worse.
    I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.
  • scale20
    scale20 Posts: 1,300
    Did the beast at Coed Y Brenin at the weekend, it was very nice and slipery :lol:

    A lot of the trail was covered in a carpet of leaves, not only were they slippery but they were hiding all sorts of killer objects underneath. I'm not sure wether it was better because you couldn't se the wet roots underneath so you didn't flinch as you hit them.

    It all still made for a fast adrenalin fueled ride though 8)
    Niner Air 9 Rigid
    Whyte 129S 29er.
  • P-Jay
    P-Jay Posts: 1,478
    Turrican wrote:
    P-Jay cant imaging whats its like to right a big bike from the drifting postion :) hardwork def.

    Well, luckily it was at about 8mph as I was turning around at the bottom of my street.

    Did a quick U-Turn at the end and headed back up, hit a massive pile, which I should have known better than to ride on, the back snapped out, I counter balanced and gently throttled down, as soon as it hit tarmac it snapped back in line. I have no doubt, a non-mtber would have dropped it.

    Needed a fresh pair after that though.

    It's my first Autumn on motorbikes and I'd been warned, but just laughed it off a bit like leaves on the trainline / wrong kind of snow.
  • fcumok
    fcumok Posts: 283
    Hit a few unexpected slippery roots hiding under leaves the past few weeks. Adds to the excitement though :D
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    P-Jay wrote:
    Well, luckily it was at about 8mph as I was turning around at the bottom of my street.
    Reminds of when my brother made an arse of himself once on his Gixer 11.
    He'd had some massive argument with somebody in the street, then got on his bike, and did a burn out as he rode/wheelspinend away angrily.
    Unfortunately, he cocked it up, and ended up high-siding himself HARD into the ground :lol:

    Anyway, the guy he was arguing with laughed, and called him a cock - so he woke in hospital with a broken face the following day :roll:
  • x-isle
    x-isle Posts: 794
    Also watch out for wooden structures.

    Coming back off Canock Chase last night, I ride across a wooden bridge over a stream.

    It's at the end of a fast road through a housing estate and it's a lean to turn onto the bridge.

    The bridge was VERY slippery. Sideways across the bridge got across, but as the bike was about to throw me off I lept off the big heading for some grass as I didn't facny planting it on the concrete.

    Luckily I landed on my feet and cringed as I the bike hit the deck.

    No injuries and more importantly no damage to the bike.

    Just be carefull!
    Craig Rogers
  • Daz555
    Daz555 Posts: 3,976
    P-Jay wrote:
    Needed a fresh pair after that though.
    I tell you, nothing makes the old chocolate starfish clamp tighter than having a tyre go for a quick wander whilst you are happily barreling along on a motorcycle.

    It's not even the thought of hurting myself. It's the bike. Also, if I EVER chucked my bike down the road I know my wife would go completely completely through the roof - she hates bikes as it is.
    You only need two tools: WD40 and Duck Tape.
    If it doesn't move and should, use the WD40.
    If it shouldn't move and does, use the tape.
  • Yesterday I assumed that, on an off-camber leaf-covered section, following the track left by a previous rider would mean there was some kind of rut to stick your wheels in. There wasn't... Lost both wheels and slid down to the roadside looking like a numpty :lol:
  • Wet leaves are a real bugger, at the weekend i was coming down some singletrack, and came to a corner covered in leavers (quite tight) so i used a bit of back brake which combined in the wet leaves and leaning slightly round the corner sent the bike flying from underneath me and then dragged itself and me into a rather large dense thorn/gorse bush. I then spent about 2 mins picking the thorns out when we got back to the car!
  • KonaKurt
    KonaKurt Posts: 720
    Sarnian wrote:
    From time to time my old regiment used to work with the army's railway squadron, one day I got chatting to one of the engine drivers and made a joke about delayed trains and wet leaves on the line. He started to tell me that leaves have a chemical In them very similar to Teflon, and when squashed this seeps out and makes things slippery, so the trains slide on the track and can't stop.

    A chemical simular to Teflon?! I never knew that, that is very interesting to remember. You could almost use it as a 'green' lubricant!

    By the way, whoever mentioned wooden structures (like bridges) becoming very slippery this time of year is darn right. I saw a poor little girl slip on one covered in autumnal slime. Luckily daddy was at hand to rescus her!

    KK.
  • chris_sw
    chris_sw Posts: 100
    weeksy59 wrote:
    In fact, most things are slippery when wet :)
    Slippery when wet - Someone had to do it... :P One of the more safe for work photos that I found on google image search!

    Not had an encounter with wet leaves yet this year, although I'm sure it'll happen soon enough.
  • colintrav
    colintrav Posts: 1,074
    KonaKurt wrote:
    This may sound like a stupidly obvious thing to say, but I will anyway because it's happened to me four times this week, once nearly sending me into the side of an overtaking HGV!


    At this time of year, take great care when riding on wet leaves! They can be VERY slippery when against hard tarmac surfaces, or even large piles of them in woodland etc etc.


    They are especially slippery when they have decomposed a little into that slushy mush. Add fresh rainfall and hard braking, and you could spin like a Jamacian bobsleigh.

    KK.

    Well this is something you learn at a young age when out hammering round street croners and tree's over hang and there leaves build up and in the rain they become like a ice rink ..

    Still there is a danger to the inexperienced , But it's all about hittin the corner at the right speed ,
  • colintrav wrote:
    Still there is a danger to the inexperienced , But it's all about hittin the corner at the right speed.
    Yeah, VERY slowly...

    I found that one out on my motorbike too... 130hp, BRAND NEW Speed Triple... Back slid out, then the front... :shock: Was only going at about 15mph, but still too fast! Bugger...

    Either way, I used my super-awesome moto-cross skills to save dropping my bike 8)

    Was super stoked that my bike handling skills / reactions were that sharp!

    But yeah, I always knew wet leaves were slippery.. But not THAT slippery..!!! :lol:
    Boo-yah mofo
    Sick to the power of rad
    Fix it 'till it's broke
  • supersonic wrote:
    Yeah, the railways have special leave clearing trains in operation at this time of the year!

    Infact wet wood (insert joke) is so slippery that old ships used it as a bearings on the prop shafts.

    As I discovered twice at dalby on wednesday ! :oops:
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    I had wet wood last night. It was pretty slippery. :shock: :lol:
  • I had wet wood last night. It was pretty slippery. :shock: :lol:
    On Friday for me :wink:

    Bonfires in this country ay.... :wink::wink::wink:

    :lol:
    Boo-yah mofo
    Sick to the power of rad
    Fix it 'till it's broke
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    bonfires? What are you on about?