Downhill riding style help
Kevlees83
Posts: 8
I've just been out on my big hit my first downhill bike ride ever, was nothing special just a trip up the trans penine section by my house, I can't decide if I should be standing or sitting when pedalling and I can't seem to get any speed because the rear shock absorbs all the power, I'm used to riding dirt jumps but thought I'd step it up a notch to downhill wondering have I made the wrong decision now, went into downhill for the speed and adrenaline but can't seem to get any speed :-(
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is the bike set up for you....?
and if you'r riding downhill you should be stood up, so you can move the bike around under you..
try messing the suspension to get it set up for you...
i found my demo a nightmare to pedal it just bobed up and down,, but i still could get some speed out of it...www.bearbackbiking.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrDelcol#play/uploads
hd vids
http://www.youtube.com/user/topasassin#play/uploads
http://www.vimeo.com/user2514116/videos0 -
Obviously the DH is not steep enough. What do you consider downhill?I don't do smileys.
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Parktools0 -
Standing up or sitting down whilst pedaling is just personal preference unless the trail doesn't allow it then you have to stand.
Getting any sort of speed can take time, just keep at it, watch a few tutorials and just practice, practice, practice. Make sure you are practicing the right stuff though, as I have been told by people teaching me, practice doesn't make perfect, it makes permanent. Maybe consider a skills course if you want to get faster quicker. You can't expect to try something completely new and be amazing at it first time, it takes hard work.
Also if you are used to riding a DJ bike a DH bike will feel completely different and it will feel like the rear shock isn't letting you pedal at all but just stick at it, you get used to it. If you have any sort of pro-pedal or compression adjustments on your shock maybe have a little play with the settings noting down what the original settings were so that you can always go back to them if you make a mess of it.
The kind of trail can also depend on the speed you can get, some just aren't very fast, not all courses are about balls out speed, many are about slow technical skills.0 -
Try looking at some DVD's for example "Fundamentals" it will show in one section of the film how to set up your bike and look at similar type DVD's that will help you out. And ask other DH riders how they set up their bikes, although they might be slightly differant bike setups but at least you know the to set up your bike. And to get that extra bit of speed and experiance ride with more experianced riders and they will give very useful tips on how to ride the bike better.0
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peter413 wrote:Standing up or sitting down whilst pedaling is just personal preference unless the trail doesn't allow it then you have to stand.
Getting any sort of speed can take time, just keep at it, watch a few tutorials and just practice, practice, practice. Make sure you are practicing the right stuff though, as I have been told by people teaching me, practice doesn't make perfect, it makes permanent. Maybe consider a skills course if you want to get faster quicker. You can't expect to try something completely new and be amazing at it first time, it takes hard work.
Also if you are used to riding a DJ bike a DH bike will feel completely different and it will feel like the rear shock isn't letting you pedal at all but just stick at it, you get used to it. If you have any sort of pro-pedal or compression adjustments on your shock maybe have a little play with the settings noting down what the original settings were so that you can always go back to them if you make a mess of it.
The kind of trail can also depend on the speed you can get, some just aren't very fast, not all courses are about balls out speed, many are about slow technical skills.
Brilliant Advice0 -
peter413 wrote:practice doesn't make perfect, it makes permanent.
+ root vegetable. I've invested a lot of time on motorbikes and pushbikes in getting very good at doing some things wrong, instead of stopping doing it wrongly. And once you've done it, it's damn hard to fix it.
But I do wonder if it's just that you're riding a DH bike on trails that aren't well suited to it- you can get up a good crack of speed pedalling a big bike but usually you want gravity on your side too (when i started doing dh trails, I never had to worry about not going fast enough, it was all about going too fast!)Uncompromising extremist0 -
As we don't know what bike you're riding, only a 'dh bike', it's weight and suspension design may very well be a hinderance uphil as DH bikes aren't designed with that requirement in mind. Try increasing the shock pressure to resist pedal bob. Generate a smooth cyclic motion without 'pumping' on the pedals. On the descents, aim to 'pump' through the trail to find free speed. Otherwise, don't even worry about how long it takes to get you to the top and just enjoy the downs, skill will come with practise.0
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bluechair84 wrote:As we don't know what bike you're riding, only a 'dh bike',
maybe that could be a clue, or maybe not, you never knowKevlees83 wrote:I've just been out on my big hit
Specialized Hardrock Sport Disc 10- CANYON Nerve AM 6 20110 -
I really just read 'been on my first downhill ride' :oops: Yeah I wouldn't bother trying to ride a big hit uphill... Just push it.0
