Skills Lesson 101... the online version

[tkblazer]

Originally Posted by okaypatrick

I always have difficulty climbing technical terrain with an assortment of rocks and other obstacles. Anybody have tips regarding this?

besides strength and gearing, the best way i think is to just practice that section. If you have the time, go back to the start and work on a section at a time until you are happy with the results or are just fed up

i came upon about a 2-3' rock wall yesterday that on most occasions i would have thought, "there is no way i can make it up that"... yesterday tho, i just went full speed and pulled up the front end and went right up it. i really have to say that the trip to utah and riding gooseberry mesa really stepped up my technical riding game for the better.

so, just keep riding and you'll notice on every ride that you are getting better and going further up that climb then before.

[gurp13]

Originally Posted by gurp13

I also remembered another good tip... Look at where you want your tire to go. If you want to go between two rocks, look at the space between them. If you want to stay out of the rut, look at the line you want to take. Your tires tend to go where you're looking.

Originally Posted by SAR_boats

No wonder I stare at women's chests so much. It is a habit learned from mtbing

Okay, that's funny.


But, seriously, why do you want to put your tires on their breasts? That doesn't seem very romantic.

[OMR]

Originally Posted by SAR_boats

No wonder I stare at women's chests so much. It is a habit learned from mtbing

LOL: Waaaayyyyy to much information!

OMR

[SAR_boats]

I was refering to : Look at the line you want to take

[guero]

something that caught my attention last night.

knowing when to try to pass someone, and making sure it is safe to pass. last night on the fully group ride some bubb (not gonna name names) tried to pass me on the water bar climb right as we were about to make the slight left at the top. he tried to squeeze between me and the cement culvert that parrallels the climb on the left side and in doing so, ended up in the culvert. i did not cut him off, he tried too hard to get by me with too little room and ended up falling. he was VERY apologetic and this post isnt being written to point any fingers, but rather to bring awareness of when it might be more appropriate to pass someone, or if you are going to pass, a simple "on your left, or on your right" will alert the rider in front of you and they can adjust their line to allow you to get by.

[tbowren]

So I have been working on this "Lean the bike more than your body" technique on my last few rides and it has really helped me.

First on my road bike there was a downhill zig zag of the street. I went into it straight, bent my knees and yanked the bike to the left and then to the right, keeping my torso still. Thankfully nobody was near be because I SHOT over 5 feet to each side in a matter of seconds. Test 1 was a success.

Tonight we went down Meadows at Aliso. Since getting a 29er I have had problems railing those tighter steeper turns. This time I took advantage of those wider handlebars and just manhandled that bike around the turns. Purposely exaggerating the angle of the bike but trying not to lean with my body, making sure I dropped that outside foot when possible to really stick the back wheel. WOW I felt aggressive, fast, and much more in control.

Thanks for that tip, it is really helping me out.