Author Topic: ridding skill's (Read 3946 times)

eatdirt1 · « **on:** March 14, 2007, 10:31:31 AM »

hey guy's,and ladie's...
i was woundering,what is more important,speed,or skills.
im not good at eather one,after two years of ridding,im still stuck at the same speed,if i ride with someone that is a good rider,i have to pace my self to the next level,and all i end up doing is slowing me down,eather because i get into a reck,or i loose my energy faster,and end up falling behind.i guess thats why i rather ride by my self.also i have this thing for log overs,i do some of them,and some i dont,i know is the mind,but how do i get past the fear.any tricks.
yesterday i rode pretty good i guess,but i notice that i rubbed some trees with my handle bars,if i cut them about 1/2 on bothe sides,how will that affect my ride,will i feel the difference,in general.

Homer 2-Niner · « **Reply #1 on:** March 14, 2007, 10:35:20 AM »

my two cents...

skills, because with skills comes more speed.. when you learn to pick better lines, know where and when to go fast, you will get faster trust me....

...you will be less tired and fight less with the bike.. so just work on your fundamentals... have you thought about taking the Intro to Mountain Biking Course?

..the course is not designed purely for newbies.. its more for folks that have ridden a while, but want to learn how to ride more efficiently, learn how to take care of the trails, and their bikes...

give it some thought..

=Bob

SandPine · « **Reply #2 on:** March 14, 2007, 10:49:17 AM »

Hey DirtEater...
When I got my new bike and started riding the quadrants at Boyette, I would slow down big time when I came to the close trees. Did the same on my favorite trail at Alafia. One time at Croom I was trying to catch up to my group since I started late and one tree rub my handle bar and send me to the ground hard. I had a small wip lash injury on my neck. After cutting 1 inch from each side of my tubes, my fears went away. I still slow down a bit on the tight trees but i can clear them better. For me it was like 50-50... 50 fear and 50 skill. Once I improve my skill I started picking better lines. As Bob said, with better skill you learn what line to take to clear those close tree even with a large handle bar. The other 50% was fear. ONce in my mind I knew my handle bars were shorter, I some how got rid of my fear of hitting them. No I lean so much at times that my shoulde hits them. Maybe I need to cut one inch of each of my shoulders you think? No I better not since them head will start hitting the tree and I don't want have to cut 1 inch from my head.

My 2 penies:
1)Improve your skill
2)Learn about nutrition and breathing
3)Overcome your fears.

I need a lot of help with #3 and once I drop more weight I hoope my breathing improves. Part of it has to do with Cadance as Mr. Fast Lighthing Garry showed me. The faster your spinning, the sooner you run out of air. The harder you spinning the sooner your legs get tire. Find a happy meadium and stick with it as you learn how to use your gears to keep a good cadance.

eatdirt1 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 14, 2007, 11:07:04 AM »

thak's guys,maybe i should just became o "RODIE" lol

SandPine · « **Reply #4 on:** March 14, 2007, 11:13:00 AM »

lol... I much rather get hit by a stand still tree then by a car doing 55+mph. But then again, those trees have a mind of their own. They jump at you when you least expect it.

Kevan · « **Reply #5 on:** March 14, 2007, 11:58:12 AM »

With Skills comes speed

Roadie skills: Pedal, Lean into turns. Learn how to fall and avoid cars.

Mountain Bike skills: Too many to name here.

Turning skills tip: Try this: Lean your bike, not your body. Press down on your inner handlebar to push your bike down. Press down on your outside pedal with the pedal at the 6 o'clock position.

This will help you turn without losing speed.

More later..

Homer 2-Niner · « **Reply #6 on:** March 14, 2007, 12:02:15 PM »

i think that about sums it up there eatdirt...

skills are the factor here.. as you get more confident on the bike speed just happens..

-bob

Kevan · « **Reply #7 on:** March 14, 2007, 02:09:44 PM »

However, Skills do not happen just by being on your bike.

You need to learn and practice the skills.

Brian Lopes said it best. Something like... If you just ride all you are doing is practicing bad habits. When you make a point of practicing the proper techniques you are learning skills.

Pedal tip: Unclip one foot and pedal for one minute with the other foot only. Concentrate on rest of the full circle (you already know the down part). Then switch feet. (Clip in first though!

)

This will help you learn a full rotation pedal stroke which is much more efficient.

Gregg · « **Reply #8 on:** March 14, 2007, 10:13:21 PM »

I think skills for sure, don't be afraid to push yourself (hah!). Ride at your own pace and focus on the things that get you over the terrain. Momentum, balance, proper gear choice. The speed will come.

Bunny

Kevan · « **Reply #9 on:** March 14, 2007, 10:14:49 PM »

Momentum is your friend!

Gregg · « **Reply #10 on:** March 14, 2007, 10:16:39 PM »

Unless there is a big rock in the way!!

Kevan · « **Reply #11 on:** March 14, 2007, 10:25:21 PM »

... in which case MORE momentum is your friend.

eatdirt1 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 14, 2007, 10:29:19 PM »

thank's guys,every bit of information helps alot.im sure every body has a different way of ridding.im really going to concentrade on my skills.i only wish we had a skills area down here.i mainly ride oleta,or amelia,and neather one has a skills area. >:(im going to ocala next week to ride santos and then alafia,this is going to happen on thursday and friday,i just hope i dont get killed out there.

RiskEverything · « **Reply #13 on:** March 14, 2007, 10:37:09 PM »

You can practice your skills on urban obstacles. Use curbs and such to practice log crossings, benches or picnic tables to practice drops, stairs to practice descents and climbs. Toss an empty cardboard box out in the street and practice bunny hopping over it.

The downfall is, of course, when you crash and hit pavement instead of dirt

Kevan · « **Reply #14 on:** March 14, 2007, 10:59:11 PM »

Good ideas! You can also practice in a sandy or grassy area.

Braking/ balance tip: put a sheet of cardboard down on the grass. Must be big enough for both tires to be on at once. Ride fast over the cardboard and slam your brakes as soon as both tires are on it. If you do it correctly your bike will make the cardboard slide in the grass, much like you might slide in leaves on the trail during an emergency stop.

CrazyWhiteGuy · « **Reply #15 on:** March 15, 2007, 09:10:49 PM »

All of these are very good tips. I feel I should ask though, what bike are you riding? I found when I was starting out that there where things I couldn't do simply because of my bike(or the little voice in my mind saying that I needed such and such part so I could do that part)

In the end what made a world of difference is getting a bigger fork and clipless pedals. The bigger fork slowed down my otherwise twitchy handling bike, this alone easily double my desending capabilities, which in most places hear equals more speed for the up hill soon to come. The pedals kept my feet trapped when I would normally put my feet down. This is a double edged sword though and you should probably ride with a big group when you start, preferably with me, cause I'd love to watch you flop over when you forget to unclip

yes it happens to everyone

practice practice practice is the best advice so far though.

Gregg · « **Reply #16 on:** March 15, 2007, 09:43:34 PM »

CWG, you are right. You definitely need to be comfortable on your bike. That will give you confidence riding the tougher stuff.

Gregg

Stumpjumper · « **Reply #17 on:** March 15, 2007, 10:04:29 PM »

Another thing you could do is take the ADVANCE TECHNICAL RIDING CLASS that Harvey Minton teaches. That is if you can ride all on Bridges and most of Rollercoaster. I took it a couple of weeks ago, and I feel that it has greatly improved my riding. Like Gregg said, when you feel comfortable, your confidence will go up..

Ken · « **Reply #18 on:** March 16, 2007, 08:25:58 AM »

Trimming your bars will increase your turning response also. Just start by taking off a little at time. Maybe a 1/2" at first and try riding the bike to see how it peforms. Then maybe a little more in 1/4" increments after that. I took 1/2" off mine and noticed a big difference in turning response. My timing was off for awhile till I got used to it.

Breathing is another strong point also. When I first started the Cyclocross races three years ago I wasn't in the shape I am now and had some bad riding habits. I was breathing hard and panting alot. The head mechanic at the time at Chainwheel Dr. (also a past pro road racer), noticed it and told me to control my breathing. Slow controled breaths in through the nose and exhaling from the mouth in long breaths. It worked. I still have to concentrte on it because I still forget and catch myself breathing hard. Sometimes you just can't help it! When I got the heart monitor I saw the results visually. When I was panting I would start contolling my breathing and could see my heartrate drop quite a bit, 5-10 usually and sometimes more. You guys with monitors probably already know that but if you don't or have'nt tried it, do so and see the results. It's real time results right in front of you that you can use.

Gregg · « **Reply #19 on:** March 16, 2007, 10:21:54 AM »

Good point about the breathing! Yet another reason to wear a heart rate monitor.

SandPine · « **Reply #20 on:** March 17, 2007, 09:49:09 PM »

Excellent poit and reminder for me... when I was wearing mine I would notice that the longer and deeper breath i would take the faster my hart rate would drop. If I would do two-three big deep breath ins, it would drop faste and I then I could breath easier. I gotta remember to wear mine again and use it more effectively. Thanks Ken..

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Author Topic: ridding skill's (Read 3946 times)