2015 Cycle Stoke Thread

[altagirl]

Really, you just need to keep pedaling, though sometimes you need to ratchet it, or time the pedal strokes to avoid hitting rocks. You can also push the bike forward under you if it's feeling like the rear wheel hung up on something.

 

[contesstant]

Really, you just need to keep pedaling, though sometimes you need to ratchet it, or time the pedal strokes to avoid hitting rocks. You can also push the bike forward under you if it's feeling like the rear wheel hung up on something.

I haven't mastered the ratchet at ALL yet, but have the pedal stroke timing. Last night, I realized I used my body weight to lean the bike around a big rock on the side of the trail I had gotten too close to. It was on a flat rocky section. I did it without even thinking about it and smiled afterward.

But I really do just keep pedaling. I suppose you can try to unweight the front a little but I have to admit that I can't do it, at least not consciously. I will say it's easier the stronger I am because some of the stuff you just have to power over. I'm still not strong enough (or don't THINK I am) to get over some stuff. I hiked several sections when riding with geargrrl that I most likely could have ridden easily, they were just very different than what I am used to and I didn't trust myself.

 

[bounceswoosh]

But I really do just keep pedaling. I suppose you can try to unweight the front a little

I don't think unweighting the front would help. That's what you would do to get the front tire up. It might help for me to move my body forward to unweight the rear a bit, but I'm not sure because that's my power.

 

[contesstant]

Ohhh so it's your back tire that's getting caught? Well then yes, unweighting the front would be very counterproductive. I have more of a tendency to have my front hit something and bounce in unruly ways. Once my front's clear, I can usually clear the back fine.

Famous last words...

 

[altagirl]

I don't think unweighting the front would help. That's what you would do to get the front tire up. It might help for me to move my body forward to unweight the rear a bit, but I'm not sure because that's my power.

You do have to do a quick little weight shift for those. You just need to go back to getting your rear tire weighted as soon as you can, but that is the trick to the obstacles that stop your rear tire.

 

[geargrrl]

Getting over stuff is all about unweighting and weigh shift. You might unweight the front AND the back of the bike to get over stuff. Unweighting is not just about getting the front tire up onto stuff, that's the obvious use for it. This is where learning to use the dropper post would help. Once you get the saddle out of the way, you learn to use your body a whole lot more, in many different ways, to help maneuver and balance, and to act as suspension. In some ways the saddle is kind of a crutch that gets in the way of progressing. Unweighting is also about finesse; makes things easier.

edit: there are some rear wheel lift techniques that you can use to bring the back of the bike up in to or instead of unweighting it.

 

[contesstant]

I'm pretty sure I use the saddle as a crutch a LOT!

 

[contesstant]

1) I finally made a switchback today that I have never ridden even though I ride the trail and WALK it at least once a week and have since last summer I sat down and put my inside foot down and off the pedal to do a foot dab if I needed to. It worked for me and that's all I care about at the moment.

And here is my race finish photo, and yes I smiled like that a LOT throughout the race. So fun!!

 

[bounceswoosh]

I finally made a switchback today that I have never ridden even though I ride the trail and WALK it at least once a week and have since last summer I sat down and put my inside foot down and off the pedal to do a foot dab if I needed to. It worked for me and that's all I care about at the moment.

Yeah - I found racing got me to ride things I would have avoided if I were just riding for the sake of riding.

I also made a switchback today that I typically dab (I'm not sure if I've ever made it). I also got some seat dropper practice on Sleepy Hollow, a green at the bottom of Keystone. It had lots of small ups between the downs, so I worked on it. It's easy to forget and find yourself pedaling on a low seat, or riding high over rocks on a descent.

 

[contesstant]

Yeah - I found racing got me to ride things I would have avoided if I were just riding for the sake of riding.

I also made a switchback today that I typically dab (I'm not sure if I've ever made it). I also got some seat dropper practice on Sleepy Hollow, a green at the bottom of Keystone. It had lots of small ups between the downs, so I worked on it. It's easy to forget and find yourself pedaling on a low seat, or riding high over rocks on a descent.

It's also easy to forget to celebrate the little things, because after awhile, they all add up to what in my case is a HUGE overall improvement! And it's making riding that much more fun.

 

[bounceswoosh]

I rode Heil today (2.5 miles uphill, then counter clockwise on the Ponderosa Loop, then branched off from that loop to take the Wild Turkey loop, then riding back up the section of Ponderosa Loop I came down and then back down the stem of the lollipop). It's considerably more technical than Springbrook, my confidence building trail, and in fact I would say Wild Turkey is more technical than Mosquito Coast, a blue at Keystone. There are no steep sections on Wild Turkey, but there are a lot of rock sections that are intimidatingly narrow/angled/weirdly aligned.

I rerode some sections, but eventually decided that if I did that every time I dabbed, I'd be there all day (instead of only half the day!). I think there was only one downhill section I just couldn't bring myself to ride due to the weird angles. (There were several uphill sections I didn't make). My head knew I could ride it, but my body said NO WAY and just wouldn't start pedaling. On the other hand, there were any number of sections that I rode successfully where my mind was yelling "YOU'RE GOING TO FALL!" while my body said "Hey, I got this." One in particular, I was too close to stop before I realized what was coming, but I managed to drop the seat post (yay!) and just rode it out. Phew.

Heading back up the loop, I was surprised at how well I maintained my balance and forward momentum over a trail full of loose baby head rocks and other challenges. I think in past years, I might have gotten annoyed at myself for getting stopped periodically, but today I was surprised by how much of it I could ride.

Oh! There was one of those rock shelf things exactly like the ones I usually get stuck on going uphill. I thought "Just Keep Pedaling!" ... and it worked. I totally cleared it. Just gotta keep doing that and trusting in my bike and my legs.

I was a little concerned that Heil would bruise my ego, but I know that I never did clear the whole trail, and I guess my whole attitude today was just different. I knew it was going to be challenging. BMA has done a lot of maintenance, so some sections are much easier, while others have been turned into rock gardens. I just wish my bike weren't so noisy going down bumpy things. I wonder if a 1x11 would fix that ...

 

[contesstant]

Yes! Just.Keep.PEDALING!

 

[altagirl]

I just wish my bike weren't so noisy going down bumpy things. I wonder if a 1x11 would fix that ...

When you come out, we can go over your bike and see what can be done to make it quieter. I have a few potential tricks.

 

[bounceswoosh]

When you come out, we can go over your bike and see what can be done to make it quieter. I have a few potential tricks.

I was wondering if I could put a chain tensioner on it ....

 

[tinymoose]

Curious how people learned to mountain bike? Are there classes for this sort of thing? I hear all these terms and I have no idea what they mean.

 

[bounceswoosh]

Curious how people learned to mountain bike? Are there classes for this sort of thing? I hear all these terms and I have no idea what they mean.

DH had a mountain bike when I met him, although I don't remember if he was riding it much. I was thinking about getting one myself; when we went out to Utah to visit my aunt, who also rides, I decided to get my own. I rode with them and then with DH and his friends when we got back to Colorado. I've taken several women's skills clinics over the years - around here, they are pretty easy to find. The clinics helped a lot because DH's advice was always "just ride it!" - which I never found particularly helpful. I wanted at least one thing to think about, but since he had just learned by doing, he didn't have any suggestions to give. Very typical gender dynamic there.

 

[geargrrl]

Many of us learn just get getting out and riding.... depending on who you go with, this may or may not be a good way to learn. There are tons of skills clinics out there. You just have to look for them. Many clubs offer programs, group rides, and clinic. Professional mtb coaching is growing, too.

 

[geargrrl]

re noise: you need to look at what gears you are in, if there is a lot of slack in the gears that causes chain slap. Sometimes a small gear change can help this without going to a tensioner, long cage derailler or a different set up entirely. For me, going from a 3x in the front to a 2x helped immensely.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

The clinics helped a lot because DH's advice was always "just ride it!" - which I never found particularly helpful.

Not changing the topic at all but your comment just reminded me of what my DH says about skiing and getting better and faster. He said just point your tips down hill which has always frustrated me and a phrase I've never found helpful.

 

[bounceswoosh]

re noise: you need to look at what gears you are in, if there is a lot of slack in the gears that causes chain slap. Sometimes a small gear change can help this without going to a tensioner, long cage derailler or a different set up entirely. For me, going from a 3x in the front to a 2x helped immensely.

I do have a 2x with a bash guard instead of the largest ring. DH also thinks I'm not gearing properly, but I'm in the big ring up front and the middle in back. It seems wrong to go all the way to the big rings in back.