Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

What a ride

1K views 16 replies 6 participants last post by  411898 
#1 ·
I went to El Moro late this afternoon and thought to go for a quick one hour ride which I am comfortable with, it turns out I ride 3hours and I was not prepared at all. I got lost completely. I went to a different trail today and asked someone for direction and it didn’t turn out to the right way to go. I was so tired and out of water and I was worried if I can get out of the mountain before it gets dark. I keep on pedaling as fast as I could and as a beginner, I am not very skilled to go down the steep hills yet and the downhill I can go down easily in the past seems very hard to me today because I was so tired, and I crashed. Mountain does make you humble.

Question, how I can get better with downhill? Why the more I ride the more I get intimidated by steep downhill? The sound of sliding of my tires make me nervous and my hands get tired quickly..
 
#2 ·
First, try to always ride with a buddy, especially if you go to an area you have never been to before.

As for downhill improvement there are a number things to do, but it depends on your bike a little, but mostly it is about body positioning and correct use of brakes. If you are going to be on a very long section of downhill and be climbing again it will help to lower your seat a bit so it is easier to get your butt off the back of the seat and over the rear tire when approaching bigger drops. This helps keep your center of gravity back and helps prevent going over the bars up front. Never grab only your front brakes when on a steep downhill section, that will also lead to going over the front. Every rider has their own style, coming from a Dirt Bike background I tend to drag the rear some, but in quick stopping I use both front and rear in equal amounts at the same time. I am sure you can find some much better write-ups on learning some of this if you search around, but those are my basic pointers.
 
#6 ·
ambassadorhawg said:
Your tires may be the issue also, which tires are you riding on?
That is what i am thinking as well, if the tires are old, cracking and missing knobs or the knobs are worn down it is time for new rubber, or if the tires are really thin you could have some issues. I run 2.24 inch up front and a 2.5 in the rear.
 
#7 ·
Klurejr said:
That is what i am thinking as well, if the tires are old, cracking and missing knobs or the knobs are worn down it is time for new rubber, or if the tires are really thin you could have some issues. I run 2.24 inch up front and a 2.5 in the rear.
I am also interested in what make/model tires the OP is using. That too plays a roll in performance/handling/self-confidence.
 
#9 ·
Either the bike came with low quality tires, or you are just coming into turns really fast causing the tires to slide. Can you tell us what size tires you are running? What exact Model number/name is your diamond back? Did you buy it at a bike shop and get fitted to the bike by the shop?
 
#10 ·
Our local conditions are often very dry and loose. You will have to eventually get accustomed to some loss of traction at times.

I suggest trying different tires (I would recommend Specialized Captian tires). I also suggest getting a UST (or Tubeless compatible) wheelset. Using this setup you will be able to run lower pressures and get way more traction.

Do you have good brakes? Providing you are using good brakes, you should be able to 1 finger brake. This puts more fingers on the grips for better control.

You will have to learn to relax more. The bike will do a great job of rolling provided you select the proper line. In order to do this you must look ahead. Do not look at your front tire! Look down the trail and select the appropriate path of travel well in advance.

Practice will help. I would suggest riding as many different trails as you can. Try to limit the duration of your rides at first so that you can build endurance. When you get really tired that is when things have a higher chance of going bad.

Be prepared. Carry a hydration pack and the spares that you might need. I used to carry spare brake pads even! :) At a minimum have some inflator, a tube, a multi-tool, a quick link for the chain, and other odds and ends. Know how to use every item, and how to make repairs on your bike!

The Rock N' Road Divas put on some group rides and clinics. These might help.

Also, another site socaltrailriders.org, puts on "Newbie Rides" and these are great to meet other beginner riders and not worry about being dropped.
 
#11 ·
Just checked my bike, it is "Sport response" 2011 mondel. tires are 26x2.1 back and front. It is disc break and it is not forgiving, it stops fast which is good thing for an experienced rider but it makes me crash easily.

Thanks again for all the great help, I really appreciated!
 
#13 ·
You guys need to stop telling her to buy new stuff for the damn bike =P She just got it 3 weeks ago for Peke sake! And if shes that scared of going downhill new tires aren't going to help mainly because its SoCal, the driest area around and El Moro is quite tamed for the most part to be honest.

First things first, you WILL fall while mountain biking. Took me a while to get that concept through my thick skull =P Not trying to scare you, but after you tell yourself "F*CK it its not going to hurt THAT bad" you'll feel much better going downhills.

The tires sliding could be a few things.
1. Too much brake, relax. Refer to the paragraph above.
2. Tire pressure, if you're tires are rock hard, you're tires pressure is too high!
3. Being a girl I'm assuming you're not putting much weight down on the tires in the first place, therefore you're just sliding around a bit.

You say you get more scared as you ride longer? Usually its because you're dehydrated/lacking nutrients. I'm the same way. Pack along extra water next time and maybe bring something to snack on. Mountain biking is a lot more exhausting that it seems ;-)

As for your hands getting tired, its caused by that death grip you have going on. Gloves help if you don't have them. If you do. Just lighten up on the grip a little bit.

Now this is the part where I'd offer to show you around and be patient with you. And I'd love to, I like taking it slow and I'm VERY patient, but I haven't seen 8 am all year long. No lie.
Change that, then we'll talk =P
 
#14 ·
UEDan said:
You guys need to stop telling her to buy new stuff for the damn bike =P She just got it 3 weeks ago for Peke sake! And if shes that scared of going downhill new tires aren't going to help mainly because its SoCal, the driest area around and El Moro is quite tamed for the most part to be honest.

First things first, you WILL fall while mountain biking. Took me a while to get that concept through my thick skull =P Not trying to scare you, but after you tell yourself "F*CK it its not going to hurt THAT bad" you'll feel much better going downhills.

The tires sliding could be a few things.
1. Too much brake, relax. Refer to the paragraph above.
2. Tire pressure, if you're tires are rock hard, you're tires pressure is too high!
3. Being a girl I'm assuming you're not putting much weight down on the tires in the first place, therefore you're just sliding around a bit.

You say you get more scared as you ride longer? Usually its because you're dehydrated/lacking nutrients. I'm the same way. Pack along extra water next time and maybe bring something to snack on. Mountain biking is a lot more exhausting that it seems ;-)

As for your hands getting tired, its caused by that death grip you have going on. Gloves help if you don't have them. If you do. Just lighten up on the grip a little bit.

Now this is the part where I'd offer to show you around and be patient with you. And I'd love to, I like taking it slow and I'm VERY patient, but I haven't seen 8 am all year long. No lie.
Change that, then we'll talk =P
HUH??? Are you OK???? :eek:ut:

Don't tell her to spend any more money on her new bike? That's what bike owners do!

New tires that are designed to handle her specific terrain type will make her a better rider due to confidence built as she witnesses the bike handling more reliably and predictably...
 
#15 ·
UEDan said:
You guys need to stop telling her to buy new stuff for the damn bike =P She just got it 3 weeks ago for Peke sake! And if shes that scared of going downhill new tires aren't going to help mainly because its SoCal, the driest area around and El Moro is quite tamed for the most part to be honest.

First things first, you WILL fall while mountain biking. Took me a while to get that concept through my thick skull =P Not trying to scare you, but after you tell yourself "F*CK it its not going to hurt THAT bad" you'll feel much better going downhills.

The tires sliding could be a few things.
1. Too much brake, relax. Refer to the paragraph above.
2. Tire pressure, if you're tires are rock hard, you're tires pressure is too high!
3. Being a girl I'm assuming you're not putting much weight down on the tires in the first place, therefore you're just sliding around a bit.

You say you get more scared as you ride longer? Usually its because you're dehydrated/lacking nutrients. I'm the same way. Pack along extra water next time and maybe bring something to snack on. Mountain biking is a lot more exhausting that it seems ;-)

As for your hands getting tired, its caused by that death grip you have going on. Gloves help if you don't have them. If you do. Just lighten up on the grip a little bit.

Now this is the part where I'd offer to show you around and be patient with you. And I'd love to, I like taking it slow and I'm VERY patient, but I haven't seen 8 am all year long. No lie.
Change that, then we'll talk =P
1 low end bikes rarely come with decent off road tires. tires make a HUGE difference.
2 tubeless setup would reduce flats and allow her to get down into the 20psi range, another HUGE difference.

i don't know what i am talking about though. taught my wife how to ride, in 6 years she went from walking down fire roads with her bike to one of the top 10 women XC racers in the US.
:D
 
#16 ·
whybotherme said:
1 low end bikes rarely come with decent off road tires. tires make a HUGE difference.
2 tubeless setup would reduce flats and allow her to get down into the 20psi range, another HUGE difference.

i don't know what i am talking about though. taught my wife how to ride, in 6 years she went from walking down fire roads with her bike to one of the top 10 women XC racers in the US.
:D
This is true, and if I remember next week I'll post up a pic of me early on tripoding down a fire road at Daley Ranch. I would climb all day, but was so scared to ride downhill. I cried descending San Juan from Cocktail the first time. The WHOLE way down.

It really boils down to practice, gaining confidence, and yes if/when/where possible changing out bike parts (tires, brakes, grips, etc.). Luckily for me, despite the fact that we bought nice bikes (Specialized at the time they were called Resolutions, now Fast Trak essentially). I put on heavier tires that didn't roll as well but helped give me some confidence on the loose. That plus just riding more, trying different trails, etc. It just takes time, like any skill.
 
#17 ·
whybotherme said:
1 low end bikes rarely come with decent off road tires. tires make a HUGE difference.
2 tubeless setup would reduce flats and allow her to get down into the 20psi range, another HUGE difference.

i don't know what i am talking about though. taught my wife how to ride, in 6 years she went from walking down fire roads with her bike to one of the top 10 women XC racers in the US.
:D
Wait damn minute, lol! EVERYONE knows who your wife is...Are you saying that YOU taught her how to ride???
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top