Stand n mash or Sit n spin??

[mattyj]

So what's more effective when you are already pooped near the end of a DH race run and you still have a 30 second sprint on flat ground to finish? (eg. Fontucky wall) Sit and spin at a higher cadence in an easy gear or stand and mash with a slower cadence in a harder gear?

Opinions?

[Duece]

Lay down in the fetal position and dream of beer!

Really though, I stand and mash, go tell you puke!

[Moosey]

Stand and mash for as long as you possibly can, and when you cant do it any longer, keep on pushing it. ITS A RACE MAN! if you wanna win you gotta go as hard as you can until you finish. once you finish you can vomit all you want....

[kamikazee ideki]

Mashing is inefficient, you are much better off learning how to pedal smoothly while in the standing position, that way you maximise both power and efficiency - watch the BMX racers, when sprinting there is very little "mashing". Also, my understanding is that standing up enables you to have a higher cadence in a chosen gear when compared to sitting down. Ideally when sprinting you want to keep you legs spinning at around 100rpm, and adjust the gear you are in accordingly.

[essenmeinstuff]

considering that most DH bikes' seat position does not allow for an efficient "sit and spin", standing and "spinning" is the best way IMO.

[sdo1982]

With my level of fitness I normally go for the: "Hold on for dear life and collapse at the finish line"

Technically I guess it depends on your speed, the faster you go the more bhp you need over torque, so a higher cadence would be better.
So if the finish is wide open you might be better sitting and spinning, whereas if the finish is tight, get on the pedals and accelerate using the extra torque.

(Some or all of the above may be b.s. it just came to me)

[mattyj]

Mashing is inefficient, you are much better off learning how to pedal smoothly while in the standing position, that way you maximise both power and efficiency - watch the BMX racers, when sprinting there is very little "mashing". Also, my understanding is that standing up enables you to have a higher cadence in a chosen gear when compared to sitting down. Ideally when sprinting you want to keep you legs spinning at around 100rpm, and adjust the gear you are in accordingly.

Some educated and useful stuff there. Thanks

[JamisonW]

Stand and hammer... or mash

[DHgnaR]

Stand and sprint the wall at Fontana, always. It SUCKS, but ya gotta do it.

[Blaster1200]

I'm sure there are going to be a lot of comments by people who aren't familiar with The Wall at Fontana.

Oh, and I do both, and it seems to work for me.

[hozzerr1]

Stand up, but learn how to put it all down.

Before you drop down to your smallest cog start about 3 or 4 gears lower and don't shift down to a higher gear until you have spun the gear you're on. If done correctly this will allow you to sustain the effort longer, spending less energy while moving faster.

There's alot of science that has researched this matter and this seems to be the skinny of it.

Practice, Practice, Practice, and learn to be efficient and fluid even while straining your hardest.

[DeadlyStryker]

I ride my mountain bike on the street often. I practice what has been said about maximizing energy going to the wheel while standing and "mashing." When trying to make green lights from a looooong way back, standing and spinning is the way to do it. Try taking a little air out of your tires for an even better workout.

[simpterfex]

79
Failure is an opportunity.
If you blame someone else,
there is no end to the blame.

Therefore the Master
fulfills her own obligations
and corrects her own mistakes.
She does what she needs to do
and demands nothing of others.

[kikoraa]

Stand up, but learn how to put it all down.

Before you drop down to your smallest cog start about 3 or 4 gears lower and don't shift down to a higher gear until you have spun the gear you're on. If done correctly this will allow you to sustain the effort longer, spending less energy while moving faster.

There's alot of science that has researched this matter and this seems to be the skinny of it.

Practice, Practice, Practice, and learn to be efficient and fluid even while straining your hardest.

Could you explain this again? I'm having a hard time understanding the beginning. Iam interested.

[SHIVER ME TIMBERS]

the fontana wall...I have found I get better times trying to spin more in 7 or 8th gear then running full mashing in 9th....I spin real hard in the beginning and maintain the cadence/speed in 7th or 8th

[huffster]

OK, I'll bite...What's the Fontana Wall?

[SHIVER ME TIMBERS]

OK, I'll bite...What's the Fontana Wall?

Fontana has a race...the top part is typical DH...a little steeper, tecnical and rockier then most courses....at the bottom there is a stretch of flat land along the back side of houses...hence the name the wall...typically this spot uses up 50 to 60 seconds for most racers...winning race times are from 2:12 to 2:50 so the wall is very important

[huffster]

Fontana has a race...the top part is typical DH...a little steeper, tecnical and rockier then most courses....at the bottom there is a stretch of flat land along the back side of houses...hence the name the wall...typically this spot uses up 50 to 60 seconds for most racers...winning race times are from 2:12 to 2:50 so the wall is very important

Thanks for splainin'

[ronnyg801]

Mashing is inefficient, you are much better off learning how to pedal smoothly while in the standing position, that way you maximise both power and efficiency - watch the BMX racers, when sprinting there is very little "mashing". Also, my understanding is that standing up enables you to have a higher cadence in a chosen gear when compared to sitting down. Ideally when sprinting you want to keep you legs spinning at around 100rpm, and adjust the gear you are in accordingly.

I believe mashing to be inefficient too, but if you were to pedal a DH bike like you pedal a BMX out of the gate, it would be MASH. those bikes are rigid, have very low rotational mass and accelerate quickly.

I am not expert but I have spent my life on bikes, mostly BMX, I believe the cadence thing mentioned above and practicing in the correct gearing and proper shifting time to be very important.

Alot of high level BMX racers including olympic athletes do street sprints. They dont look like they mash but they are also very well practiced at how to put the power down. Look at all the high level world cup DH dudes, they dont look like they mash to me either, they are very well practiced at putting the power down, but it is different IMO, they also have gearing to choose from, obviously but this helps greatly reduce inefficient "mashing". Not saying it is just to do with gearing though.

I think street sprints could be very beneficial to learning this skill in DH, you have a lot less to focus on and can spend it on efficient pedaling, bike movement, body english and gearing choice for you, also making both less of a thinking task, it becomes more second nature.

[schlockinz]

drop some balls and stand, practice sprints till you learn where your puke line is, then start puking till you push it further.

You can learn to stand and sprint efficiently, but I imagine that it'll take a coach or someone who knows what they are doing to watch you and make sure that you are doing it properly

[jakester29959]

stand and mash till you vomit and then keep going. Its a race and if you want to win you have to give it 200% till the end.