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techy stuff

1K views 25 replies 22 participants last post by  wyrm 
#1 ·
Hey I tend to lock up on steep technical parts on trails any advice?
 
#7 ·
if you have to brake, lay off the front.
lean back, but not so far your arms are fully extended.
let the bike carry you through and let the suspension and tires take care of the rest. you just worry about picking a line.

keep on hitting it too. dont let a few falls/crashes get you down. if your worried, armor up. most of it is confidence.
 
#9 ·
riding steeps.

butt back behind seat......
body low in attack position (KEY)
relax
look forward to where you are going
no front brake while descending
back brake as long as you can until the rear traction starts to break free..
if you have any bumps you need to let go of breaks
try to ride straitest line possible
brake when trail becomes flat
 
#12 ·
tonyg14 said:
Hey I tend to lock up on steep technical parts on trails any advice?
riding steeps.

butt back behind seat......
body low in attack position (KEY)
relax
look forward to where you are going
no front brake while descendingback brake as long as you can until the rear traction starts to break free..
if you have any bumps you need to let go of breaks
try to ride straitest line possible
brake when trail becomes flat
if you have to brake, lay off the front.
Help me out here SMT, have you and brillant endoed so many times that would cause you to make those statements?

At best, I use both brakes at the same time. Unless I'm doing a 'handbrake' turn, bringing the ass end around on a tight turn, I never use just the back brake.
Any danger of using the front brake will descending is totally cancelled out if the rider would just take a little time and practice BRAKE MODULATION.
Check any statistic. It applies to autos. It applies to motorcycles. It also applies to bicycles...front brakes provide 70% of the stopping power.

My advice is, learn how to feather/modulate your brakes; learn to back off ever so slightly the instant your wheel locks up. Practice that at various speeds and descent slopes. You'll quickly get a feel for how much pressure you need to apply before they lock up.
Then when you're descending, apply only as much brake pressure as you need, apply sparingly and with just barely the amount you needand use both brakes at the same time. You'll be using both wheels for the stopping power and will not have to apply too much pressure to either end at one time.
 
#13 ·
^^ All great advice. Someone already mentioned keeping your arms bent & loose, and keep your grip loose-ish too. If you have a white-knuckle death grip, chances are the rest of you will be stiff and tense, which ain't no good, bruv...

I find this hard as well, but it's awesome when you finally clean a nasty section you always walked before. Good luck.
 
#14 ·
Talk to yourself... audibly. Say things like, "Commit... COMMIT!" or "Stay off the brakes!"

Then pictures yourself looking at yourself from outside your bike. Are you leaning too far over the bars? Too far back? Are your arms and shoulder really narrow? Or are they out wide where they're supposed to be?
 
#16 ·
Confidence man... that's what it's all about. Yeah you might feel like your balls are in your stomach on those first few hairy down hills; but braking is only going to mess with your line and control of the bike. If you can, don't use the brakes on the downhill, wait 'till the calm afterwards to slow down.
 
#17 ·
SHIVER ME TIMBERS said:
riding steeps.

butt back behind seat......
body low in attack position (KEY)
relax
look forward to where you are going
no front brake while descending
back brake as long as you can until the rear traction starts to break free..
if you have any bumps you need to let go of breaks
try to ride straitest line possible
brake when trail becomes flat
Wow, I can't wait for you to take a camp from me. See this the problem with the internet there are no qualifications to give advice and unfortunately much of what you have said above is incorrect. These commonly passed down incorrect "myths" are addressed in my FREE email course offered on my website.

No front brake while descending? how do I slow down for a turn then?

And please, I am not trying to pick a fight or spam about my business. I am just trying to educate riders so they can enjoy their sport more, again I offer a lot of advice for free
 
#21 ·
Franz said:
^^ All great advice. Someone already mentioned keeping your arms bent & loose, and keep your grip loose-ish too. If you have a white-knuckle death grip, chances are the rest of you will be stiff and tense, which ain't no good, bruv...

I find this hard as well, but it's awesome when you finally clean a nasty section you always walked before. Good luck.
This is what works for me too. Keep your arms and legs loose, let them and you bike's suspension do the work of sucking up bumps. Keep your head up and your eyes focused on where you want to go. Find a rhythm and stick to it, you'll be surprised at the gnar you can cruise through. :thumbsup:
 
#22 ·
EDizzleVR6 said:
why dont you just post what to do in tech stuff, :thumbsup:
I have no problem posting my entire FREE mini-course here and I even pay to advertise on mtbr but usually when I try and help people in the forums they accuse me of spamming. If you feel that people here will take it as good advice and not get their panties in wad I would love to make a whole thread on the 10 most common mistakes that most riders are making.

i
 
#25 ·
I looked at the "no front brake" comment as well and thought yeah right.
But really he was probably trying to say that you should lay off the front brake and have your body weight back.

I'm just starting out too and tech sections are scary, and I can see how if riding through a rocky and steep section if you grab a bunch of brakes (as any newby is likely to) and don't have your weight far back enough well in most cases you'll fall off - maybe not otb but probably stop due to fear factor or just fall off through lack of control and momentum.

I imagine riding with and watching someone better than you is probably a good way to go. Otherwise it's like anything, the more you practice the more confidence you get. I've got a long way to go!!

"just lay off the brakes" is much easier said than done. Obviously you're not just suddenly going to go through that section without using any brakes. Just do it gradually, repeat the section trying to go through faster and faster each time.
 
#26 ·
I can think of instances where I have done a Rear only technique... or a controlled rear slide. A couple of trails I know have very specific exit points and require you to slide your way to get to lined up for it. I would argue all trails pose their differing obstacles, therefore the question is flawed in that the trail makes the trial subjective. Just a thought... not so much a critique of anyone.
 
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