Mountain Biking

glitch said:
@CraigN - watch this and see if you can spot anything you are doing. Everything Cathro has put out via Pinkbike is worth your time, but this seemed appropriate.

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many things :cry: the intro to that video is pretty much what happened to me. I only wish the trail i was on was as smooth as that one. My knee may have faired better.

I did 4 runs back to back with no rest. Other than the small wait while riding the uplift. I think lack of concentration and tiredness was my biggest issue.

My injuries were mainly superficial thankfully so swapped my forks out yesterday and went out. Did my local singletrack trail on my ebike and then again on my transition. My e-bike feels like it wants to wash out all the time. Even on the slightest of turns on flat ground. It feels like a constant struggle. I thought i was going mad so that's why I did exactly the same run on my old tranny. its got 26" wheels, 68 degree head angle and a 50mm shorter reach. I have always run schwalbe tyres on it. I don't get the same struggle on this bike. But my run on the ebike takes 28 mins and it took me 50 on my normal bike.

Undoubtedly I am doing something wrong. But habits are hard to change. From memory I was probably on the breaks when I came off. I defo felt like I was having to use the breaks as I felt like I didn't have the confidence to make the corners at the speed I was carrying.

Gonna do some coaching at bpw and hire a bike next time I go I think.
 
Get some football training markers, find some soft-ish flat ground and map out a simple figure-8 course to practice cornering with. Really helps to learn the basics and costs very little - and while it will feel stupid, it will help if you stick with it.

FWIW having done BPW coaching, the group sessions are nowhere near as valuable as the 1-on-1 course. Yes, they are twice the price, but you get far more out of them as you are not limited by the most inexperienced rider in the group - even on the Advanced courses, I've suffered people who needed constant attention from the coaches leading to the rest of the group complaining and getting a credit for another session.

If your location is accurate, have a look at https://www.pedalprogression.com/courses/bespoke-one-off/
 
I only found out the other day that pedal progression exists.

They are located where my local trails are. The reason I bought an ebike is I can cycle the 20 mins to get there, do the trails and cycle home again. I cycle there every week. Now I no longer have to drive there didn't realise they have setup shop in the car park :P

I will defo do 1 on 1 to start with. Thanks for the advice.
 
Feel like this is more suited to here rather than the road thread, although it really is more gravel related.

The trails around here are very dry, loose stoney style with some big rocks thrown in. The descents can be around 10-20% and so without being too competent i end up going pretty slowly and just holding the brakes. At times i've found my forearms, wrists and fingers getting pretty achey.
Now i imagine the number one fix would be to be more confident on the bike and ease off the brakes and just learn to handle the bike. However old age is kicking in and a reluctance to fall off is now the main issue and having already come off a couple times when i've got a little over confident, the result is a lot of blood just due to the terrain.

Any tips for this? I would say i'm the same on both my hardtail and my gravel bike. Although probably a little more confident on the hardtail just due to the tyres and hand position. Certainly not at the level of a mountain biker though. I only really bought it for touring style rides as opposed to ever having goals of downhills.

Youtube here to give an idea of terrain
 
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Martynt74 said:
Feel like this is more suited to here rather than the road thread, although it really is more gravel related.

The trails around here are very dry, loose stoney style with some big rocks thrown in. The descents can be around 10-20% and so without being too competent i end up going pretty slowly and just holding the brakes. At times i've found my forearms, wrists and fingers getting pretty achey.
Now i imagine the number one fix would be to be more confident on the bike and ease off the brakes and just learn to handle the bike. However old age is kicking in and a reluctance to fall off is now the main issue and having already come off a couple times when i've got a little over confident, the result is a lot of blood just due to the terrain.

Any tips for this? I would say i'm the same on both my hardtail and my gravel bike. Although probably a little more confident on the hardtail just due to the tyres and hand position. Certainly not at the level of a mountain biker though. I only really bought it for touring style rides as opposed to ever having goals of downhills.

Youtube here to give an idea of terrain
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Elbow and knee protection minimum (POC have a sale at the moment) and possibly a back piece. Coming off is still rubbish but when it hurts only for a few moments and you don’t need to patch yourself up trail side the confidence will naturally grow as the hesitation drops off. I had a similar issue and found knee pads and a full face gave me heaps more confidence to do dumb things with no improvement to the amount of times I came off. The amount of times I can get back on again however has increased 10 fold. Trees are also not as ruthless when you bounce off only partially winded.

I’d also experiment with tyres and tyre combos. I have 4 sets of wheels and tyres that in theory could give me 16 different combos. I understand how each of the 4 sets work well and where so that choice has helped no end in keeping my speed up and my worries down.
 
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Had my first coaching session yesterday.

My fox 36s are forked. Not sure why but rebound on them is so slow they hardly work. But I got my 38's back from repair so will get them back on.

My weight is far too far back on the bike. He thinks I might need a larger bike. But for now moved my stem down and my seat as far forward as it will go. Took my Transition with me also and it has a much longer stem and my position is much further forward. Worked on what he called ready position, elbows out leaning forward.

Bike sizing is an interesting one. I've always ridden mediums. My armspan is greater than my height. If going by height i tend to always be on the cusp of Medium/Large.

The other thing he told me to do was weights! My arms are puny, I have been on a big old weight loss journey and my muscle mass is woeful, especially in the upper body.
 
Martynt74 said:
The trails around here are very dry, loose stoney style with some big rocks thrown in. The descents can be around 10-20% and so without being too competent i end up going pretty slowly and just holding the brakes. At times i've found my forearms, wrists and fingers getting pretty achey.
Now i imagine the number one fix would be to be more confident on the bike and ease off the brakes and just learn to handle the bike. However old age is kicking in and a reluctance to fall off is now the main issue and having already come off a couple times when i've got a little over confident, the result is a lot of blood just due to the terrain.

Any tips for this?
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Better brakes, be that bigger rotors and/or better pads, will help your confidence. If you are getting arm pump it likely comes from grabbing the brakes and bars and holding on for dear life, which will usually end up with you being unable to control the bike as effectively as you need to.

Understanding how to manoeuvre the bike around and get your weight in the right place will likely be the other aspect. You can pretty much ride any bike, with any tyres, down any thing with the right skill level - but confidence in both yourself and your equipment plays a huge part.

 
CraigN said:
Bike sizing is an interesting one. I've always ridden mediums. My armspan is greater than my height. If going by height i tend to always be on the cusp of Medium/Large.

The other thing he told me to do was weights! My arms are puny, I have been on a big old weight loss journey and my muscle mass is woeful, especially in the upper body.
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Curious about the size situation, if you don't mind me asking what are your measurements?

I am 6'0", 33" inside leg and have an Ape Index of 1.05 (here) and while I usually ride a large, I go on Reach and Effective Top Tube numbers rather than just the size on the frame.

My 'smallest' Large is a 465mm Reach and my 'largest' is a 487mm, but both work for me based on the other geometry numbers in play on the bikes and riding multiple size options before buying.

As a good example of how confusing things can be, my 487mm reach bike would be 465mm in a smaller size frame, but that feels very cramped on that particular bike where it feels perfect on the other bike.
 
CraigN said:
My weight is far too far back on the bike. He thinks I might need a larger bike. But for now moved my stem down and my seat as far forward as it will go. Took my Transition with me also and it has a much longer stem and my position is much further forward. Worked on what he called ready position, elbows out leaning forward.
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Hard to know for sure what he was telling you with the 'elbows out' comment, but generally I dislike that advice as it puts you in a really bad position - but it is really dependant on the person and the actual advice being given.

Listen to Cathro - he knows what he's talking aboot.

 
Wasn't like that. Hard to explain.

was doing exercises leaning the bike to corner on the flat. So leaning the bike but keeping body as upright as possible. My instinct is to lean with the bike to much and thus the front washes out.

because it didnt feel natural to me, it very much felt like i had my elbows out.
 
yeah sort of.

I also only tend to drop my foot when cornering right. When i corner left i dont drop my left foot but keep my pedals level for some reason.

Has been very helpful to have external feedback.
 
Proper coaching is, in my eyes, invaluable to helping people become better, more confident riders. Sure, there are some people for who it all just clicks, but even those riding savants could benefit from a tip or two.

But going back to your earlier point, fitness is just as important and if you can make some strides in that area you'll be a much-improved rider in next to no time. Core strength is crucial - and something I really need to sort out!
 
Andrew Moore said:
Elbow and knee protection minimum (POC have a sale at the moment) and possibly a back piece. Coming off is still rubbish but when it hurts only for a few moments and you don’t need to patch yourself up trail side the confidence will naturally grow as the hesitation drops off. I had a similar issue and found knee pads and a full face gave me heaps more confidence to do dumb things with no improvement to the amount of times I came off. The amount of times I can get back on again however has increased 10 fold. Trees are also not as ruthless when you bounce off only partially winded.

I’d also experiment with tyres and tyre combos. I have 4 sets of wheels and tyres that in theory could give me 16 different combos. I understand how each of the 4 sets work well and where so that choice has helped no end in keeping my speed up and my worries down.
Click to expand...

Better brakes, be that bigger rotors and/or better pads, will help your confidence. If you are getting arm pump it likely comes from grabbing the brakes and bars and holding on for dear life, which will usually end up with you being unable to control the bike as effectively as you need to.
glitch said:
Understanding how to manoeuvre the bike around and get your weight in the right place will likely be the other aspect. You can pretty much ride any bike, with any tyres, down any thing with the right skill level - but confidence in both yourself and your equipment plays a huge part.

Click to expand...


Cheers guys, did consider some arm/knee protection. I guess ultimately it's just confidence and increasing skill. I'm very much a road biker and just wanted to do nice gravel style trails, but location means some of the routes are more light mountain biking rather than just rough road, and since i want to build up to some horrificly long endurance rides i need to just increase skill to become confident on riding over these conditions.

I'm going to start aiming for at least one off road orientated ride a week on my hardtail i think, the bigger more aggressive tyres means i can be a little more confident on grip vs my 40mm gravel tyres, and so i can build some confidence up and then try and take that through to my gravel bike for any events.
 
Thinking of giving some lighter tyres a try.

Currently have a Magic Mary 2.6 Trail Soft on the front.
Conti Kryptotal R Endurance 2.4 rear.

Thinking of Nobby Nic Trail Ultra-Soft 2.4 front.
Nobby Nic Trail Soft 2.4 rear. Shouldn't sacrifice much grip by running softer compound but will save a fair bit in weight.
 
Not having the best time of it!

Dropper post died today. Took it apart and cartridge is completely dead. Of course its some random brand that came with the bike that i cant find a new cartridge for so guess its new dropper time.

what are people using/recommending? I have an OG reverb on my old bike, must admit the cable operated dropper is much easier to use.
 
CraigN said:
Not having the best time of it!

Dropper post died today. Took it apart and cartridge is completely dead. Of course its some random brand that came with the bike that i cant find a new cartridge for so guess its new dropper time.

what are people using/recommending? I have an OG reverb on my old bike, must admit the cable operated dropper is much easier to use.
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One-up V2 or V3 seem to be fine with v2 better value. X-Fusion Manic seems to be ok. I don't see much point in buying Fox or Rockshox tbh.
 
CraigN said:
what are people using/recommending?
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TranzX Kitsuma / Brand X Ascend for cheap, reliable and decent.

PNW Loam / BikeYoke Divine (if you can find the right size on sale/eBay) for middle ground.

BikeYoke Revive / Manitou Jack for top-end performance.

Don't bother with OneUp, they are not built for UK conditions and will always fail you. Only advantage is they are easy to service and rebuild. Fox Transfer aren't worth the money as they need a regular service at Fox unless you buy the latest model.

FWIW you can pair a low-end dropper like the Ascend with a high-end lever like the PNW Loam or similar and get fantastic, UK-proof performance for less than the cost of a BikeYoke Revive. But once you've ridden a bike with one of those on... you'll never go back.
 
I need a 34.9 diameter post and for some reason that doesn't seem to be popular with the manufacturers.

PNW loam seems to be available in the size im after so will give that a go, cheers.
 
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