Long tight rocky downhills

[rmz450duner]

Just race a race in New Mexico at a ski resort. Long uphills up the slopes:applause: , but then very tight rocky wet steep downhills:confused: . I need help seriously on these. What's the best technique for riding this type of terrain. Thanks for the info.

[yz250frider1322]

use both breaks but dont lock them up. also put ur bike in first..if u riding a 2 stroke then it wont help cause they dont have engine breaking. but if a 4 stroke put it in 1 and if u do let go of the breaks just let the clutch out and engine breaking will take over. how big are the rocks?? if baseball size or so just pick a line and follow it. look ahead for ur next move and if u see a bad spot dont keep ur eye on it or your most likly to go to the bad spot. i dont know what time of mud yall have put in VA red clay sucks. its like ice. its all about speed and balance and being careful on it.

[drtbkr]

The faster you go, the less you have to worry about the bike making "decisions" for you... know what I mean? Stay off the front brake, keep a constant speed, stay in a gear above what you think you should be, and steer with your feet with the pegs. Did I mention to be standing up all the while?? Keep an over-the-pegs weight ratio with yourself bent over the bars and your elbows UP ("Attack position"). You'll be amazed at what your bike does by what your weight on the pegs tells it to. Wet rocks are a 'mental' obstical going down hill. That's why God invented suspension... ?

[J_Daniels]

I go significantly faster on super steep downhills than what feels comfortable; the bike is just so much easier to control. Stuff that makes me fall at 2-3 mph is no problem at 6-10 mph. Obviously, you have to look well ahead in order to slow down for really big obstacles which could crash you.

[Brokenparts123]

Go out and find a nice steep hill you are comfortable with, and see how hard you can grab the front break, you can really crawl down hills if you have too by using alot of front break.

[bikeslut]

well you got:

don;t use the front brake

use both brakes

use the front brake really hard

I think the confusion is: Are you trying to go fast, or just not crash? Both brakes, even a lot of front, will allow you to descend ridiculously steep stuff, but you're not "racing" at that point... you're surviving

Like someone said above: if you're racing... a little faster than you think is comfortable, stand up the whole way, and "ski" the terrain...weight distribution and balance.

[rmz450duner]

Well I used alot of front brake,back brake, anything to go slow. It was very tight single track and not only were there the baseball to bowling ball sized rocks there were large trees all the while being wet and slick. I guess I'll just have to sack up and let the clutch out and go for it. Trees dont hurt that bad do they.?

[GARYG]

I did the same race and had the same problem. On my second loop I started standing up all the way down the hill using both brakes and and just tryed to go with the flow of the hill. I was able to decrease my lap time close to 4min. This is the second time I have done this race and the first one was a nightmare. All went well for me this time except for the wet rocky fire road that was about 1/2 - 3/4 of a mile long. I had to almost get off my bike and push as my bike could not keep a straight line because of the wet rocks. My bike had a mind of it's own and wanted to go everywhere it wanted to go and not in the direction I wanted it to go. It was a bitch of a race but when I was finished I thought to myself "dame that was fun."

[bellec]

I used to race downhill mountain bikes and when things point downhill I feel right at home.

The keys in my opinion are:

Stand in the neutral position

use the brakes as you would normally, as if it were flat (use both)!

stay loose as a goose!

Don't fight your bike, as long as it is not pointing off the trail, go where the bumps take you.

Fighting your bike is a quick way to crashing.

Did I mention stay loose as goose.

I personally don't like a lot of engine braking so I'll ride in 2nd or 3rd.

Well I used alot of front brake,back brake, anything to go slow. It was very tight single track and not only were there the baseball to bowling ball sized rocks there were large trees all the while being wet and slick. I guess I'll just have to sack up and let the clutch out and go for it. Trees dont hurt that bad do they.?

[moto_stevo]

I've had similar experience at a national hare scramble. It was raining. I crashed early into the race, and when I came to the nasty downhill I had no front brake. The only way down was to use the trees as berms to scrub speed. After I made it to the pits and got a new lever, I still went faster without the front brake...... but I still used the trees as berms.

The lesson..... go as fast as you THINK you have control (in a race).

disclaimer: this is one riders opinion, and we all know what opinions are comparable too.....

[SBtrailrider]

I race semi-pro DH and excel at narrow, steep, rough stuff (and go out of my way to find it in fact) so maybe I can lend some advice. I find that my DR350 is almost easier to handle through the rough stuff than my DH bike simply because it holds a line better. The only place I find the moto to be a disadvantage are areas where I want to loft my DH bike over rockgardens or bunny hop something, hairpin switchbacks that I can barely make on a DH bike anyway without whipping the rear end around.

See if these help:

-Lean back, not to the point where you are kissing the seat, but where your arms and legs are extended and slightly bent. You have a foot of travel in your arms and your legs in addition to that in your suspension, so don't be afraid to use it. Keeping your body rigid means that you absorb every hit transmitted through the suspension - not good.

-LOOK WHERE YOU WANT TO GO. Practicing this single habit religously helped my riding more than anything when I was getting good at DH. If you position your entire head to look in the direction you want to be heading, it will adjust your shoulders, then your spine, then your hips to do the same IF YOU STAY LOOSE.

-Engine brake in 1st if you have to. Don't lock the brakes ever unless you need to slide the rear end around quickly at slow speed. Use the front brake ONLY in a straight line - do not EVER touch it in a corner. Don't be afraid of it though. 90% of your braking ability is in the front brake on a descent. Go out on a hill and try to stop from a rolling standstill using each brake independently and see what I mean. Front brake = power/slowing down, rear brake = control/adjustment.

Those are the biggies. Almost every situation you come across can be handled by the most fundamental riding techniques - just stick to your guns. Here are some more minor ones:

-Go straight where you can for as long as you can. Weaving doesn't get you to cover ground any faster unless it lines you up for a turn so you may take more speed out of it. You would be very surprised what you can roll over.

-Don't come into rocky sections too hot and expect to bleed off speed. Do the opposite. Come in at a comfortable pace and accelerate by being smooth and relaxed and exit with more speed.

-If you are going below 4-5 mph, just keep it in first. As long as you are rolling you won't stall it out. It isn't a bad idea to have it in 2nd or 3rd as the other guy said if you're rolling down consistently faster than that - it's a good way to keep the rear wheel traction consistent and give you a litte more braking resistance. When I'm going down anything loose I personally just engine brake and use the front brake and save the rear brake for feathering in corners.

-The motorcycle weighs more than you do (usually). If it moves around, let it.

If you can, go buy a DH bike video or two, specifically race videos that show wet and steep world cup courses. I'd recommend any of the Earthed series or Hypnosis. WC courses are well known for being steep, wet, off camber, and rooty/rocky as hell - you'll see what I mean. Watching the lines the pros take and how loose they stay is key.

If you want to see a moto convert named Richard Lancaster ride one of the toughest trails in existance, get Chainsmoke 2 and watch the first full trail they feature in it. I won't say where it is, but both DH bikes and motos have made it down that entire trail.

[Flynall]

Where would I find the Chainsmoke 2 video?

Thanks,

RH

[davemaximus]

Thanks for the advice and techniques. I was out riding my first ride in many years and approached a steep rocky advanced jeep trail. (far beyond my current skill level) As I rolled over the edge "Apparently" I grabbed a little to much front brake, before I new it I was face down with the bike which definitely outweighs me, on top of me... Thank god for gear... After the ribs heal I'll be back on that trail to conquer... Thanks again for the words of wisdom....

[LLpeteJ]

The faster you go, the less you have to worry about the bike making "decisions" for you... know what I mean? Stay off the front brake, keep a constant speed, stay in a gear above what you think you should be, and steer with your feet with the pegs. Did I mention to be standing up all the while?? Keep an over-the-pegs weight ratio with yourself bent over the bars and your elbows UP ("Attack position"). You'll be amazed at what your bike does by what your weight on the pegs tells it to. Wet rocks are a 'mental' obstical going down hill. That's why God invented suspension... ?

x2 good advice on the riding... but i thought factory connection invented suspension ?

[DrzDasher]

here is one i haven't heard but love to do. Load the rear shock with your weight and pull in the clutch and just coast down it and pull up the front wheel with alittle twist and have fun

[Bryce418]

I used to race downhill mountain bikes and when things point downhill I feel right at home.

The keys in my opinion are:

Stand in the neutral position

use the brakes as you would normally, as if it were flat (use both)!

stay loose as a goose!

Don't fight your bike, as long as it is not pointing off the trail, go where the bumps take you.

Fighting your bike is a quick way to crashing.

Did I mention stay loose as goose.

I personally don't like a lot of engine braking so I'll ride in 2nd or 3rd.

that's probably one of the best descriptions of how to go fast downhill I have read and I personally feel downhill is way easier to ride because gravity take care of the mommentum for you and beliving that faster is smoother and just remember when things get ugly it's all about body english don't fight the bars and don't lean on the bars hang on with your ankles and legs and keep your elbows as loose as possible

Bryce