Tappets

yeah, that's it. i can climb quick and for long hauls and gettin better at technical sections and whatnot, but for some reason, i'm the biggest sissy when it gets to goin down hills fast. even my gf dusts me off on the zippy downhill portions that we normally ride. i'm ok with that, but i'm not progressing in this department.

any USEFUL tips?

knocking on wood here, but no major crashes (yet) so that doesn't seem to be the problem. do i need more time in the saddle trying faster descents? maybe hit the same sections over until i get really familiar with them and then start concentrating on the speed parts while on familiar ground?

i know someone will say quit using the brakes, but i already figured that part out. hehe

iwantakona

Well first you'll have to hear the disclaimer. I am a total n00b to this sport so don't listen to me! But I have ridden atv's and dirtbikes in the mountains for 12 years so I do know a thing or two about descending on those and alot of it carries over. So here goes.

When you going down the hill first of all stay loose especially in the legs. You want your weight towards the rear if it is steep the steeper it is the farther back. When your going down don't use your brakes but instead concentrate on finding the smoothest way down. It will not only make you faster at getting down but if you avoid the bigger bumps you'll be less likely to loose it. If and when you have to use the brakes use your rear brakes more so and apply them first then use the front only if you have to. Thats all the advice I ave for you and if I'm wrong I'm sure someone will tell me so.

iwantakona

Why do you have the overwhelming desire to tell everyone they are wrong and not try to help anyone get better or realize why they are wrong? Also if you read my entire post you would see where I said not to listen to me and asked anyone to correct me if I was wrong.

iwantakona

I try to help out anyone anyway I can. I notice you only said one small part of my post was incorrect meaning everything else said was correct. I think I made a positive contribution. I posted what works well for me. I am faster on the descents then most people I have seen on full suspension bikes at my local trails. If you don't like it don't read it.

Dannihilator

Don'ts

Don't rely entirely on the brakes, riding the brakes when descending can get you into more trouble than just pinning it through a section.

Don't watch what is right at your front wheel. Don't focus on one particular object that isn't part of the trail, if you do so, you'll head right towards that object.

Do's

Watch the trail at least 15 feet ahead of you.
keep your whole body loose, brake pump sucks.
Learn to find the line of a trail.
If the trail contains a lot of loose rocks, let the bike go in the direction it wants to.
Only use the brakes if you come across another trail user. Or if you need to slow down for a sharp corner.
Learn to shift your body weight around, especially when cornering.
May sound weird, but trust your tires, you have no idea how much they can grip.
Practice, practice practice.

If you really are concerned, try to follow a more experienced rider through some descents, and just watch what they are doing.

alumrock12

haaha... my dh friend laughed at me (xc-er) when i said 'i tried picking out my lines today during my ride'

Dannihilator

Your DH friend, probably isn't the greatest of riders then since it's apparent that he's plowing through everything.

alumrock12

i think he was trying to say that xcers don't spend as much time picking their lines as dhers do in addition, xcers aren't as good at it as they are??

iwantakona

I'm glad I could bring meaning to your life Pete. I still haven't seen you make one single post in this thread related to the subject. Your the worst person here when it comes to posting off topic crap that means diddly squat. Should anyone want to try and search for good info they are going to have to read threw your idiotic argumentative bull. If all you wanna do is argue try IRC.

mcoine

If Pete hadn't pointed out your terrible advice, there would be people reading this and thinking they should use only their rear brake while descending. It's terrible advice and someone needs to point it out so newbies don't adopt the same bad habits you have.

iwantakona

If you had read my post you would have seen that I said you use your rear brakes first then use the fronts as needed.

If you also read my post you uold see that I said I am a n00b and my advice may not be the best.

mtnbiker66

Awesme thread....don't use your brakes....cool.

JonathanGennick 

Mr. Smashy's advice seems on-the-money to me. I'm probably a bit of a downhill wuss too. One thing I might add is that when/if you push yourself to go faster, do it when you're feeling at the top of your game. Don't push yourself when having an off day. I was riding last week, didn't quite feel 100%, but pushed myself to go fast downhill anyway. I crashed pretty badly, and I'll be hurting for awhile yet. It was an easy downhill run too, and I would never have crashed had my mind not been "foggy" that evening. So push yourself to get faster if you want to, but know when to push and when to hang back and take things easy.

Tappets

hey everyone,
thanks for the advice. finding the line, staying loose and looking well ahead will be the three major things i'll concentrate on for now. i'll let practice and experience do the rest.

iwantakona, thanks for your input too. pete still has yet to offer anything but negative criticism regarding your posts. maybe he could share some of his mad bikin skills here instead of the slurry of disparaging remarks that offer little or no advice. that's what we're all hoping for... to become better riders and asking our peers what they've learned can sometimes speed up the process. don't fall for it. he's prolly just trying to get a rise out of you, which he did. troll.

C Law

I'd have to agree with much of the rest of your post but this seems to be odd advice. You never scrub speed before a drop or stunt or scrub speed on long straight aways so you are not approaching 'ludicrous speed' ?

GV27

LOL - prepare to jump to Ludicrous Speed! Seal all entrances and exits. Lock all stores in the mall. Cancel the 3-ring circus. Secure all animals in the zoo...



I do use my brakes to keep me down at light speed.......

It's to bad that threads like this turn into food fights.

Pete - this is the last time I'm going to point this out: it really isn't that helpful to just say "wrong" to people. If you explained how it is wrong and what is right it would be infinitely more helpful. Instead you just f-up perfectly good threads. Didn't your momma teach you any manners?

I think what iwantakona was trying to say is that you want to try to balance your brakes. On flats, paved trails etc. I mainly just use my fronts but on descents you need to make sure that you keep some rear brake in to keep you from going over the bars. Your front brake is still going to do 90% of the slowing, but keep the rear in to balance the bike. I use the rear to just short of locking the rear, then modulate the front. I have no idea if that's good advice or not but it works for me.

BLIZZ

Momentum is your friend on down hills too.
I have seen more riders crash from hitting obstacles to slow or trying to slow down and loose control, when they could roll through.
Picking your line is good, but that doesn't mean miss every rock, root and hole on the trail, to where you are moving around to much, as this makes it harder to see the big picture.
Don't be tentative, just because you are going down hill. Its mostly a mental thing, with slightly different techniques than flat ground.

desmo13

Brake before the corner, dont ride the breaks in a corner

ghettocruiser

Given the option of approaching ludicrous speed, I would probably take it.

I scrub off speed before drops, but I assumed this is because I am a whimp.

Tappets

what it boils down too, is he was trying to be helpful based on what he knew - and proclaimed it may not be correct - no harm done.

aside from telling everyoine to steer clear of anything posted - what's your advice, pete? lighten up! let's be constructive. you said he was wrong, but have yet to offer much but sarcasm.

Tappets

If you're getting dusted by your girlfriend, find a slower one. Problem solved!

LOL! that is actually pretty funny! thanks for all the help!

happy trails

dminor 

I think you will eventually learn that the only thing a pissing match with Pete will get you is wet feet.

junkyard

But I derive enjoyment from others arguing with him, so let's not let too many people in on the secret.

Captain Crash

Forget that you have brakes. Think of it as an emergency stop mechanism. If you use them even to slow down, you will come dependent. I cant say how many brake pads along with would-have-been perfect rides I have ruined by overusing the brakes.

Just note what faster riders do, try to copy it. You could also just ASK the faster rider what they do to stay so fast. Stay loose, too. That never hurts. Watch out for difficult sections, and try to find a line of most speed.

junkyard

I think, using that piece of advice, I will take the brakes off of my bike. I will just use my shoe as an "emergency stop mechanism".