Read somewhere awhile ago how some riders know how to "ride lightly" over rough roads or terrain to prevent too much strain on rims/frame. I have been trying to figure this out while riding, and if I run into a poor stretch of pavement, I tend to ride out of the saddle, while putting as little pressure as possible on the handlebars and pedals, which includes pulling up on straps to keep speed instead of pushing down.

Am I on the right... track?

Yeah pretty much. Use your arms and legs as the shock absorbers, stay relaxed, and the bike will float underneath you.

Don't clench the bars in a death grip. That helps a lot. Stand up.

If the hazardous area is not too long (say a set of rr tracks), "getting light" can mean doing a bunnyhop over it without really leaving the ground. This entails getting heavy right afterwards, hence the hazard has to be over a short enough distance.

well...given that your average rider weighs seven and a half times as much as his bike does, and he has pneumatic tires and all that shizzazle, i dont think itll make a bit of a difference. it only makes you think its better for your bike, which i guess is reason enough for me not to have said this at all.

Skilled roadies will push a harder gear on rough sections of road. Pushing harder will put more weight on the pedals and less on your ass. This is worthless for fixies and singlespeeds though becuase you are commited to one gear. Don't worry about your bike on rough pavement...it can take it. Just do what feels most comfortable to you...this will probably involve taking weight off the saddle and, like Aeroplane said, avoid the grip of death on the bars. WHen I approad a bump at speed, I usually relax my grip on the bars and just let the bike rattle underneath me.

Standing up and being a bit looser and more relaxed on the pedals and bars will generally allow the bike to move a bit more freely over the roughness and presumably take a bit less impact, but in the end it probably makes no real difference as long as you have a well built bike/wheels. 'Riding lightly' can save you a good bit of discomfort over rough patches because you allow your arms and legs to absorb shock as opposed to staying sitting so all the shock is transferred directly to your ass.

Of course it makes a difference. Take riding up a kerb for example.
Ride straight into it and the bike and rider have to move 6 inches upwards in a very short space of time. Do this at speed and you will have a least a pinch flat if not a damaged rim.

Bunny hop up the kerb and the bike and rider have to move 6 inches upwards. The difference is with the bunny hop the space of time during which the movement occurs is much longer so the bike does not get damaged.

it's called "posting," which is a reference to a horse riding technique. slightly harder when pedaling.