Islands of Safety

Ruben from Endless Biking via Fred tip:

Recognize islands of safety as you ride. On such safe stretch of the trail you can:

• Safely brake
• Abort the maneuver
• Get low and push on the pedals for emergency stop

How to acqure correct elbows position

Hand position determines correct elbow position while descending. Draw an imaginary straight line from index finger to the lower and opposite corner of your palm. Place this line on the handlebar.

Incorrect position:

Correct position (pay attention to the arrow and how it "sits" on the handlebar):

Such hand placement will also assure correct elbow position (as if doing a pushup or holding a basketball somewhere between the chest and belly button. Don't overdo it and don't protrude elbows too much forward. They will not be 90 degrees to the handlebar sticking out straight up. It would be too much). Do the same with the left hand.

MOST SIGNIFICANT TIP: Dynamic Pedal when cornering (Steering with inside knee: opening the Inside turn knee, dipping outside turn pedal)

Tried it on May 11, 2012. I will corner always like the info below from now on. It is an amazing tip that works!

I ride right foot forward.
The tip in the video suggests: When cornering open the inside knee (which is unweighs this side of the bike) and as the result of such opening, the OUTSIDE PEDAL will be dipped a bit.
When I turn left: open the left knee- the right foot (pedal) will move forward and down.
When I turn right: open the  right knee- the left foot (pedal) will move back and down.
Just like skiing! Man, this tip works!!!

Less immediately known to a biginner things that come loose

1. The bolt that hold rear derailleur (was very loose after a year of riding, I discovered it by accident)
2. The bolt that holds rear derailleur hanger (when I take the rear wheel off, I tend to check it)
3. The pivot bolt that is behind the bottom bracket (watch for this one!)

Disclaimer: These tips are for the blog author, pls seek professional instruction as this sport may be dangerous!

Fast cornering

Disclaimer: These tips are for the blog author, pls seek professional instruction as this sport may be dangerous!

Sequence: Brake -rotate-look-lean

I Get LOW into ready position
1.Brake to enter the turn at the right speed. Try to enter wide
2. Rotate hips and shoulders (move hips to the outside of the turn, belly button looking inside the turn). Hips and shoulders rotate in the same plane, bum sticks out to the outside of the turn
3. Look past the turn towards the exit. Don't look on front tire or directly in front.
4. Lean the bike into the turn, have outside elbow high and bent
USE DYNAMIC PEDAL IDEA !

Chest should stay low, drop heals down. Stick out high outside turn elbow

Note: For aggressive maneuver: While hips move in the opposite direction of the turn, with bum sticking out outside of the turn, upper body may lean INTO the turn

If I feel I am not making the turn, push down on the pedals to compress suspension.
This may result in two things:
a) the bike falls on the side and there is a good chance not falling with it
b) tires will bite more, turn radius will decrease and you make the turn

EB Riding Tip:

http://www.endlessbiking.com/guides.htm

Cornering tip: To develop solid cornering skills for moderate to high speed flat corners, try rotating your torso to look into the desired direction of your turn with 'all 3 eyes'. As you increase speed, get lower and lower to keep a low centre of gravity, to be able to lean the bike over farther to gain traction and maintain momentum! Have fun!

Granny ring vs Middle ring

Disclaimer: These tips are for the blog author, pls seek professional instruction as this sport may be dangerous!


By trial and error I came up with the following:

Granny chain ring- good for climbing steep terrain where one is likely to sit all the time. This gear does not provide "torque on demand" if you stand up and it is ideal for obstacles of the type "if you stand you rear wheel will spin".

Great to use on a very steep terrain with the SECOND biggest ring in the back! You would likely to sit or hover over your seat.

Middle chain ring- good with tall obstacles where one will coordinate pedal push with a partial or full standing up motion. Also ideal for moment where short "torque on demand" burst is needed (e.g. to roll over a tall rock or root on otherwise relatively flat terrain).

Great with the BIGGEST or SECOND BIGGEST ring in the back.

WET CONDITIONS:

If the obstacle is not super steep and it is WET, I use the middle ring up front and SECOND BIGGEST in the back to avoid back wheel spinning. (during dry conditions, the BIGGEST ring in the back can be used).

For greater cardio-use middle ring up front (except for very steep terrain) and the BIGGEST or SECOND BIGGEST ring in the back.

For smooth (no bursts of energy) riding and a bit less cardio- use the granny ring up front and the BIGGEST or SECOND BIGGEST ring in the back.