riding in ruts

[Lonewolf]

i concider myself a novice rider, and ride mostly woods, i have a heck of a time with ruts! i doesnt matter if they are on hills or on flat. are there any techniques to riding in them? my friend who is a pretty good rider tells me to get in them and stay in them but its easier said that done. on hills i cant make it up a rutted hill without sitting down and on flat corners unless im going about 2mph is wreck. is there anything i can do to help?

 

[Stumpy]

One thing you can do is ride across the ruts. This mainly applies to wide muddy sections with lots of rutted up lines. If you stay in the ruts, you have a good chance of getting stuck. If you can criss cross the ruts, you can stay above them and keep tracking. If you are battling with single track ruts, just try not to fight the bike. Stay smooth and let the bike follow the rut. Looking ahead and not down into the rut will help, too. Oh yeah, keep moving. Theres not much worse than beeing stopped in the only rut and having someone come up behind you trying to get through... you may get used for traction.

 

[High Lord Gomer]

Like STumpy mumbled...once you are lined up and comitted, look past the rut and get on the gas. The bike will make it through much better than if you stare at it and overcorrect while riding through it.

For some shorter, deeper ruts you can use the inside wall of them like a berm. Sometimes I start a little left of a bigger, short rut, come into it at a little bit of an angle, then lean the bike and ride the right side of the rut as if it were a berm.

 

[wannayz]

Being in that learning phase myself, I've found too that sitting well over the tank helps the front tire track nicely. Looking ahead and tracking thru relaxed but definitely with momentum is a must.

 

[Jeff Gilbert]

Like Gomer said, don't look at the ruts, look past them. Always look where you want to go, not where you are. "Let the force be with you." :thumb:

 

[hrc125rider]

stand straight up and look at your final destanation

 

[maco]

Keep looking ahead at your next target.When your about 15 or so feet to it pick a new target.If you can look further then that's better.Your front wheel will follow your eyes.Some times getting u off the seat a bit helps.Uphills even more yu got to look ahead.Hopefully your rut isn't narrower than your pegs.The tuffest for me is a deep rut uphill with a sharp turn.then your force to slow but have to pick it up quick once it straightens.One thing yu might try is this.If you do a hard section just turn around and go back and so it again and again.You might even ride with the intention of just practicing a couple of hard sections over and over.You might suprise yourself on how fast yu get the hang of it doing it this way.No matter what there will be days when things come easier and things don't but the advice above is the only way to attack

 

[nephron]

I think a riding technique article in DR or Transworld written by Tim Ferry addressed this last year. If I remember right, he said to stay on the juice, thus lightening the front of the bike and allowing your rear wheel to slide and stay into the rut. Of course, you have to have your bike pointed in the right direction to do this, and he said just what Gomer said: Look way forward.