Trail Riding: Ascents and Descents

[sensei]

Hi all,

Can anyone suggest any books, vids or magazine, etc. that offer solid tips for ascending and descending down technical trails with somewhat steep grades?

I went out today and had a blast. The new WR250R worked like a champ. The only thing holding it back was the pilot.

First, descent. The trails at the local ride park are one way. I was riding along and heading down an unfamiliar trail. First mistake, I know. Given I'm not very experienced off-road I should have looked over the map, talked to the ranger, etc first. but I didn't and came upon a trail with a steep, technical descent and no choice but to head down. On the left side was a single track rut on the other were heavy rocks and uneven terrain. Grade was steep, for me at least maybe 20% descent. I have plenty of mountain biking experience and have done some narly stuff in the Colorado rockies so I tried to use that experience but I didn't use it all. Took the side with the rut. Basically, I didn't know which gear I should be in, too nervous to just get on the gas. In the end I pulled in the clutch and rode the rear brake down. Bike stalled at one point and I managed to stop halfway down and restart...thank God for e-start. My cycling experience tells me I should've got on the pegs and butt back towards back of seat but I'm clueless about gear to be in etc. I saw another guy come down the same trail doing about 50mph no problem :yikes:

Any tips?


Second, Ascent. Next I came upon a section with a long technical acent, for me at least. Decent sized rocks, very uneven terrain, no rut, no clear path. I basically stayed on the seat, pointed it up hill and staye don the gas. Bike was going everywhere. It was not pretty. I thnk my speed was maybe 15mph. Front tire hopping left and right, my foot slipped off the left peg so my leg was going everywhere too. If I where on my mtn bike I would've carried better speed stayed on the seat but put weight forward. If I came to a rock I would just pedal hard and pop the front tire over it with a little lift. But on the moto I think I should've carried better speed, got on the pegs and weight slightly forward if I came upon a rock I couldn't dodge try to gas over it. :coocoo:

I'm glad to say that I didnt have a get off but I really felt that I didn't do well.

The MX track was a blast. I met a rider there on a WR450F and he suggested that I run the track for awhile in order to practice and get my speed up. Practice flicking the bike and getting more comfortable on it. I had much more fun on the track but I also like the technical trails.

Any tips, ideas on books, etc? Go easy on me :) I know I'm a n00b to this sport.

 

[XRpredator]

I know Dirt Rider magazine often will have "tips from the pros" regarding various situations in the print mag. Not sure if they have it online . . .

From someone who's crashed plenty of times, here's my two cents (and I'm not even sure it's worth two cents).

downhills suck. I'm no pro, so take what I tell you with a grain of salt. I'll usually slow down, hit a low enough gear, use both brakes but tap that front one light if you're a noob, keep my weight back, and just hang on. Dont' worry about stopping to restart, either just pop the clutch to get things running or just hit the e-button as you go.

uphills are more fun. Sometimes you can just pin it and go right up, bouncing off whatever obstacles are in the way. Sometimes you just need to putt and chug your way up, keeping just enough throttle to keep the bike running, but not too low that you end up killing it. I try to keep my weight neutral as possible, maybe slightly forward, but not too far or you end up taking traction off the rear and that's not fun.

Another tip: I hope you were riding with a buddy! Going solo, especially the first time out, could have made things a lot worse than they were.

 

[rmc_olderthandirt]

Going downhill is scary compared to going up the hill. Going uphill you can stop very quickly and the distance you might fall is much less. More than anything else what you need for going downhill is confidence.

Keep in mind that it is really hard to ride slow. Period. Uphill, downhill or in the flats you need to maintain a minimum speed to be stable. Attempting to go too slow down the hill makes it a technical challenge.

For going down the hill, use the engine compression to slow you down. You may need a lot of front brake to control your speed but go very, very light on the rear brake. You do NOT want to lock the rear wheel. If you want to go slow shift down to first. Let the engine rev up, that is where it provides the most engine braking. It is perfectly fine for it to rev up just as high as if you were on the gas climbing the hill.

If you want to come to a full stop on the hill then pull the clutch and jam the rear brake. Otherwise, use a very light touch on the rear brake to limit the RPM but do not lock up the rear wheel as that will stall the engine and then you might be dragging the rear wheel the rest of the way down. Sit back on the seat to keep weight over the rear tire.


For going up the hill I recommend standing on the pegs, if for no other reason to keep them pinned there so you don't end up sliding off the back of the seat! You will need to adjust your weight forward or back to compensate for conditions. If the ground is loose and the rear wheel is spinning you need to get weight over the rear. If the tire has a good grip you want to be in the attack position, putting weight over the front wheel to keep it from lifting. What can be a real surprise is when you shift your weight back to get traction and then suddently the tire gets a really good bite.....


Like XRpredator said, I hope you are riding with a buddy. Wearing a chest protector and kneepads will help a lot when you do take a flight over the handlebars.


Rod

 

[mkelly04]

The above posts are good, here is one little addition.


Look ahead! when starting out most people have a tendency to look only a few feet in front of the tire. Scan the entire trail far enough ahead so that you can pick good lines and spot obstacles early enough to avoid them. :)

 

[sensei]

Thanks everyone. I've been riding solo but I met a guy that runs a local forum and when I checked it out they always see whos going up so I'll try to connect with some folks.

I need to look into the knee pads and remember you rtips for the next time out.

Thanks again.