Book Excerpt From: Mountain Biking For Women
The most exhilarating and rewarding aspect of off-road riding, for most people, is the downhill. As we mentioned in the last chapter, it's the payoff, the reason you worked so hard to get to the top of the mountain. There is an undeniable feeling of soul-stirring abandon in the moment that you give yourself over to the descent. And the sense of pride and empowerment experienced upon triumphing over fear is unmatchable. Downhill trails come in a variety of shapes and sizes. There are fire roads, singletracks, rock faces and drop-offs, just to name a few. Some trails are almost as smooth as pavement while others may be little more than some dust thrown on top of a bunch of rocks and tree roots.
The challenges faced by a mountain biker, in these and other downhill situations, are comprised of equal parts psychological determination and physical agility. For this reason, downhill riding is the most demanding facet of mountain biking.
What surprises a lot of beginners and non-mountain bike riders are the physical benefits gained by downhilling. Using the proper out-of-the-saddle technique, a downhill run works your calves, quads, hips, abs, shoulders, triceps, biceps, lats, and pecs. It also builds and refines balance, coordination, and reflexes. The more rugged the trail, the harder the workout. If you're in it strictly for the exercise, what more could you possibly ask? For those of us who are in it for the fun, the pupil-dilating, heart-gyrating, adrenaline-circulating, soul-liberating benefits are just as rewarding.
Know Your Brakes
But before we send you trundling off down a mountain, you need to know a bit more about your brakes. Your brakes are at your disposal to slow you down, stop you, and give you a hand at steering at cruising speed.
Look closely and you will notice the cables leading out of your brake lever housing. Following the cables, you will find that the right brake cable leads to your rear wheel, the left cable to the front wheel. As you depress the brake, the lever pulls on the cable, shortening it. This pulls the other end of the cable that's attached to the cantilever straddle cable or the horseshoe brake cable pull which closes the gap between the brake shoe and the wheel rim. The rear brake is primarily a coaster brake. It won't bring you to a full and complete stop unless you're moving fairly slowly on level ground. Its primary purpose is to help you keep your speed manageable as you feather or modulate the brake lever (applying occasional light pressure.) Avoid locking this brake up, i.e., abruptly or continuously squeezing it as hard as you can. This will cause the rear end of the bike to swing out in response to the sudden loss of traction. This is how you slide, which some people, particularly racers, will do on purpose to bomb in and out of a turn quickly.
If you start to slide unintentionally, steer into it like you do in a car. Loosen up on the brake, turn your handlebars in the direction of the slide and you will right yourself.
The front brake is your stopping power. Never, never, never use the front brake alone. Think about what happens when you are walking behind someone who suddenly stops. Because you're still moving, you run right into them. The same principle applies to your wheels. When the front wheel stops independently of the rear wheel, the rear wheel doesn't get the message so it keeps on going. You can literally flip right off the seat and over the handlebars. That's called an instant endo.
The brakes are meant to be used as a pair, 50/50, whenever you want to stop. The rear brake slows down the action, adding light pressure from the front brake slows you down even more, evenly distributed pressure fore and aft will stop you. Feel free to use a little more back brake, if you like. If you are the type who favors riding in full-on conditions (foul weather), it would be wise to swap your multi-purpose brake pads for those made expressly for wet riding. Standard brake pads are okay in most cases, but they tend to slip and make unnerving noises when they are wet or excessively muddy. When your favorite trail resembles a waterfall, there's a lot to be said for positive braking performance.
Downhill Technique
Whether you ride in summer or winter, down gentle slopes, fast, sweeping fire roads, or short technical drop-offs, the basic technique is the same. The first thing you need to do is level your pedals, meaning put them both at the halfway point where they are parallel to the ground (or at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock if you prefer), and lift yourself slightly off the saddle. Level pedals are less likely to catch on any underbrush, tall roots, rocks, or the edges of deep ruts.
The next step is to place your body in the best leverage position. Your body position depends on the degree of the descent. Start off with your backside hovering slightly back from your regular seated position, knees bent, arms loose, your thighs resting on or lightly gripping the wings of your saddle. This way, your gluteous maximus puts a little more traction over the back tire, where it belongs. It also increases your rear braking strength. The steeper the trail, the further back you go.
Keeping yourself off the seat this way while keeping your back flat saves you from undue wear and tear and gives you maximum control. Use your legs like shock absorbers. Downhill control is a matter of active leverage and balance which are sometimes more difficult to achieve when you are sitting down. The more active the terrain, the more active the rider should be.
Avoid standing straight up. While it is fun to do on an easy downslope, the pogo stance is worse for your control than staying glued to the saddle. The lower your center of gravity, the easier it is to control your bike, especially on long or technical descents. You may consider taking a moment to lower your seat before you begin to encourage yourself to stay low. Just remember to reset it at the correct height when you reach the bottom.
The variation of the standard downhill position comes when taking a turn. Unless you found a trail that goes straight up and straight down, you'll need to turn. The secret to effectively mastering turns, both at high speeds and low, is to drop your outside foot to the bottom of the rotation while slightly leaning your inside knee and elbow into the direction of the turn. The subtle weight shift will keep you and your bike balanced and you'll sail through the turn. Again, being slightly off the seat will give you that extra measure of control.
Turn your body into a giant shock absorber. Loose arms and legs absorb the hits better, thereby decreasing the impact. Tightening up does not increase your control but rather detracts from it. Your body takes more of a beating than necessary, which tires you out faster.
Along those same lines, make sure you keep your grip loose, too. Consciously work at it. There is nothing worse for your hands and wrists than the downhill death grip. Not only does this lead to severe and eventually chronic pain, tensing your hands gives the subconscious the go-ahead to tense everything else along with them.
Remember, it takes a lot of energy to ride downhill. Keep as much in reserve as you can, particularly on long descents. Exhaustion is fear's greatest ally. If there is a single word to bear in mind, it is "relax." Take deep breaths. Talk to yourself; tell yourself that you can do this and remind yourself that you are doing this for fun. We sometimes even sing to stay calm. After asking around, we discovered that almost everyone we know has a favorite downhill song. Aside from serving as a minor distraction, singing or whistling requires you to breathe. You don't have to sing as long as you keep breathing, and remember that breathing out is just as important as breathing in. Our friend Julie is a perfect example -- she is one of the best technical riders and certainly the fastest downhiller we know. Her secret? Julie doesn't sing, she uses the Lamaze breathing method whenever she starts to tense up.
As long as you stay relaxed, your mind and body are at their optimum flexibility. You can deal with anything that the trail throws at you. Letting go of your tension also releases your fear. Relaxing is also helpful in letting your instincts control your body's position. Your body is a slave to gravity and usually it will tell you where you need to be to remain stable. Order the book
The most exhilarating and rewarding aspect of off-road riding, for most people, is the downhill. As we mentioned in the last chapter, it's the payoff, the reason you worked so hard to get to the top of the mountain. There is an undeniable feeling of soul-stirring abandon in the moment that you give yourself over to the descent. And the sense of pride and empowerment experienced upon triumphing over fear is unmatchable. Downhill trails come in a variety of shapes and sizes. There are fire roads, singletracks, rock faces and drop-offs, just to name a few. Some trails are almost as smooth as pavement while others may be little more than some dust thrown on top of a bunch of rocks and tree roots.
The challenges faced by a mountain biker, in these and other downhill situations, are comprised of equal parts psychological determination and physical agility. For this reason, downhill riding is the most demanding facet of mountain biking.
What surprises a lot of beginners and non-mountain bike riders are the physical benefits gained by downhilling. Using the proper out-of-the-saddle technique, a downhill run works your calves, quads, hips, abs, shoulders, triceps, biceps, lats, and pecs. It also builds and refines balance, coordination, and reflexes. The more rugged the trail, the harder the workout. If you're in it strictly for the exercise, what more could you possibly ask? For those of us who are in it for the fun, the pupil-dilating, heart-gyrating, adrenaline-circulating, soul-liberating benefits are just as rewarding.
Know Your Brakes
But before we send you trundling off down a mountain, you need to know a bit more about your brakes. Your brakes are at your disposal to slow you down, stop you, and give you a hand at steering at cruising speed.
Look closely and you will notice the cables leading out of your brake lever housing. Following the cables, you will find that the right brake cable leads to your rear wheel, the left cable to the front wheel. As you depress the brake, the lever pulls on the cable, shortening it. This pulls the other end of the cable that's attached to the cantilever straddle cable or the horseshoe brake cable pull which closes the gap between the brake shoe and the wheel rim. The rear brake is primarily a coaster brake. It won't bring you to a full and complete stop unless you're moving fairly slowly on level ground. Its primary purpose is to help you keep your speed manageable as you feather or modulate the brake lever (applying occasional light pressure.) Avoid locking this brake up, i.e., abruptly or continuously squeezing it as hard as you can. This will cause the rear end of the bike to swing out in response to the sudden loss of traction. This is how you slide, which some people, particularly racers, will do on purpose to bomb in and out of a turn quickly.
If you start to slide unintentionally, steer into it like you do in a car. Loosen up on the brake, turn your handlebars in the direction of the slide and you will right yourself.
The front brake is your stopping power. Never, never, never use the front brake alone. Think about what happens when you are walking behind someone who suddenly stops. Because you're still moving, you run right into them. The same principle applies to your wheels. When the front wheel stops independently of the rear wheel, the rear wheel doesn't get the message so it keeps on going. You can literally flip right off the seat and over the handlebars. That's called an instant endo.
The brakes are meant to be used as a pair, 50/50, whenever you want to stop. The rear brake slows down the action, adding light pressure from the front brake slows you down even more, evenly distributed pressure fore and aft will stop you. Feel free to use a little more back brake, if you like. If you are the type who favors riding in full-on conditions (foul weather), it would be wise to swap your multi-purpose brake pads for those made expressly for wet riding. Standard brake pads are okay in most cases, but they tend to slip and make unnerving noises when they are wet or excessively muddy. When your favorite trail resembles a waterfall, there's a lot to be said for positive braking performance.
Downhill Technique
Whether you ride in summer or winter, down gentle slopes, fast, sweeping fire roads, or short technical drop-offs, the basic technique is the same. The first thing you need to do is level your pedals, meaning put them both at the halfway point where they are parallel to the ground (or at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock if you prefer), and lift yourself slightly off the saddle. Level pedals are less likely to catch on any underbrush, tall roots, rocks, or the edges of deep ruts.
The next step is to place your body in the best leverage position. Your body position depends on the degree of the descent. Start off with your backside hovering slightly back from your regular seated position, knees bent, arms loose, your thighs resting on or lightly gripping the wings of your saddle. This way, your gluteous maximus puts a little more traction over the back tire, where it belongs. It also increases your rear braking strength. The steeper the trail, the further back you go.
Keeping yourself off the seat this way while keeping your back flat saves you from undue wear and tear and gives you maximum control. Use your legs like shock absorbers. Downhill control is a matter of active leverage and balance which are sometimes more difficult to achieve when you are sitting down. The more active the terrain, the more active the rider should be.
Avoid standing straight up. While it is fun to do on an easy downslope, the pogo stance is worse for your control than staying glued to the saddle. The lower your center of gravity, the easier it is to control your bike, especially on long or technical descents. You may consider taking a moment to lower your seat before you begin to encourage yourself to stay low. Just remember to reset it at the correct height when you reach the bottom.
The variation of the standard downhill position comes when taking a turn. Unless you found a trail that goes straight up and straight down, you'll need to turn. The secret to effectively mastering turns, both at high speeds and low, is to drop your outside foot to the bottom of the rotation while slightly leaning your inside knee and elbow into the direction of the turn. The subtle weight shift will keep you and your bike balanced and you'll sail through the turn. Again, being slightly off the seat will give you that extra measure of control.
Turn your body into a giant shock absorber. Loose arms and legs absorb the hits better, thereby decreasing the impact. Tightening up does not increase your control but rather detracts from it. Your body takes more of a beating than necessary, which tires you out faster.
Along those same lines, make sure you keep your grip loose, too. Consciously work at it. There is nothing worse for your hands and wrists than the downhill death grip. Not only does this lead to severe and eventually chronic pain, tensing your hands gives the subconscious the go-ahead to tense everything else along with them.
Remember, it takes a lot of energy to ride downhill. Keep as much in reserve as you can, particularly on long descents. Exhaustion is fear's greatest ally. If there is a single word to bear in mind, it is "relax." Take deep breaths. Talk to yourself; tell yourself that you can do this and remind yourself that you are doing this for fun. We sometimes even sing to stay calm. After asking around, we discovered that almost everyone we know has a favorite downhill song. Aside from serving as a minor distraction, singing or whistling requires you to breathe. You don't have to sing as long as you keep breathing, and remember that breathing out is just as important as breathing in. Our friend Julie is a perfect example -- she is one of the best technical riders and certainly the fastest downhiller we know. Her secret? Julie doesn't sing, she uses the Lamaze breathing method whenever she starts to tense up.
As long as you stay relaxed, your mind and body are at their optimum flexibility. You can deal with anything that the trail throws at you. Letting go of your tension also releases your fear. Relaxing is also helpful in letting your instincts control your body's position. Your body is a slave to gravity and usually it will tell you where you need to be to remain stable. Order the book
