There’s a section on my local trail that’s about 12-15m high and I guess about 70 degrees steep (so in reality maybe 60). My problem is that there’s no smooth transition to flat at the bottom and a dog-leg bend straight after, no chance to run off smoothly – braking has to be done on the slope. I can make it but it’s all a bit sketchy. I’ve tried hanging off the back but the front gets too light and no chance to steer. With weight evened out, I keep locking up on one wheel or the other. Any tips, please?

Possible to manual off it? Failing that stay off the front brake?

Get a load of mates to have a go, the ones that don’t crash, copy them.

Surely it’s about weight and brake balance and looking where you want to go, not at what you don’t want to hit. Easier said than done though.

TBH braking heavily on a surface that steep is not really a viable option. How tight is the bend at the bottom? I would say roll down smoothly applying even pressure to both of the brakes (make sure you don’t grab either one too much) and when you are on the slope always look at the run-out, not the slope itself. Looking where you want to go will fill you with a lot more confidence which will, in turn relax you, meaning you won’t grab the brakes as much.

Keep your centre of gravity as low as possible and your weight fairly central on the bike, with maybe a slight rearwards bias. Keep your arms bent and relaxed and flow with the bike.

‘Manual ABS braking’ works (sometimes). Pumping both levers as fast as fingers can go gives some semblance of both braking and control, with minimal lockup.
YRMV

A couple of good pointers there, particularly from marvincooper. Maybe I’ve been a bit intimidated after a couple of offs and missing the basic look where you want to be not where you are. Thanks, people.

Pics would be handy, 12-15m is very high!

A trail is only truely steep when your piles are employed as additional braking by the rear tyre. This is actually quite effective at slowing you down.

12-15m high and 70° seems highly improbable!

There is no way it is 60 degrees, this is 60 degrees:

It is unlikely to be any more than 40 degrees.

Surely the actual dimensions are somewhat irrelevant.

At Northwind et al– You’re right, maybe my failure is making me exaggerate. I’ll be out with the long tape and plumb bob tomorrow.

Sorry, I read 12 to 15 CM high, not metres! So manual off is not a good idea then! There is a similar slope on one of my trails, though probably more like 5 metres high, very steep, near vertical at the very top at the lip, a couple of big roots and a tree inconveniently positioned right in front of you at the bottom which you need to steer round. At first i started dragging my back wheel, but now as I’ve sessioned it i can modulate my brakes better which gives me far more control. Weight is pretty far back. The key is it all starts slowing down after you’ve done it a few times.

At Northwind et al- You’re right, maybe my failure is making me exaggerate. I’ll be out with the long tape and plumb bob tomorrow.

iPhone clinometer app! 😉

12-15m 70 degree is Redbull Rampage territory!

Captain Safety in Whistler is probably around 10m high but certainly not 70 degrees. You’d be surprise how steep 30-40 degrees is.

Smooth, gentle braking is your friend here, and don’t try to get too far back. That is only needed when you brake too much.

One tip I give people for braking on really steep stuff is to think about it more as having your brakes fully-on, then letting them off just enough to allow the wheels to turn, rather than thinking about pulling on harder all the time.

Static photo tutorial for the down bit – Whistler Bike Park steep..

… from another angle

What Stevo said

I get right to the lip at running speed and jam on the front brake and roll it out.

I’d Look for the chicken run and mince down that, works every time. 😉

It is unlikely to be any more than 40 degrees.

12-15m high and 70° seems highly improbable!

12-15m 70 degree is Redbull Rampage territory!

There’s a bit of trail like this (probably 12m high) but with a relatively* straightforward run in/out on a local xc run. Controlling your entry speed is wise – then no brakes until the bottom seems the easiest way to do it. If the bottom of the slope is a bad as you say – fill it in a little to make a smoother transition. As mentioned – just look to where you want to go. If you need to comfort brake – just use the rear.

* obviously depends on what you consider straightforward

Sounds familiar as I faced a bogey drop for several months. IMO a combination of mental and technical issues but the comforting things is that it is on a local trail and hence (I assume) has been ridden many times before. So probably (not wanting to insult your technical skills) predominantly a mental issue as sounds like “it can be ridden.”

Body position and dynamism I guess are understood. Have you done all of your braking before the drop, so that you can enter very slowly but then let go. Do you really need to brake if so? I was taught that on braking (if required) be gentle and release as soon as feel any wheel skid and then reapply very gently again etc….

I guess you are fully aware of where to look (the exit not the drop) but this is easier said than done when there is a mental block. IMO is you are not mentally committed you aren’t going to make it and all the advice in the world doesn’t help. You have to be comfortable in your technique, then fully committed….at which point it will suddenly become natural and easy and you will wonder what the fuss was about. IMO at least!

Good luck with it (and note that my comments relate to steep stuff on trails, not really hairy stuff!!)

JCL – Member
I get right to the lip at running speed and jam on the front brake and roll it out.

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Aye ups the 29er boy is here! 🙄

Still waiting for those pics of you shredding Chempery pussyboy.

OP the best way is to watch other riders riding it, especaiily better ones, as suggested above. You’re definitely right in saying don’t hang so far back you have no steering, also balanced baking front and rear. When it’s really steep a little bit of rear wheel skid is ok but front has to be on pretty hard also. As you say it’s the transition you have to be concerned with so you have to make sure your position is good just before (ie a bit too far back or forward won’t hurt you as you approach so don’t worry about it just focus on the transition), it may be you have to be quite far back for that, then it’s a case of quick recovery for the turn where you’ll need some weight over the front wheel

I’m certainly no expert and smashed my hand on a tree at the bottom of a similar (but a bit shorter 12 feet max so 4m) section where my line was wrong and I didn’t make required turn so bar and hand hit tree.

Finally you could get a spade out and round out the transition 😉

Theres some very similar stuff in Guisbrough woods (Follow Me and Stripes), I’ve seen 2 techniques.

1) roll in slowly and let it go, works upto a suprisingly high speed with confidence.

2) Drop it to what sounds like almost flat on a demo Orange 5 whilst the Orange guy winces. In the riders defence he did the same on my rigid XC hardtail and he did buy a 5 so it wasn’t a personal mission to break it.

Same techniques work on all wheel sizes.

I’ve always wondered how the forks don’t compress and send you flying over the bars on this type of feature, I mean I know its a combination of basic physics etc but never makes sense in my head.

ridden similar things quite often tho, just weight back, roll in slowly, off the front brake 100%.

It’s good to start with dragging your rear (but no skidding!) and then you can work up to just letting both go.

Good thing to use is one finger hovering on the lever to drag it, adds confidence without really sapping too much speed/risk of skidding.

If your weight/foot position/hand position is right, front brake is far more effective than rear on steeps, as long as it’s straight.

Not saying I’d manage you problem but it seems to be the sharp transition at the bottom. If it had a rollout to flat you just come off the brakes and stay central for maximum grip. But the sharp transition Means you have to control you speed on the slope and tat means controlled braking and getting behind the bike a bit