That and my perception of flow is in a large part correlated to my fitness, if I’m on an upwards trend then rides always feel flowy as any lost momentum is easily re-gained. If I’ve had a few weeks off it feels awkward and slow as every mistake is punished by being slow as I’m too out of breath to sprint between corners.

trail * (bike + fitness) = flow ?

Interesting… I’ve been working at a half written article for STA recently about what is ‘gnar’ and what is ‘flow’. Hear the flow argument a lot at Stainburn, and it’s always a bit contentious. I might steal your formula and a bit of your 2nd paragrpah if that’s alright.

Not really worked out what the conclusion is yet…

That must be Tezzer then

Yep, my plan to knee cap him failed.

Whenever I don’t flow on a trail I assume it’s because I’m not riding it well enough. Often I return with more skill/fitness and then flow happens!

thisisnotaspoon – Member
trail * (bike + fitness) = flow ?

Nice. I also think familiarity with the trail builds flow too – hard to flow through sections if you don’t know or can’t remember what’s over the lip/round the corner.

(trail * familiarity) * (bike + fitness) = flow

slainte ❓ rob

Indeed. One reason I never got up to proper speed riding trails blind on my last two gravity enduro races!

flow = ( skill * fitness * mindset + trail familiarity) / (trail difficulty)

I was riding Puddletown Forest today, which has some fairly intimidating/challenging trails for me, especially with the ground being loose dry sand and wet mud and wet greasy roots (light rain after a dry spell). I came to the conclusion that I have essentially three ‘gears’:

1. Surviving- isn’t pretty, barely coping with the terrain, slow, jerky, unbalanced, feet out, etc. I don’t end up in this one that often thankfully.
2. Cruising – I think many consider this flow, that smooth riding when you’re comfortable with the trail but not pushing yourself that hard, with plenty of thinking time. I do this a lot on new trails or if I’m behind a slower rider or in a chilled mood.
3. Ripping – properly in the zone, maximum flow, really going for it. When I’m riding like this you have to be good to leave me behind! Don’t think I’ve hit this at all in my two trips to Gisburn. Manage it frequently on my home trails.