I’ve always been an “overcautious rider” – you know, muscle memory fights and often wins with all the “how to ride” wisdom 😉

But this year I think I’m hitting a wall! When it’s wet and slippery I simply can’t ride 😕 As soon as I see wet roots section in front of me, I dismount and walk… In best scenario I unclip and ride slowly waiting for the bike to slide under me! The thing is – it never does really… I equipped it with nice, grippy tyres (Beavers), with the pressure set low.

I made a simple test the other day – I stood over a big root with the bike under, put the front tyre on the root to convince myself, that it is deadly slippery and that I do clever thing walking the section. I put a bit of weight over the bars and leaned the bike slightly… And the wheel did not move sideways at all! 😳

What’s wrong with me? When it’s dry – no problem: full speed, beating my personal records on technical’ish tracks, occasional KOMs…

When wet……

Is it just me? Please tell me that I’m not alone!!! 😐

What’s wrong with me?

You’re a wuss. Stop looking for technical solutions, and start with the sports psychology.

I was exactly the same – until last week when I replaced my clips with flats.

Now losing the back end is actually fun rather than brown trousers time! Although you’re right, it doesn’t even happen all that often (except it mud) – it’s mainly a confidence/mental thing.

Going slow is the worst thing you can do over wet roots. The faster you hit them the easier they are. You can also jump to clear a section of roots which can be the safest way as you cant slip if you don’t touch them. Also worth looking at is your line choice through them. If you can hit them at 90deg then they pose little problem but if you are hitting them on an angle then the bike will want to kick out.
Go and find some troubling roots and keep riding them until you have found a way through that suits you.

Could flat pedals help with confidence, knowing you can stick a foot out more easily?

You definitely have to consciously attack roots, find ways to hit them at better angles, unweight or jump them, go fast enough that there isn’t much time to slide sideways or just accept that it’s going to feel messy but if you stay loose and let the bike move all will be well.

Wet roots definitely expose whether I’m having a good riding day or a bad riding day! I know how you feel though, my confidence is my biggest weak point.

Incredibly Intrusive Question:

Do you feel there’s anything similiar in your non-biking life? Indecision, prevarication, loss of commitment or interest, anxiety of things that probably shouldn’t make you anxious frinstance. Basically, is this a biking problem or is it a symptom?

Don’t answer it if you don’t want to but do think about it. Headology often crosses borders like that.

Flat pedals, possibly a new (longer) bike.

let some pressure out of tyres
lower seat a bit
relax as you ride them
plan ahead
learn to love the root
dont brake on roots
dont turn on roots
go lightly at speed across roots as close to 90 degrees as pos
when you get confident you can use the slide to turn
expect the tyre to slip and be ready for it, balanced – do not brake or death will follow
relax
MTFU

Yours

MTB rider from secluded, remote corner of the the forest of Endor (FoD)

(where roots of death and wet soggy bits are the norm. Just in from ride you can imagine the swamp like conditions)

Flat pedals- a cheap fix! 😀

You need a new bike.

It always takes me a few weeks to get my head around it every year. After that the new line choices (moving perpendicular to the roots rather than ignoring them) are almost subconscious.

Maybe a skills course would help…with the right coach of course.

You are basically riding defensively, which then makes everything go to pot (including making roots appear like devils).

Get used to falling off and enjoy getting muddy 😉

Learn the basics:

1. No tree bark then much more slippery
2. Avoid turning slowly on a root.
3. Keep speed up
4. Learn that falling off isn’t so bad
5. When you climb on rooty ground, learn how to distribute your weight to increase the grip….

The art of falling off, is an art! Learn how to fall to avoid injuries.

JeZ

As someone who has fallen off a bike quite a bit, I’ve come to realise that the fear of falling (or the perceived consequences) is, for the vast majority of the time, worse than the reality. Grazed elbows and hip normally.

Are you going to ride without falling off? There’s no way to guarantee it, so embrace it, accept it, and focus on your ride, rather than the falling off…

Anyone who asks ‘What’s wrong with me?’ on STW is clearly not short of courage. I think masochism might be your problem. 😉

The art of falling off, is an art! Learn how to fall to avoid injuries.

Nope it’s entirely down to luck.

I’ve fallen off enough times to be considered well practiced at it, and before bikes I played rugby, I’m used to going down like a sack of spuds.

I’ve broken my arm three times, badly sprained my wrist twice, done my ankle a few times, whiplash, mangled my knee, bled a lot, and more I can’t remember.

9/10 you bounce and come away with nothing more than a scratch. The rest of the time you’re rolling the dice and crossing fingers. Anyone who says they’ve learnt to roll or some other technique is full of it. Half the time WC riders can’t even unclip, so the idea some keyboard warrior has developed some matrix like skill for dismounting is frankly balls.

About all you can do is point the bike at something soft and hope, but then you’ll just have lots of small crashes when you could potentially have rode it out. And after my last two broken arms occurred in innocuous little crashes I’ve resolved just to make every effort to ride everything out. Weirdly it seems to be working, not saying that crashing is always a conscious decision, but I think some people bail when they’re on the edge of control or their limits rather than when it’s irrecoverable.

On roots Go light, go fast, go high if off camber.

[list][*]Flat pedals make it easier to stay upright if you slide out[/*] [*]If you unweight your front wheel and lift it over the root then you won’t slip on it; the back might, momentarily, but that’s easily saved[/*] [*]Hop them if there’s a clear landing![/*] [*]If they’re mossy, or polished as someone said above, avoid or find a rougher part of the root to cross[/*][*]Go faster! Skim over them and your tyres barely have a chance to slip[/*][*]Don’t brake on slippery surfaces, brake where there’s good grip[/*][/list]

My favourite local trails are on a north facing slope in western scotland, and hence rarely dry out even in winter. They have roots, so I don’t have this problem.

But basically it seems like it’s a head thing, and if you can’t get yourself to do it once or twice to condition yourself that it’s OK, then aside from seeing some sort of psychologist I don’t know what you can do!

Thanks guys!

I have no problem with them when climbing steep wet stuff – I consider myself as a good one in that particular moment of riding: I like controlling the torque, “feeling” how rear wheel is trying to secure the traction…

But it’s where gravity would let me get some speed – that’s where I realise I’m gonna die in a second…

Well, I’ll keep trying to “stay relaxed”! Cheers!

N+1! Plus size or fatbike tyres make a huge difference to you ability to deal with anything with marginal grip – previously unrideable stuff can be rideable IME.

Incredibly Intrusive Question:

Do you feel there’s anything similiar in your non-biking life? Indecision, prevarication, loss of commitment or interest, anxiety of things that probably shouldn’t make you anxious frinstance. Basically, is this a biking problem or is it a symptom?

Don’t answer it if you don’t want to but do think about it. Headology often crosses borders like that.

That is a very interesting point. I know I am going through a similar phase at the moment myself. Over pressured in work, in a bit of a slump of negativity about all stuff, which results in a constant feeling of slight anxiety and tiredness and should be doing something more constructive than riding my bike. I’m riding because its what I do on that given day of the week, I am enjoying the company of my mates but not the actual riding itself. So Hey presto I simply I am not riding the same as I have done for years. Lots of negative thoughts when I anything vaguely resembling wet roots, focusing on the liklehood of crashing instead of just riding. All of a sudden its like I’ve gone back to being a beginner again. Its obviously noticeable because my regular riding mate has asked “What the hells happened to you ?” I am riding slower and more carefully / negatively / defensively than I have ever done and lo and behold I am crashing more in the last 4 weeks than in the 4 years previous. Its weird but I do think its a negative mental state brought on by non-biking things, and I am hoping that my mojo comes back. God I sound a right laugh dont I 🙂

Did you say you’d already tried sessioning the kind of bit that’s vexing you?

If not, I find that works wonders.

You’re not alone, I could have typed your opening post word for word.

Like you I know what I should do, even talk to myself in advance, but like wise I also tense up and unclip automatically, wether I want to all not.

When I see a see rooty section I automatically start looking for an escape route/soft landing section, even though I understand full well that I should just look at where I want to go and attack it fast, high and lightly.

I plan to find such a rooty section (I know just the one, bit of a nemesis of mine), and session it.

Await my future post entitled either
“I don’t know what the fuss was all about”
or
“how long to recover from X” (where X= your injury of choice)

Best of luck

Flat pedals and decent shoes. I tried clips for a few months and had a similar experience as you. Back to flats and 5,10’s and got my mojo back straight away.

Super Tackys FTW!

Confidence is always difficult but that is what it is down to! I feel it too sitting here after two big offs in the last 8 weeks. No biking for me for 3 months due to dislocated shoulder and collar bone – and currently I am worrying about getting back on the bike again.

Flip side is I love it and it stops me being a miserable grumpy git! Have a read of the Chimp Paradox to help sort the head out and see how it goes from there!

jimdubleyou – Member
You need a newfat bike

FTFY 😆 😉

=1 molgrip, harsh but probably on the money.

The problem is that “unclipping” is pretty much setting you up to fail before you have started. Like people who unclip and swing a leg out for “steep” descents, that very act means you are no longer centred on the bike and unable to drive your weight down and forwards through the pedals, precisely the thing that stops you getting “hung up” on roots etc!

So, either fit some flats, or find some roots to practice and experiment with staying centered, low and still clipped in!

Just an update:

I followed a friend of mine (experienced rider) on that section on Friday and I saw how he rode it, with no real issues. I did it in a very sketchy way, dabbing and stopping few times…

I then came back there on Saturday night, around 10pm. I walked the track up and down and then I started riding it. First up, then slowly down… Then again… And again… And after like 5th time I was able to ride it down, maybe not very fast, but with no excessive braking, without stiffening the limbs, unweighting the front end on some nastier roots…

I was buzzing all day yesterday that I finally managed to do it – so in the evening I got there again, just to enjoy it a bit more 8)

Thanks another step forward! Thanks for all the advice!

Progress! Awesome! I rode some steep slippery stuff on the way to work today and was pleased I managed to stay fairly loose and flow reasonably well – it isn’t easy at this time of year with wet roots, slimey leaves and greasy dirt…