Is it just me that has an irrational fear of wooden sections?

Coming from the west of Scotland where wood is normally wet and makes ice seem grippy may have something to do with it, but a 6 inch wide bit of singletrack is seems nice and easy to follow; two foot of boardwalk and I'm convinced I'm going off the side.

Anyone else?

Yep, I get the old "5p-50p" Twich as soon as I get near…

I think I need to pay for a day with Tony Jedi…

Stand at the side of it and hold your bike in place. Now lean the bike over at 45 degrees. Now push all your weight into the saddle. Does the bike slip? (in the dry by he way).

Did this demo for a lady at Afan over Easter and she was more than happy to blat along it after than.

I get a visual problem. As the slats go by, I can't see whether they're rising or falling. Small inclines tend to take me by surprise 🙂

I used to really hate it.Not scared of slipping,just convinced I would go off the side(which I have),better now,but don't enjoy it.

it follows the same skills as everyother riding. the mental side needs building slowly . wet ladders?? only a fool rides wet wood unless its cedar thats newish (bc)

Think it was on the North Face trail I rode some wet wood that was like Ice, the new stuff at Ae is pretty grippy wet or dry but as it ages I guess it will get slippy!!

I focus on sticking to the middle and that helps me get across the sections and maintain momentum, it's not my favourite trail feature.

It's not the skills as such, I mean I can ride a two foot wide fairly non-technical surface (which most of the boardwalk I'm talking about is – Dalby and not the skinnies), but it's like vertigo. I can feel it pulling my bike towards the edge.

its acrophobia

jedi – Member
its agrophobia

Its a what now??? 😯

not vertigo

jedi – Member
its agrophobia
Its a what now???

A dose of MTFU is need 😡

Fair one Sarge…

That's right 😡

agoraphobia is derived from Greek words literally meaning "fear of the marketplace"

So basically your in built warning system that tells you to lay off CRC and Wiggle until the credit card cools off a little – perhaps.

Coogan – Indeed, and that's how I get down them. But I still don't enjoy them

Have you done the stuff on the blue at Dalbeattie?
I ask cos I was frikking terrified of the stuff (cold sweats) before I went there. But they've made such a flowing part of the trail, specially on the last bit of the blue, that it kind of doesn't feel like 'and now you're going to have to ride the really nasty horrible scary bit to get to the good stuff' but more 'oh, okay, just another bit of the track, thank god I don't have to ride the stuff to the left of me'. It flows better, so in my head it kind of clicked. Also, what speed you riding it at? Full pelt or pootle or somewhere inbetween?

Probably at the pootle end of the scale – modern disc brakes can sense fear and apply themselves without you having to do anything you see.

And yes I know that speeding up and believing it'll be OK will make it OK – but I don't believe and that's the problem.

The temptation to explain neural programming must be resisted :O)
The more you do something, and the more it's okay and nothing bad happens, in theory, the more embedded a particular memory becomes, and as such the easier it is for your brain to believe it will be okay. So, like, it's programming. You need to programme your brain a bit. Unfortunately, the only way to do that is to rinse and repeat. Which is horrid, cos it's hard work, not fun and you get bored of the cold sweats. I just can't think of an easier way.
It sounds a teensy bit like small cars feeling like they're being sucked towards trucks when overtaking them – that kind of thing.