Has anyone got any special tips for riding slippery rooty singletrack fast? What’s the best approach mentally – to slow down a bit in view of the changed conditions (as if you were driving) – or to attack it with more confidence so the bike digs in more? I always instinctively go a bit slower but I wonder if more attack is needed. Of course in practice I’m sure it’s a balance of the two – but when is one approach likely to work best and vice versa? e.g. in mud you want to dig in hard, but on wet roots do you want to be very light?

I remember Nico after he won the Worlds at Are in the rain said it was because he mentally approached it as if it was a dry track whereas everyone else held back a bit.

Having said that I have crashed spectacularly at DH races before trying to attack trails in the rain. One time I almost broke my leg and someone else behind me actually did, doing the same thing. So I don’t think it’s as simple as just saying “attack attack attack”.

Part of the problem is that I just don’t know the limits of my bike in these conditions because I’ve not really pushed it yet. Assuming the rider is skilled (ha!), how far can a modern 6″ bike with good tyres be leaned on off camber corners before it will wash out under any rider? Can they get over wet roots positioned at an acute angle to your direction of travel, or do you need to bunnyhop/go round them? I never used to be able to but I wonder if my new bike can take this.

nb I know, I know, part of the solution is having your brakes on the right way round…my pride still has not recovered from that…

Point and shoot and trust in your bowels, essentially you’ll do some falling off finding the limits so pad up.

I’m sure folk will be along to impart Alec Guiness in Starwars style sound bites of rad wisdom.

High rollers.

If its banging it down like today at 8.30am …STOP IN..
If it starts raining when you already out go easy on the rear brake & more front brake as it all depends what & where your riding at realy. 😆

Woods in the wet & warnciffe craggs are a MARE LOL..But fun & it does test your riding skills more ? 😉

High rollers

har har…

Reckon commitment and related, braking before slippery sections but not during might be key

wear a jacket

Lots of factors, i grew up riding on wet roots so they dont tend to phase me much (but i still fall off on them from time to time).

First things first, doesnt make as much difference as some while tell you on what tyres youve got, nothing is gonna grip so a wet shiny bastid fat bastid root, whats worth remembering though is that the faster your travelling the less time your tyre has to ‘slip’ on said root. Adjusting your line so your heading into them as square on as possible allows you to go much faster too (even if this might not be the fastest line in the dry).

The hardest ones are big massive bundles of off camber roots, (which unfortunatly seems to how the usually are :D) if its a short enough section then if your confident enough then yes, jump the whole section and keep on it, however when this isnt possible, simply ‘unweighting’ the bike as you head over the worst of it often allows you to carry more speed, stay relaxed stay off the brakes and get ready to try again when you fall off practicing 😀

Don’t brake on the slippy stuff.

Ensure your bike is well maintained, chain is lubed and bearings are greased, then leave it at home and go to the pub.

Go on PS3

Carry speed over them. Make smooth steering inputs. Stay off the brakes. Those are the key factors.

Certain tyres work better than others, I personally trust a super tacky highroller on wet roots more than any other, having said that if you do as above it should almost be irrelevant what tyre you use.

You’re best off finding a challenging, long, off camber rooty section preferably with some corners and session it. If you experiment a bit you will see how even a tiny amount of braking will throw the bike out of shape, and learn to avoid it.

try to avoid getting wet

Picking a line which runs gently “uphill” across off-camber root bundles works pretty well. As you approach the section, move to the outside (lower side) of the trail, then aim to finish the rooty section at the inside (upper side) of the trail.

Wear nappies ?

This time of year I tend to wear pads for a few weeks until I’ve re-calibrated my riding.

😉

Give more thought to where you’re going to slide too when you invariably do. Will you be able to carry your momentum and pick a lower line?

Pay greater attention to where its safe to brake, turn and lean.

tips for riding in the wet??
hmmmm???

1. A rubber car mat to stand on, so as not to get your feet too dirty as you quickly take off the mud caked clothes you were wearing, before getting in your car to come home.

2. A rear bike carrier. Because putting a mud covered/dripping bike in the back of your car .. or on top of your car just makes even more of a mess for you to clean the next day.

ps. Riding natural trails in the wet are very slow, so pointless getting the bike dirty just to spin out on every climb or wash out on every rock/root.
Trail centres are good in the wet … but most trail centre warriors dont venture out in the rain, so…..