Wondering if there is an collective advice on riding across wet roots?
Bike Forum
Whats your technique for wet roots?
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Posted 6 months ago #
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i carry a microfibre towel with me for this kinda situation, a quick dry down and you (and the people bunched up behind you) can carry on safely.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Hit them square on with confidence and no front brake.
Posted 6 months ago # -
fast & light. hit em straight on (90°) if possible.
look forward not down.
don't have your tyres too hard.
Posted 6 months ago # -
i usually find that my technique involves folding the front end completely beneath me followed by immediate granite eating.
i put this move into practice yesterday and everyone marvelled at my skillz.
Posted 6 months ago # -
panic like mad
Posted 6 months ago # -
huw - Member
Hit them square on with confidence and no front brake
+1 - just gotta keep the momentum, the amount of times on a climb I end up not attacking and the back wheel just spins.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Hit them as square as you can (where possible)
Stay loose
Your wheels will slide - don't expect grip
Pump!Posted 6 months ago # -
it would depend on exactly which roots you're talking about.
Posted 6 months ago # -
soft tyres make a big difference
avoid them if possible - ride around or jump over
otherwise hit them at a right angle if possible, and if not, or in any event, go as light as you can over them. pull up on your front wheel and just skip the back over them. use the first root as a ramp to launch the bike into the air so you just skim the surface.
except sometimes you do the opposite and put extra weight down, but generally the rule is to go light over wet roots.
be prepared to slide a bit - try to make it on the rear wheel not the front wheel.
you do not want to be changing course while you're on the wet roots - keep a steady line. Generally the key with wet roots is to pick a big, simple, straightforward line rather than to flick the bike around all over the place. That is, flick the bike around as much as necessary to AVOID the roots but if you must ride OVER them, keep it in as straight a line as possible.
Posted 6 months ago # -
15psi tyres
Posted 6 months ago # -
Speed & no brake. And tubeless.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Relaxxxxxxxxxxxx
Posted 6 months ago # -
Hit them high and fast - i still come off! it all depends on how polished the damn things are!
Posted 6 months ago # -
Stay relaxed, easy on the brakes and hit them straight, stay loose, it works as I hate roots and took me a while to get the hang of them.
Posted 6 months ago # -
a coating of marmite on my tyres.
most roots hate it.
Posted 6 months ago # -
You have to believe your tyres will stick. For some reason that's very important.
Posted 6 months ago # -
they never seem to be square on unless they are also on an off camber slope, in my experience.
My approach is;
1) spot approaching root, tense up
2) slow down a bit to have a squint at it.
3) realise it's wet, at an angle to the trail and that there's no way to go around it.
4) slow down some more body now fully rigid.
5) reach root.
6) hoik front wheel over the root and land it just on top of the other one that was lurking behind it.
7) realise that I've slowed down too much and now have no momentum.at this point I either
a) stop dead as all forward motion has now ceased there's an unseemly scrabble to get my foot unclipped prior to hitting the ground with my shoulder.
or
b) have just enough speed to let the front wheel slide on the second root and disappear off sideways whilst there's an unseemly scrabble to get my foot unclipped prior to hitting the ground with my shoulder.
I manage to do all of the above constiently throughout the wet months of the year despite endless visualisation and 'mtfu' talkings to from myself.
*sighs*
Posted 6 months ago # -
jota180 - Member
RelaxxxxxxxxxxxxDONT Do IT!
Posted 6 months ago # -
Momentum. Also staying loose on the bike, it's going to slide and go all over the place, the trick seems to be for your momentum to carry you through.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Hit roots - fall off - swear lots - inspect body for breakages.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Cheers guys, makes me feel better, that I'm just avoiding them. I thought it was just me who was scared of them
Posted 6 months ago # -
I leave off the brakes and lighten the wheel as it goes over the root if you are going slowly, or use your momentum if going faster. Jumping right over them is good where possible, I was following (well, trying to) an ex-pro rider through the pie run at glentress and her solution to the slippy clusters of roots in there involved lots of speed and air whilst I was mincing around and over them at 5mph trying to weave my bars around the trees at the same time.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Don't touch the front brake, let the bike run, don't turn on them. Unweight the front wheel, and if you can as mentioned use the first one to hop and unweight, the faster you are going the less you'll touch. Super tacky tires are good too!
Posted 6 months ago # -
Dunno but there are plenty to practise on around the top loop of the Aston Hill XC course at the moment & it you've mastered those there is always the damp boarded section lower down to hone the technique to expert level
Posted 6 months ago # -
as others have said; hit them square on as possible and 'stay loose', i.e. dont break too hard and dont tense up
Posted 6 months ago # -
Good tip from Andy at Dirt School - approach the section on the downhill side of the trail and aim to finish it on the uphill side.
You're still doing all the good stuff above about hitting the roots square-on, light on the bike, etc. but the slight change to the approach angle helps to counteract and slip and does a lot for your confidence!
Posted 6 months ago # -
Pick a line that minimise the 'allong' and goes 'across' the roots as much as possible, then look at whatever's next and let the bike ride itself over the roots.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Brake, if you have to beforehand, aim high and light - that's the theory - which becomes, brake, panic too much speed, brake again, bugger not enough speed, slide, ooph ffs that hurt - check limbs.
As for boarded sections, Laggan spate me off in 20 metres - god was i tense afterwards.
Posted 6 months ago # -
i usually find that my technique involves folding the front end completely beneath me followed by immediate granite eating.
i put this move into practice yesterday and everyone marvelled at my skillz
Same as him
Posted 6 months ago # -
Mince and slam.
Posted 6 months ago # -
See that really crappy bit of trail at the bottom of the roots that your trying to avoid... that's where your going to end up so just hit that bit as hard and fast as you can.
or
See that really crappy bit of trail at the bottom of the roots that your trying to avoid... that's where your going to end up so try and get your front wheel past the roots and expect your back wheel to end up in the horrible bit, if it does end up down there you were expecting it, but if you sail on past you've won.
Posted 6 months ago # -
trailmonkey - Member
i usually find that my technique involves folding the front end completely beneath me followed by immediate granite eating....I try to follow riders who do this and then there's plenty grippy surface.
If I'm in front, then it's me who provides the grip.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Don't think anyone's mentioned power yet.. Don't put the power down when the back wheel is on a root or it will slide out.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Good tip from Andy at Dirt School - approach the section on the downhill side of the trail and aim to finish it on the uphill side.
You're still doing all the good stuff above about hitting the roots square-on, light on the bike, etc. but the slight change to the approach angle helps to counteract and slip and does a lot for your confidence!
I don't quite understand what you're getting at here, can you explain it again, slowly, for the *tards?
Posted 6 months ago #
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