Hmmm not sure what to do about this. Was riding some new armoured single track that consisted of much twisting and turning in a very small area. I always look ahead and could see clearly how the trail was snaking its way through the trees.
There were a few hairpin bends in the trail and was feeling quite queasy with the sharp change of direction. Consequently by the end of the trail my heart rate was high and felt distinctly sick.
Funnily enough, I am OK'ish in trees but because I had a good view of the many changes of direction, it seemed to affect me.
Apart from MTFU, any helpful suggestions gratefully received. 🙂
Have you also had unusual food cravings.......... 😕
Sorry 🙂
Is this a recent thing - could you have an inner ear problem? Otherwise do as ballet dancers do and fix on a spot?
The only time I get somethink like this is when I'm riding at a location where either the left or right hand side of the trail drops away down a valley. The perception (illusion) of the near/closest side of the trail moving faster than the other side (far away on t'other side of the valley) does my head in 🙂 Not explained very well but if you have ever experienced this then I think you'll know what I'm on about.
Other than that MTFU.
Thanks for the replies. No food cravings and no inner ear problems.
allthepies - I can sort of understand what you are saying.
My balance is not very good due to eyes. I guess what I really need is some mental tips on how to not think about it. Did wonder whether blinkers would help, seems to work for horses.
I rode the trail five times, kill or cure mode, and by the end I wanted to vomit!
With the best will in the world, and not wishing to sound like an insensitive vulture, where is this fine-sounding twisty stuff? It sounds like fun!
Do you get motion-sickness normally (cars/planes/boats)? Ever take anything for it?
CG - is this a recently built extension of a trail that had been closed for a month or so?
bananaworld - you have been there before but it's a new track! Motion sickness on boats? Ask a few on here. 🙄
thepurist - spot on!
Stickler extension then 🙂 Is it any good ?
At first I thought 'no this doesn't flow', some of the berms are like hairpins, quite loose high up too. So rode it in opposite direction although assuming it's still bi-directional. Loved the upturned stones and tabletop thingies.
After riding it five times, I sort of enjoyed it but just felt so queasy!
More good work by the Bob Club. 8)
I assumed The Stickler would eventually link up to that nice new little trail that begins just off the Devil's Highway.
its great fun... can imagine it getting more fun with practice as when i rode it on tuesday i had my weight too far forward and was riding through the wall at the same time... still thought it was amazing what the guys have managed to build in that space! over 1.1km extra trail added apparently! 😀
Yeah, it's a long trail now! I've had to partake in a glass of wine to recover from the experience! Still feeling queasy though. 🙁
I suffer with bad motion sickness in cars and on my bike at times.
I found if I was pretty rigid on my bike, even though I was looking ahead I would feel sick, but moving around, and leaning into bends seemed to lessen the sickness thing.
Has this motion sickness occured recently, and has it got any better over time?
Do you have any noises in your ears(tinnitus) at the same time?
Do have the same feeling when you get up quickly?
Have you had any hard knocks on the head recently?
I've always had motion sickness - planes, boats, cars, coaches. No tinnitus. It seems to be connected to my eyesight - muscle imbalance apparently. Often I see things differently, ie 3D drawings.
I really forced myself to ride it over and over again and pleased that I did.
Did mention these odd things when I last had an eye test but didn't have much confidence in the optician.
You might want to try some habituation excercise such Epley manoeuvers
See this link: [url= http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Benign-Paroxysmal-Positional-Vertigo.htm ][/url]
This has to be april fool, if not try ginger, grate some fresh ginger into a cup with warm water and some honey to make it taste better. If it didn't work then at least it is a good cold cure.
This has to be april fool, if not try ginger, grate some fresh ginger into a cup with warm water and some honey to make it taste better. If it didn't work then at least it is a good cold cure. sailors use ginger for motion sicknesses.
Ho ho ho, I've no doubt I've been there before but my usual inability to navigate Swinley comes into force! 😉
I've been there twice in the last week or so (for the first time in more than a year following the ultra-stressful navigation/guiding disaster...) and got completely lost on both occasions! That's with GPS and "prior knowledge"...
So this new bit of Stickler (which I'll never find anyway!): is it towards the nine yards thing or Tank Traps? (going by [url= http://tinyurl.com/swinleymap ]the map[/url] which has got me into trouble so many times before...!)
Thanks for replies. Not April Fool's, how dare you!
Bananaworld - I thought all men had some inbuilt navigation system! OK head for Tank Traps and The Stickler is on the opposite side of that fire road, just a few yards along.
The Stickler is the one with the little wooden bridge. Continue almost to the end but before you reach the Devil's Highway, you will see some red/white marker tape on the right. It's all aggregated and currently bright orange!
It's a huge amount of trail in a small area, you can see it winding far ahead. It will bring you out almost back at the red/white tape.
Hope that makes sense!
So ... Stickler Extension ... bidirectional I guess but does anyone have a preference?
For example, table top thingies I've ridden in both directions and noticed a difference. Anyone else?
Went for a blast around Swinley yesterday and...
... utterly failed to find Stickler, as usual 😳
Next time!
On another, slightly related note, the new stuff near the Lookout looks like it'll be quite fun when it's all bermed-up, and the pump track is pretty good if you've got the skills (I'm trying to learn) and can figure out which direction it goes in.
How are you getting on with the motion-sickness...?
bananaworld - give me a shout when you're next going and I'll show you! I can get out mid-week too.
Yes, I need to have a look at that new stuff as I think there's more since when I last pootled. Isn't some of it for those Segway thingies?
Motion sickness? I was over there today going round and round, getting the berms wrong and generally making a pig's ear. 😳 It's being able to see the trail meandering so far ahead and knowing there's hairpin bends - all contributing to it, together with intense concentration.
Shakes head *there's no hope*
relax on the bike, move the bike around under you, don't let it move you around, look ahead along the trail, slow down your rebound?
Stiffen up your rebound?
I get it too, especially turning to the right. Over the last 6 months I have been doing lots of off bike balance stuff with coordination exercises. it has really really helped.
stepped over your lactic threshold and got the heebeegeebees?!
Thread resurrection.
I just rode Swinley for the first time since last Autumn, been looking forward to having a blast round there in the evenings and had a go on this new trail. The jumps seem to be uphill that little stone drop is uphill too and the hairpin berms are really, really tiny. I don't really get it, found it really hard to get into any sort of rhythm -- is it just me or if I ride it more does it eventually click?
The jumps seem to be uphill that little stone drop is uphill
Ride it the other way ? 🙂
joolsburger - ride it both ways cos that's always an enlightening thing to do, especially with those jumpy thingies. 😀
I almost feel that the fun bits should come towards the end and hit you on the nose, as it were.
The more you ride it, the more flow you get. 😀
Actually, reckon I will try it on a different bike next time.
Head up a little more? I find I get a little disorientated if I look down too much at my front wheel (bad riding habit anyway 😀 )
Head up a little more?
Oh it is, thanks to jedi's tuition. 🙂
We rode it both ways but was still a bit meh that stone drop seems to be one way and the hairpins are so snug. I'm sure it will ride better as I have a few more goes. Shocking the state the Labyrinth is in though.
I agree about the hairpins - there is one I can't manage at all despite 'sessioning' it. Labyrinth has suddenly sprouted lots of roots - is that what you mean?
I'm thinking all the braking bumps really it's just in a terrible state. I think I may have name wrong I'm thinking of the three trails down the hill left middle and right is what we mostly call them but people have told me it's actually the labyrinth. I especially like left but it's a right mess.
Whoooooooooooooo hoooooooooooooooooooooo yeah baby!!!
Did some 'sessioning' today and I can now pootle around Stickler Extension in both directions - those hairpins have been well and truly [b]nailed[/b]. 8)
First attempt didn't bode well with chain coming off as I went over the upturned stone with the grace of an elephant. Sorted out the chain tensioning then pootled off again. Fortunately at that stage I had the trail to myself so no pressure from proper riders.
Beer later me thinks. 😀
I've not been on here much recently, too busy at work, but before I read the rest of this thread.....
At first I thought 'no this doesn't flow',
I think I may know where this trail is, and possibly which precise trail....
**Goes back to read more**
Yup. I was right. 🙁
Possibly the worst bit of 'trail building' I've ever seen is that.
EDIT
I don't really get it, found it really hard to get into any sort of rhythm -- is it just me or if I ride it more does it eventually click?
No, it's not you. I know the original Stickler trail pretty well, and from the description it seems they've managed to make something even worse, if that were possible 🙁
No no no Pete! It's only been finished within the last two weeks so you may not know it.
I would say that it is good for a skills session in whichever direction you ride it. Having made a pig's ear of it, I changed my mindset about it not flowing to more of a trail with a learning curve.
Lots of turns so lots of moving around on the bike to be done. The hairpin bends require leaning the bike and trusting your tyres. Looking ahead all the time and concentrating. Controlling speed at the tabletop thingies unless you want air.
I now 'get it', but obviously don't know what was the intention of the trail builders.
That extension is stage 1 of 5 or 6 apparently according to the BOB guy who was chatting to us last night!
Blimey. 😯
Call me old fashioned but I'd suggest speaking to a GP or possibly have some test done at an opticians, it sounds rather odd but I do know that a succession of fast berms that turn one way, then another, and so on can give you a milder version of that feeling you can get on roller coasters that move in the same way, not that I'm saying that's a bad thing. 8)
The one thing that causes me to feel sick from motion sickness would be prolonged play on a 'first person shoot em' up', especially some of the one's of years gone by (like Red Faction for example) which have a fairly fast frame rate but dark graphics, not much lighting, combine that with long spells moving quickly through tight corridors and you got a recipe for a sick bag right there.
Although you say you look up ahead on the trail, maybe your line of sight is closer than you think it is because it seems that is one of the causes?
I thought it flowed quite well, just needs comitment to go into the berms fast enough to go all the way round without poping out of the top*.
I can't help but think without some serious civil engineering those berms will be nicknamed the ponds next winter?
*think of those coin spinning charity boxes, not much speed needed to get round the top, but its going really quick if you go lower down, so speed is your friend, and counter intuitively the faster you go the tighter it gets.
IMO the way the extension joins the old unfinished bit of trail makes it pretty obvious that there's going to be more work done. I'm all for it - it's a good skills trail & makes it easy to session a variety of different types of corner, as long as its midweek of course.
BTW - anyone know what's going on with the Labyrinth? Looks like they've cleared enough trees to stick a fire road width track into the junction area. My guesses were either to make it easier to get to casualties who've got it wrong on the jumps/berms, or as a precursor to some forestry clearance in that area.