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Any tips? I've fallen off my bike while doing this every year or two for about a decade.
I'm talking old tracks that are vehicle width, with a wide rut each side that's about a foot wide, the centre bit being soft. The ruts are of varying depth and have lying water in places. Muddy in winter, but a good all weather route as the bottom of the ruts under the mud is hard from decades of compaction. Riding on the centre damages it, and it's too soft in winter anyway.
Most common occurrence is one way or another getting the front wheel jammed diagonally across the rut. I've done this in various ways including: being nudged off-centre while in the rut, the edge of the centre giving way when crossing over, and losing front wheel traction when landing a wheel lift onto the centre bit. Getting out of the rut is fine with a wheel lift. Less common is a pedal strike on the wall of the rut or top of the centre bit, due to the varying width and depth.
Of course I can go slower, and avoid thinking that just because it's wide it's fast. But I feel going slower on its own is a dumbed down solution to many riding problems.
So any technique tips and tricks etc. ?
Don't look at the rut, look down the line you want to go, not at what you want to avoid.
Look as far ahead as you can
Big gear, pump and roll when it's too deep
Indulge in the silliness and more giggles if it goes awry
I always find this turns up in my head in that situation.
Don’t look at the rut, look down the line you want to go, not at what you want to avoid.
Look as far ahead as you can
I'm normally ok with doing that but history probably makes me do differently with ruts. Also probably makes me more likely to drop into automatic human counterproductive response mode at early signs of trouble.
Not necessarily this – as you go slower you are liable to become more unstable and the steering will flop about more.
Yes, but I meant 20 kph instead of 30-40. Bit reckless in hindsight with my previous crash, remembered the track well but only from autumn conditions.
Big gear, pump and roll when it’s too deep
I do use the big gear and half-revolutions, that's helped a lot when it's flat or uphill.
Indulge in the silliness and more giggles if it goes awry
It's more, bloody hell got away with that one didn't I.
howabout keeping the weight back, so the front wheel is less likely to stick in if it goes offcentre, and easier to deflect off the sides back into the middle?
Where's your mechanical sympathy now then.... learn trials 😉 AKA how to weight/unweight your wheels independently. Arrrghhh this rut too sloppy, ass off saddle, unweight front + lift front onto middle, weight forward on handlebars & let rear wheel roll up.... Alternatively learn trials 😉 AKA riding in a straight line.
Bigger tyres with lower pressure usually (not always) seems to be enough to get away with messing up.
This lack of mechanical sympathy is fine 😉 Bike is made for rough stuff. Open drivetrain not made for mud though!
I can do the front then rear unweighing fine.
You have to be loose as a goose I find.
Don't deathgrip, look well ahead, try to ignore the rut, let the bike micro-manage its line and allow it to move under you.
I've been doing a lot of this recently on my motorbike and it's proper hard to get right.
Sometimes, you'll get it wrong, and when you do, there'll be a flooded ditch to fall into.
Faster than you think, and relax on the bike. If the front wanders or clips the edge of the rut, lets it do its thing, don’t fight it. If you’ve got the speed the gyroscopic effect *should* keep the bike upright (although your hoop might well clench, an acceptable side-effect of staying on the bike!) .
Now, narrow and closely parallel ruts, at speed and getting one wheel in one rut and the rear in another… that’s a whole different ball game!
TLDR: keep your speed up, and your body loose.
Part staying loose, part self belief. guess they are inextricably linked.
its more fun on a motorbike, cos you can blip the throttle to straighten out