Technique for longer steep mud descents

Yesterday’s Brass monkeys and a previous round found me in a bit of difficulty on some of the steeper faster descents.

The issue I have is where things are steep enough long enough and muddy enough that no matter how slow you start you have to brake to make the bend/curve at the bottom.

Rear only doesn’t slow enough, any use of the front gives two wheel drift and a feeling of near death.

So what’s the best way to deal with this?

I tend to just swear a lot, hang on and hope. If it gets too scary I fall off towards the softest bit I can find.

So what’s the best way to deal with this?

I find girly squealing and trying to get the back end to come round of its own accord works.

Sort of lock the rear wheel up so it tries to overtake the front. If you time it right the front ends pointing where you want when you need it to.

The girly squealing helps as if it’s not quite worked you’re all prepped for an undignified fall.

Foot out, flat out.

get used to the bike sliding under you and hold on and enjoy!

Look for places down the trail where you will be able to brake.

Use corners or more solid objects in the trail (such as stumps, rocks, berms, roots) to catch your tyres when you expect to slide.

Don’t have your weight as far back as possible, your arms shouldn’t be locked for extended periods of time, you need to be able to weight your front a bit too if you want to make any use of the brake when the ground is momentarily grippier.

Tyres suited for the conditions help too, if you start a technical descent with tyres that are completely clogged up with mud then you’re going to hard a much more difficult time.

If the exit looks straight like the biggest drop had yesterday just let it go, no brakes until near the exit.

Use the front brake in the straight bits and let it off when you want to turn a bit. Rear brake feathered, then locked when you want to get the back end to turn a bit. Look for grippy bits of trail to turn on and ruts to commit to. Get used to the bike moving under you and trust it. Your bike doesn’t want to crash any more than you do.

Use the “pin ball alley” technique, where the bike, and often its rider too, pretty much just ricochets down the trail bouncing off anything in the way! Ideally, time your brake applications when the tyres are loaded into small ruts, roots, rocks etc. Success is measured by being still on the bike when it reaches the bottom……….

As Stevelol says, plus I use my feet to weight the pedals to guide the bike. Any handlebar input aimed at steering the front wheel will overload its limited grip, so just use your feet to steer.

Also make sure your weight is between the wheels, not hanging off the back. You need to spread the limited grip between both wheels.

Dont try to slow too much, concentrate on using your weight to steeer / guide it round the bends. Ensure that if you do brake the wheels are still turning.

Oh, and your sill likely to fall off after all that, so plan for the crash 🙂

i tend to try and forget front brake, lock up and slide rear, sometimes build up a mud “wake” on rear which helps with slowing too, I tense up, think of the worst that could happen, squeal and “abandon ship” if needed into some soft mud or bushes.

Richmtbguru to the forum please.

Use the “pin ball alley” technique, where the bike, and often its rider too, pretty much just ricochets down the trail bouncing off anything in the way! Ideally, time your brake applications when the tyres are loaded into small ruts, roots, rocks etc. Success is measured by being still on the bike when it reaches the bottom……….

I don’t just reserve this technique for longer steeper mud descents…

Don’t race. Simple. It is uncouth and makes bumholes of otherwise nice people.

Watch this, you’ll feel like a riding god;

Work on your Sustained Dab. It’s not a techique you see often in magazines, perhaps because it’s a bit too challenging for the average rider, but once you master it, you’ll find you can travel great distances while completely out of control. (at the tweedlove enduro I overtook about 3 people at once with single expert Sustained Dab)

Stay low, elbows and knees wide to give the bike as much scope as possible to move without dragging all your weight with it. Don’t automatically head towards the back of the bike as this unweights the front and will cause understeer. If you have to brake on the slope try to use the back, locking the back wheel is not an immediate game-ender whilst locking the front usually is. Locking the back wheel can also help with the corner at the bottom as you can do some of the steering with a back wheel slide.

Ride as fast as you can, your tyres will shed the mud and grip betterer 😆

There’s quite a few bits like that in Guisborough, took me a while to figure out that unless everyone’s crashed already (e.g. that video) then there’s always more grip letting the bike roll rather than braking, even if it results in out of control speed. So pick a line through the corner and focus on getting through that rather than on the slope.

Work on your Sustained Dab. It’s not a techique you see often in magazines, perhaps because it’s a bit too challenging for the average rider, but once you master it, you’ll find you can travel great distances while completely out of control. (at the tweedlove enduro I overtook about 3 people at once with single expert Sustained Dab)

AKA get off and run?

Foot out, flat out.

This mostly 🙂

Find somewhere with a long muddy slope and practice. Get comfortable with both wheels sliding (slippy muddy flat turns too.) Technique is a bit like skiing.

Use the “pin ball alley” technique

Find some riders like to employ other riders as objects to bounce off when using this technique 👿

Take a deep breath – hold it until you’re clear. Don’t turn.

Dont fear the front brake. As long as it’s straight you can pump the front, while dragging the rear and surf down. As soon as it’s off camber forget about dragging the brakes though.

As long as you are not locking the front brake it will follow a reasonable line and help you maintain speed.

Going down something steep and loose with the back brake locked up and the speed increasing is not fun.

thisisnotaspoon – Member

AKA get off and run?

More of a hopping tripod.

No brakes, let the tyres do their ‘thang’

The guy in that video at 58 seconds fell off because his wheels were too big for him.

Just man up, get off the brakes and pedal lots.

edward2000 – Member

The guy in that video at 58 seconds fell off because his wheels were too big for him.

IIRC he wrote in the next issue about how the big wheels provided tons of grip at ae 😆

mrblobby

Maxtorque
Use the “pin ball alley” technique

Find some riders like to employ other riders as objects to bounce off when using this technique [/quote]

Ah, that’ll be the advanced “mega-avalanche” version of the technique! To master it, ideally you should both be French, and have a complete devil may care attitude to your riding…….

Sustained Dab worked well for me on Stage 4 at the Tweedlove Enduro 🙂

That corner on the Ae video, I managed it in the race without crashing, not really sure how!

If you think the Ae one is bad……..

Poor buggers 😆