On the back of an earlier post about a particularly nasty corner on the Pie Run at GT, are there any particular trail features that always cause you issues.

I’m all good with drops/jumps/rockgardens etc, but for me its always these nasty rooty stepdowns situated at switchbacks/corners that cause me grief. I find putting weight on the front wheel whilst trying to turn, with roots involved, is guaranteed to end in disaster.

Anyone else have a phobia about certain parts of the trail?

Hills.

Yes, corner where groups of mountain bikers like to stop on the best line for a bit of a chin wag.

Doggers,

Trail mincers with geared bikes

A bit at the back off the black at gt where I broke ribs/jaw….always bimble at that bit

Step ups. The rational part of my mind tells me to treat it like a double. The irrational part plays a film reel of me hitting the step up with my front wheel and scorpion faceplanting on the other side.
Might need a day with Jedi……

Hip Replacement at fort william. Scared the bejeezus out of myself on it last year, haven’t even attempted it since, even though it’s just a pretty ordinary jump. Rode past it 13 times at the endurance race this year, and every time thought “Bugger”

the air

Jumps. Drops are fine, but when my bike goes ‘up’ rapidly I lose control. Blurgh.

Bears on the trail freak me out, living in Galloway it’s not actually a problem i’ve ever encountered but the possibility, however remote is still there every time i go night riding. Just don’t mention the werewolves……i’ll never leave the house again.

Walkers, dogs, pedestrians, tourists – I could do on….

dog toffee

green slimy steps……..usually found in calderdale/huddersfield/kirklees area.

I hate that corner, I always mince through it. I guess the trick is to clear it at speed.

Riders pushing their bikes up hills. 8)

Ruts. Hate ruts.

Right-hand turns on steep alpine switchbacks. I have a bit of a mental block with these and struggle to let go of the brakes – more practice is required.

puddles… and stones

Very wet exposed tree roots.

Roots and narrow ruts that are only just wide enough for a tyre.

Polished undercut roots.

Wet roots and tight downhill switchbacks

this, though i think everyone will struggle since they tore it down ..

this:

though the boarded angled thing at GT bikepark (after the 3 raised skinnies by the tables) I can clear

since this happened (gained too much speed, too much for the corner here), scree’s:

doubles, however small:

though given I’m not confident on most tables* that’ll have something to do with it. *the new ones (left/easy side) at dalby Im good with, not many others

I panic braked at the last second on this one and had an off. I had the speed to clear easily but something in my head said braking at the last minute was the better option

couldn’t make myself do this corner:

this:

though I think that one needs to hop the back end round

this i fluke rode and then fell off, so avoided after

angled jumps, of the same size a normal not too ramped jump I could do

and as per here, when there is something to jump over. I guess the commitment/speed to clear the tree scares me

the run out on this I didn’t like the look of, very narrow, not straight in line with the steep. Plus surrounded by rocks:

Bears on the trail freak me out, living in Galloway it’s not actually a problem i’ve ever encountered but the possibility, however remote is still there every time i go night riding.

green slimy steps……..usually found in calderdale/huddersfield/kirklees area.

Seconded.

WTF were you possibly searching for to find that picture?, if i encountered anything like that on the trail i’d shit my pants on purpose, purely for defence reasons you understand.

I only dabble, nowt serious like above, but my mental block is the step into the bee line at Llandegla. First time there rode it no worries, have bottled it every time since… 🙁

Third drop on cadon bank at inners, that **** drop is my nemesis!

I’m with th OP. I can turn, I can drop. Doing both at the same time? Argh. Sends my brain into a spin.

What really gets me is obstacles on the flat – I often find I’m not carrying enough speed to get over some rocks/roots comfortably. Gravity helps!

Just to boost your confidence that’s exactly where my mate broke his wrist 2 weeks back (after telling a load of folk it’s nothing to worry about!)

Pretty much everything involving technique freaks me out. I like jumps, drops and rock gardens etc but it’s always sheer luck that I make it through them. bottled a few of the bigger jumps at llandegla the other day, before the broken wrist!

“Third drop on cadon bank at inners”
Was so chuffed when Ii did that, never thought I would
2nd time to inners, bottled the first one 2 or 3 times, managed to make myself, then bottled 2nd, managed it, bottled 3rd a couple of times and then did it. Felt big (to me)
Probably couldn’t do it now, despite ‘bigger’ bike

Though if I hadn’t managed to make myself do ladder #3 at gt bikepark and off the end of the box at the end the day before, I’d probably not have done #2 at caddon bank

My only real concern are ruts running in line with the trail. I’ve got the feeling that my tyre will go in it then twist and I’ll go over the bars. Can anyone help?

Those photos above are lovely! You look like a great rider, getting down that stuff is hard work – well done that man!

Im not in the pics (bike in one), I cant/didnt ride most of them. My brother (As per pics) can ..

Ruts in line with the trail? Try riding some rutted downs in the peak district

Proper doubles like this scare me as well. I’ve done one at Tony’s place and a couple of other gaps (one at the end of Transfer Line at Woburn) but I can’t bring myself to ride the bigger proper dirt jumps like at Woburn!

(not woburn pictured but you get the idea)

I just tense up and can’t ride em smoothly. I think it’s steeper take offs I have a problem with.

As many have posted, wet roots are my bane. Here in New Mexico, don’t get much opportunity to practice on them, so off I go on one of my trips to Colorado to ride and really struggle with them, especially on switchbacks.
I broke some ribs a few years back dropping down a steep, rocky arroyo here locally and, to this day, I usually don’t make it through that section–once you develop a little “trail baggage”, it’s hard to shake.

WTF were you possibly searching for to find that picture?,

It’s my screensaver 😉

As others have said, wet roots, big problem out here in rainy season and no matter what angle I hit them I always seem to fly off sideways…oh and snakes, nearly ran over my first Python on my Monday night ride, fella must have been over 7ft long.

The big block things on the North Face Trail… they just give me the fear for some reason, even though I could see that riding them would be entirely straight forward.

But then my crank was wobbling and fell of shortly after this, so perhaps that was why I felt unstable!

Damp green chalk.
Anything Involving air or jumping really.

Steep sections with jaggedy rocks, it’s the one type of thing I can’t force myself to look where I want to go rather than at where I don’t want my front wheel to get stuck. Invariably I end up with a stuck wheel and a side/over-the-bars dismount