Off road riding, especially the fun stuff, invariably involves
navigating over tricky obstacles. If you bash into a log or rock,
it will halt your progress as the front wheel compresses into
the object (and attempts to catapult you off your mount or slew
you sideways). Being able to unweight your front wheel is an
essential skill for a good time in the hills. You'll be able
to travel faster, and avoid nasties like snake bites (compression
punctures) and taco'd wheels.
There are two weapons to line your armoury with:
1.
The "Clean and Jerk"
 Imagine
yourself leaping into the air Michael Jordan style. You bend
your legs then straighten them - exploding skywards. The same
principle applies here only using your arms.
i) As you approach the obstacle, lift your butt off the seat
and move your upper body forward and down over the handle bars.
This compresses your body like a loaded spring, plus compresses
the front tyre and your shocks.
ii) Quickly push away and back from the handle bars.
iii) When you run out of travel in your arms, bend them again
to pull the bike towards your chest, lifting the front wheel
off the ground
When linked together in a continuous fluid motion you can snap
the wheel in the air at a moments notice. Just the ticket for
high speeds and unexpected water bars (gutters).
2.
The Wheelie
Before getting excited about this one, best you re-visit
Lesson One about braking. You need to keep a finger on the rear
brake - because when you get this manoeuvre really dialled the
only way you can avoid flipping right over backwards is by touching
the rear brake. It's also advisable to practice without your
clip-less pedals - allowing you to abandon ship in a hurry.
The idea is to get the bike to accelerate quickly underneath
you - causing the front wheel to pop up like your morning slice
of Molenberg.
i) Select a gear that will enable you to strongly accelerate
the bike from a slow speed. This all will happen with a single
power stroke, ie. the pedal moving between the 1 and 6 o'clock
positions. Too high a gear will result in too little acceleration
and no wheel lift; too low a gear and the power stroke is all
over in a jiffy causing only minimal lift.
i) Once you've figured out which gear is right for you, practice
applying a single explosive power stroke while cruising along
the flat. Pulling against the handle bars will help apply more
grunt to the pedals. If you can keep your arms straight then
your weight will be more towards the rear of the bike which will
help the lifting effect.
Timing is everything. You need to anticipate the obstacle -
so start the move with your pedal in the 11 o'clock position.
By the time your brain sends the action message to your leg the
pedal will be ready for the power stroke at the 1 o'clock position.
This is best executed at slower speeds and is especially suited
to gnarly hill climbs. Obviously the bigger the object, the more
grunt you'll have to invest in the manoeuvre but in general it
requires only minimal energy. And it sets you up nicely for unweighting
the back wheel ... more on that next time.
|
