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I've recently been checking out some of the off-piste round QECP and the North Downs. A lot of these trails currently have a layer of fine dust on them which makes them (for me) rather scary to ride. Not a lot of braking traction and the rear wheel seems to slide all over the place.
Due to the trails being steep with a lot of narrow obstacles, the lack of grip means I end up dragging the brakes much of the way down. I'm not really enjoying it and probably not good for the trail surface either.
On the other hand, the trails that are bare chalk, dried clay mud, or armoured with gravel are running brilliantly and give me the confidence to ride down the steep bits and brake only where necessary.
To successfully ride these dusty trails, should I be learning to enjoy the lack of grip and sliding my rear wheel around the switchbacks? Or has just an unusually dry year led to dodgy conditions for the trails?
Have you tried reducing your tyre pressure?
Keeping "loose" will also help (easier said than done!)
just wait until they are wet, you'll be begging for dusty chalk then
but what vlad said was good advice ,
youve got to look for the bits that the tyres will grip on or small berms that you can push against and hold off the brakes until your tyres contact them, scary but rewarding when you get it rightly
this is my local, if you are referring to the quarry area which has the steepest slipperiest parts in the park.. i can relate
My Top Fuel with an XR4 up back is absolutely terrifying on these steeper sections, to the point were it doesn't get used much for those rides.
On my Banshee I've run DHR2 and now a High Roller 2 up back (because that's what i had spare) and it is better.
I also brought the front end up on the Top Fuel slightly to try and improve these situations
regardless, on these trails they end up more like a trails course than a controlled descent, keeping speeds low at times, not much different to walking, although they are so steep that walking is nearly impossible.
Body position, you are very much still needing to trust the front end, easier said than done, but yes the back does a lot less than you would like
If this is your first time riding here, wait a month or two... we generally don't ride the quarry so much in the winter and tend to wander to another hill near by
Yeah, as above, stay loose, look for the catch berms and push into them. It'll get worse when it's wet. Unless it's perfect dry / dhf conditions then wild enduros for me, or wild enduros front, t9 butcher rear.
Anyway, no one rides there and there aren't any trails and we are not talking about it.
First rule of QECP is not to talk about the unofficial areas!
Seriously though the area you are on about will only get worse as the months roll on, in winter its just too wet and gets very little sunlight
In summer can be loose like you experienced, after a few days of rain it improves and there's a sweet spot before it becomes too saturated and unrideable as the months go on
When it gets too unrideable there's another unofficial area to ride which is a bit better
In winter I tend to stick to the official trails and skills areas and if I want something better then I head to the Surrey Hills and hit up Holmbury and Pitch hill as they are sandy and drain well, Winterfold wood I avoid as its gets quite boggy
more front wheel control needed! steer with teh rear and get those hips working. if teh front hooks up you are all good. If it doesnt you are toast anyways so it doesnt matter hahah!
wait till its all wet and green for maximum 'fun'
The quarry area has a ‘marbly’ feeling when very dry. You definitely need to trust the front tyre, but getting the pressures right front and back will certainly help. The best tyres I’ve ridden there and another nearby area are my wtb vigilante and up front wtb verdict wet, the latter a proper long mud spike tyre. Those are on an e bike though as they’d be awful on a conventional bike. Maybe a shorty would be the compromise to cut through the dust to the grip underneath.
As others have said, chin off the quarry as it turns to death chalk once the wetter weather comes.
Not QECP but I rode North Downs dusty chalk on my Top Fuel. They are a little short travel for the more gnarly steep stuff but I get down most trail. It’s loose at the moment but lovely.
id suggest something a little grippier than the XR4 (which are pretty good) like a Butcher, get the saddle right down and keep weight balanced (not too far back) and no need to lock up a rear, just some good modulated breaking to control your speed.
Thanks for the replies all - looks like the main recommendations besides technique are to use a gripper tire and lower pressure. I now feel a bit stupid for using a Rekon Race on the rear. Thing is I have a lot of XC riding to get to these places, I suppose I'll need to suck it up and pedal a higher rolling resistance tire there if I don't want to feel like I'm constantly about to slide out and crash.
It is unseasonably dry out on the trails in many places... Rode the Malverns yesterday and was getting dust in my eyes following a mate down some of the steeper trails, and rode at Ross on Wye today and in places where they'd been felling, it was like riding through cement dust at times!
Just adjust your riding style to suit, and revel in all your Strava PR's... 😉 🤣
So, i had to give up my XR4's for the OH's bike which are 100% ideal for her riding on her Cortex
SO i need to go shopping, mainly riding around the areas mentioned above, its my Top Fuel which tends to be my solo bike, generally staying out of the horrible stuff in the winter and leave that to the bigger bike, so i need tyres
I was drawn to Forekasters, however, they are only available in WT and i am on 27mm lightweight carbon rims, too skinny
Butcher Grid Trail T9 and Ground Control Grid T7 have been suggested, any thoughts? i am preferring to stay sub 1kg tyres on this, goal is to be able to ride far and fast, but on steeper stuff i am more interested in being able to keep control rather than all out speed
Oh yer, i am also looking for bargains that fit the bill 😛
I was thinking about the agressor when my XR4s die....