[Closed] Ever been out of your depth on the bike?

Oh yeh, 1st time i rode Llandegla, i was on a bike that was too big for me and built more for banging out XC miles, it had a knackered old high roller on the back and a suicidal Conti Speed King on the front - both pumped up to the max.

I still did all the black sections at full pelt and just about filled my shorts during the process.

I was chuckling to myself well into the the next week at how fortunate I was to get away with not having any kind of off.

😆

i will be getting a bmx (you cannot get more out of your depth,when you have zero bike skills 😳

Me on the WC DH run at Champery. I was on a 120mm XC bike & pushed it down in front of me & slid down on my arse.

Frequently. I have a tendency to not pay attention at bike parks. 2nd run in Whistler I ended up on the A-Line in my 2nd year of mountain biking. Few weeks ago in Lac Blanc I somehow ended up on the black without knowing how. I muddle through though

WC DH run at Champery

Yip. Last two times I've been to the Nevis red, and had one run on the big dh. Tooooooo much!.

yep, sounds like the day i rocked up to Tavi Woodlands on my hardtail, expecting some kind of XC. whole place is at 45deg and was wet. felt genuinely lucky to get out alive and unhurt after attempting most runs, slowly!

Ever been out of your depth on the bike?

Frequently. Most times I ride it actually.
😳

Yes I have, at Revolution bike park!!! It was a mud bath. basically slid down 3 runs on my arse/face/knees and went home!

I agree, they are very nice blokes. I might go back now its dry, but even then it will be beyond my ability. But sometimes thats the best way to get better.

I rode the Megavalanche last week. Lined up on the second row on qualifying, kicked off nicely. 5 seconds later a bloke's bar is stuck behind the chest-pad of my body armour as we elbow around a loose corner. As we got to the snow I realised I probably hadn't been breathing, my legs were absolutely jelly and my hands were shaking, mainly with fear. I was passed by something like 85 people as I struggled just to get my head back into a place where I could ride the bike forwards and down again. Massive respect to the lunatics who thrive on that sort of competition. 🙂

Frequently. Most times I ride it actually.

this

Pretty much on any continuously steep DH trail

Frequently. Most times I ride it actually.

this

+1
The red route at QECP frustrated me so much yesterday I gave up and went home..

Went on a 40 mile ride inthe Chilterns at the start of summer... made it about halfway and had to drop out and take the train. On the DH vein, perhaps Super Morzine on a Chase with 100mm DirtJams.

but for a unhealthy cowardly numpty like me, it was far too steep, far too rooty, far too slippy.

I guess lots of us have had a really bad day. My worst was when all my technical skill seemed to desert me on the Ullswater shore path, on a day out with our club, up from the Chilterns. I couldn't seem to find any grip anywhere, lost my bottle as a result, and actually really knocked my confidence for a good while.

For the next day's riding I swapped out my 2.1" Conti Vert Pros for some great big 2.5" Bontragers and kind of salvaged my weekend, but I was really knocked back by it.

[img] [/img]

What tyres for............ 😉

^
That's an ordinary winter ride in the southern Chilterns.

Glencoe Black DH middle section certainly had me flummoxed not being a DHiller and all that but got my mojo back enough to nail the jump at the end much to my relief 🙂
The Scottish DH tracks are not really for me they are bloody steep and unrelenting and it's more relief in getting to the bottom without having mashed my bike.Respect for the folk who do it.

Laggan Wolftrax Black,on a 80mm lightweight hardtail..what was i thinking!

Went for a week with Switchbacks DH last year having never been on an uplift day before. Steep learning curve on the first day but after that it was epic until I woke up in a ditch having acquired a 2nd elbow on the 3rd day!

Best of luck with the new niche!

I was there with ton today. Really enjoyed it but found it pretty tough too, actually much harder than the WC DH track at Fort William for me. Part technique, part fitness, and part lack of bottle made it hard - it was such a struggle to get down some bits that I was knackered by the time I got to bits where I should have been more comfortable.

Just generally very steep, muddy, rutted, rooty tracks with lots of steep tight off camber corners etc. It was much easier when you could work up the confidence to let off the brakes a bit and let the bike do the work, easier said than done though!

Good eye opener though and makes me want to improve at that kind of stuff.

Did you get home ok ton? Took us about 5 and a half hours in the end (plus 40 mins for me back to Lancaster) cos they closed the M56 and everywhere was mega-jammed up.

Doing Snowdon tomorrow evening so hoping I'm not out of my depth 😉

Yes, riding CBC on a 21" Rocky Mountain ETSX that was two sizes too big. Stayed intact though.

[otThe red route at QECP frustrated me so much yesterday I gave up and went homee]

stupidly decided to 'warm up' by doing 15 miles of the south downs before trying to ride the red route at QECP yesterday. I was sh!te, and I nearly hit a tree.

Ok I give up, how do you do that quoting thing? Trying to refer to freeagents's quote up there ^^^^^

Another vote for Champery WC track.

There was a group of us riding it, all experienced racers, including some proper fast DH boys, and we all concluded that we had never felt like such a bunch of clueless amateurs, bumbling down like we were on slick tyres.

Put Danny's already spectacular Worlds run into ridiculous perspective...

Crack Addict and Tech Noir at Whistler. Just about survived but I don't like steep techy stuff!

grum - there's nothing technical or steep on Ft Bill WC track (the only technical section is only open for races BDS/SDA/WC etc.)
Place you were at sounds great, whereabouts is it? looked on their website but couldn't get a page with contact/location info.

Another vote for Champery WC track.

There was a group of us riding it, all experienced racers, including some proper fast DH boys, and we all concluded that we had never felt like such a bunch of clueless amateurs, bumbling down like we were on slick tyres.

Put Danny's already spectacular Worlds run into ridiculous perspective...

Funnily enough Neil Donoghue was there today. He described the course today as mostly quite easy, but he said the WC track Champery after heavy rain was terrifying, and had quite a few pro DHers freaking out.

GW, it's at Llangynog. You would probably find it too easy though 🙂

Every time I feel like I'm finding a good level, I end up trying something different and getting out of my depth again. Seems to be a key part of riding

not too far from Oswestry, eh?
a DH tracks doesn't have to be that technical/difficult to be fun! 8)

Yup near Oswestry. Think it's normally only open for uplifts at the weekend but if you can get enough people together they will do them midweek.

Went to Nantmawr quarry years ago on my GT LTS 2 thiking I could ride any DH stuff - soon learned it's not the same going fast down "normal" hills

Many times! Part of the fun as long as you know when to draw the line at pushing yourself. Being attached to a load of metal/carbon means that this threshold is lower than, say, on a pair of skis!

But that may because my experience and skill level on skis is considerable higher. But I have a few mates who say the same thing ie we are more cautious on a bike because we perceive the likelihood of injury to be higher. The mind, the mind...

[i]when my 200mm forked dh beast lands, i shall be returning[/i]

My worry would be that I'd just get further out of my depth before I realised I couldn't cope and that I'd just end up with a bigger accident.

Most of the time I don't ride stuff that I couldn't mince my way through on my cross bike. Gives far greater margin for error when I've got fat tyres and a bit of suspension to help me out 🙂

tomorrow, doing the coast to coast with camping gear in 3 days. considering i have never riden more than 40km in a day this may hurt 😀

grum, i got home at 7pm.....took a detour thru mersey tunnel and liverpool.
enjoyed the day, and i will be going again on a more suitable bike. 😀

Clever! Yeah cheers for organising it ton - let's get a date at Blaenau Ffestiniog sorted. Check these vids out.

http://ride.io/riding/antur-stiniog-new-trails-for-north-wales/

Online booking here:

http://www.anturstiniog.com/booking/availability.aspx

I did a downhill a few week ago in the peak district, some of the locals there call it the beast! Very steep and extremely rocky! It certainly made me feel a bit on edge and it certainly lives up to the name! 😯 don't try it if riding alone.

Ton, not sure how serious you OP is, but what are you real expectations of a new bike? Your OP seems to suggest that the bike is only a small part of your feeling out of depth but a large part of the solution. (edit, genuine question and hope this doesn't sound rude in any way)

mate, my post was meant in fun.....the place was fantastic.
it was mega steep, it was mega rooty and slippy.
but after 30yrs of riding offroad, i know when enough is enough...and nowadays this is usualy before i hurt myself.
i am getting the new bike for skill compensation and a bit of comfort.
regardless of what any of the experts on here (GW 😉 ) say, riding downhill on a 100mm forked hardail is not very much fun....even (i find) on a smooth trail.
and we do it for fun dont we?

regularly.

actually last time i went to glentress i fell off in the car park before i'd even started on the trails 😀

I agree ton, for most of what i ride i don't really need a fs but i find i have more fun on mine than i do on my hardtail so more often than not its the bike i pick. Doesn't really "flatten the trails" as some people say it just gives me more confidence to ride faster and do bigger stuff 🙂 that being said its good to go out on the ht or bmx regularly to make sure i don't get too sloppy!

Ton, I thought that was probably the case. Indeed we seem to share things in common. I ride an old100m Trek HT everywhere and have found that working on technique has overcome most of the shortcomings (if any) on the bike. Still doesn't stop us dreaming, or in your case, acting on those dreams. Enjoy the new bike!

And you may be a new trend setter. Seems that people are actually going back the other way ie, less travel, bigger wheels (?) so you are the retro-ton. Good for you! Ride safely !!!

R[b]But that may because my experience and skill level on skis is considerable higher. [/b]
This ^^

A little 100mm ht is loads of fun on steep wet rooty DH tracks in the same way short skis might be fun on super steep technical ski runs if you can ride em well enough

Horse pooh, I once having decided it was big and clever took a Santa Cruz Chameleon to Morzine.

I reckon riding it down the Pleney left me me brain damaged.

Hey Tony - you want to practise steep & rooty, try Wharncliffe, it's a lot closer than Wales 😉

You probably know that already - but if you fancy joining a few of us I'll be there on Saturday morning.

More to the point, has anyone not?!

I think downhills can be easily as physically demanding as uphills but I also think that in the vast majority of cases it's a personal decision as to how hard you make yourself work. There does come a point though when an excess of steepness plus a shortage of grip forces a high minimum speed and then the terrain demands you work seriously hard to stay on the bike.

Broon Trout at GT had me well out of my depth. I'll mince down most stuff slowly but I reckon I was off the bike and walking 95% of that trail.

I did a downhill a few week ago in the peak district, some of the locals there call it the beast!

Some of us refer to it as "The Fluffy Kitten" on account of it being nowhere near as bad as it used to be or MBR make it out to be.

If you enjoyed it, try Cavedale, steeper, rockier and without the MBR chicken line round the outside.

Felt slightly out of my depth on a 100mm HT in the Alps last year, but this was only because I'd tried keeping up with the front runners.

Although it did feel pretty awesome when we got to the bottom and the full sussers were shocked I was right behind them all the way.. Bloody scary at times tho!

Hopefully I'll get a full susser in time for this years trip in 7 weeks. 😯

No doubt I will feel out of my depth again, going even faster, making it feel even more scary!

What's the Pleney main line got to do with steep and rooty?, it's so badly maintained it's shit on any bike. Plenty other nice steep fun technical descents to ping a hardtail down the same mountain.

+1 on the cavedale descent, seems most rides up in the area end with us doing that as the last part!
I like to go last to watch the fun in front of me, one mate fell off and the follower was that close he ended up riding straight over him, still laugh at that one....

thisisnotaspoon - Member
I did a downhill a few week ago in the peak district, some of the locals there call it the beast!
Some of us refer to it as "The Fluffy Kitten" on account of it being nowhere near as bad as it used to be or MBR make it out to be.
If you enjoyed it, try Cavedale, steeper, rockier and without the MBR chicken line round the outside.
POSTED 24 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

The Beast of Hope Cross?

Not easy to do fast but there's waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more challenging descents to be had - espesh at DH venues.

I ride a lot around coed-y-brenin and landegla

GW - Member
What's the Pleney main line got to do with steep and rooty?, it's so badly maintained it's shit on any bike. Plenty other nice steep fun technical descents[/b] to ping a hardtail down[b] the same mountain.
POSTED 48 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

The only thing pinging down the beast would be your ring piece! 😆

Yes rob it's the one at hope cross, surely you can't have done it though if that's your interpretation of it.

[i]Broaden your horizons[/i]

rupert's a troll, he can't see much past the end of his bridge.

Don't know how deep this is, but I'd think twice about going in after my bike..,

[url=

goes in rapids, man says "oh my god" a lot..[/url]

And I've been swearing much more than that too.,,

The beast is a pussy cat, try dollywagons, that's fear inducing.

Don't know how deep this is, but I'd think twice about going in after my bike..,

[url=

goes in rapids, man says "oh my god" a lot..[/url]

And I'd have been swearing much more than that too.,,

I have to admit Ton, it was hard.

I never minaged a full run without dabbing/walking/slipping/falling 😳

getting home was a bloody nightmare, with the M56 being shut. Glad to hear you got home Grumm.

All in all a good day if a little 'stretching'

Funny how washed away roots can cause so much carnage. Especially when it's thats steep you can't stand up on it. !!!!

cheers for sorting it

Yeah, I normally think I do ok on steep and rocky stuff, but I was hopeless yesterday. I'm just glad it was relatively dry!

Thanks for doing all that driving by the way Dave - I would have had some major road rage I think!

1984 at Birmingham Wheels, shortly before hitting a quarterpipe for the very first time... 😳

I think its healthy to be a littler out of your depth once in a while, as long as you are aware of the risks and the skill/strenths you lack but are prepared to practice until you have beaten it.
One thing I have found in mountain biking is there is always some good people out there to help you overcame whatever hurdles come up, even if out on the trail and they are compelte strangers, its one of the friendlier pursuits out there it that respect.

Ton, don't take any notice of the [s]experts[/s] selfappointedguardiansofcool. I am a poorly skilled overweight adventurer too, I often get out of my depth, it helps you to improve. Keep on keeping on!

You might gain a lot from a trip to Jedi.

There are two types of out of depth:

1) Challenging skills, strength, fitness and bravery - always do this.

2) Overtired - quit when you start showing signs of fatigue, otherwise something bad will happen.

2) Overtired - quit when you start showing signs of fatigue, otherwise something bad will happen.

Yesterday that would have involved me quitting straight away!

Thanks for doing all that driving by the way Dave - I would have had some major road rage I think!

No probs, I was getting quite P!$$ed off after the first 4 hours sat in that traffice TBH.

It was straight in , shower, say hello to Mrs V and the Dog then straight to bed for me. 😳

Did you get home OK and what time did you get back there?

got all the stuff to sort tonight, and the other bike to get ready for the madness race on Thursday, nice flat, smooth, riding.

In other words stuff I can do, although not very fast 😳

Yep.....many many times! Made me quit for a bit when I found riding stressful on some of the bigger stuff we were riding I needed to relax and ride how fast I wanted too! Still back now and happy to slide down stuff having let the bike go on a solo mission!! 🙂

Yesterday that would have involved me quitting straight away!

😆

No probs, I was getting quite P!$$ed off after the first 4 hours sat in that traffice TBH.

Oh yeah, just remembered there was one or two near-road rage incidents 🙂

Did you get home OK and what time did you get back there?

Got home fine ta, just after 11 I think. Let me know re petrol money - I'm off on holiday tomorrow though. Good luck with the race.

Hi cheers for the post 😀 we had never heard of revolution before and booked a day for a few of us on sunday after reading your post, and what a day 8O. after the 2nd run and a couple of off's each we did sit there and ask "what the **** have we got in to here"!! But by the end of the day we were lovin it and can't wait to go back. The riding is hard but great fun, there is mud roots and drops everywhere but as soon as you get your head round it and the adrenalin starts flowin, its spot on. 8)

Yes, the beginning of the year. 170kg sitting on my bike in front of the pyramids in Egypt with 120 days and 12000 km between me and my eventual destination.

Worked out ok in the end.

I peddled like a mad man down Pebble Hill near Dorking on my road bike after only going up it once in a car.
The left turn at the bottom isn't doable in a car at 40 and you need to slow down some what, it was only after I found myself in the oncoming lane in pair of Lycra shorts and shirt with fingerless gloves and flimsey lid that I thought it wasn't the best idea I have had! I don't know who got more of a fright, me or the oncoming GTI, me I think. Yes definitely me.
I just managed to get out of his lane back into mine with a shave so close it would have made the cheesiest Gillette advert!
I stopped a little way down the road and speedo showed Max Speed 58mph.
My Lycra shorts said I was way faster.

Did the Mega a few years ago - did one run of the glacier in practice to confirm that riding on snow is like nothing else and I can't do it, I just kept falling within seconds of moving. 2 days later found myself on a lift in storm conditions, waiting to go up to the front row of the Mega B final - Utterly convinced that I was going to bin it 3 yards off the line and have 400 other riders ride over me.

However because of the weather, they moved the race to the qualifier track which avoided the Glacier - Phew! Was very relieved to be able to sprint out of the gates and try for Mega glory. I got a head start, caught up with the A final riders, overtook most them and when I got tired, buzzed Mr Absalon's tyre all the way into the finish arena*.

*This is what happened.