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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.
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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 ..
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this:
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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:
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doubles, however small:
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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
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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:
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this:
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though I think that one needs to hop the back end round
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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
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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:
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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.
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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 ****in 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!
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(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
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
Don't really like being airborne, much prefer slow rocky technical stuff.
Anything committing right at the end of the trail. Will chicken out on stuff if it's in sight of the car park that I wouldn't think twice about earlier in the ride. I just think that was a good 2hr ride, not going to injure myself in the last 30 seconds
All of the above, pretty much.
Ok on muddy, steep downhills, don't mind both wheels sliding, but deep water, big step ups/downs, jumps and boardwalk scare me fartless.
And the steps in Calderdale are horrible.
Gates and stiles!
Everything apart from fireroad? 😆
I just like going fast on dry slightly loose dirt with leaves scattered about in Autumn when its not too hot or cold, few little bumps and jumps but nothing that would upset anyone.
Air.
Nice post by James illustrated with pictures.
The third drop at Caddon Bankis also my nemesis.
Trail mincers with geared bikes
😆
Oh dear.
That gap between the two rocks on Pennels Vennel. One day it is gonna be too deep for the pedals to clear the sides.
is jealous of the trails james rides, altho on that last one you do appear to have forgotten to get changed out of your pyjamas when you got up that morning 🙂
Recognise the scree, that's fun, scary as hell but fun 🙂 don't know any of the others but they look good.
Ruts, I hate ruts, either riding inside them or having one next to the trail I'm on, cannot for the life of me hold a line when there's ruts around. Not big on jumps either but as they only pop up on the occasional trail centre visit it's not often a problem. No need to mention wet roots, surely that's a universal thing....?
Seemingly innocuous off-camber turns. They hold a hex over me.
Anything involved roots, trees, tight gaps through trees or northshore
I should probably just ride above the tree line at all times....or maybe on the moon
Anything walking-speed slow & trialsy. Simply have no sense of balance below a certain speed
Otherwise OK 🙂
needing a poo usually knocks me off my flow a bit
Step down, corner type things. Like the one on Pie Run and at the bottom of the old Ewoks Village. Although interestingly, I've always managed to get around the one on Pie Run but never the other one at the end of Ewoks. THey dont hold any fear, I'm just a bit rubbish at them.
yunki - Member
needing a poo usually knocks me off my flow a bit
I've discovered if you blast down a trail, the need mysteriously vanishes. Quite the opposite of what i expected. I think you can scare poo away (as long as the pace car is still out). Sometimes it can take hours to pluck up the courage to resurface.
+1 for damp, green chalk. There's a very long climb nearby that consists of lumps of flint embedded in chalk. In the summer, it's a test of fitness. In the winter, it's a test of bike control. If you're on a full suss with very spitty traction you quickly learn the art of speedy unclipping.
Oh and dropoffs. I hate them.
By the way, doesn't 'step down' technically means a jump where the landing is lower than the take-off, as opposed to just a step that can be rolled.
Grum, I'd say both count.
Either something rollable at slow speed, but 'steps down' if jumped, or simply a 'proper jump' with the landing lower.
In the same way a step up can be both....
James - I think those pictures were posted to invoke jealousy!!
DrP
I really don't like deep ruts in line with your wheel on steep descents. Keep thinking I'm going to catch the side and flip over the bars.
Steps, my back just does not like the repeated shocks 🙄 Legs tend to stop working for some reason 💡
Jumps of all and any kind for similar reasons. Just fever know if back will spasm 😡
I have a real mental block over really steep roll-ins but only if I stop before them. If I just ride them, no problem at all but every time I stop before it it's a coin toss as to whether I'll get the balls up to do them.
Jumps with a steepish takeoff ramp (the last big one of these kicked my rear wheel over my head...)
Jumps with gaps > about 2 feet
strangly if there isnt a take off 'ramp' and i can just launch flat drop to downramp or flat im happy with pretty much anything..... (that you would do on a mojo sl anyway!)
I don't like that corner on Pie Run either, it just looks guaranteed to catch my front wheel and land me on the deck.
I struggle with up hill steps as well, its probably just bad technique coupled with the fear that if I stall compeltely I will just fall over still clipped in!
+1 for wet roots and air over 0.5 secs in duration...
There's a couple of runs at Warncliffe that have lef hand switchback into right hand switchback on really steep soft ground that i just cannot carry any speed through. i always end up on the brakes too much and loose my front wheel. I just can't seem to get my weight in the right place, or i just need to man up and go for it, but trees hurt!!
Woodwork. Complete mental block.
Really narrow, rustic bridges 🙂
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