Riding Advice

[TdubLady 1]

I'm in my 4th week of recovery since my most fun yet incredibly painful ride. The flesh wounds are healed, but I definitely did a number from knee to ankle.(I see you knocking on your pads in my mind every day, TNTMO!) No doctor-no insurance, but mobility is steadily increasing and the pain is now odd discomforts. I'm thinking I'll be back in a couple more weeks(with more gear and new boots). I sure hope so as I'm super frustrated at not being able to ride. So I need to vent here just a little, if you'll please indulge me...

Since I got hurt, I have explained, of course, numerous times how it happened. Responses are flabbergasting. I have been given some amazing ride tips. And by amazing, I mean, ridiculous. I've been told I was too fast, too slow, on the brakes, can't read terrain, shoulda been standing, should do more yoga , and my favorite of all time….girls shouldn't ride. REALLY???

And then there are the horror stories people love to share. Not sure how your drunk cousin crashing his ape-hanger hog into a fence has ANYTHING to do with me, but somehow they all gotta tell me; with details.

HERE's the part that cracks me up most: NONE of these people currently own or ride!!! Everyone I know and respect that actually rides has said the exact same 2 things: 1) You can't have too much protection because you never know when/what may happen and 2) Keep riding! Seat time, seat time, seat time, there's no substitute for experience.

I think I'll stick to my SDAR mentors, thank you very much!!!

[bikeslut 1]

I know I was near you, and I still don't know what happened; I know it was that slick dust on top of hard(abrasive)pack, you were wearing girly jeans, and no real moto_gear

NOW- to be totally fair... I was wearing almost IDENTICAL stuff to you; leather work boots, jeans, and no knee_pads... in my defense; I didn't fall, otherwise, I would've fared about the same.

THAT all being said: I raced BMX, I raced road bikes, I rode some serious mountain bike trails, I acted like a squid on a street bike... and I CRASHED A LOT... I'm pretty good at crashing and not hurting too bad. It happens; I don't know what you did... I'm not a expert, but it looked like you pushed the front end. I don't know how; weight too far forward? Sudden movement of the bars? Pulled a little front brake?

I don't know... but seat time will help. I think Lark is a perfect place to practice, but you are pretty close to Corral, so that may work better... pick a day, and I'll join you out there... they even have a kiddy track, and a huge perimeter road. We could do some braking drills, etc.

Also- I have yet to meet a mountain biker that wasn't pretty good at dirtbiking. The whole traction/crash ratio make a lot of sense to mountain bikers... street riders have all sorts of nasty habits to unlearn... so get on the dirt, wear your gear, and improve gradually. you won't be as fast as tntmo in two weeks

[Uncle Champ 116]

Just ride, things that scare you now you won't even notice after a while, I have a secret hill that almost always got me and sometimes I think where was that bad section with the hill? After a while you will go over or around an obstacle and think , darn that was easy. So just go ride slow is ok but speed helps sometimes, Bikeslut will help more than he hurts but really you just need to gear up and go, anywhere, it will all have little challenges that build skills.

[tntmo 908]

so get on the dirt, wear your gear, and improve gradually. you won't be as fast as tntmo in two weeks

Usually takes noobs about three weeks to have more skills than I have.

Those gravel roads can be tricky, it's hardpack underneath with marbles on top. BS gave some good advice if you can believe it, just get out there and ride.

You'll find your comfort level. It may be faster than some, slower than others but it's the speed you're happy riding at. Don't let others push you past your comfort level and you'll be fine.

[TdubLady 1]

Thanks for the support, guys. As soon as I can fit pads around my knee I'm gonna take you up on your offers.That's what's killing me now-I'm all set to go every way but physically!!

Got boots, pads, pants, people to guide me, places to go and I'm ready to get to learning. I wanna go on the noob ride this weekend so bad I !!!

And just for the record, I have NO aspiration to ride like tntmo-have you seen the women he attracts? I prefer hot chicks with no facial hair.

[TwoWheelsGood 0]

Gear: get the most/best you can afford, even if you can't afford it. Definitely worth putting good stuff on a CC if you have to, as I think you've learned the true cost of riding without good gear.

Skillz: while "just ride" is good advice, that method also involves crashing...hopefully learning from your crash...crashing a bit less...learn a bit more, repeat. You'll save a few crash/learn/repeat cycles by taking a dirt riding class. This will give a framework of skills and concepts that will have you crash less often and then learn more quickly from these crashes, as you'll know what you did wrong.

[robertaccio 412]

go to school. motoventures or another reputable off road riding school. best thing to do...and get some reasonably good gear

[TdubLady 1]

I tell you what I learned from this, gear aside, because riding-wise, I don't think I did anything wrong. In fact it was the most in control I'd felt on the dirt all day. I had finally started to feel less like I was fighting the bike and more like I was riding in the minutes before I wiped out. I think it was a definite case of ---- happens.

However...

Until that moment, I truly believed that as long as I was slow and careful I'd always be safe and never go down. BIG lesson learned!! HUGE!!!

[hodnettjj 0]

Get Good Gear...

Get Good Training...

Wear Your Gear...

Ride...

Repeat...

[kato 54]

Those gravel roads can be tricky, it's hardpack underneath with marbles on top.

these suck. as always weight on outside peg and keep the front wheel line up in the direction the bike is going no matter what the rear decides to do, and always look at where you want to go instead of where you 'could' be going (but shouldn't. aka that bush). easy said huh, I know.

you have a good attitude Miriam, see you on trail soon enough!

[carguy 1]

As others have said, ATGATT!!! Avoid riding alone, ride often, challenge your self, ride your own pace and training always helps. Repeat!

[TdubLady 1]

ATGATT?? Spell it out for the blonde?

[tntmo 908]

All

The

Gear

All

The

Time

[TdubLady 1]

Oh yeah that's one I don't ever need to be reminded of EVER!! Did I say ever? Cause I mean I wear my helmet to bed when I wanna dream of riding now!!

Why isn't ATGATT on a sticker?

[TdubLady 1]

Oh yeah that's one I don't ever need to be reminded of EVER!! Did I say ever? Cause I mean I wear my helmet to bed when I wanna dream of riding now!!

Why isn't ATGATT on a sticker?

[kkug 147]

Full ATGATT is good but you also have to be confortable and flexable. If you start gearing up and can,t move around on the bike that also can hinder you. You have to find out a correct balance.

More seat time is good but stand up once in awile . LOL I think I noticed that Deb is standing a lot. Hell of a lot more than me.

[Honda90 0]

I always have more fun on narrow trails than on gravel sections of roads like Boulder Creek. That crown in the middle and all the marble-sized gravel makes me feel uneasy. To me a little dirt is more predictable than a lot of gravel. Even an older, more beat up dirt road feels safer - like Cedar Creek vs. Boulder Creek.

[tntmo 908]

Oh yeah that's one I don't ever need to be reminded of EVER!! Did I say ever? Cause I mean I wear my helmet to bed when I wanna dream of riding now!!

Why isn't ATGATT on a sticker?

http://webstore.dualsporttouring.com/atgatt-sticker/dp/5158

[Oracle 195]

All good advise for sure, so no need for me to repeat any of it. So I'll point out the importance of proper tire pressure. Most noobs don't realize how important this is, especially for the front tire. Because we cover varied terrain, it's difficult to find the proper tire pressure for each ride. Personally, I set my tire pressure for the dirt portion of whatever ride I'm doing. I'd rather have lower tire pressure for the dirt area then higher pressure for the slab areas. The difference in handling is significant.

[TdubLady 1]

http://webstore.dualsporttouring.com/atgatt-sticker/dp/5158

Awesome! Ordering.

I have no aspirations to be a dirt bike queen. I know those bikes are all too big for me, but I do want to be able to ride simple trails with confidence. And these skills will definitely make Glamis on my quad much more fun.

[TdubLady 1]

http://webstore.dualsporttouring.com/atgatt-sticker/dp/5158

Awesome! Ordering.

I have no aspirations to be a dirt bike queen. I know those bikes are all too big for me, but I do want to be able to ride simple trails with confidence. And these skills will definitely make Glamis on my quad much more fun.

[TdubLady 1]

Oh.... How do I know what tire pressure to run where and when?

[Mikey777 44]

Rear wheel slides on hard pack covered in dust/marbles, like Eagle Peak and Boulder Creek Road, can get you on your ass really fast especially in a turn/ bend in the road.

A street bike and dirt bike tip that I haven't seen mentioned in this thread is brake before you go into the corner. You do not want to be hitting the brakes at all in a corner. Accelerate smooooothly through the bend which will give you better traction as you power out through it. If you feel your back wheel start to go ease off the throttle. Outside foot firmly on the peg. You can also take your inside foot off your inside peg and put it out forward so that if you start to slide out you can scoot your inside heal on the ground to give a little bit of extra stability. Here is a good mtn. biking pic showing the technique on hardpack. Bikeslut is right that mtn bikers often make good dirtbikers. You learn how much your bike wheels are capable of simply rolling over, up onto, or down.

And nobody can emphasize more that you should ride at your own pace, which you are comfortable at. Ride your own ride, stay safe, and enjoy the scenery.

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTsUty-JsyPW2sF1pprZk0Xn9Cgd5J_C7xASWgL8TD3HqYyezp3

[TdubLady 1]

Oh how I've read and read and watched videos over the past week!! Now I wanna get out and practice what y'all preach!

I do have a good mtn bike, but the horse trails around my house are a bit too steep and rocky to learn on. Guess I'll invest in a rack for the car.

(Still….thinking Bikeslut may have pushed me over just to get a good pic )

[Covered in Dust 163]

"Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes." - Henry David Thoreau

CiD