Little things that make you faster.

[kjekabsons]

What are those little things that have made a big difference to how fast you ride downhill ? Wether it be something to do with your riding style, for example the way you jump or corner or something you have done to your bike without spending hundreds.

 

[outtacontrol]

We just ran a Gravity Enduro, which obviously is not the same as DH, but Michael Ronning came up for it. After spending an afternoon with him and a couple of his mates, it was amazing to see how fast he was on a track he had never seen before. Yes he obviously still has amazing bike skills and fitness, but he was so quick through some technical spots purely by recognising lines that others haven't.

He was able to work out the most efficient lines straight away (which most can't), but was a very good lesson. Walking a track and working out lines will save you more time than anything I reckon. I think his trick was, the straightest line is usually the fastest

 

[crazy-man]

Learning how to set up your bike. Using all your travel efficiently for your riding style.

 

[rider124]

crashing. and thats being honest.

When i crash something, i make sure i push it harder the next time so i can get on top of it and hammer through it.

 

[foxpuppet]

Slowing down..... Slow is smooth, smooth is fast!

 

[d_j1]

... Slow is smooth, smooth is fast!

That's like saying x=4,4=y.

 

[crashbandicoot]

Slowing down..... Slow is smooth, smooth is fast!

Couldn't agree more. If I do a race where you get two runs and I'm happy with the first run time, I just say I'll cruise the second, I always do a faster run on the second. With the riders I coach I always tell when they are in the start gate to do there race run at 90% so they relax.

Other tips, correct foot position in corners so you can rail them harder and dig the side knobs into the ground, less braking, looking up and around the corner.

Another thing I teach riders is to ride a 26" hard tail with flats go out into the trails and try ride all the hard lines, this way you realize what potential 26" wheels have, and when you get on DH rig you are able to pin them cause you have learn the correct position ride and how to lift the bike with your wrist and not your feet. I've been riding with people that say I can only ride a certain line because of the bike nice bike I ride so I swap them bikes and did it the same on their bikes, just to prove it is all not in the bike.

 

[teK--]

Looking well past the corner.

Even on familiar trails I have often found unexpected changes be it a fallen branch, displaced rocks, puddles etc which would definitely mess up your line or cause an off.

 

[cokeonspecialtwodollars]

ride a 26" hard tail with flats go out into the trails and try ride all the hard lines...
so I swap them bikes and did it the same on their bikes, just to prove it is all not in the bike.

Would you be willing to demonstrate this for me please Mr. TheCoot, at Awaba, down the Monkey rock garden, on my Toy4

I agree however that smooth is fast, watch all the top racers and the one thing you will notice is how smooth they all look through the techy stuff.

 

[foxpuppet]

That's like saying x=4,4=y.

this is the gist of it!

If you move slowly all the time, you will move slowly. If you slow your movements down, understand how they work and understand when you need to move fast and how much you need to move, then you will start to move more smoothly. When you move smoothly, you waste less energy, you trim the fat off the movement and you get from point A to point B more quickly.

It's the person that doesn't pace themselves during a race. It's the person that cooks his eggs on super high heat and always burns them because he's hungry and wants to eat right now.

Slow down, take the time you need to take to perform the skill. Learn the timing, feel the movement, understand when your body needs to move it's parts. Learn where you need to speed up and where you need to slow down. Learn how long the eggs need to cook at the right temperature, learn when to take the eggs off the pan, or when to flip them.

Learn when you need to speed up and when it's ok to take your time.

 

[willsy01]

Peptides..

 

[andy73]

Get your eyes up. Particularly on tech sections. You see it all the time on tracks like International - people looking down at the trail and finding every big rock and every big hole. Your bike will follow your eyes, so get them up, looking ahead or around the corner.

 

[crashbandicoot]

Would you be willing to demonstrate this for me please Mr. TheCoot, at Awaba, down the Monkey rock garden, on my Toy4

I agree however that smooth is fast, watch all the top racers and the one thing you will notice is how smooth they all look through the techy stuff.

I would love to but you probably haven't heard but I have shoulder is like yours after a certain national 4X race, the problem was when I came off I was doing a sweep run for the DH on Saturday, so I was just going slow and smooth, sometimes it doesn't work. Actually I think Rizzo was hiding in the bush and stuck a stick in my front wheel, because guess who just happened to show up outside casualty just as they were wheeling me in,

 

[cokeonspecialtwodollars]

I would love to but you probably haven't heard but I have shoulder is like yours after a certain national 4X race, the problem was when I came off I was doing a sweep run for the DH on Saturday, so I was just going slow and smooth, sometimes it doesn't work. Actually I think Rizzo was hiding in the bush and stuck a stick in my front wheel, because guess who just happened to show up outside casualty just as they were wheeling me in,

That must be why Rizzo asked me to punch you in arm next time I saw you, it all makes sense now. So who sweeps for the sweep when the sweep doesn't make it to the bottom?

The key here is slow and SMOOTH, not slow and over the bars.

Sorry for the thread hijack, I'll add another little thing that makes me faster just to square it up... no injuries. Probably seems like a fairly obvious one but it is surprising how much even the little niggling injuries slow you down as you subconsciously adjust your style and speed to protect your body.

 

[ajay]

Slow=Fast? Sorry, what a load of tripe.

Smooth= Fast? Yeah it certainly helps.

Fast=Fast? This.

Being smooth comes with knowing how to set up for a corner, picking good lines, keeping your momentum etc. We all know that.

Riding fast? Do everything I mentioned in the "smooth" sentence, but use your brakes far less and pedal much more. There's no tricks, no fad diets, no smoke and mirrors.

 

[crashbandicoot]

So who sweeps for the sweep when the sweep doesn't make it to the bottom?


There 13 year old son, so he can first laugh at you, then pull the 2 way out of your pocket because you can't reach because your arm is going off at a weird angle, to radio first aid, then finish off the sweep for you, making sure he gets to the bottom so he can tell everyone how funny it was.

Another tip, ride with faster riders, follow there lines and watch their styles.

 

[ajay]

Sorry for the thread hijack, I'll add another little thing that makes me faster just to square it up... no injuries. Probably seems like a fairly obvious one but it is surprising how much even the little niggling injuries slow you down as you subconsciously adjust your style and speed to protect your body.

Definitely. I smashed the crap out of myself a few years back, and my confidence/nerve has been shot. It's slowly coming back but every time I have a "moment", before I've even hit the deck I'm already thinking about how I'll pay my credit card bill!

 

[jjperko]

Finding stuff to bunnyhop off that wasn't necessarily intended for it. Amazing how many short rock gardens can be skipped if you can find a little rock kicker at the start.

Changing tire pressures for different courses. I've made the mistake of running my standard steep track pressures at the You Yangs before and gotten smoked. May also have had something to do with my lack of fitness/strength.

 

[T-Rex]

Drink lots of water...

You should be pissing clear, frequently, on race day. If you are not, you are not properly hydrated, and will NOT be able to put down your best possible time for your race run.

Eat small amounts steadily over the course of race day too.

 

[foxpuppet]

Slow=Fast? Sorry, what a load of tripe.

Smooth= Fast? Yeah it certainly helps.

Fast=Fast? This.

Being smooth comes with knowing how to set up for a corner, picking good lines, keeping your momentum etc. We all know that.

Riding fast? Do everything I mentioned in the "smooth" sentence, but use your brakes far less and pedal much more. There's no tricks, no fad diets, no smoke and mirrors.

How do you know how to setup the corner or pick the lines without first learning how to best go through them and seeing what the line is like?

I don't mean slow as in ride slow, i mean take your time to develop the skills and understand how and why better lines are better, before going guns blazing. A better skilled rider will cruise down the same line without pedalling thus not wasting energy as someone not so good who has to hammer it to keep the speed up. I know who is going to wear out sooner.