thanks to work over the winter, i now can climb a huge hill near me. that’s good. unfortunately, at the top of the monster uphill is a monster downhill, which, i discovered to my dismay, terrifies me. i was hoping to get some tips on going downhill safely?
it’s not a curvy descent ( i read the articles on the site about curvy downhills)–it’s straight. i don’t have, as one article called it, a ‘street luge’ mentality. i mostly want to make it to the bottom without hurting myself or anyone else.
when you ‘make yourself a tent’, do you get out of your saddle? is it true that keeping your legs spinning helps with balance? how long can one apply the brakes before you run the risk of overheating them?
consider nothing too basic to tell me. i’d really appreciate any insight.
I used to live in Colorado, so I know a thing or two about riding down hills…and climbing them for that matter. Those days are no more, but I’ve got my share of rollers here in PA. Some tips I use for downhills. I get off my saddle and lean my butt back a bit, usually with my feet in the 3 o’clock / 9 o’clock positions. I usually have my right foot forward (3 o’clock), but sometimes its good to switch it up. So, get your butt back (similar to the idea of getting your stomach on the seat on a really steep downhill when mountain biking, but not as far). I also “feather” the brakes. Don’t ride them all the way–pump them like anti-lock brakes–the idea being they won’t heat up and won’t lock up. The key is to shave a little speed at a time, so that you are at the edge of being in control, but not beyond it. You want to push yourself to go fast, but not feel scared. The other big thing is to keep the body loose and not clenched. The loosebody will absorb bumps and prepare you if you possibly loose control over a pothole or something. Also, keep your eyes up and tracking side to side well ahead of you. Those are my tips! Oh, and wear a helmet
well you got good at going uphill by riding up do the same for going down. Aim for consistency run to run. ie no wobbles, pick your line and follow it, think that it is a piece of cake to descend. RELAX it’s just like riding a bike on the flats but faster. I also know that there are a few extremely fast cyclists on this board that don’t descend fast.
WE have some pretty good mountains where I live and my big fear is that excessive braking will heat up the rim, which will heat up the tire and cause the air pressure to go beyond spec and them pow! I know I have stopped a few times on long descents and the rims feel hot as hell so I assume tire pressure must be climbing.
When I go for a climbing session I have started running slightly lower tire pressure. I think it was seeing Beloki’s crash that freaked me out. Am I being paranoid?
You need to come here some time and learn to descend here. We have lots of fun climbs and descends around here near Chattanooga
Litespeed/QR.
Cheers,
Herbert
Yes, 3 and 9 are better for balance - it’s much easier to keep your knees into the top tube for stability. Also, 6 and 12 can mess you up if you have to corner/turn fast and you inadvertently have your 6 foot be on the side you are turning. You might clip the road and then you are down.
As with anything else, practice practice practice. Going down hill very fast is the best thing about any ride. A great payoff for all the hard work.
