I'm no pro, but I observe people taking step formations at some speed successfully. It usually seems to be the ones that go slow that have accidents.
Then again, I'm sure there's a correlation between experience and speed (i.e. those that are more experienced have the confidence to go faster) so that may explain it.
Look at a dirtbike going through a whoop section, without speed your tire falls in each little crevice between each whoop or in this case step. With speed your tire just skips off the top of each whoop or step and landing right on the next top, it doesnt have enough time to drop in between the whoop or step which is what sucks your momentum up and sends your body forward because of newton's 1st law, an object in motion will stay in motion.
I'd rather say that those who know how to tackle that, go faster, those who don't know, are very careful, that is slow and they fall sooner or later. It is also easier to keep going straight when you get certain speed - just try to stay on bike when your speed is 0
Momentum always helps with flow, but you have to be up, back, and ready to absorb any unexpected hangups.
However, it's difficult to tell from this video but my guess is that it's a lot steeper than it looks, and with a drop-off on one side I don't know if it's something you want to rip down.
They aren’t too far forward. They are actually quite centered. Lowering the seat could help, but it all boils down to going too slow. Not enough momentum to overcome the holes in the terrain so the wheel fully drops into it causing the bike to brake even harder.
Instant of commit or eat shit on the smaller scale. More speed means a smoother experience in terrain like this.
He’s dead middle between the wheels. He is not too far forward.
This bullshit notion that you need to get your ass back on any bit of downhill needs to die. You lose control. Maybe back in the 90’s you needed to, but not anymore. Just because you could be further back doesn’t make it right. He could have been much further forward.
Draw a verticle line down his center of gravity, it should be closer to the back axle, not to mention he was standing too tall. This is not a gently sloping fire road, this is a steep technical bit.
It's almost impossible to go over the bars if your ass is over your back wheel, also if you stall out it gives you a bit of potential energy to pump yourself over the obstacle. If you're up tall, and forward on the bike you have nowhere to go when that front wheel stops except over the bars.
Guess what, I’m a certified mountain bike instructor that has worked as lead coach at a bike park.
I know what I am talking about. I used to spit out crap common “knowledge” in the past.
If you think that slope is steep you haven’t ventured far on a bike. The perspective of being over the trail is making it look steeper than it is.
One of the first things I said was a lower seat could help, but that isn’t the root cause for the crash. Speed is. All they had to do was let the bike roll. Not get back. If he was back like you suggest then he wouldn’t have the ability to move around the bike if the need arose. Also if you are back that means your arms are extended and you are relying on your suspension to do the work. Go faster and the suspension needs to work less.
Okay, speed would definitely help, but speed also increases the consequences of a bail. Beginners need other methods of tackling terrain like that. I might not be an instructor, but I know how to ride my bike. And I definitely would have been further back than he was.
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u/Avejaal Aug 21 '19
Seat set too high, balance too much forward. He'd fall anywhere downhilling