Help descending please
- Thread starter Heifer73
- Start date
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Pro Tour Punditry
Guru
Always look where you want to go. That would be the road, not the hedges, trees, steep cliff, etc...
coffeejo
Ælfrēd
- Location
- West Somerset
Join a club / group and follow the bolder riders down - copy what they do and keep practising.
First of all, a successful descent is defined as: "I got to the bottom without crashing".
That's not to say you can't get better at it than you are now.
Marmion has already given the number 1 piece of advice. Look where you want to go and the bike will follow. As you approach a bend, start analysing it as soon as you can. Wet or dry?.... What's the surface like?... Any gravel?... How tight is it?.. Any obstructions?.. Is it blind or can you see the other side?
After you've decided that, you can pick your braking point so that you can slow to the speed that you are comfortable to take the corner at. Just before you get on the brakes, you should be looking at the line you want to take into the turn. As you turn the bike in, you should be looking at the line you want to take to exit the turn, and then down the road after the exit.
That technique ensures you are always looking ahead of yourself and won't get taken by surprise by a pothole you've just seen too late. If you want to descend faster, you need to get to know the descent well. ie. where the potholes are, dodgy surfaces, where there is likely to be gravel etc. You can even practice it driving a car at every corner you take.
DO NOT try to take corners faster than you are comfortable, there are no prizes for crashing off a corner and breaking yourself. As you practice, your comfortable speed will probably increase a bit, but be careful of over-confidence.
Jefferson Meriwether
Veteran
- Location
- Worthing
Squeeze your eyes tight shut, stick your legs out as far as you can and scream loudly all the way day. Descending a hill in this way isn't clever, safe or recommended but it'd certainly be an interesting experience to say the least 
50000tears
Senior Member
- Location
- Weymouth, Dorset
1. Look where you want to go not at the thing you are trying to avoid, as said before the bike will follow
2. Do your breaking before you turn and keep your hands away from the brakes whilst turning
3. Outside foot in bottom pedal position and put weight through this foot
4. Inside leg can be angled away from the bike towards the corner
5. If you do have to brake whilst in a corner (if you got the speed wrong on approach) only feather the brakes but for the most part see point 2
6. Descend on the drops as this lowers center of gravity and gives more stability
7. Stay relaxed
8. Tuck in those elbows and get aero for extra speed!
2. Do your breaking before you turn and keep your hands away from the brakes whilst turning
3. Outside foot in bottom pedal position and put weight through this foot
4. Inside leg can be angled away from the bike towards the corner
5. If you do have to brake whilst in a corner (if you got the speed wrong on approach) only feather the brakes but for the most part see point 2
6. Descend on the drops as this lowers center of gravity and gives more stability
7. Stay relaxed
8. Tuck in those elbows and get aero for extra speed!
briantrumpet
Legendary Member
- Location
- Devon & Die
I'm not going to follow our boldest rider. He might be still alive, but he's bonkers. Let's say that I've got a slightly more conservative take on risk assessment than he has.
Keep practising, yes, for sure. Once you start building up confidence in yourself (and the fact that your bike isn't going to collapse at high speed), you'll find that the hills you were holding back on become pleasurable. But do the practice on hils where you've got a good surface, good visibility, and a lack of major risks (junctions/entrances, etc) and where (if possible) you've got a good run out. I'll admit that I still find hills of up to 10% the most pleasurable: over that and it feels like the hill is driving the bike, rather than me.
coffeejo
Ælfrēd
- Location
- West Somerset
I did say bolder not boldest
briantrumpet
Legendary Member
- Location
- Devon & Die
Indeed. (Perhaps I should have put my 'boldest' in italics.) But I mentioned it as I think it's best to build up confidence gradually, and sometimes following a seriously bolder rider might scare some people witless. I'm probably one of those. That's not to say I won't ride fast down a hill, but it's got to be one where I'm comfortable with my personal risk assessment.I did say bolder not boldest
Apologies for my entirely humourless response. Poor form. I'll try harder next time.
Fab Foodie
hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
- Location
- Kirton, Devon.
Just put your brain in your jersey pocket at the top of the hill ....
Hip Priest
Veteran
I'm a nervy descender. I just try to get a little bit quicker every time.
Don't despair. Thibaut Pinot left the tour in tears last year after developing a phobia of descending. This year he's about to finish on the podium!
Don't despair. Thibaut Pinot left the tour in tears last year after developing a phobia of descending. This year he's about to finish on the podium!
Hip Priest
Veteran
My mate says that. "Try not to think."
GrasB
Veteran
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
Unless you're racing then the best descent is one that you want to do again. So keep in your comfort zone & that means riding down at 5mph on the brakes then do that. Once you start to go beyond your comfort zone you're going to make mistakes & at high speed mistakes have a high likelihood of being very painful. If you want to extend your comfort zone in terms of descending then you might want to look at tutored track motorcycle riding.
