All good info for sure. But I think sometimes (and I mean sometimes) you have to ride just a tish over your head in order to get FASTER. This is all up to the person of course performing. The fact that your house, car and other things could be on the line should be taken into consideration. Riding over your head has the potential for reward and at the other end bad stuff. I like to push the envelope sometimes. All for what???? I'm not sure ( I was in 82nd Airborne and Special Forces) So I think I need to be pushing hard to have any fun!! The standing up is tireing, however it will reward you with faster times for sure. Good Luck!!
I'm finding many hill climbs here of all sizes and shapes ... Here are a couple sections I took pictures of a few days ago that fit with the clutch operations we're trying to explain here ... I got past the first step-up section and on the return trip I took a pic of it because it was such a small\simple but hard\complex section to complete due to the size and random locations of the rocks and hill ... I was really worried about dropping the bike on a rock and bending something here.. The first one shows a small tight 'S' type maneuver ... I edited it and added a small legend to it to show what it looked like in realty as the camera just makes it all look flat... There might have been a big rock past the big squared rock also that might cause damage to your bike in the event of a fall over even if you crossed over the top... I tried to ride the 'S' path up the path the first time at initial contact but could not make the turn around the first small step-up rock at location 'C' and got jammed up towards the rock at location 'F' ... But I did not fall over and I just rolled the bike out of the section with the help of gravity... So I rolled back and used the red line to get by the section ...Even when took the red line, the hidden rock at location 'B' was tall and big enough to maybe crack the engine case or bend the shifter lever ... With proper clutch work, I think it is possible to maneuver this 'S' path ... without clutch work, good luck ... The second is a straight uphill full of rocks, loose rocks that might cause a change of line or lose of traction ... Its also much more vertical than the camera shows ... dis-engaging\dragging the clutch slightly helps me control the bike in both cases ... on this dry climb, I probably just have the clutch covered and use it as needed to maintain traction and control speed if the rocks kick the bike around ... if it was muddy, I'd probably be on the clutch from the start as I'd be sure traction will be lost and will need some helper action ...
Ha ha that's for sure. Guys will swear that what you're using is terrible and when you ask why it like you've insulted them. I really would like to know what the best oil is and why but for the life of me I haven't found a straight answer.
I'd have to agree with both of you guys....The best training I got to go faster was trying to follow someone who is a faster. It always seemed easier to learn some technique by watching someone else in front of me, whether it be street (I got pretty damn fast trying to follow some of friends on the track, it's just my money ran out LOL) or trail. It makes you ride over your head a bit, but watch their line, breaking points, body position, etc... I ride woods only, but I could see where you could learn a lot with some riding time at the MX crourse with a friend who is faster. Oh and a healthy lifestyle will enhance your riding abilities, plus ride, ride, ride....If I had big land behind my house I'd ride every other day, got to let the body get a little recuperation time LOL
The second photo, my method of attack would be sheer SPEED, yes speed. The faster you go the more you become a gyroscope and it is harder to knock you off course. If you bounce around so what speed will ALWAYS carry you to the top, and like I said the faster you go the less chance (in my opinion) you have of crashing. The 1st photo I may have missed that little jog, lofted frount end at last second if possible, cased and driven over object! Don't get me wrong. The faster you go the quicker the reaction time you need. My last race I DNF'd because even with pipe guard I hit a huge boulder, nothing left of pipe and it pulled it out of my engine Some would say you should slow down. I say ba humbug! I would have had 8th overall for the day. Instead a dnf. This discussion on style and whats right and wrong could go on forever, and a c rider may have a total different outlook then a fast A rider. If you are riding with buddies and they seem to be having and easier time maybe a guy could check them out! Whereever you are riding looks AWESOME!!!
that autoclutch would love that hill, if you had a run at the hill then I'd keep the front light, ass back & on the gas. Looking ahead & not at the fender. If there was no run then 2nd gear & keep momentum without spinning the rear tire, Trials tires rock....no pun intended.
Not sure if true, but I was told if you get a flat with a trial tire you cannot continue the race as it will not stat seated. Is this true???
The standing helps me alot I think .... Getting to my feet is almost my near term goal on a climb..once there, I can do battle with the bike ... Speed usually does cause more bodily harm so I'm under where might wanna be sometimes... I gotta make up time in other ways ...such as line choice or maintaining traction, corner speed ... Sometimes a low speed crash can result in maybe not harm to you but your bike... Sort of like I tried to say in the previous post ... It appeared to me that several big rocks were had the potential to harm the bike on a simple fall over...
Got ya! I knew 2 guys that were of equal riding speed but had totally different riding styles. 1 would run over everything and bash stuff and not go around ANYTHING!! (He was ranked number 1 in MN a long time ago) The other was super smooth and consistent and made it look easy! My style is like the 1st guys and I enjoy taking risks. My point is what works best for one guy may not work at all for another!! We all need improvement I think!!!
Oh yea. I forgot. If you want to get faster. ALWAYS ride with guys who are faster then you (if you can find some) That way you will push it and learn more!! Helped me for sure and by doing so I'm now faster then 2 of my good friends!! (they used to be faster then me!)
That rock uphill was more steep than the pic ... you could blast up and the trails tire would help with that many rocks I'd think ... I have a IRC VE-33 knobby and they are pretty soft but not trials tire soft ... I just did not like leaning back too much as it was too VERT for me ... There was another uphill right across from that one that was actually just slightly more inclined than that uphill looks and twice as long ... It was for blasting ... I looked at jumping across that big square rock in the 1st pic, but it was too tall ... It could be done as you are describing but I'm not that rider Technique is what I'm looking for now ... I'll use it to get a little more speed, safely added speed ... The last few harder crashes I had hurt a lot... But any one looking for results is gonna have to keep hanging it out there ...Here is a pic of the same uphill from the top looking down... It makes it look longer than it really was... Those big rocks sticking out the top of the ground that are imbedded 100% are usually a good launching point ..
Looks like some good riding rayray. I tend to ride like you I think, because I usually ride alone. Not meaning to continue to beat the same drum, but the AC really makes sectiions like those in the pictures easier. Approaching a delicate move, it is possible to ride the brake and pause (slow or nearly stop) the bike while gathering the correct composure and balance to make the move. And here again the trials tire usually provides very low-slip traction for a smooth start. And I realize, when looking at most, if not all pictures, the reality is usually steeper and the rocks bigger.
No problems with the trials tire, I have a tubliss system (I don't know if that matters) & used a tubless trials tire. Pirelli MT 43 with about 6-7 pounds works good in the rock & roots. No flats in a long time for me... knock on wood.
Yeah, I know. the picture never does it justice. It does look nasty & I'm not saying that I'd make it up at all, but that's how I would attack it.
Its totally doable ... You'd make it ...I still have a tendency to NOT look far enough ahead of the front fender at times ... The line in bold is what I have added to my skills via the clutch ... That's some good wording to define it also ... I was curious if the auto-clutch would handle that or if the bike would stall because I can't always maintain my speed and have to do a slight pause(via clutch operations), maybe turn slightly, and pick back up some speed (via clutch operations) ...
When the A/C is adjusted correctly the bike will not stall in low speed or stop/start situations. Nasty hill climbs with my 4T are a blast. Heck the bike won't hardly stall when I fall. We have very similar terrain here in the southeast to the picture you've got there Ray.
Yeah Ray, you just aren't getting the way AC performs. Stalling becomes a distant memory. Restarting or regaining your momentum on a hill is done more smoothly (think little to no spinning/hoping/chattering) than you can do with a manual clutch. SMOOOOTH! If you go over to Kelly's CH Forum, you can read about his detailed testing of the DynaRing in a 125 awhile back.
steep stuff tips: STAND on the pegs (90% more traction than sitting/paddling). elbows/knees bent acting like springs, dont fight it, let it roll, lean into hill and adjust weight for drive/wheelie control. sllllllllllip that clutch- you get way better grip and traction when the clutch is slipped, the FW is spooled up. momentum is your freind. watch/talk to trials riders!!! * i feel ya ray. i quit taking pics of trails. they all look flat on camera. i swear you CAN stack rocks straight up. approach to "jaws" in middle veering to left- loose rock approach, 4' vert face, then an 8" wide spine climb with BIG step's to the top in the background. bring friends, and some rope. camera makes it look doable. lmao.
