Cattle Grids.......

[Cubist]

i dont' seem to have problems going over them on my road bike

Sheep or the cattle grids?

 

[bonj2]

Sheep or the cattle grids?

neither

 

[ColinJ]

neither

Or both?

 

[bonj2]

Or both?

, yeah - both. i meant 'which one do you have a problem with?', 'neither'.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

As a couple of people have suggested, the important thing is to be as straight as you can be going over them. And either very slow, or fast, not some indecisive speed inbetween!

(I really wouldn't recommend trying to jump cattle grids if you don't know what you are doing).

 

[jay clock]

it is not a question of jumping, it is standing up on the pedals, remove bum from seat, keep legs bent slightly, and keep straight. To keep straight, look straight ahead into the middle distance

If you do the standing up on the pedals bit at the right time, it does reduce the weight pushing down onto the wheels a bit.

 

[just4fun]

Interesting post, having only passed cattle grids on fat mtb tyres i wasnt even aware of this issue. Now i fear them.


edit: only a very little bit

 

[Arch]

I'm afraid, thanks to an accident one time, and my general lack of physical bravery, my technique with cattle grids is to get off and walk over....

Pretty much guaranteed not to puncture that way, I reckon.

 

[Bollo]

This all goes to prove bonj's point in the 'Horses' megathread. If we didn't have these animals roaming around, we wouldn't need cattle grids.

 

[spence]

Sorry, when I posted I didn't intend to scary anyone

Thanks all. I guess the short answer, around here anyway, is to avoid them. I can only think of couple on the road anyway.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

My technique is not to fast, not to slow. Before you reach it stand up and centre your weight over the bike with a light but secure grip on the bars. Also before you hit it, pick your line. Most cattle grids will have raised sections and flat sections. The raised section is normally in the car tyre line where the road is worn or the grids buckled up slightly, to either side of that is the place to aim. Often that's more to the centre of the grid.

As you hit it, stay dead straight, let you knees buckle slightly with the impact to absorb some force, stay relaxed and you'll be over it.

I used to cross 3 or 4 deer grids on a regular ride, one of them uphill at only 6 or 7 mph, which requires the same technique but using a smooth and fluid pedal action so you don't need to throw too much weight from side to side.

So far no mishaps.

+1 to that. went over tons of the things on last year's wild wales challenge. i think the key is to let your legs act as a sort of read suspension so that the impact of the wheel on the grid is minimised. it's also important not to lean forward whilst doing this, or you'll increase the impact on the front wheel.

 

[yello]

I have no idea how one 'should' cross a cattle grid but I do it pretty much like jay clock suggests; legs acting as suspension, keep the bike square on and stay relaxed, smooth and constant.

I certainly wouldn't attempt to jump the bike over. That would end messy I fear!

 

[stumpy]

I've just come back from riding in the Isle of Skye and there were loads of them there. I varied my technique between fast (with a small "hop") slow (very nerve racking) and walking (not so good with wet shoes on though) and my preferred technique was fast with a hop as that caused the least amount of time on the grid but it would hurt like **** if you fell off doing that. But lifting your weight of the saddle worked well to.

P.S if you ever go riding up there take lots of spare tubes as I became faster than the Ferrari pit crew at changing tyres after a week. (none were caused by cattle grids)

 

[jimboalee]

it is not a question of jumping, it is standing up on the pedals, remove bum from seat, keep legs bent slightly, and keep straight. To keep straight, look straight ahead into the middle distance

If you do the standing up on the pedals bit at the right time, it does reduce the weight pushing down onto the wheels a bit.

Try this.

Stand on your bathroom scales. Bend your knees. Hey, the needle flickers for a split second but settles at the same weight.

What you have to do is sprint 'balls out' and give a bloody big jump, lifting the whole bike off the ground and clear the grid in one.

They are five feet wide, so if you can get weight off the tyres for half a second, you need to be riding at 4.5 m/s minimum, that is only 10 mph. how difficult is that?

15 mph will well clear it.

 

[yello]

...and the weight of the bike makes no difference?