I was recently out on a ride round Northallerton and I managed all the bogs, sheep, runners and uphills fine, all except one climb. I'm not useed to cycling on rocks that are so large! There was a guy infront of me who got up about a quarter of the way then had to walk a touch then finish off the last eigth. But I couldn't do it. Kept knocking rocks and the bike would fall, then I couldn't get started again etc etc. At first I thought, oh, maybe this is an incredibly difficult climb, i'm sure not many people can cycle up. (The three people behind me were pushing too). But then, a guy went whizzing past me, and got up the climb in no time. Basically, how on earth do you get up a climb that is made up of entirely large rocks/slabs of rock? Or is it just pure power and handling that I seem to lack?
Cycling over 'boulders'
- Thread starter Thompson
- Start date
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zizou
Veteran
It is difficult, i struggle with step ups when going uphill, particularly if i have too much time to think about them!
Line choice is important - more difficult if it is the first time riding it. On my regular mtb loop there is a rock garden which is difficult, but because i know it so well now - i know what bits are a bit loose and will move, where the gaps are that can swallow a tyre and make me go over the bars and what ones i can get pedal strikes on...so i know the best lines and can manage it quite comfortably, whereas some more skilled friends struggle on it when normally they would be better at more technical parts than me. In terms of technique you will distribute your weight as needs be - there will be bits you want to get your weight off the saddle and unweight the back and bits where your want to push your weight back using the bars to stop rear wheel spinning. However technique is only part of it, like you say you need some power too. You should also be in a harder gear than you would normally be in for the gradient and you basically need to be able to go in the red and put a big effort in and try to keep momentum up.
Technical/ rocky climbs are amongst the most difficult feature in mtb because of the combination of power, endurance and skill required.
Line choice is important - more difficult if it is the first time riding it. On my regular mtb loop there is a rock garden which is difficult, but because i know it so well now - i know what bits are a bit loose and will move, where the gaps are that can swallow a tyre and make me go over the bars and what ones i can get pedal strikes on...so i know the best lines and can manage it quite comfortably, whereas some more skilled friends struggle on it when normally they would be better at more technical parts than me. In terms of technique you will distribute your weight as needs be - there will be bits you want to get your weight off the saddle and unweight the back and bits where your want to push your weight back using the bars to stop rear wheel spinning. However technique is only part of it, like you say you need some power too. You should also be in a harder gear than you would normally be in for the gradient and you basically need to be able to go in the red and put a big effort in and try to keep momentum up.
Technical/ rocky climbs are amongst the most difficult feature in mtb because of the combination of power, endurance and skill required.
Cubist
Still wavin'
- Location
- Ovver 'thill
It probably was very difficult (it certainly sounds like it was!). Some people can make stuff like that look easy, and indeed it is a result of skill, experience and fitness that allows those people to clear stuff that has us mortals stuttering and failing.
Don't let it get you down, as it's easy to forget that you are out there trying to do it and millions are back on the sofas utterly incapable of getting round the car park on a bike.
Keep trying, and be brave. One person once pointed out that if you let the bike do it on its own it wouldn't want to fall over any more than you do. If it's on a climb you need to be in low gears and be able to unweight the front of the bike to get it up onto rocks, but then you need to trust yourself enough to shift your weight enough to loft the back as well, while at the same time being able to keep the cranks turning. With this as a starting principle, have a go, and don't be afraid to admit defeat and go back for another attempt. If you keep getting off and pushing, promising yourself you'll try harder next time, then you'll keep putting off gaining the experience you need. Even if you only clear another few feet this time, next time be determined to learn and do the next bit.
A last (and possibly trite sounding) bit to remember is that you need a bit of speed t help the bike through an uphill rock garden, so you need to be able to accelerate into obstacles rather than roll up to them. To do this you need to be at a reasonable level of fitness.
If you can't make progress through trial and error, and are determined to improve, why not book a skills course?
Don't let it get you down, as it's easy to forget that you are out there trying to do it and millions are back on the sofas utterly incapable of getting round the car park on a bike.
Keep trying, and be brave. One person once pointed out that if you let the bike do it on its own it wouldn't want to fall over any more than you do. If it's on a climb you need to be in low gears and be able to unweight the front of the bike to get it up onto rocks, but then you need to trust yourself enough to shift your weight enough to loft the back as well, while at the same time being able to keep the cranks turning. With this as a starting principle, have a go, and don't be afraid to admit defeat and go back for another attempt. If you keep getting off and pushing, promising yourself you'll try harder next time, then you'll keep putting off gaining the experience you need. Even if you only clear another few feet this time, next time be determined to learn and do the next bit.
A last (and possibly trite sounding) bit to remember is that you need a bit of speed t help the bike through an uphill rock garden, so you need to be able to accelerate into obstacles rather than roll up to them. To do this you need to be at a reasonable level of fitness.
If you can't make progress through trial and error, and are determined to improve, why not book a skills course?
Its a combination of power, balance, weight distribution and picking your line. Power is very on-off as you need to alternate between normal pedalling, then levering the bike over an obstacle as it stalls and then rolls off the other side of it. Balance is critical to not fall off in those moments the bike comes to a standstill and to stay upright if a front or rear wheel slides or rolls off a rock. Weight distribution between front and back varies as you need to unweight a wheel to allow it to climb over an obstacle but not have the front come up in the air or lose steering and the need to keep sufficient weight on the back wheel to avoid it spinning out. And picking the line for the best route through. The only way to learn it is to practice, practice, practice. One tip is when cycling on your normal routes, start picking the difficult lines rather than the easy option you normally go for. So if there is a boulder in the middle of the path, don't go round it, go over it. I can now cycle stuff that I thought impossible when I started but there is stuff others can cycle that I still revert to two feet. But then its not called a push bike for nothing 
Thanks for all the advice/info and everything else 
I won't be there for a while as it's quite a trek but i'm sure I can find a rock garden to crash and practice on before being chased 
And the LD, that has indeed helped with my hair pin bends (i'm actually staying on the track now) but looking for gaps on this bit of route was like trying to find a fish in a sand desert! I'm not exagerating here, it was completely rocks/boulders. I could only aim for a smooth bit of rock or a slightly less angry looking bit. But it shall help in less mean rocky routes. One which is close to me so i'll have a go staring down the nice parts.
Thanken-you all.
I won't be there for a while as it's quite a trek but i'm sure I can find a rock garden to crash and practice on before being chased And the LD, that has indeed helped with my hair pin bends (i'm actually staying on the track now) but looking for gaps on this bit of route was like trying to find a fish in a sand desert! I'm not exagerating here, it was completely rocks/boulders. I could only aim for a smooth bit of rock or a slightly less angry looking bit. But it shall help in less mean rocky routes. One which is close to me so i'll have a go staring down the nice parts. Thanken-you all.
lukesdad
Guest
I think Thommo maybe thinking of something more like this Globalti
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=bl...=106&ndsp=8&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:106&tx=125&ty=95
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=bl...=106&ndsp=8&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:106&tx=125&ty=95
Kestevan
Last of the Summer Winos
- Location
- Holmfirth.
A (un)healthy disregard for your own safety helps too. If you're too concerned about falling off you'll be afraid to give it enough beans to actually power through/over any obstactle.
I've found that sometimes just going for it and accepting that occasionally it's all going to go a bit pear shaped pays dividends - but I'll admit it's a fine line between bravery and stupidity, and as I get older I get less inclined to see how well I can bounce
I've found that sometimes just going for it and accepting that occasionally it's all going to go a bit pear shaped pays dividends - but I'll admit it's a fine line between bravery and stupidity, and as I get older I get less inclined to see how well I can bounce
I've never got the knack of riding over them, they never keep still long enough!
