Saddle height question (and random ride ramblings)

[Motozulu]

You do have to approach it as wide as possible to prepare for the very sharp right hander at the bottom - going straight on is risking an argument with a very large tree directly in front of the drop thing is once you are there in person all this is very obvious - so to stand on an obvious line is a bit stupid - I'm with cubist. As for inexperienced - that's what I am, however being inexperienced does'nt give you an automatic 'excused common sense, do not stop at go' card.

Lulubel if you ever get a head/chest camera I hope you post the vid on here, that scenery sounds bloody stunning - for the record no more injuries, we did the dog twice plus a 15 mile blue run - all in all over 3 hours going at it - I'm shattered but with a huge grin on me fizzog - thanks for the thought.

 

[lulubel]

I managed to get out on the trails today, but I'm still feeling really washed out, so it was a bit of a struggle. I was fine on the flats and descents, but as soon as I started uphill, my body told me where to go.

I went in the woods just a couple of km out of town, which is mostly fire roads, but it's quite interesting at the moment because we had the first rains of autumn a couple of weeks ago, so they're badly cut up, and what soil there was has been washed away, leaving lots of loose rock. There are also some deeper sections where grit has been washed down off the mountainside, and that caught me out a couple of times.

I was hoping to get in a bit of practice on a kind of MTB area that local people have claimed, which has some awkward little drops and stuff, but the local equivalent of the national parks people were up there, and I don't think they're terribly impressed with that, so I thought I'd better not. I also had an encounter with 2 British women with 7 dogs between them, none of which were on leads, and 3 of which tried to fling themselves under my front wheel. And there I was thinking Monday was a good day because I'd have it all to myself!

 

[lulubel]

Lulubel if you ever get a head/chest camera I hope you post the vid on here, that scenery sounds bloody stunning

I can take some photos, anyway, although I'm not sure my cheap camera will do the views justice!

I'm glad to hear you got through your latest adventure with no new injuries.

Yesterday, I realised one of my biggest problems over technical stuff is tensing my shoulders and lifting them up, rather than keeping them down and relaxed. The bike handles so much better when I'm relaxed, so it's something I really need to work on. At the moment, it's tense up - "no, relax" - tense up - "no, relax" - and so on to the bottom of the hill!

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Yesterday, I realised one of my biggest problems over technical stuff is tensing my shoulders and lifting them up, rather than keeping them down and relaxed. The bike handles so much better when I'm relaxed, so it's something I really need to work on. At the moment, it's tense up - "no, relax" - tense up - "no, relax" - and so on to the bottom of the hill!

perfectly normal. I find I'm focusing on having soft hands, and my arms and shoulders and neck just follow. That said any minor loss of control and my mojo evaporates for a few minutes and I'm back to the 90's and riding like a dead sailor with a vulcan death grip. I do wonder sometimes if I'll ever ride like I used to ever again...

 

[Motozulu]

A mate I was out with on that 25 miler on Sunday was complaining of a stiff neck and shoulders - as you said it's gripping on for dear life/concentrating hard for 3 hours that does it. I was ok, yes you tense up for a few seconds when it all starts going a bit pear shaped but that very early advice I got about 'heavy feet-light hands' has really worked well for me.