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> Utterly counter intuitive that to retain control over rough ground you want to almost let go of the handlebars. I've hiked through a lot of forests ever sinc
by dj_mc_merlin 4y ago
> Utterly counter intuitive that to retain control over rough ground you want to almost let go of the handlebars.
I've hiked through a lot of forests ever since I was a kid and have a method, often criticized, but that has never injured me, of going down difficult terrain. I more or less glide down at a constant speed, putting my feet in places to apply upwards force. It helps a great deal that I have very flexible angles and can bend at near 90 degree angles. I usually get down very quickly and without fuss, whereas the slower more deliberate method tends to produce bigger falls. You tense up more when you're going down like that, and are more likely to produce uncontrolled fall, which is what kills you. If you can control your fall (throw yourself lightly at a patch that will stop you quickly and not injure you) and go a bit limp to disperse energy quickly, you can fall a lot more than most people but get injured less. I learned this technique from skateboarding. The idea is to learn to do a controlled fall whenever you're in danger into a safe area, rather than possibly risk an uncontrolled fall.
I've been called an idiot for doing this but I have never broken a bone nor had significant injury while hiking.
Anyway, my point is, sometimes just letting the movement flow naturally is the correct thing to do, even if it means the speed involved/perceived danger is higher.
- benj111 4y agoLiving in a hilly area, this is the way to go down hills. If you tense you get tired going down, aswell as up hills.
- tnelsond2 4y agoNot sure I follow. What I do is let gravity push me downhill and I keep one foot in front of the other and I gallop, hopping down the hill but always keeping a leading foot so that I never have to do the full movement of switching legs like in normal walking. Because I don't switch my feet I can keep up faster than I can run and I don't slip because I always have 2 feet on the ground at a time and it's kinda like surfing without the board.
- dj_mc_merlin 4y agoYep, that's what I was talking about. The leading foot does switch for me but only depending on what needs to be stepped on, not a normal walking switch.
- tnelsond2 4y agoYeah being very loose is ideal. I run/hop like a marionette. One of these days I want to try the Gloucestershire cheese race.
- Gravityloss 4y agoThat's also how you move down on slippery icy slopes.
- potamic 4y agoSounds interesting, but I'm unable to picture what you're saying. Are there any videos I can watch about this technique?
- white_dragon88 4y agoNo video will show the subtle differences. The principle is that you would let the physical aspects of the ride flow through your bike to minimise shock and allow the bike to more naturally ‘fall’ through the path that will take it the easiest. An good analogue would be jet skiing. If you just hold on for dear life and hope for the best, you will get a very sore back. A lot about doing it right is letting the waves do what they have to do, and making subtle corrections to ensure your path is optimal but taking into account the obstacles it’s encountering
- potamic 4y agoAre they talking about hiking or biking?
- benj111 4y agoWalking is basically controlled falling. This is basically an extension of that. You just let one leg go in front of the other like you were walking, rather than taking singular steps.
- js2 4y agoKilian Jornet running downhill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBxvn9yEdlY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBxvn9yEdlY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7agNyuN39E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7agNyuN39E
- tnelsond2 4y agoMy technique for running downhill. Not sure why nobody else uses it. I gallop like a deer and I can go incredibly fast by basically keeping one foot constantly in front and never switching it and hopping down hills. I don't have to take a full step and I always have two feet or no feet on the ground so it's impossible to slip. https://youtu.be/lHcZo5mrv2k https://youtu.be/lHcZo5mrv2k