Dammit’s adventures in mountain biking

Penshurst, The Bull Track, Rogate, Stoughton, Tidworth. A little further afield: Windhill, Forest of Dean, A417 bike park.

Comprehensive answer!

Anyone riding tomorrow? I need to test my new dropper.

I am going to head to Penshurst, and if it's too gnarly for my Scalpel I'll pop over to Bedgebury.

I would have joined you, except for I'm Norfolk this weekend! Penshurst is probably one of the more gnarly options in the SE and doubly so if it's been raining. I'll probably be swerving it until the Spring now.

That's handy info, maybe Swinley is a better idea - it doesn't exactly drain very well, but it's a known quantity.

My backpack from my last ride at bedgebury when there had been recent rain. Swinley is more sandy so a better bet I'd say.

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I went to Swinley, however I think I will try somewhere in Kent this coming weekend - Swinley takes an hour to drive too, and then two hours to drive home from, and the driving to riding ratio is not great.

I rode the Scalpel into town this morning, dropped it off at LMNH for a suspension service with Mario.

On the way I entertained myself by jumping over sleeping policemen, different coloured bits of tarmac etc. I noticed that my hop technique has a glaring problem- pump the bars, pop the front wheel as I move my weight back, as the rear wheel comes to the obstacle rather then jumping up and bringing the whole bike with me I pull my feet up under me. This brings the rear wheel up and clears the obstacle, but means I don't get anywhere near the height that I could do.

How do I break myself out of the habit that I have formed?

How do I break myself out of the habit that I have formed?

Go on a skills training day with UkBikeSkills (aka Jedi).

I think you need to be a lot younger

I pull my feet up under me.

How do I break myself out of the habit that I have formed?

Flat pedals

Also that ^

I think a period of flat pedals might be an idea. I just find they feel so dangerously gripless that I avoid them where possible

I lol’d.

I lol’d and that’s not a tear there’s something in my eye

Have you even Five Ten’d Bro?

Yep, had a pair on, with flat pedals for my first run down Pleney- hated it. With spd you are connected mechanically to the bike rather than standing on it- or that’s how it feels to me.

And of course connected to all the bad habits that come from spd.

Yeah, it takes more than one ride to get comfy with flats. Worth it though.

Never gonna use flats. Sozzles. Too old to change!

I’m debating a fat tyres commuting bike with flats, probably based on a rigid MTB with a dropper for dicking around purposes.

I ride my cx and xc mtb clipped in off road, but for anything vaguely jumpy it's flats all day long. Jumping anything bigger clipped in scares the life out of me. Sometimes you just need to throw a leg out or dab to correct balance from a poor take off.

I had a friend who rode clipped for everything and when he had some skills training the tutor insisted it was being clipped that was causing his bad habits as he didn't need the correct technique to lift the back end of the bike. Sound familiar?

He went to flats (admittedly not down pleney for his first attempt) and like you he hated it. He hated it for 3 or 4 rides, but persisted, practicing jumping as much as he could, and now loves it and wouldn't go back. He's now riding blacks at BPW on his hardtail.

Maybe meet at Rogate one day as there's a nice run with several fun tabletops that can be sessioned?

Sounds like a plan, maybe Sunday?

Weather forecast isn't terrible. I'll ask the boss, but in theory, yes.

Had the fork and shock serviced, all new seals and so forth, keen to ride the bike and see if there’s any difference.