Climbing with clips
A couple days ago I sprinted with clip-in pedals rather than flat pedals, and the power increase was dramatic.
Today I climbed with clips. More drama.
Archive for year: 2012
Sprinting with clips
I’ve been riding flat pedals almost exclusively for a couple years now, and my handling and pedaling skills are better than ever. Lately I’ve been wondering, what will happen if I clip back in?
Yesterday’s test results were pretty powerful.
Enduro 26 or Stumpy 29?
Hi Lee,
My name is Juscelino, I´m from Brazil. I hide a lot gnarly and steep sections with a lot of rockgardens, I love long rides (4-7h), mainly singletracks more technical betters. 🙂
Well, today I´m riding a stumpy fsr carbom pro 2011, I´ve had a lot of problems with my fork, it went 3 times to warranty and no resolution until now. This year I´ll go to EUA to a meeting, and I´m planning to buy a new bike, I´m thinkin in a Enduro Sworks 2012 or a SJ FSR Sworks 29er, what do you recomend? My riddings are all just for pleasure, I´m not in races.
best regards,
Juscelino
29ROCKS! – Cedric Gracia on the big wheels
We all know Cedric can rip anything, but he sure makes his 29er trail bike look like fun. Heck, this whole vid make me smile.
Ripper analysis: Brian Lopes on his home trails
I’ve heard somewhere that Brian Lopes can ride a bike. Maybe it was in one of these books stacked on my shelf.
Let’s take a look at his “X-Fusion Visits Brian Lopes” video.
Riding down gravel roads at speed
Hi, Lee!
I wasn’t sure how to post a question to your website – and thought you might filter them through your own inbox? I had a question for you about gaining some confidence on riding down gravel fire roads … I feel like a pretty confident rider on fairly technical terrain, but loose gravel just freaks me out. I feel like the ground is moving down the hill with me as I descend, and I’m just a moments away from washout and total disaster … I have gotten better on straight tracks – getting into my attack position and adjusting my position to react to traction (or lack thereof) on my front and rear wheels. But then adding a curve to the road and steering in this stuff really throws me for a loop! Do you have any tips on riding loose gravel on a downhill?
Thanks so much for your continued dedication to this sport! We preach the Gospel of Lee at all of our High School team practices – with attack position and cornering being our primary focus with the kids. They’re really getting the hang of it – even the “tried and true” racers that have been riding for years are breaking their bad habits!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Denise
Coach – Austin High School Mountain Bike Team
Hardtail for pump track and riding around?
Hi Lee,
Quick question. A few years ago I purchased a Specialized P2 for my pump track hoping it could additionally be used for some trail riding and commuting. I am 6’1”, and even with a long-ish aftermarket seat post it still feels like I am riding a BMX bike 8 miles to work. It rips on the pump track!
I want to try again, and end up with a hardtail bike that will kill on the pump track and be large enough for comfortable seated pedaling.
Ideas? Thanks, Kirk
Where will I land?
Lee,
My son and I are spending the weekend at Ray’s MTB in Cleveland. We like to ride the small jump line – it’s a series of tables.
Sometimes, I land perfectly – heavy feet, light hands – and it feels great. I pump the landing and launch the next one. But sometimes I overshoot and land flat between two jumps (ouch). And sometimes I land short (oomph).
In MMBS you talk about placing the wheels with precision when touching down. But how do I do that? Should I look down at the landing? I’ve always made it a point to look far ahead, not at the landing or at the next jump.
Does this answer apply to every time we are in the air? When I do drops, for instance, I don’t look down at the landing. And, since I haven’t solved the tabletop question, I leave the doubles alone.
Sincerely yours in ripping,
Jim
Epic + Stumpjumper = Camber?
Hey Lee,
I am going to be getting a new mountain bike in the next month or so and I am in need of some sage advice before pulling the trigger. I can only afford one bike. I compete in a few xc races each yr, but want to race a few super Ds. I am looking for a bike that I can race xc, super D, and trail ride on. Since I can’t have an epic for xc racing and a stumpjumper for super Ds and trail riding, I figured a camber 29 carbon would do decent job at these varying styles of riding. I was thinking of purchasing the carbon pro 29 frame with the command post and putting a 120mm (110mm stock) 15qr fox up front with a 1×10 drivetrain. Will I be reaching too far with this bike?
Thanks Lee!
Ian
20-second review: Transition TransAm
When we talk about all-mountain hardtails over here, I often cite the Transition TransAm as a great example of a do-all machine. Last week I got to ride one. Briefly.
Weighting the front end in turns (again)
Hi Lee,
The two main things I need to work on I think are keeping my weight mostly on the pedals with heavy feet (less on the hands) and weighting the front wheel more in loose fast corners (I have had my front wheel wash out a few times recently, no I’m not braking).
How do I combine these two skills? They seem to be saying opposing things. When in your book you indicate that more weight should be put on the front wheel to stop it washing out and to track better, is this moving the hips forward and is it only a momentary change from the normal attack position with most of the weight through the pedals during loose corners?
I know you can weight and unweight, for example, pumping on a flat surface, but what about on an extended long corner which is loose gravel or mud and I am worried about the front washing out?
Thanks in advance
John
Recommended flat pedals and shoes
The right shoes and pedals will help even the stiffest ex-roadie rock the kung fu.
You can get great pedals and shoes anywhere. Here are some suggestions from Jenson USA.