TECHNIQUE
62 mbrMARCH 2018
STAY LOOSE AND OFF
THE BRAKES
Oneofthelessobviousside-effects
ofbrakingisthatyourarmsstiffen
asyousqueezetheleversandbrace
your body against the forces. Think
about it; as your bike slows down
underneath you, your body weight
wantstokeepgoingforward.To
stop this from happening you have
totenseyourarmsandresistthat
forwardmotionsothatyoucan
slowdownatthesamepaceas
your bike. If you do this over rough
or undulating terrain then you’re
goingtolosethesuspensioninyour
arms and legs and feel jarred by the
obstacles and that you’re fighting
against them. Instead, try and fi nishyourbrakingbeforeyougetto
somethingrough,sothatyoucan
letgoandstayfluid.Yourbrakes
will also be less efficient on rough
terrain,asthewheelswillhaveless
contact with the ground. When Matt
correctedthis,notonlydidhehave
much better traction, by allowing
his wheels to turn freely, but his
bodyremainedlooseandfreeto
absorb anything that was going on
underneath him.
QMATT SAID“You have to be so
consciousofthisone.Whenyou
start doing it properly it makes the
trailseemsomucheasierthatyou
feel like you’re going slow!”STEEP TRACKS
Onsteepertracksyou’regoingtohavetouseyourbrakesalotmore
topreventunwantedacceleration.Thisrequiresabalancebetweenhow
hardyoupulltheleversandtheinfluenceofgravity.Thesteepertheincline,
themoreyou’regoingtohavetobrake.You’renotbrakingtoslowdown,you’re
braking so you don’t speed up! Remember that on steeper terrain you’re going to
acceleratealotquicker,sothere’snoneedtotryandgofast.Letthehillcometo
you and be patient. You’ll ride your best if you’re in control.
QMATT SAID“Looking for the places I could trust meant that I could stay off the
brakes when it mattered. Total game-changer, and one that I had no idea I was
getting wrong before it was pointed out.”
FLIP YOUR INSTINCT
What most riders do on more challenging terrain is to ride the
easy bits fast, then slam their brakes on where it gets difficult,
losingalltheirgrip.Instead,tryandpicksmootherpartsof
thetrailanddoasmuchofyourbrakingontheseasyoucan.
Doing this means that you can apply less pressure as you roll
over something more difficult. This will afford you a lot more
tractionwhereyouneedit,asyou’llbeusingalotlessofthe
available grip trying to slow down.
Matt,likemostriders,wasguiltyoftrustinghisperceived
exertion—inotherwordshowfastthetrailfelttohim.The
trouble with this is, as you try harder it feels faster, and you end
upjustfightingyourwaydownandwrestlingthebike.“Itfeltlike
I was riding slower but I was passing the trees faster than ever!
This could get me into a lot of trouble.”Here Matt does a good job of
balancingtheeffectsofgravity
and the available traction. He’s
brakingmostofthewaydown
but letting off for the worst bits.There’s a ot going
on here, but Matt
isstillabletopick
outsafeplacesto
apply his brakes,
ensuring he
doesn’t pick up too
much unwanted
momentum.Matt takes advantage of having
patchesoftractiontogethis
braking done, meaning he
canstayfluidovermuchmore
abrupt obstacles. “Braking
whereit’seasymeansIhave
more control where it matters.”