- Oh (beep)!
So close to washing the front!
(Tom yelling enthusiastically)
Welcome back to another one
of my favorite low-level science experiments.
Today, we're going to test the hypothesis
that riding without your chain for the day
will make you faster when you put that chain back on.
Now, I know it's not going to win me any Nobel prizes today,
but at the very least,
we'll be able to share the skills and techniques
I have to use and learn riding without my chain,
that can translate to our riding
when we throw the chain back on.
So how's this low-level science experiment going to work,
you ask?
Well, like any good experiment, we'll set the baseline.
We'll do a timed lap of the course just behind us here
with the chain on, peddling, full noise,
all the bells and whistles allowed.
We'll then do three more runs without the chain.
That'll give me enough time to test a few techniques,
learn from my mistakes.
I'll then take you through a few key spots on the course,
and share those tips and tricks that I've hopefully learned,
before the final run with the chain back on
to see how much time I can shave off
that first baseline test.
Now I know what you're thinking.
If I just ride a track over and over again,
I'm going to get faster,
no matter what I learn with the chain off.
And well, you're not wrong.
I never said this was peer reviewed science.
But to remove that variable as much as possible,
I've chosen my local test track here in Squamish
that I ride at least two to three times a week.
You might recognize it
from the other questionable experiment I did
with the hard tail.
So I'm pretty comfortable riding this race pace.
Now this is a really good test track
because over the 220 meter vertical drop
there's three key sections.
This top third is rough, rooty,
with tons of different line options.
Second section recently rebuilt.
Smoother, faster with more rollers and berms
to pump in and out of.
The final section of the track is way steeper, rougher,
with really tight corners
and lots of loose dirt on it today.
Anyway, that's enough chit chat.
Let's go back to the top and put a base on down.
At the top of the track for baseline test,
chain is on, business race face is on,
let's go.
(upbeat music playing)
(Tom yelling enthusiastically)
Okay, I haven't peddled yet,
steep conditions.
Ah, there's a couple of pedal strokes, one general stroke.
Get up over those roots.
And then I've got to come out here on the pedals,
and then smoother, flow-ier.
I peddled there to get out of that.
(Tom yelling enthusiastically)
Conditions,
what can we say?
It's dryer than the Sahara.
Okay, I'm on the pedals here.
Tricky.
Gotta come left there, then straight into our lower third.
He's a pedal
(mumbles)
Oh, in the name of
this is scary
still have to jump the rocks.
Okay finish line here.
3:22.
It's appealing back up the hill after the baseline test
with the chain on.
Taking the chain off, about to drop-in for lap number one,
no chain.
We'll see how we go.
Three, two, one
(upbeat music playing)
already hitting, pump really hard.
Either pump
(mumbles)
feels okay.
Inside there
nice
and come around there out.
Okay.
By road turn.
Gotta pump her here.
Come on, come on.
Nice.
Okay bit of flat but usually, we put some pedal strokes
in there.
Took a different blind there, because last time I had to
pedal down the straight, I'm trying to believe it's 3 22.
Here we go.
3:25.
Only three seconds slower.
Three, two, one
lets roll.
Pull line,
in that corner.
I break to hard in the corner.
There we go.
I went for a pedal straight,
across the road
oh (bleep)
(mumbles)
okay, terrified lap two
3:33.
Oh, that was fast.
There's the front wheel just sliding off into the bushes.
I don't know how I saved there, but thank you.
Thank you.
All right.
We're heading back up the hill for the last chainless
practice run.
Hey that's right pedaling here,
to put my chain back on, to climb back up each time.
Its dangerously hot.
All right we'll stay this go away.
It's for the final time.
Nothing like some dodgy pocket storage.
Final chance to try a few things out.
Three, two, one.
(upbeat music playing)
Patience test here.
Kinda cross wait, ah, get off the brakes.
Okay.
Break in here.
Yes.
Some patience
(mumbles)
Oh yeah.
There we go.
Hey, roll over to the finish
3 25.
Okay.
Yeah.
I made a mistake.
Big couple mistake up top.
Just finished the last chain less run
kind of the exact same time as the first chain less run.
Anyway, let's go take a look.
And I think what's going to make us faster.
When I ride this corner with the chain on,
can sometimes be a bit lazy with my cornering,
sit up and that's the lesson.
Take the time to sit up properly for the corners.
When I came through with chain less run, number one,
I just hit the main line with confidence right through
the middle, which sent me terribly into the middle
of this relatively flat right-hand corner, mean I had no
speed out and had to work really hard
to get back up to speed,
which I'd usually cover up with pedal strokes.
So when I did lap two and three with the chain off,
I took my time and set up for the lift.
Did most of my cornering before I actually hit the main part
of the corner here and that straightened the whole corner
out and gave me much more exit speed down the rift
of that quite chunky straight.
Lesson learned, let's move on to the next one.
Pumping is arguably one of the most underrated skills
in mountain biking.
It something I learned a valuable lesson about today.
Pumping is when you use your weight on a downside from the
trial to generate speed.
Now that downside, it can be bigger, obvious slopes
like these two rollers here, or it can be little holes
on the trail and what I found today,
is that I wasn't making enough
of those little down slopes and
big down slopes on the trail.
So these are a perfect example.
So usually with a chain on,
on a normal ride, I'd come around this right-hand corner,
jump these two rollers,
try and do my best pump on the landing as I could
hit the lift and then pedal out on the straight
to finish the bottom
part of section two.
What I found without the chain on the first lap was after
the left-hand corner, I'll stuck and just had
to meander my way at the end of the trail.
On lap two and three without the chain, I pumped both
the rollers, hit the left-hand corner
and had way more speed out to the rest of the trail.
Now I think the lesson there is also that when you're
pumping, you're not throwing your body weight off
and I can actually feel way more comfortable in that
left-hand corner for riding out with more speed.
So, I'm going to put that together for this final run,
going to pump as much as I can on these big options,
as well as a smaller little ones,
it become way more obvious when the chains off.
The final piece of the puzzle I was trying to put together
skill-wise is thinking about where my breaking points
exactly are.
So when I come down this trial with the chain on normally
I get invited to just keep holding the fast speed
down the straight as it dips down,
just pull this right-hand corner, keep going.
Like you feel like a champion and then you hit the right
hand corner.
That's quite flat.
I'm finding I was breaking in there and the pedal strokes
I was allowed to do with the chain on out.
Kinda just let me forget about the mistake I'd made,
and pick up my speed on the way out.
So when I did it with the chin off full speed, full speed,
hit the corner too hard and too fast.
I had to slowly pump my way out of a corner.
So then what happened with those last two runs
with the chain off.
So I moved the breaking point further up the trail
to the smoothest straighter part which mean, I could hit
the corner with less breaks on
more grip and get way more
exit speed out into that next straightaway.
All right.
With those tips and tricks, covered off
We'll put the chain back on,
go back to the top of the track.
See if we can put down a faster final time.
See if we've learned anything from this experiment.
Final lap, the chain's on, about to see if I've learnt
anything from myself.
Okay I definitely put like, four pedals strokes in there.
The lesson coming out.
Setting up for corners so I can set up this quite nicely.
Didn't need a pedal.
(mumbles)
So I cross, there we go.
There we go.
Pump these rollers hard
out of this corner.
You're a little bit to calm down here.
Pop in here.
It's an appealing, I feel way more stable
when I hit these corners
busy corner
coming out strong yes
(mumbles)
3:19
(mumbles)
I'm good at science.
I'm stuck with it, 3:19 the final time.
It definitely isn't any easier.
Still mouth breathing like a champion,
lets go back up to track, its been a long hard
(mumbles)
So after a long hard day of science, I'm pleased to say
We proved my hypothesis correct.
Yes you can get faster with riding
with the chain off all day
and proof from it, baseline of 3:22 down to 3:19.
Now I know it's not groundbreaking stuff
but I definitely learn a bunch of things about cornering
patience, braking.
It's all good stuff.
And I hope you took something away too.
So give it a go yourself.
Avoid the trial site
you don't even need to take a chain off.
Just challenge your mates to a no pedal lap down the local
trail.
I think you'll pick something up.
So anyway, let me know in the comments,
what you'd grade you'd give me if you were Mr. Paul,
my fifth form science teacher and make sure you subscribe
for our next lower level science experiment.
Thanks for watching.