- I am firm believer
that if you want to be a good bike rider
then you need to be a confident bike rider.
Riding all sorts of different bikes,
on all sorts of different terrains
is one of the quickest and most effective ways
to improve your ability to handle anything
that you could encounter from back out on the road.
(whooshing)
(upbeat dynamic music)
When out on the road, on our bikes, we do encounter
a wide variety of surface changes,
however when you ride off-road
these are only more frequent and more varied.
So we need to become really adept
at scanning the path ahead of us,
working out what obstacles are coming our way,
how much grip there is,
and, crucially, where that grip is going to be found.
This calculation process has to become so fast,
fluid and second nature that you're actually no longer aware
that you're making those decisions on the bike.
There is only one way to dial in
your tire to eye coordination, and that is practice.
Get used to the sensations
that are coming from underneath you,
what the surface looks like, but more importantly,
what that surface actually feels like to ride.
And once you've done that you can log it
into your mental catalog of experience.
(mellow music)
To get a real understanding of where the limits
of adhesion lie we need to start understanding our timings
of the inputs that were making to the bike
and the effects that they have on our direction of travel
or our acceleration and deceleration.
So off-road, with these gravel tires, especially,
you definitely have a little bit less traction
when it comes to riding on the grass.
So when you're braking it's going to take a lot longer
to scrub off the same amount of speed as it would on a road.
All that's going to do is help you understand how much traction
there is actually available under your tires,
so that when you meet a similar situation out on the road
you can be, "Oh, I've been there before,
"I know that's it's going to take me a little bit
long to slow down, 'cause it's wet, it's greasy,
and that will help you have more control on the descents.
(mellow music)
One of the more interesting things that you'll learn
when riding off-road is just how much traction
there is available at all times.
We've mentioned how that affects your braking
and how it affects cornering, the fact that you're going to be
slipping and sliding a little bit more
than when out on the road.
But one of the most important things is you'll learn
how to dose your power onto the terrain that you're riding.
Now this doesn't always apply when out on the road,
but if it's wet, or it's icy, or you're riding somewhere
where there's cobble climbs.
Learning when you're going to be able to put the power
down to the road beneath you is one of the most important
things you can learn to make your energy expenditure
more efficient, but also to make you faster on those climbs.
(mellow music)
It's hard to deny these days when riding on the road
that at some point you're going to have to avoid
some sort of obstacle, either a drain cover,
some road furniture, or maybe something that's just rolled
into the road unexpectedly in front of you.
(daunting music)
The perfect time to practice these avoidance techniques
is when riding off-road.
For a start, you're not going to be traveling quite as fast,
generally speaking, but also you've got much more chance
to practice some avoidance techniques.
So bunny hopping, for example, is one of the most
basic skills that you can learn from riding a bike.
But, if you want to keep your wheels nice and round
is also one of the best skills
that you should start to think about learning.
How you choose to avoid the obstacle that's coming your way
is of course, down to whatever it is ahead of you.
Maybe you can just break and swerve around it.
Maybe there's a different line that you can take,
or maybe, you will indeed,
just have to hop over the top of it.
And that's the beauty of riding off-road.
It is so varied, and it's again hitting that calculation
process in your brain and creating a second nature pathway
which will make riding on the road that much safer.
(daunting music)
When out riding on the road
we often have a lot of grip available.
However, when riding off-road,
this grip is likely to be quite a lot less.
Meaning, that when you're tires start to slip and slide
you've actually got quite a lot more warning
and more chance of rectifying the situation.
How does this translate to the road?
Well, it's going to help improve your reaction times.
On the road if our tires let go grip,
they're going to let go very, very quickly.
That's 'cause they had a high amount of grip
in the first place and when it's gone,
you're down to zero pretty quick.
But, if you're reaction times are improved
the chance of catching that slide is much more increased.
So practicing out on a slippery surface like in the grass
or wet routes in the woods is only going to increase
your reaction times and make you a safer road rider.
(mellow music)
For me riding off-road
all comes down to confidence and control.
I used to set up a little test circuit and try and ride it
within one or two seconds each and every lap
to make sure I was nice and consistent.
It was only a short circuit, it's around 35 seconds
from memory, but hitting it every single time
and getting the lines correct became part
of my training plan and it made me feel much more competent
when I was riding off-road.
By finding yourself a little test circuit like that,
you'll learn to stich all of the off-road skills together
to create a much more well rounded bike rider.
And if you've not been convinced so far,
you should ride off-road 'cause it's just a lot of fun.
Ultimately, all of these skills are boiled down
to one thing, and that's increasing your confidence
as a rider, which will enable you to feel
much more comfortable out on your bike
in a wider variety of situations.
If you find this video useful do give it a thumbs up.
And for more dirty off-road type videos, click on the bike.