- Riding singletrack trails can be amazing, it's the
most fun you can probably have out on your E bike.
Simply finding that flail on the trail can't be beaten.
Here's our 10 tips to ride singletrack faster.
(techno music)
When it comes to riding singletrack faster,
it means that you got to pedal.
You really need to think about where you're pedaling.
There's tree stumps, rocks, roots, things like that,
runs the risk getting the pedal strike.
So look ahead and plan where you're pedaling.
Pedal strikes are really common out on the trail.
A really good technique is gaining extra clearance
on the bike is by learning how to back pedal.
Back pedaling raises that crank
and raises the pedal over the object on the trail.
(techno music)
Keeping your head up is vitally important
when it comes to riding the trails.
It allows you to think about things such as line choice,
where you're gonna pedal, where you're gonna coast,
and breaking zones.
Other things you might wanna think about is gear selection,
gear choice, power mode, and dropper seat post height.
(techno music)
A great way of riding a really gnarly section of trail
is by actually clearing it completely.
In front of me here, we got quite a root infested trail
so it means if I pick my way across it,
it's gonna be quite slow.
But on my right-hand side of the trail I can see
a big root kicker, meaning that if I hit this committed,
I can actually clear the whole root section and continue
on down the trail with a lot more flow and a lot more speed.
(techno music)
Singletracks often ridden by riders of all mixed skills
and abilities, meaning that usually one line is
used the most, but problem is with that most used line
is it's often quite blown out and quite eroded
especially in muddy conditions you even get a lot of water
and mud on that trail.
Whereas here, we've got a split trail, the high line
is nice and dry, it's got a downhill slope into it,
meaning it's gonna inject a lot more speed
when it comes to exiting the trail over the lower line,
which a lot more people have been using.
Really muddy, it's really blown out, so the low line
is actually gonna be to be way slower
than this nice, high dry line.
(techno music)
When you're hitting the trails, you might want to think
about dialing down that power.
Thing is when you're in turbo, the bike wants to lurch
and power you out of control at a lot of the turns.
You turn down the power, the bike's gonna be
way more predictable, so get that power down.
(techno music)
The bar flick is an essential skill
to have out on the trail.
It's a mini wheelie with a flick of the handlebars.
Basically, it allows you to flick through those trees
a lot faster than you would have done before
where you'd be hitting the brakes
and inching your way between them.
(techno music)
Faster riders will make you aware of
what speed you can carry on the trail,
so you use different lines and techniques
to try and copy what they do, and try and stick with them
when out riding the trails, that way you'll learn loads.
(techno music)
When you inject too much speed into the singletrack,
everything becomes a blur. You end up fluffing lines,
blowing corners. You really need to think about flow
and not how fast you can ride the trail.
If you're riding too fast, everything's going to become
a hundred miles an hour, and not give you any chance
to think about what you're doing.
Think flow, not fast.
(techno music)
Comfort braking is something we're all guilty of
when the terrain gets really technical.
Just lightly dragging your brake levers
isn't actually doing any beneficial braking to the wheels.
What it is doing is disturbing grip
and it's disturbing momentum in the wheels.
Lay off the brakes, and try and keep
the momentum in the wheels, and you'll find that the
technical descending will come much, much easier.
(techno music)
The bunny hop also comes in useful for hopping
logs, roots, rocks, things like that on the trail.
It's just gonna increase that speed
and open up a lot more possibilities for you.
(techno music)
Whoa. So there you go. I really hope you've enjoyed
today's video on how to ride singletrack faster.
If you've enjoyed today's video, be sure to check out
my race against Olympic superstar, Grant Ferguson.
That's up here. Drop some comments in the box below,
give us a thumbs up if you've enjoyed it,
and don't forget to subscribe to ENBN
by clicking the globe in the middle of the screen.