|
| Mastering Brake Skillz |
 |
If Brian Lopes knew it was our birthday, no doubt he'd send us a card. As he has no idea, however, we have to make do with this excerpt from his book! (Roadies, read well; all the same principles apply to you guys so don't let the title put you off.) Enjoy!
Reduce your perceived speed. Most of us brake when we feel like we're going too fast, even when we aren't going fast at all. To take the edge off that "oh my..." feeling, look farther ahead. It's that simple. The threats won't seem as immediate.
The less time you spend braking, the better. When you get on the binders, bad things happen. Tires skip. Suspensions stiffen. When you brake, brake hard, then get back to coasting.
Give it the finger. If you have strong, well-set-up brakes, your index fingers should do the trick. If you need to brake extra hard, give it your middle finger too.
Brake in a straight line. Tires must be perpendicular to the ground. If you brake with your tires leaned, they'll either stand up or slide out. Neither is cool.
Brake on good ground. Look for smooth spots with good traction. Trying to slow down in slippery muck just sketches you out and wastes valuable finger fu.
Use both brakes. The front tire gets the most traction, so you can and should squeeze the front brake harder than the rear. Finesse the rear to keep it from skidding. By the way, don't be afraid of the front brake. You have to do some stupid stuff--simultaneously brake hard, lean forward, and hit something--to fly over the bars.
Ease into it. Sudden, hard braking leads to skidding, not to mention longer stopping distances. A rolling tire offers far more traction than a skidding tire. Squeeze the levers slowly to gradually build up the braking force. If a tire starts to break loose, ease the pressure on that brake or put more weight on that tire. The most powerful braking happens at the point just before a skid.
Practice braking as hard as you can without skidding. Experiment with body position and lever pressure. Know how long it takes to slow down on a variety of surfaces. The more confidently you can haul yourself down quickly and safely, the faster you'll ride and the less time you'll waste lightly dragging the brakes.
Get back and down. Any time you brake, get off your saddle and lean back to counter your forward momentum. When you brake hard, get down low to focus your weight on the pedals and increase rear traction. When you brake really hard on steep descents, drop your heels so your feet are behind your pedals.
Never lock your front wheel. You need your front wheel to steer, and when it's skidding it's not steering. If it starts to lock, ease off the brake until it starts to roll again.
Modulate or die. Rocks, roots, holes, sand, gravel, and mud give your front wheel lots of opportunities to get stuck or lock up. When it gets rough or loose, you must constantly modulate the brake. On where it's smooth or sticky, off where it's rough or slippery. If you're about to roll off a big rock, brake hard before the rock and then let your wheel roll freely over it.
Load your tires. By doubling the weight on your tires, you can double your traction and cut your stopping distance in half. Bounce up a bit to unweight your tires, then push your bike down and forward as you apply the brakes. Really cram your tires into the ground. You'll be amazed at how hard you can brake without skidding.
Edited excerpt from Mastering Mountain Bike Skills (Brian Lopes, Human Kinetics, 2005, reproduced with permission). Want your own copy? We've got 'em in stock. :-) | |
|
|
|
|
Dear Subscriber,
It's November already, and you know what that means. "Melbourne Cup Day?" you say. "Movember? Only eight shopping weeks until Christmas? Oh, wait - National Pathology Week?" Er, not quite. It's our birthday! Again! Boy, that's... kind of frightening, actually.
Yes, BMCR turns 5 this month. We know we wouldn't be here without our customers, so thank you!! In gratitude, we offer two specials and a whole bunch of waffle. Because it's not a birthday without a) presents and b) bloviation.
Cheers! :-)
p.s. Feel free to bring in birthday cake, should the urge arise.
p.p.s. Any kind, we're not fussy.
p.p.p.s. OK, not banana or lemon cake. But everything else, we're good.
|
 |
What's new, pussycat? |
Think you've done every ride there is in Adelaide? Think again, buddy. Not just for tourists, Where to Ride is pretty much guaranteed to turn up a couple of routes that you've never heard of, let alone been on. This spiral-bound book details 46 rides, road and off-road,  for every kind of fitness level. Marvel at the TDU Barossa's altitude map! Decide it's too hard and do the Dry Creek Trails instead! Each ride comes with a detailed log, terrain graph, traffic details, food stop information (Glenelg: lots; Mt. Crawford: ha ha! No.), plus lots of other interesting tidbits. (Did you know Sevenhill makes both sacramental and commercial wine, and has its own church and burial crypt? And apparently the Scenic Hotel at Norton Summit will refill water bottles "happily". But probably not with beer.) The problem with most panniers is that they aren't equipped to take a laptop. The problem with most laptop  bags is that they don't fit on a pannier rack. Meet the solution: Vaude's new Wright bag. It looks like an ordinary laptop/messenger bag, but take off the shoulder strap, unzip the back and voila!, you can snap it on your rack and go. In addition to the padded laptop sleeve, it's got room for folders, dossiers, secret files, invisible ink, and your secret stash of True Blood DVDs. And you can also be proud that it's made from recycled material. Look at you, with your smart bag. A puncture repair kit is something you don't really think about until you get a flat in the middle of nowhere, and then open your saddle bag to find four dead moths and a broken tyre lever. It's also very hard these days to  find a repair kit that actually works. Fortunately you've now got access to Michelin! For the teeny price of $3.50, the Universal Repair Kit gives you patches, sandpaper, and high-quality glue (take our word on that one; there are lots of crappy glues about). It's a frickin' bargain. There's also an upgrade version which includes a pair of tyre levers plus another tube of glue. Fixing a flat is never fun, but at least these kits can make it marginally less painless. |
|
Special |
It's truly shorts weather at the moment (well, it was until I started writing this paragraph - curse you, cool change!) so why not upgrade to some swish new Fox  baggies? We've got four models to choose from, just to confuse you, and are offering 15% off until November 30th. As Pete can attest, the superb Attack shorts feature a high-quality detachable liner, low profile pockets, an adjustable waist for a perfect fit, and sassy  mesh vents for breathability (and a tantalising glimpse of toned thigh - zizz!). Like the Attack, the Sergeant features a high-quality detachable liner and adjustable waist, but it also has a button-snap opening that won't pop under pressure, a rear stretch yoke, lots of cargo pockets, and a digital camouflage print (which has mystical koala-attracting properties, as Lia found  out at Lynton the other week). Moving on from marsupials, the Ranger has a fixed inner liner with a good quality chamois, plus an adjustable waist and low profile pockets, while the High Frequency boasts all these plus front and rear zip vents and a nifty mini pocket in waistband above the stretch yoke. (Insert Sonic Death Monkey joke here.) |
|
Doesn't a Camel need water? |
Well, as the cool change is enjoying showing up my specially prepared 'Here Comes Summer!' specials, I may as well plough on with hydrapacks. We've got two excellent Camelbak models for ya - the M.U.L.E. and the Lobo - and both at 15% off  for November! At first glance, their features are long and slightly baffling (Air Director? Ergo Hydrolock?) until you distill them down (ha!) to their essential qualities: easy-to-fill reservoirs; taste-free tubes so your water always tastes like water, rather than plastic (or possum -- if you've ever had it, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about); insulation to keep your water cool; mesh straps for ventilation; a suspension harness to keep the pack stable; multiple  storage compartments; adjustable/removable straps for a customised fit; and an mp3 pocket for your precious iNodAlongToTunes. Both take three litres of water, so how to choose between them? Easy. The Lobo is narrower and has a low profile so it's perfect for mountain biking, whereas the M.U.L.E is just right for those who like their Camelbaks to do double or triple duty in multiple sports. (Yes, including biking. Geez.) |
|
Spotlight on: the KHS TR 101 |
Has the advent of Spring whetted your appetite for touring? Perhaps you've decided you want to know what's  beyond the hills beyond the hills. "But I don't know where to start!" you cry. Now you do: the KHS TR-101. Just made for touring, and perfect for newbies (e.g. those who haven't learned the fine art of washing their smalls in a convenient creek or developed a love for rehydrated potato flakes), the TR-101 lets you simply throw your bags on the back and go.
The cro-moly steel frame and fork means it's super-comfortable to ride, plus it comes road-ready with heavy-duty pannier racks, fenders to keep you free of grime, triple cranks to get you up even the biggest hills, and -- our favourite, because it's both weird and useful -- a movement-activated brake light. Oh, it's also got touring pedals (platform one side, clipless on the other) and water bottle braze-ons. All you need is a map. And even that, like much in life, is negotiable. | |
|
We finish this month with a small chemical engineering lesson. After singing the praises of Tacx Assembly Compound in the last e.newsletter (refresher: it stops your bike bits sticking together), one vigilant reader wrote us a note:
There is no such thing as "cathodic corrosion" - it is a contradiction in terminology. Corrosion only occurs at an 'anodic' site. The 'cathode' is the portion that does not corrode and it point of fact causes the corrosion. Hence cathodic corrosion can not occur (unless the f (ph) is considerably less that 2.43, some materials normally considered Noble may corrode. Refer to the work of the corrosionist Pourbaix). For your information the galvanic series includes Graphite and Carbon (along with Gold, Silver and Platinum) at the Noble or Cathodic end with Magnesium, Aluminium and Zinc at the Active or Anodic end.
We stand corrected, and also slightly befuddled. Thank you, vigilant reader, otherwise known as Lia's Corrosion Engineering Dad! In future, should we ever decide to discuss the intoxicating world of cathodes and galvs and .... zzzzzzzz.... Sorry! Back again. Anyway, we'll make sure to check with the appropriate sources. You know our slogan -- BMCR: We Will Not Knowingly Post Incorrect Scientific Content. Or something like that.
Keep riding and stay safe,
Pete, Lia & Andrew
Bio-Mechanics Cycles & Repairs
Where too much Spinal Tap is never enough. | |
|
|