Is the MTB Mantra "Speed is your friend" true? Why it may NOT help women!
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- Опубліковано 17 вер 2024
- In my daily job as a MTB skills coach and instructor trainer I hear SPEED IS YOUR FRIEND a lot - and while it does have its truth, it also has its limits and dangers. In this episode I talk about why it may help, why and when it won't, why it can cause mountain bikers to plateau and crash, and how you can improve your skills without having to crash or "balls"/courage.
I also answer these and more questions: When is speed your enemy? Which maneuvers/features/trails require speed? Why is braking more impressive than being able to bunny hop? Is a fast rider a skilled rider? What do I work on with advanced riders? Why will women not be able to use "speed is your friend" as often as men? Is courage the trick to progress?
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Hi Roxy, As a qualified Canadian ski instructor to fairly high Level 2, I am wondering do you ski or snowboard, my bet is that you do, as I teach the same principles as you do when teaching skiing; learn to ski in control, by skiing slowly & building with experience & skill levels that require at times different speeds for different situations & for example when Clients go to ski in fresh powder depending on the pitch & proximity a little more speed in this instance is your friend because if you ski Roxy you will totally understand this as you have resistance depending on the depth of powder that you are skiing in !!! I have watched your coaching videos on you tube & you are an outstanding Skills & MTB Coach, you talk so much sense learning to walk before you can Run etc. I am a MTB lover for many many years & try to apply my ski teaching principles to my MTB riding as I find there are many correlations between the two sports. Thoroughly enjoyed your podcast & findings.
Thank you, Andrew, so so happy to hear 😍
I don’t really ski, but my mom used to be a ski instructor 😊
Grateful to hear you’re also playing a role at making sport safer 😍🙏
Hi Roxy , 100% agree , i always try to teach my customers to slow down to the minimum rolling speed and to trust their brakes (and often entry level bikes have poor brakes) ... Powerful brakes are more important for a beginner rather than long travel sospension ;)
So true ❤ thank you for sharing and commenting 😍🙏🥰
I love this sooo much! All of your points are valid. Also, have at it with using the term "mansplain" because it's a huge problem. Many men automatically assume women don't know what they are doing or that they don't know much about bikes/biking. Yet here I am listening to one of the best skills instructors I have ever seen who happens to be a woman. And not only that, how you describe how to do certain techniques is extremely well thought out.
Men really need to stop making assumptions about women riders and only offer advice is ASKED FOR IT. Or sometimes if I see someone (and this is any gender) struggling I will ask them if they want some advice. Usually they are wanting it, but sometimes they don't and when they don't I say, "have a great ride" and move on.
I agree on the speed thing. Speed can actually get you into a lot of trouble. I have seen many drop/jump crashes happen because of too much speed. Also, riders who go too fast, especially in technical areas, and they don't know how to properly use the brakes, these are the riders destroying the trail, causing braking bumps, and so on. You simply hit the nail on the head with this one!
This entire podcast is excellent!!!
I love this message! Until I discovered you, I always received the message that MTBing is all about going fast. I would MUCH rather go slow and be in control. Thank you!
Thank you Kim. So happy to hear 😊 I know, there are SO many common myths (very dangerous ones) in the mtb world. Please be brave enough to find your type of riding and ignore the risk lovers if that’s not for you.
another amazing info most of the riders dont want to hear. but also riders and mtb insta celebrities like remy metalier are saying this. that if you really want to ride fast and progress, first you need to learn how to ride slow. maybe its the type of the trails he is riding where he needs to set up correctly for the next feature in a slow speed, and then he accelerates to a drop or some crazy slab feature. some trails like flow trails people ride at a constant speed and with that speed they clear all the features because the whole trail is made for that speed. i see people clearing 10m gaps but they cant trackstand with a good ballance for 10seconds. they rely on the trailbuilders and the bikebuilders, and think, ok, this takeoff will get me to the landing if i hit it with enough speed. if i case it, the bike and its suspension will help me to survive. i can see it on pumptracks. i know people from forest trails that hit big jumps with big take-offs, but they cant clear a roller on a pumptrack that is 3-4m long. because they cant pump propely and the takeoff techniqe and timing is off (the "window" is smaller on a smaller take offs)
Thank you, so happy to hear 🙏😍 Agree sooo much.
After injuring myself after adding more and more speed based on advice from various people, I now have a golden rule. If I’m not comfortable with the speed I’m coming in to the jump, then don’t it or so it slower. Can’t clear it at the slower speed? Then you’re not ready for the feature. Speed might be your friend in some circumstances in advanced riding. My opinion is that it’s generally horrible advice for learners and weaker riders like myself. If you truly need the speed to clear a feature but you’re not comfortable with that speed, you’re not ready for it. It’s all about incrementally building up to the feature you want to do. It’s like that with most things in life. People who skip steps often will pay the price, in MTB and in life.
And people also have different learning styles, different biomechanics and physical quirks and abilities. Beware of UA-camrs who claim they have found THE way to do something eg jumps. There is no such thing. Oh and people on UA-cam claiming you can learn how to jump in 5 minutes … that’s just plain irresponsible.
I agree SO much 😍🙏 thank you for sharing!
It often makes me so sad to know that I do have a solution for many fearful or crash-prone riders, but that these riders are not ready to do what will really help them. 😔
Sooo many riders are not ready to go down the lane of persistent and structured work (like you’ve described) - they rather watch UA-cam tutorials and believe in the 5 minute myth - or only take 1 day clinics and believe these will magically make them awesome riders.
And it’s such a shame, as working with a professional coach- especially over a longer period of time - does make learning so much easier and safer.
I can see how people who work with my home training courses and personal feedback evolve in only a few months 😍😍
It is not only impressive but also heart warming, as it allows them to find so much more joy at biking.
Well done for doing what it takes and well done for listening to yourself 😍
Fundamentals for MTB are simple: Balance, brake modulation, position around and on the bike. Everything else is just progression of using those skills in various applications.
Agreed. The thing is, they’re not simple to perfect though 😊
Speed is very much not your friend if you weigh 105kg like me and need to be able to stop at some point. This is about 30-40% heavier than the average person, meaning dissipating 30-40% more energy - taking extra time and space to accomplish. My 198cm height also dictates my center of gravity being higher, meaning generally greater risk of going over the bars, and generally having to expend more energy to lean left and right in quick succession. Not to say I never go fast, but as you say this is very situational. Understanding physics is far more your friend than just speed 🤣Knowing when to get off the bike and walk a feature as well.
Agreeeee sooo much ❤