How to climb roots on a mountain bike in 3 easy steps
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- čas přidán 3. 06. 2024
- Learn how to climb roots on a mountain bike in 3 easy steps using the rarely-told Saddle Stop mountain bike climbing technique. You'll climb over uphill roots, ledges, rocks and logs with more speed, traction and control than you ever thought possible.
- Sport
10 years later, still good advice!
As I just completed my first year of actual cycling, I must say I find your articles and videos to be verry useful, so thank!
However two things I have either missed from you or have not seen, but would like to, would be a video or article on both, tire treads for different terrains and some help with downhill switchbacks. Thanks again Chris!
man, always simple solid advice. cheers for all the effort and the time for the videos.
great video. Been riding for years and never heard about the "Saddle Stop" technique. It was always lift, lunge, reweight and if you didn't time it right spin out. I can't wait to give this a try, it seems brilliant. Thanks.
Great tips. I've gotten stuck a few times with roots or rocks right on the steep climb. I'm gonna try it out.
My pleasure. Thanks, Jeremy.
Very good tip. I've been riding ages and never knew this specific trick. Good to see some tips that are more than the obvious.
Awesome! Have fun on that new bike when it arrives
Good to know there is a name for the stuff I have been trying out :D great video as always. I get my first Fuel EX this month. Super excited!
Your tips are correct, i use them all when i ride.
My pleasure. Thanks. ~ Chris
Good stuff. Will try this!
Thanks Tom. Much appreciated. ~ Chris
im sorry that im not chris but i thought i would try to answer your question because i own a 29er. Your brothers right in that thhey do roll over and tank over objects on the trail with greater speed and less effort but a big dis advantage is the ability to manuver in tight technical conditions but getting a 29er is all about what kind of trail you ride. I hope this helped you!
Awesome, Devon. Thanks. ~ Chris
Very useful video, I'm gonna try this weekend
Nice Video and good tips.. I coach a youth team and we tried your tips. My guys are pretty ambitious riders so we try new techniques. Something’s work better for some people than others but I like this tip.. Most important however is getting the correct gear at the bottom, keeping a high cadence and keeping the bike centered (don’t rock the bike from side to side).
Yep, keep at it and you'll get it. Cheers ~ Chris
That'd be much appreciated! Thank you very much, it's a vid I'll look forward to! :)
THANK YOU GOSH.
A root section on one of my trails has been giving me a hard time for a while now. Thanks for this video! :D
My pleasure, Streeet Viper. Share and spread the word for me~ Chris
really nice tips thanks
Hi groover, your videos are the BEST!
+username33432 Thanks, dude.
~ Chris
Great videos for learning
All your tips is amazing, good for a newbie like me.
+Marcus Nyberg Good to hear, Marcus. I'm glad they're helping you.
~ Chris
Truly reliable Groover
Light and fast. A great racing tire on firmer terrain. (I haven't tried the new version) Hasn't got the grip of the Nobby Nic in the loose, but the Racing Ralph is a pure race tire after all. I'm currently riding the new Rocket Ron (HS438) on my Superfly (29x2.25, tubeless, 25psi, 70kg) - grip is good, toughness is amazing. Has taken an absolute beating over rock gardens and rough terrain. Would be interesting to see how the Racing Ralph has improved with the new HS425 version. Cheers ~ Chris
Great video, as always! Your vids seem to be the easiest to understand I've ever seen! Great detained explanations and tuition!
No matter how many videos I've watched, or people trying to teach me one on one, I can't bunny hop or flick the back end up, and no-one seems to be able to explain how to flick the back end up! Any chance of a vid, preferably on flat pedals? :)
I love your account. Thank you for the videos!
Thanks, Groover. Glad to hear it!~ Chris
Thanks!, upload more vids Chris!
Great feel for the bike
great channel
You earned a suscriber today sir! Great videos
luismns1 Thanks, Groover. Glad to like them. Check them all out and share them with your friends for me.~ Chris
Great video!
Thanks, Groover!
~ Chris
2012 Trek Fuel Ex 9.9. Cheers, dude. ~ Chris
I wish I could watch you ride my trails in person that sure would be handy:)
knifegunguy Send me a plane ticket and I'm there, dude.~ Chris
Yeah, some tips for urban landscape, to work-out when you're commuting for example, will be very useful. Cheers.
The bigger wheel diameter of the 29er definitely helps it roll up and over roots a bit easier, but the 26er feels more manoeuvrable the steeper and more technical it gets.
Thanks men!
Thanks!
Excelent! Thanks, love your videos! God bless...
Good stuff. Thanks, Javier.~ Chris
that is a really awesome tip! thanks mate , from another aussie! 😆
My pleasure, Groover. have fun with it.
~ Chris
Good work son.
Thank you for this video it help me a lot :) From Philippines :)
Good to hear, Groover. Glad it helped. Spread the word for me :)~ Chris
Excellent video, at this point my Achilles heel is roots at the apex of a climb (and sand, but that's another story). I'm looking forward to trying to put these techniques into practice.
Speaking of sand ... I don't suppose you've got a video that talks about dealing with sand on ascents, descents or flats?
very cool
Hello Chris. You are great!! I have a question for you. Do the tricon wheels hold? Are they perfect true? Or they are bent? I have a set and they are untrue a bit. Shall i worry?Thank you and keep up the good work! You are the only one who helps the mtb riders and we really appreciate it! Thank you!
Thanks. I guess a 29'er is the thing to choose in my country. We don't have any mountains, The highest hill in the country is 281 meters, so no serious switchbacks in the forests. Haha!
Cool. Yes, work in progress on both requests. Switchback video should be soon!
Ok. Autocorrect from xc to school. That makes perfect sense Mr Kindle.
Chris, Thanks for the videos. as an expert, do you notice a big difference between the 29er and a 26 going up "rooty" or technical climbs? Thanks again
I'll do my best to do the bunny-hop vid soon. It needs to get out there! Cheers
We ride in wet and windy Wales. Our roots are like ice most of the time as are some of the rock gardens that turn into streams and grow the slipperiest slime you can find. The slightest contact can have you off the bike.
Genius.
@2q34 His legs are almost fully extended on each spin while seated. It's the optimal setup for school/climbs and can be lowered for technical downhill stuff.
Great videos! I guess it's useless to ask you to do some winter/snow mountain biking tips? :)
Necro-posting but wanted to say excellent video.
The problem I'm having is negotiation roots on the DH where the roots are positioned about 20-30 degress with the trail. There's no way to hit the roots square on, there's not enough room for it. The roots are covering the entire turn so it's not something you can bunny hop or manual over it. The roots are almost always damp and tall, and I haven't found any other way around it other than to simply slow down or go nuts and just charge through it with mixed results (often leading to a bad crash).
Can you make a video how to do rear wheel hop up i realy want to know how to do that it will help me so much
what are your thoughts on the schwalbe Racing Ralph's?
Ya, when he says momentum is king , he is right. The catch really is that in order to get that momentum, you have to have speed which means you have to built a very good base of power in the legs.
Hello Chris and compliments. What carateristichs It must have a good technical climbing hardtail. Head angle, chainstay lenght... thanks
Wish i could have known about this before we went to sunny coast chris, Riding up the hill, hit the root nd then fell into a tree :)
I have a Marin Bobcat trail 26' with a Super low 34T any opinion? Rides like a super bike...guess that's the point still wondering though...?
Those leg muscles :o
I’m just starting out in trails. Gonna get a new bike. Should I go full suspension or just front suspension in your experience??. Thanks
wow amazing
I hope it helps. Have fun with it!
~ Chris
Hey Chris, what pedals do you have on your bike ?
Chris, do you have any Jersey's available? I couldn't participate in your funding project, it was just a bad time for me. Thanks for all your tips.
Chris, have you ever tried a 29'er? What is your opinion about them? I have a 26'er but my brother is planning to buy a 29'er and he's boasting about it that he will go like a tank through everything with much more speed.
Hello, I am a 4X rider and I therefore have my saddle really low, pretty much parallel to the frame. How can I perform this maneuver on a bike as such?
Hi Declan, not sure what you mean. Do you mean a video of skills for mountain biking an urban landscape? ~ Chris
khokran raj Wa3r
Boyne Island, Queensland, Australia. ~ Chris
How can you allways have sun and no clouds??? thats not fair :D :( ;)
great video again ;)
good tech tip but mate way to much like hard work I prefer the gas it tech much more fun LOL ,great vid surprising how much tech crosses to trail riding ,thanks for sharing.
are you riding 2.2 or 2.3 tires??
2012 Trek Fuel Ex 9.9
On a side note, I have a steep climb laced with embedded stones and tree roots but I only get about 5 meters of flat before the incline starts due to crossing a dual carriageway to get to it. Any tips to hit the incline and make it over the top? I find I lose momentum and traction around. third of the way up.
AFAIK you just need to be in the right gear to keep minimum momentum then, and that requires lots of power/cardio in the tank. :(
what bike do you ride?
I do pullups while ascending uphills
Nice stuff. Just discovered your videos and website today, starting more in depth with MTB, just bought a 29er Full Suspension now. Just for curious, in a uphill... do you use to lock any of suspensions ? Or just in uphills without obstacules ?
Hi Rodrigo, I rarely lockout my front suspension up climbs. If it is a smooth climb in a race I might, or if I'm on the road, but otherwise no. Cheers. ~ Chris
What camera do you use?
Curious, what rear tires do you like for this kind of stuff? I am a bit of a weight weenie and dislike tires near 800g or more on a 29er. This is a very good tip.
In that video I've got a Schwalbe Racing Ralph on the rear, which is a good tyre, though it can wear fast on savage terrain. Go for the Nobby Nic on rough and loose terrain - it has superb grip. I'm also very impressed with the Bontrager XR3 and XR4's. Their durability is outstanding. At this minute my 29er is rolling XR3s. Cheers,~ Chris
The wide angle lens of the GoPro exaggerates it a bit, and the top tube has a fairly aggressive slope. ~ Chris
I have a 29er hardtail, 17.5 frame; I'm 155 lbs. and 5' 10". What air pressure to you recommend when riding the terrain similar to this video?
Riverwood2005 Tubeless: 20-21 front, 22-23 rear. Tubed: 26-28 front, 28-30 rear. Go below the manufacturer's minimum tyre pressures at your own risk. Those tubed pressures may not work for you. If you experience flats, raise the pressures until you don't. Depends to some extent how 'rough' you ride the bike, not just how sharp and rough the terrain is. :D Cheers.~ Chris
I come across big exposed roots on steep climbs. I can get my front wheel up but my rear wheel just wants to spin and it stops me
Witch bike is this ?? :D
Yes I've ridden a few 29ers. Prob half of the last 3 months was on 29 while the 9.9 was getting some TLC. I agree with 'tak' - 29ers do roll over most objects on the trail more easily, but 26ers are more manoeverable on tight & technical trails. If it's technical, tight & full of acceleration points - a 26er. General MTB & open trails - 29. Skip the marketing hype & test as many 29ers as possible because, as with 26ers, not all 29ers feel & ride the same. Some feel like buses, others - rockets!
where is this place?
Mate, depends on your terrain, tyres, scenario, strength & skill.Momentum is King.Try a range of different gears until you find what suits best, then learn from there. Choose a gear that allows you to 'spin' the pedals relatively fast, but not so fast that you'll lose balance, be thrashing around pedaling or spinning your tyre & losing traction. Push in a gear too hard & you risk pulling on the bar too much which influences your steering & makes it harder to relax, flow & hold your line. ~ Chris
when i ride over rocks my pedals hit the rocks and it makes me stop or i just sratch my pedals . do you know how to prevent that
Keep off the saddle and follow the steps in this video czcams.com/video/maY8Mp77zqY/video.html . Practice both pausing and pedaling only 1/4 to half turns for those critical moments through the rocks when you want to avoid pedal strike or sneak in a quick crank of the pedals to maintain momentum. Cheers. ~ Chris
MTBtips Some bikes also have lower bottom brackets than others, also if you have rear suspension check to see if you are setup properly. One ride I forgot to check mine and it sagged too much, I was getting a lot more pedal strikes that day. Plus what he said about "ratcheting" your stroke when going over those obstacles.
what are "groovers?"
I love aussies :) The culture is something I'd like to experience.
nutnfan1 Yeah, most of us are pretty alright, I reckon... Cheers.~ Chris
Wet roots are the worst riding up hill. Ill have to try this out today.
How did you go?
~ Chris
This technique worked great! I just had to practice a little before heading out. I ride both flat and clip pedals and it worked fine for both.
BClocals .
Awesome. Good to hear, dude. Thanks for letting me know ;)
~ Chris
How do you deal with snakes on the trails? I see like 3 every ride this time of the year, and sometimes they block the trail. I've thought about just riding over or near them, but I've heard horror stories of people getting bit doing the same. Do you carry anti venom or anything like that?
+LedCessna Just ride over them and DO NOT stop. Stopng will give the snake a chance to bite
+Joey B. Haha that's what I've learned, just ignoring them seems to work most of the time. Had a run in with a rattler that was in the middle of a narrow trail a couple weeks ago, it was pretty good sized and it was shaking its rattle. Just had to wait like ten minutes for it to finally go to the side. Caused a huge jam up on the trail.
Can anybody recommend a gear for doing this, Roots are my worst enemy at this point
Yeah, pretty much. I like to video on site. Send me a plane ticket to the snow and I'm all in! :D
It's easy for you to say when your clip in.
Eugene Gutierrez If you think it's easier, then why not grab yourself some clip in pedals and get rocking, Eugene! Cheers. ~ Chris
Eugene Gutierrez I use only flat pedals, and this video still was invaluable advice - the key is unweighting the rear of the bike so the wheel can roll up and over, and being in the best position to put the power back done once that's handled
+tehllama42 sorry genius
Its called mountain-biking for a reason
how many speed of your bike?
That one was 20-speed. 2 x 10 SRAM XX. Cheers!
~ Chris
Crank Brothers eggbeater 3's.