Hints and Tips
If you have any good tips for your fellow Hashers, please email them to the Webmaster, including any pictures that may aid understanding of your tip.
General Tips for Setting-up Your Bike
The Seat
Picture 2When adjusting your seat, intuitively you want to make the front of the
saddle either point downwards a little, or at best, be horizontal with the
ground. A less intuitive, yet probably better way to adjust the seat is
to have the front a little higher than the back. This means that you tend
to sit on the back of the saddle with your rump and are not costantly sliding
forwards off the seat.
In addition, it is often advantageous to slide the seat forward on its mounting rails as this aids the riding position, particularly when going up hill. Picture 1 attempts to illustrate the adjustment.
The Head Stem/Steering Post Assembly
Picture
2Head Stem/Steering Post assembly adjustment can bring huge
benefits if you take the time to adjust the positioning of the spacers. In
Picture 2, the spacers have all been moved to the top of the post. This gives
the rider more control when riding up hill, stopping the bike from bobbing
the front wheel off the ground. Experiment with the spacer positioning on
your bike to give a comfortable riding position that keeps the front wheel
on the ground when you climb.
Getting this setting right will make your riding more controlled and hence more enjoyable.
Handlebars and Levers
In conjunction with the above two settings, it is important to experiment with the forward rake of your bars, though this will depend on their width and rise as well. Rotating the bars slightly forward (i.e. rotating them away from you when viewed from behind) can also help with climbing slopes as this will position you slightly forward on the bike. And while on the subject of the bars, don't overtighten the clamps on your shifters or brake levers. Make them just tight enough to not move under normal use, but loose enough to rotate on the bar in the event of a crash. This will not only save you money, but a lot of trouble, too. Having a broken shifter half way around a trail is not a fun experience!
How to Ride Steep Slopes onto the Flat
One of the biggest issues to getting safely off a slope onto flat ground is riding too fast and not being able to slow up at the bottom. Therefore, approach the slope cautiously and slowly - walking pace is good. Try to start the slope "square on" giving you a straight ride down so that you arrive at the bottom perpendicular to the slope.
As your bike rolls onto the slope, move your weight off the saddle, hanging literally over the back wheel with your right foot on the pedal at about 15 or so degrees above the horizontal (for "lefties", use the left foot). Don't try to grip the saddle with your thighs, that isn't necessary and means you probably aren't far enough back over the rear wheel. The position should lower your centre of gravity and put the weight firmly over the back axle, which provides you the control you need.
The bike is now descending the steep slope with the weight correctly distributed and under full control. Braking can be a 50/50 mix of front and back to control speed. As you approach the flat, check the speed with controlled braking and at the last moment, release the brakes and move slightly forward again, at the same time take your weight off the bars for the moment just before you hit the flat. This is crucial to stop a harsh compression at the bottom of the slope. That was it, you are safely down the slope and comfortably on the flat again.
