Sharp As A Marble - Episode #2
Scott Sharples was the Junior Downhill Coach for the Australian National Team and also coached many of the World’s fastest mountain bike athletes and four World Champions, including Sam Hill. He is currently working with the USA’s Junior MTB Gravity racers, but inside he answers your questions about going faster!
This week Scott answers questions from users I-ride-on-dirt, Rock-shox-bart-318, TonyabbottPM, Strawberry1, and SteezYesPlz on everything from being more stable and going faster on rough terrain to which shaving cream to use on your nether region.![photo]()
• I-ride-on-dirt asks:
How do you make yourself feel as stable as possible through corners and rough sections?
I ride, This is a tricky question, as your ‘feel’ might be different to somebody else's ‘feel’. Take the ‘Spanish Pinner’ for instance. When you saw or heard him coming down the track, you could almost guarantee seeing a crash. He was so ragged and out of control, but in his mind, he was smooth as warm butter. Maybe you are not in need of being more ‘stable’, maybe you need to get comfortable with feeling ‘unstable’. Bike setup is the biggest key, the type of terrain will determine what is making you feel ‘unstable’. But, tire pressure is important, depending on your body weight and terrain, you can run as low as 16psi, for a DH tire. Conversely, 30psi feels like a solid tire and will make your ride rough. Suspension is as important. If your spring rates are too high, you will most likely not use enough of your travel and will get bucked more than necessary as your bike skirts around underneath you. Aaron Gwin is an exception to this rule, as he likes the bike to sit up high and skip across the top of things. Spring rates set too low will mean you are bottoming out too often, and your bike will feel low and sluggish. Damping set too slow means the suspension will not have enough time to reset itself for the next bump, and the suspension will almost stop working at a certain point. Not enough damping means that the bike's suspension will move around without much control, this will make you feel very unstable. It is a complex issue that takes some experimenting, video footage, some timing, and a certain amount of experience. There are a lot of wishful thinkers out there that will make a bunch of changes to their bike set up, and then say ‘man, it feels so much better’. If downhill races were about ‘feelings’, girls would be faster than guys… You need to make one change at a time, and measure the differences. A lot of your ‘unstable feelings’ could be lack of strength. When I coach a rider, he/she does strength work so that they have more control of the bike. You can contact me at www.racebrain.com for training programs to help with this.
• Rock-shox-bart-318 asks:
How do I over come the fear of doing big drops and going fast downhill?
Hi RSB318, Fear is a funny thing, is your fear based in reality? Have you smashed your nuts off a huge drop? Or are you scared of the chance of it happening? Fear should never be in the equation. Either you know you can do it, or you know you can't. If you don’t know if you can do something, then go away and try some drops that are smaller in size to build up to the big one. If it is not possible, so it is. To make the ‘big risk’ drops, try to remove as many of the surrounding obstacles that make the drop appear to be more difficult. Like a tricky corner before the drop, or strong wind, etc… Fear is based on the unknown, to combat fear is to become more familiar with what you are doing. Therefore, practice is your best friend. Physical strength and weight is a factor in big drops. I wouldn’t obsess over big drops, they are not really a practice that requires much skill. Many huckers out there got a big name in this sport because they had no issue with attempting a big huck, they weren’t scared, they did some pretty amazing things that nobody else wanted to do, and the reason nobody else would huck themselves to death was because they knew the risk out weighed the reward. Not because they were scared. As for going fast downhill, again, practice, practice, practice. Wear protection, time yourself so you know what ‘fast’ really is. Practice all of your skills. And gradually build up your speed as your confidence builds
![photo]()
• TonyabbottPM asks:
Do you think that I should use shaving gel or shaving cream to shave my balls?
Hello Mister PM, I would use Nair if I were you. Burn that ball hair off. Maybe you could do a couple slow burner ‘blue flamers’? But seriously, I recon you’re an idiot for putting anything sharp near your balls. Respect them more than that.
• Strawberry1 asks:
Dear Scott, Can you agree with a national Russian that was quoted as saying that brakes were invented by cowards?
Hi there Berry Man. I recon brakes are the best thing ever. They give you speed control when you need it, and you can let go of them when you don’t. Ego is a dangerous thing when in the hands of a person with a brain smaller than his nuts.
• SteezYesPlz asks:
Can you do BACKFLIPZ
SteezYesPlz, what does that name mean? I have back flipped, but I don’t really count it as it was into water. I would like to do one on dirt.
![photo]()
Scott Sharples has been a professional coach for 10 years now. He has coached a few World Champions, including Sam Hill, and now offers many levels of personalized training depending on your needs. If you are a serious rider who is looking to get faster and more confident you contact him at sscoach@gmail.com or visit www.RaceBrain.com to sign up.
• Curious about equipment choice?
• Wondering which exercises you should do to get faster on your DH bike?
• Want to have faster and more consistent runs?
Put your questions in the comment section!
This week Scott answers questions from users I-ride-on-dirt, Rock-shox-bart-318, TonyabbottPM, Strawberry1, and SteezYesPlz on everything from being more stable and going faster on rough terrain to which shaving cream to use on your nether region.
• I-ride-on-dirt asks:
How do you make yourself feel as stable as possible through corners and rough sections?
I ride, This is a tricky question, as your ‘feel’ might be different to somebody else's ‘feel’. Take the ‘Spanish Pinner’ for instance. When you saw or heard him coming down the track, you could almost guarantee seeing a crash. He was so ragged and out of control, but in his mind, he was smooth as warm butter. Maybe you are not in need of being more ‘stable’, maybe you need to get comfortable with feeling ‘unstable’. Bike setup is the biggest key, the type of terrain will determine what is making you feel ‘unstable’. But, tire pressure is important, depending on your body weight and terrain, you can run as low as 16psi, for a DH tire. Conversely, 30psi feels like a solid tire and will make your ride rough. Suspension is as important. If your spring rates are too high, you will most likely not use enough of your travel and will get bucked more than necessary as your bike skirts around underneath you. Aaron Gwin is an exception to this rule, as he likes the bike to sit up high and skip across the top of things. Spring rates set too low will mean you are bottoming out too often, and your bike will feel low and sluggish. Damping set too slow means the suspension will not have enough time to reset itself for the next bump, and the suspension will almost stop working at a certain point. Not enough damping means that the bike's suspension will move around without much control, this will make you feel very unstable. It is a complex issue that takes some experimenting, video footage, some timing, and a certain amount of experience. There are a lot of wishful thinkers out there that will make a bunch of changes to their bike set up, and then say ‘man, it feels so much better’. If downhill races were about ‘feelings’, girls would be faster than guys… You need to make one change at a time, and measure the differences. A lot of your ‘unstable feelings’ could be lack of strength. When I coach a rider, he/she does strength work so that they have more control of the bike. You can contact me at www.racebrain.com for training programs to help with this.
• Rock-shox-bart-318 asks:
How do I over come the fear of doing big drops and going fast downhill?
Hi RSB318, Fear is a funny thing, is your fear based in reality? Have you smashed your nuts off a huge drop? Or are you scared of the chance of it happening? Fear should never be in the equation. Either you know you can do it, or you know you can't. If you don’t know if you can do something, then go away and try some drops that are smaller in size to build up to the big one. If it is not possible, so it is. To make the ‘big risk’ drops, try to remove as many of the surrounding obstacles that make the drop appear to be more difficult. Like a tricky corner before the drop, or strong wind, etc… Fear is based on the unknown, to combat fear is to become more familiar with what you are doing. Therefore, practice is your best friend. Physical strength and weight is a factor in big drops. I wouldn’t obsess over big drops, they are not really a practice that requires much skill. Many huckers out there got a big name in this sport because they had no issue with attempting a big huck, they weren’t scared, they did some pretty amazing things that nobody else wanted to do, and the reason nobody else would huck themselves to death was because they knew the risk out weighed the reward. Not because they were scared. As for going fast downhill, again, practice, practice, practice. Wear protection, time yourself so you know what ‘fast’ really is. Practice all of your skills. And gradually build up your speed as your confidence builds
Scott has been the Junior Downhill Coach for the Australian National Team and is currently working with the fastest Junior MTB Gravity racers in the USA - Now he's here to help YOU go faster!
• TonyabbottPM asks:
Do you think that I should use shaving gel or shaving cream to shave my balls?
Hello Mister PM, I would use Nair if I were you. Burn that ball hair off. Maybe you could do a couple slow burner ‘blue flamers’? But seriously, I recon you’re an idiot for putting anything sharp near your balls. Respect them more than that.
• Strawberry1 asks:
Dear Scott, Can you agree with a national Russian that was quoted as saying that brakes were invented by cowards?
Hi there Berry Man. I recon brakes are the best thing ever. They give you speed control when you need it, and you can let go of them when you don’t. Ego is a dangerous thing when in the hands of a person with a brain smaller than his nuts.
• SteezYesPlz asks:
Can you do BACKFLIPZ
SteezYesPlz, what does that name mean? I have back flipped, but I don’t really count it as it was into water. I would like to do one on dirt.
 | We coach athletes across the spectrum of two wheeled sports. Our methodology encompasses how your entire being relates to the big picture of competition. As such, not only do we coach athletes in any discipline, our athletes are invited to cross train in multiple disciplines. Who do we coach? Anyone. The list includes but is not limited to, downhill, XC racers, 'Crossers, roadies, BMXers, triathletes, motocrossers, ISDE, and rally riders. - Scott Sharples |
Scott Sharples has been a professional coach for 10 years now. He has coached a few World Champions, including Sam Hill, and now offers many levels of personalized training depending on your needs. If you are a serious rider who is looking to get faster and more confident you contact him at sscoach@gmail.com or visit www.RaceBrain.com to sign up.
• Curious about equipment choice?
• Wondering which exercises you should do to get faster on your DH bike?
• Want to have faster and more consistent runs?
Put your questions in the comment section!
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maybe your experience can help me and many others here. Thanks!
Would you recommend a stiffer setup for general racing (I am aware that WC tracks are a lot rougher than regional ones, especially here in the UK)
And would you recommend changing your suspension setup for different tracks?
Thanks!
Your going overly fast into a corner and have to drift the rear to get around it, using your foot as a kind of pivot..
If your unsure of a corner, or your not really awake enough to ride-out unpredictable wheel slippages
Or your trying to roost people and just wanna be safer..
(also if you were overly confident, and have just enough time to save yourself before your less than horizontal..)
If you do the experiment I described at length above, when you are right at the limit of traction - put a foot down - you will find the back end slides out instantly.
i guess it depends on what we are talking about re 'foot out' - if the foot is only out and not touching the ground, my scenario is invalid - but if the foot is sliding along the ground or dabbing, then there is less weight on the tires. think of it like a foot plant - 100% of the weight of the rider and the bike goes on the planted foot.
Thanks
Firstly, every comment above is very good, though I find it easier to drift when whipping a series of corners with my cranks level - at the apex of the corner I just push hard with my feet and the back slides out nice and easy.
Now for the crazy bit. Find a nice big patch of nice grippy moist dirt that is nice and even and flat. Ride around in a circle about fifteen to twenty feet across. Ride around and around following your own tyre tracks. Ride faster and faster and gradually you will be leaning over to a point where you can still pedal most of the way around, but you aren't hitting the inside pedal on the ground - you'll naturally find the perfectly sized circle. Go faster. Eventually one of your tyres is going to start to slip. If it is the front tyre, put more weight on the front tyre (more weight on the bars or the inside grip). Eventually your back tyre will start to slip in a nice controlled fashion. It''l slip a bit, then it'll grip, slip, grip etc. Try not to react too much - you only have to put a foot down to save your skin. You need to get to a point where the back end is sliding for a quarter. You'll hear it make an awesome noise. Once you have that position down-pat - take it to the trails (though don't pedal around the corner on the trails - this exercise is only good for dealing with drifting tyres and getting into the perfect position to drift the rear).
Try pedalling in the opposite direction - one way will feel far better than the other.
To add onto this, there's probably two types of drift. One is a drift that happens naturally due to the speed of your riding and the tightness of the corner your throwing yourself into. The bikes on the limit and about to step over it. The tyres loose traction and as told above you'll need to modify your body position appropriately to make sure the front is sticking and the rear is stepping out. The other is a forced drift which uses pretty much the same techniques as a whip or a scrub. So if your bike isn't on the limit, you'll have to put it there with an exaggerated steering input and good body position. Either way, once the rear brakes free, you'll be needing to steer into the drift to balance and prolong it. Too little steering will spin you out. Too much will slow you and eventually turn you the wrong way. You could take from rallying and create a Scandinavian flick to start the drift where for example, if you were hitting a left turn, you would approach the corner more to the left than usual, giving yourself a little more room and turn slightly right before turning left. This exaggerates the cornering technique. Watch Sam Hill for ball out Moto drifting. Watch some speedway for steering into the drift technique. Watch their hand movement and direction as the bike steps out. Oh! and check out that old school Scandinavian technique. It's all relevant.
how much wood would a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood?
But seriously, when i am riding down my local hill and i see a woodchuck chucking wood, how am i to estimate how much wood he will chuck? how long will this take? Is this bad for our trails? should i partake in the fun, or just watch at a distance? IS having a woodchuck legal for having as a pet?
I look forward toi your reply
Thanks!
If you can imagine yourself to hit that thing, you can do it. Otherwise its dangerous and dumb. (i am not english native)
Get confident on staying loose is the key i think.
almost killed myself cos of the same setup
Worries about races are caused by expectations. If you have no expectations and are prepared to wing it and take things as they come, you'll have a much better time in your first race. Don't worry about what your results will be. You'll only come last if you pick a category too high for your ability/fitness. Anyway, coming last is fine - its your first race afterall.
You'll learn a lot more in your first race than anyone could tell you. Just go out and race everything you can.
are you seriously that stupid?
dirtmonkey, I don't know how old you are, but if you are in High School then many of the schools in the Bay Area are a part of the NorCal High School Mountain Bike League. There are many races in the area and you can go on group rides on the weekends. You will also find which guys you are the same speed as, and that will help you get into the right category. I've known students to ride with a school that they didn't belong to when their own school doesn't have a program - the coaches, parents and riders are all very friendly and just want to see other riders get into the sport.
www.norcalmtb.org
i read a book authored by brian lopes and lee mccormack (i think that how you spell mccormack's name) any way they said that the better jumper you are the more stable and faster you could ride a rough dh trails. is that true?
also, does my body weight have a big influece to my cornering capabilities and you said strength has a big factor with the control of a bike. so what should i do, should i lift heavy weights and low reps or should a lift light weights and more reps? this question also adds up with the weight questions because when i lift weight i get bigger (not taller but wider) and heavier and that worries me about my cornering not to mention the abuse to the bike. what should i do?
My question is, have you studied that personal training in school or smth like that? How became such a good trainer?
i find it helps me a lot, gets me way more in the mood for going faster
-thanks
-on berms and pedally sections the clips are noticebly faster
-they feel suprisingly stable in the air, which was one of my worries
-In rough sections, rocks, roots etc..until completely used to them, you are alot more nervous and cautious
-It takes a while to get used to the foot removal action, and therefore you have to be confident in your grip and balance to be quick( more so than with flats)
-In the wet, clips are scary to shit, until you get used to them.
-The sensantivity of the pedal in the removal of your foot is vital, as mine to start off took a large twist of my ankle, to get my foot off, which took far to much time and effort
However the most important factor is you, clips are a personal preference, and some people are more suited to flats and some are more suited to clips, depending largely on riding style.
If you like to keep it loose, then by all means stick with flats...but that doesnt mean never try clips, as you only ride loose because of your ability to do so. If your more of a textbook kind of rider, who sticks to the pedals, then clips may well be for you..
Your best bet is to borrow/try a friends and see what you think...or if uve got some spare cash or are seriously keen on shaving seconds off your race times..then go out and buy a pair