Sharp As A Marble - Episode #6
Our man with the answers shares his thoughts on 29'ers, as well as answering questions from users Jagarcia89 and brodieFreerider about pre-race jitters, and recommends that Snyda puts some hair on his chest by practicing tougher tracks.![photo]()
I had an alarming thought the other day while out on a ride... The trail that I was riding was fun, but not very challenging, so I thought it would be good to ride it on a 29er. I know to some people that sounds a bit strange, like I have crossed to the dark side, but I really needed a help with my speed while pedaling, and as I said, a bit more of a challenge while descending. Then I thought, now that the 29ers have evolved a little, steering rake and trail has been refined, and the wheels don’t feel like Z rims… Who needs a lesson on what a Z rim is? It was a plastic rim that was quite flexy, so freaking flexy that I would get grind marks on the hub flange from heavy landings that were causing the rim to fold. To make them work, I drilled out the rims and hubs to make it a 48 spoke wheel. This was in 1982! So, back to my horrible thought, but not as horrible as the image in my head of the Hyena wearing an elephant as a hat, why didn’t the UCI make a category for these big wheels? BMX did that for both 24" and 20" wheel sizes. Has anybody ever seen a hardcore BMX'er with a ‘24’ tattooed on his leg? A 20" is harder to ride for the novice, but it will go places a 24" never could, and it is a way better shred machine. Just like a 29'er is easy to ride along an easy trail, but when it gets super technical, the 29'er gets stuck, and the 26'er lights up like a rabid banshee. Given the fact that most tracks are not designed to be tooooo challenging, a 29'er works, but with so many 29ers being sold, will all the track builders of this world start to build six lane freeways through the bush to allow for the technically challenged big wheelers? I hope not. I don’t want to be riding along and think to myself, ‘wow, I’ve got the wrong bike here, I don’t need suspension and knobs, I need a bike that is good at going in a straight line.’ I know that I rant a lot and probably don’t make much sense, but I get paid by the word.
Back to the questions...
• Jagarcia89 asks:
I have been racing for a few years now and when I was a sport level rider I got a lot of good results, often faster times then when I moved up. When I was a junior and made the move up to Jr. X I started getting pre-race nerves. I'd get in the gate and my heart would already be pumping. Now as a Cat 1 adult I still get the nerves and it usually ruins my race runs - my timed practice runs are often 10+ second faster than my race run! Any advice on staying consistent when the pressure is on?
• brodieFreerider is having similar issues:
I too have the same problem of getting nervous when I get to the start gate, which usually results in me thinking about other things on the way down the mountain instead of clearing my head. What can I do to help me with this? Would listening to my iPod on the way down help? Also, I live in Canada and the winters here tend to get a little nasty so I cant do much biking. What can I do to train for the upcoming DH season? Are there any sites that can help me?
Hi Brodie and J A Garcia (or is it Jag Arcia? Or Jagar Cia?) User Redline45 answered the question quite well in the comment section on last week's article. Just e-mail him from now on so I can go back to watching Top Gear. For real, he did answer the question well. If you want me to elaborate even more I could… Your race run should be fun - there are no surprises, you have been practicing for it all day, you are more prepared for the final run than you were for the first run, it should be the easiest. It is just a repeat of all the other rehearsals. Somewhere along the line we all get nervous, scared of failing, unsure of our ability, etc… To help get around this hump, you need to treat your practice seriously. You need to only spend energy where it has an impact. It is of no use thinking about the clock, or your competitor, you can’t control those things. ‘Keep your eye in the ball Billy’. Warm up and find out what makes you reach the optimal level of stimulation, and that has nothing to do with erections... hopefully. Getting too amped up will leave you tense and jittery, too relaxed will leave you sleepy, passive and slow. You need to be chubbed up just enough to be ‘in the zone’. Fluid muscle function, no wasted energy, breathing naturally and no mental mazes slowing up your neuro system.
For JG, it is possible that you are growing a brain, not a bad thing in most circumstances, but for DH, ‘not ever considering consequences’, is a quality. A quality possessed by teenagers, and jerks. If you really want to improve in this area, and take a serious step, I will be doing race camps at Whistler, North Star, and in the North East at one of the races in May. For any of you Southern Hemispherians wanting to come train and race in North America, and maybe prepare for the World Champs, I will be running all inclusive training camps in the weeks leading up to the World Champs. All you have to do is get to SFO (with a bike and some money). For your second question Brodie, you can work on your fitness, strength and conditioning, and energy systems all Winter, indoors if needed. It is hard work, mind numbing, and not too much fun. But it can be done, and the side benefit is that you develop some real mental strength. Mick Hannah is doing just that right now in Colorado at 10,000 feet. You need the right program and head strength. It helps if you can get out a couple of times a month and actually do some wheelies. I coach quite a few riders through the cold wet Winters, and they are usually as ready to race as a rider that lives in a warmer climate.
![photo]()
• Snyda asks:
I need help cornering, especially on really blown out, flat berms. It really throws off my runs sometimes, and other times it is not so bad. What tips can you give to help corner better.
Hi Snyda, one of the most common scenarios is a guy or gal that is super fast when the tack is perfect, but has no idea how to handle a crumbling track. My personal opinion is that you need to practice on shitty tracks. Mark out a course that has no berms, is all off camber, is awkward and lacks flow. Practice it. It will put hair on your chest (or what ever the female version is of that? Hot flushes? Mo?)
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 can contact him at sscoach@gmail.com or visit www.RaceBrain.com to sign up. Scott was the Junior Downhill Coach for the Australian National Team and also coached many of the World’s fastest mountain bike athletes. He is currently working with the USA’s Junior MTB Gravity racers.
• 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!
I had an alarming thought the other day while out on a ride... The trail that I was riding was fun, but not very challenging, so I thought it would be good to ride it on a 29er. I know to some people that sounds a bit strange, like I have crossed to the dark side, but I really needed a help with my speed while pedaling, and as I said, a bit more of a challenge while descending. Then I thought, now that the 29ers have evolved a little, steering rake and trail has been refined, and the wheels don’t feel like Z rims… Who needs a lesson on what a Z rim is? It was a plastic rim that was quite flexy, so freaking flexy that I would get grind marks on the hub flange from heavy landings that were causing the rim to fold. To make them work, I drilled out the rims and hubs to make it a 48 spoke wheel. This was in 1982! So, back to my horrible thought, but not as horrible as the image in my head of the Hyena wearing an elephant as a hat, why didn’t the UCI make a category for these big wheels? BMX did that for both 24" and 20" wheel sizes. Has anybody ever seen a hardcore BMX'er with a ‘24’ tattooed on his leg? A 20" is harder to ride for the novice, but it will go places a 24" never could, and it is a way better shred machine. Just like a 29'er is easy to ride along an easy trail, but when it gets super technical, the 29'er gets stuck, and the 26'er lights up like a rabid banshee. Given the fact that most tracks are not designed to be tooooo challenging, a 29'er works, but with so many 29ers being sold, will all the track builders of this world start to build six lane freeways through the bush to allow for the technically challenged big wheelers? I hope not. I don’t want to be riding along and think to myself, ‘wow, I’ve got the wrong bike here, I don’t need suspension and knobs, I need a bike that is good at going in a straight line.’ I know that I rant a lot and probably don’t make much sense, but I get paid by the word.
Back to the questions...
• Jagarcia89 asks:
I have been racing for a few years now and when I was a sport level rider I got a lot of good results, often faster times then when I moved up. When I was a junior and made the move up to Jr. X I started getting pre-race nerves. I'd get in the gate and my heart would already be pumping. Now as a Cat 1 adult I still get the nerves and it usually ruins my race runs - my timed practice runs are often 10+ second faster than my race run! Any advice on staying consistent when the pressure is on?
• brodieFreerider is having similar issues:
I too have the same problem of getting nervous when I get to the start gate, which usually results in me thinking about other things on the way down the mountain instead of clearing my head. What can I do to help me with this? Would listening to my iPod on the way down help? Also, I live in Canada and the winters here tend to get a little nasty so I cant do much biking. What can I do to train for the upcoming DH season? Are there any sites that can help me?
Hi Brodie and J A Garcia (or is it Jag Arcia? Or Jagar Cia?) User Redline45 answered the question quite well in the comment section on last week's article. Just e-mail him from now on so I can go back to watching Top Gear. For real, he did answer the question well. If you want me to elaborate even more I could… Your race run should be fun - there are no surprises, you have been practicing for it all day, you are more prepared for the final run than you were for the first run, it should be the easiest. It is just a repeat of all the other rehearsals. Somewhere along the line we all get nervous, scared of failing, unsure of our ability, etc… To help get around this hump, you need to treat your practice seriously. You need to only spend energy where it has an impact. It is of no use thinking about the clock, or your competitor, you can’t control those things. ‘Keep your eye in the ball Billy’. Warm up and find out what makes you reach the optimal level of stimulation, and that has nothing to do with erections... hopefully. Getting too amped up will leave you tense and jittery, too relaxed will leave you sleepy, passive and slow. You need to be chubbed up just enough to be ‘in the zone’. Fluid muscle function, no wasted energy, breathing naturally and no mental mazes slowing up your neuro system.
For JG, it is possible that you are growing a brain, not a bad thing in most circumstances, but for DH, ‘not ever considering consequences’, is a quality. A quality possessed by teenagers, and jerks. If you really want to improve in this area, and take a serious step, I will be doing race camps at Whistler, North Star, and in the North East at one of the races in May. For any of you Southern Hemispherians wanting to come train and race in North America, and maybe prepare for the World Champs, I will be running all inclusive training camps in the weeks leading up to the World Champs. All you have to do is get to SFO (with a bike and some money). For your second question Brodie, you can work on your fitness, strength and conditioning, and energy systems all Winter, indoors if needed. It is hard work, mind numbing, and not too much fun. But it can be done, and the side benefit is that you develop some real mental strength. Mick Hannah is doing just that right now in Colorado at 10,000 feet. You need the right program and head strength. It helps if you can get out a couple of times a month and actually do some wheelies. I coach quite a few riders through the cold wet Winters, and they are usually as ready to race as a rider that lives in a warmer climate.
Mick Hannah on his way to winning last year's Sea Otter dual slalom. He works hard in the off season to be strong as soon as the season starts.
• Snyda asks:
I need help cornering, especially on really blown out, flat berms. It really throws off my runs sometimes, and other times it is not so bad. What tips can you give to help corner better.
Hi Snyda, one of the most common scenarios is a guy or gal that is super fast when the tack is perfect, but has no idea how to handle a crumbling track. My personal opinion is that you need to practice on shitty tracks. Mark out a course that has no berms, is all off camber, is awkward and lacks flow. Practice it. It will put hair on your chest (or what ever the female version is of that? Hot flushes? Mo?)
 | 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 can contact him at sscoach@gmail.com or visit www.RaceBrain.com to sign up. Scott was the Junior Downhill Coach for the Australian National Team and also coached many of the World’s fastest mountain bike athletes. He is currently working with the USA’s Junior MTB Gravity racers.
• 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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@dmadness correct me if i'm wrong but your lead foot for right hand turns should be your right. As it's better balanced and allows you to get the power on earlier. As I say correct me if i'm wrong.
But what I mean is that if you are fine with left but not right turns, try going into those right hand corners with your left foot foreward ( I am assuming here that you lead with the right foot normally ) this way your foot, going into the right corner is in a more natural position to weight the outside as its weight is ahead of your BB, and will fall more naturally over the centerline... Does this make sense ?? sorry I am responding while trying to eat Pasta and very hungry.
Please shed some light on the situation?!
this notion that 29ers are land yachts is now outdated, wheelsets are dialed, suspension is there from 80mm to 130mm now depending on your needs. Frames are strong with great geometry.
If you actually ride mountain bikes (meaning on a trail, that goes up, down and across...I hate the terms XC, Trail, All Mountain)
a 29er will serve you just fine and you will not have any regrets from the change.
If they really do suck D*ck that would explain the smile on the owners face.
Now 29ers, Im a hater. But some yanks Ive run into on the trail, tell me that 29ers would suit the pea gravel we have here in WA.
What are your thoughts on this?
Wal
I recently had a crash wiht my bike and smashed my ankle... Can you give a few tips about which is the right position of the body when you are in the air and you see the rocks coming towards you?
Thanks in advance
Sorry for my bad english!
Did the loss of the knee pads cause a terrible chain reaction that left me in pain for the day, especially once I got home to realize I had left the one I took, back in Yakandandah? What gives and what equipment have you forgotten that has impacted your days ride?
So what's your favorite Top Gear episode? I have a hunch that you like Lisbon, but I want to hear it from the man himself. Also, what's your opinion on urban DH?
When I get back on my 26er, it feels like a BMX bike. Instead of wanting to go 20+ miles, I want to do all sorts of tricks, stunts, tight technical stuff, and feel the intensity and flow when going fast.