Ask Pinkbike: Fear of Exposure, Bike Buying Dilemmas, Chamois Protocol, & Flat Pedal Suggestions
Here at Pinkbike, we get inundated with all kinds of questions, ranging from the basic "Can I have stickers?" to more in-depth, soul-searching types of queries like if you should pop the question or what to name your first child. Ask Pinkbike is an occasional column where we'll be hand-picking and answering questions that have been keeping readers up at night, although we'll likely steer clear of those last two and keep it more tech-oriented.
How Do I Stop Being Scared of Exposed Trails?
Question: @itay123 asks in the All Mountain, Enduro & Cross-Country forum: Long story short, I consider myself a pretty advanced rider at this point. I have been riding consistently for 4-5 years and my "daily rides" tend to be between black and double black (Suicide and Rocky Peak in SoCal for reference) but for some reason when it comes to riding anything with any real exposure I suddenly find myself completely paralyzed by it. I don't mind short stretches or areas where some plant cover takes away the cliff from your sight, but a few weeks ago I went to ride Mount Wilson and found myself walking things that on any other trail I wouldn't even recall.
Anyone here run into this issue? If so, how did you get over it?
 | Getting a little freaked out by exposure is totally understandable. After all, there's a big difference between the consequences of taking a tumble on a trail where there's level ground on each side of you versus one with a massive vertical drop off. Patience is going to be the key here – that last thing you want to do is force yourself to ride something you're not comfortable with, since scared, stiff riding doesn't typically have a favorable outcome. I'd start by doing what you're already doing – walking. Getting off your bike and walking the sections that are making you uncomfortable will help give you a better perspective of how much room there is between the edge of the trail and a fall into the abyss. In some cases, you'll likely be surprised to find that there's more room than you expected, which will hopefully make it easier to stay on your bike the next time you're on that section of trail. I'd also recommend trying some rides where the trail has exposure, but isn't overly difficult. A green or blue trail that's on the edge of big drop off will remove some of the worry about not getting through a section, and let you focus on keeping calm and composed. You've probably heard it a thousand times, but if you do find yourself suddenly faced with a section of exposed trail don't forget to look ahead. Focusing on where you want to go will help you maintain forward momentum. Getting those 'What if?' thoughts out of your head is a tricky mental game, and it's not something that'll happen overnight. With time, though, I'm sure that you'll be able to feel more confident riding exposed terrain. |
Riding in the desert oven involves dealing with trails situated on the edges of cliffs, and it can take time to get accustomed to the exposure.
Rocky Mountain Altitude vs Transition Sentinel
Question: @Chillout asks: Sorry to hit you up for a trivial question, but you have reviewed both bikes I’m deciding between: new Altitude and new Sentinel. I’m coming off a 2018 RM instinct c70. Love that bike but found its limits. Looking to get add a big bike for shuttle/park duty. I absolutely love the way my Instinct rides, just want it to be more stable /capable when pinning it- the front end gets twitchy. Would you say the Altitude rides like a more capable Instinct? Or should I go with Sentinel, which requires a more aggressive riding style?
| If you're a fan of the Instinct, the Altitude is going to be right up your alley. It's not crazy long or ridiculously slack, which gives it a really fun all-round nature. It'll certainly feel like more bike than your Instinct, and is a much better option for bike park / shuttle laps, but it's also not cumbersome or unwieldy, even at slower speeds. The Sentinel's 63.6-degree head angle is .8-degrees slacker than the Altitude's in the Low geometry setting. That does give it slightly slower handling, but not by much, in part due to the fact that the Sentinel has 150mm of rear travel vs. the Altitude's 160. At the end of the day, both bikes fit nicely into the aggressive all-rounder category, and they can handle days in the bike park just as easily as they can handle long rides with plenty of pedaling. Since one isn't dramatically better than the other, availability and pricing will likely be what determines the bike you end up with. |
Rocky Mountain Altitude
Transition Sentinel
Deity T-Mac vs DMR Vault
Question: In a PM, Andy S. asks: I’ve been wavering between the Deity T-Macs and the DMR Vault pedals for a new bike build (after not getting along with the oneups and their outboard bearing), and I’m wondering, if price wasn't a factor, which ones would you pick? Thanks!
| Taking price out of the equation, I'd go with the Deity T-Mac. I'm a fan of both pedals, but I prefer the T-Mac's slightly wider platform and thinner pins that Deity uses. Those thinner pins dig provide more traction, and since there are 14 on each side there's plenty of configuration options to fine tune the grip. They can also be removed from either side of the pedal, which helps simplify replacement. |
Deity T-Mac
DMR Vault
Post-Ride Chamois Etiquette?
I'm probably not the only one that drives at least 30 min to the nearest trailheads. My question is...what do you guys do after riding? Do you drive back home with your liner on, or do you bring a towel or something else to cover up and take them off?
| I'm certain I've answered a similar question to this before, but it's so common that it's probably worth revisiting the topic. Plus, I think it's hilarious to answer questions about underwear on the internet. Especially since when I was little nobody told me that you weren't supposed to wear underwear and a chamois, something that I figured out the hard way after deciding that's what I'd wear during a solo 24-hour race. Let's just say that the results weren't pretty... Anyways, these days I'm firmly in the no-chamois camp. Ditching the padded diaper requires two key ingredients: a good saddle, and good underwear, advice that applies to all riders, no matter your gender. Riding with a pair of saggy cotton boxers isn't a recipe for success. Saddles are obviously a matter of personal preference, so it may take some experimenting before figuring out which model, and which width works best for you. My two current favorites are Specialized's Power model, and Ergon's SM Enduro series. Once you find a comfortable perch, the next step is to invest in some decent underwear. You'll want something that's moisture wicking and form fitting for obvious reasons, and ideally with as few seams as possible to avoid chafing. I'm partial to Saxx's Kinetic HD model – they fit well, and they last a fairly long time, which is good because they're not exactly cheap. I'm also a fan of Knobby's Long Leg Pro – they're comfy, lightweight, quick drying, and they're available in all sorts of wild prints. For those who aren't quite ready to ditch the chamois altogether, something like 7Mesh's Foundation Boxer Brief could be the ticket – they have just enough padding to provide extra comfort without making it feel like you've stuffed a huge sponge down the back of your shorts. As for the original question, if you absolutely must wear a chamois, definitely change after you're done riding. Some people might tell you that 'chamois time is training time', but those people would be wrong. Bring a towel or a surf poncho and get out of those sweaty shorts as soon as you can – it'll make the drive much more comfortable. |
Specialized Power Saddle
Ergon SM Enduro
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Don't make yourself out to be weak or inferior because there are areas like that you're just not willing to ride.
"Look at the penalty for failure, dude!"
In this case, it’s clearly all mental as the rider stated they normally wouldn’t think twice about riding trail features WITHOUT exposure.
Just gotta decide how much risk is acceptable for you…I’m also a climber and some people are comfortable jamming pieces of metal into cracks to protect their falls, while others I know refuse to even tie into a rope on a bolted route and will only boulder.
All that said, I often find we are MUCH more capable than we think but if we let fear control us, we’ll never really know. All comes down to how adverse one is to risk, or vice versa!
I was watching him thinking that I could see him do the crux section, but as I got onto the exposed part my full attention was focused on my front wheel. I got to the crux, looked at it, then at the 400 foot drop. I was pretty gung-ho to ride it, you know, for bragging rights but quickly came to my senses and walked it.
I got off the cliff edge part of the trail onto the giant ramp that drops down to the highway and could look around again but I didn't see any sign of the rider in front of me. I remember thinking "Wow, that dude must be flying!" I forgot about him and rode back to town.
A couple days later I found out that he had fallen off the crux of the Portal trail to his death. He couldn't have been 100 feet in front of me when he met his fate. I was in my 20s then, now I'm mid 60s, but I think about it every time I'm taking chances with my life.
Life is lousy enough without putting performance goals on a good ride and taking all the fun out of it.
Im with you on this. Used to do loads of climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering, etc.
This year I had to get the kids up the ladder to get the xmas lights down. I live in a single storey house. I went up and nearly passed out.
Life changes and we have to change with it. Its not about proving to yourself, its about adapting to the set of circs you have been provided. Some people have debilitating diseases. I just struggle with exposure these days.
bikerumor.com/the-squatch-screen-provides-quick-cover-for-trail-side-changing
Or just use less populated trailheads
Or even better, ride to the trail. Then you are home when its time to change
well-padded animals, but animals nonetheless...
the Venn diagram of days that require chamois pads and days that require swift removal of said chamois pad are one and the same. A circle.
I'm still showering at home, too.
the hell is wrong with you people?
yeah, bringing in TRIATHLON as some sort of supporting evidence?
SHUT IT THE EFF DOWN PINKBIKE I CANT TAKE IT
And I don't know about you but I sure as hell start getting weird itches when I've been sweating in the backcountry and haven't changed undies or jumped in a lake in a day or two.
People always joke about second-hand tri bikes dropping in value because triathletes always need the latest model, but maybe it's because they know what the last guy did on the bike....
And the BMX background knowledge base clearly goes with black skinny jeans, tighty whitey's and never changing out of them.
Love it
Let me paraphrase what you you have said..."Yes, we triathletes do habitually pi$$ our pants, but only on race day. I'm a serious triathlete, who has put so much thought into pi$$ing my pants that I can do it without getting the chamois wet, and I consider this a badge of honour".
Sounds like you're agreeing with me that triathletes are disgusting and we should keep that in mind whenever they voice their opinions on hygiene related topics?
[FWIW, I actually agree with your main point that changing out of a chamois for a half hour drive after a two-hour ride is not essential when many people ride for far longer than two and a half hours].
Though I guess that all changes if you are carpooling....riding buddies may not want to live with the stink for 30-60 min and changing really does become an etiquette choice
These days I usually walk the one climbing, exposed section after the stream crossing on the post-office loop, but ride all the exposed sections before the stream crossing. The section after the stream used to be rideable as well (and probably still is by more talented/less risk-averse riders than I.) but it has deteriorated quite a bit in recent years and I no longer ride that section.
Made it even more fun when the spring on one of his pedals failed about 80% into the ride, so he had to finish it off without being able to clip one foot in (I was on flats).
photos.app.goo.gl/1xsB9vG8bUGVzu3R9
Mt Milson is the deep end of the pool for this and someone literally died falling with a mtb there recently and there have been many incidents over the years. Those trails are really unfriendly, loose and there are numerous places where a fall can kill.
Don't beat yourself up for not feeling comfortable there. A few close friends own most of the KOM's up there and they are still scared / really respect those trails every time they ride them and anyone who rides them regularly has a story to tell...myself included.
Advice from me......Look ahead down the trail not off the cliff...where you look you go. Then ride with confidence but not wild abandon
Until...I started having problems.
I might try the experiment again in the future in case it was something else causing the problems (I also road bike commute, could have been an old chamois there). But it might just not work for some people.
50m Road Gap? Sure. Ride at 40MPH+ among trees? Yup. Carry bike on your shoulders for an hour or two? Any day.
Admit to prefer lycra chamois bibs which don't bunch up or slip down under them baggies? OMG THE HORROR!
But srsly, like with any other sweaty garments post physical exertion: get them off and pull on something dry asap. Chamois or not, getting an infected saddle sore is the definition of a pain in the a**.
That said, most of my 2-hour-or-less rides consist of a lot of up and down w/o a lot of sustained climbing. If I were doing a looooong climb followed by downhill I might opt for a chamois.
But death? Well, that’s pretty f*cking objective. And yeah, it would be cool to be able to overcome that fear and stare death in the face. But it’s not required to be a great rider at all. It’s just a party trick cherry on top.
But
I just keep a changing towel in my car so I can remain modest at trailheads.
I struggle with putting the stuff on at home before the ride, which I do for time management sometimes, but yeah ain't nobody need to wear this stuff all sweaty. I'll be late if it's an after-ride costume change...
I'll bareball it on the seat for six seconds with the door closed too...
there's just no way what is happening here
Next level comfort
@stormracing: those look OK. Thanks for the suggestion, I might try some.
@unrooted too true. You rarely slip, because they are so damn grippy, but when you do...
For really big feet: at a slightly lower price point there's the Giant Pinner Pro, which is very close in size to the cost-no-object Chromag Dagga.
2) Yeah, either bike
3) Deftraps!!! Living in a dry rocky region, rear entry pins are a must. It is possible to break a Deftrap, but that’s a hit that would also damage/deform the body of a TMac.
4) Chamois for drop bar bikes, no chamois on dirt. If you’re a diehard chamois wearer, remove ASAP after the ride and wipe your undercarriage down.
Now for the Chamois discussion. I used to wear bib shorts with chamois and never thought I’d go back. I’ve also used some good liner shorts. I now ride chamois less almost always. I think proper saddle choice, and bike fit/set up makes it possible and it’s awesome to not have to change out of anything at the end of a ride. I’m also moving around a lot on the bike and spending a lot of time with the dropper down, so a 2 hour seated climb may be different, but I think a lot of saddle discomfort issues aren’t something a chamois magically fixes. I haven’t tried SAXX underwear yet, but Volcom and Hanes both make synthetic boxer briefs that don’t ride up and breath well with minimal seams, and can be found very cheap compared to SAXX.
there's a week in August where it hits 79 degrees a couple times...
this issue may be your most egregious example of bike bubbleosity, @pinkbike
coming to you live from two counties south...
and do you dispute the temperature handicap you potatoburritistas enjoy?
and maybe a life without chamois pads is a goal, sure, but I do not think you guys should get to talk about chamois necessity. You're out of touch / rub / chafe with the general cycling public on this issue. I ride twice a week...there's maybe a bell curve of like a single ride commando is fine and then somewhere up around like newly funemployed hyped rider...but come ON THERE IS JUST NO WAY COME ON
Atitude is one of the best bikes ive ever ridden and currently have anther on order because i didnt realise how good it actually was.
I personally find the argument that 3mm of extra suspension sag (assuming equivalent curves) translates into a change in head angle that alters the way the bike feel in a janky climb so that it feels 'good' like this other bike with different geometry silly.
Both bikes have a working set of geometry and kinematics that make smiles out of calories when pointed up hill.
See the irony?