Tips & Tricks For Riding On Dirt

Tour d’Afrique bike mechanic Lorenzo Boutall, currently working on tour in Zambia, shares some important tips and tricks for riders who are new to riding on the dirt.

Tip 1: Tire choice

The first consideration when going from the pavement to the dirt is tire choice. Tires are the most basic suspension of a bike and the wider the tire, the more cushioning that it provides. Along with being wider, different tread patterns and knobbier tires will give your better grip and traction than a slick road tire. Lowering your tire pressure is also an important part of gravel riding and will help alleviate the bumps and rumbles that dirt roads will throw at you. This is something that you can chat to your TDA bike mechanic about so you know how much to decrease your pressure by before you change road surface.

Tip 2: Brake modulation

Having a death grip on your brakes on the dirt is an innocent mistake that can leave you skidding on the road. If you simply grip and hold your brakes, you risk both your front and back tires skidding. You also risk overheating your brakes and wearing down your brake pads. All of this can be avoided by modulating your brakes. Pull the brake briefly, let go. Pull the brake briefly, let go. By using your brakes in quick spurts instead of one long hold, you put less pressure and stress on your bike while also riding more safely. Modulating your brakes also allows for you to relax your arms and your grip while riding, which is especially helpful when going over bumps.

>>Related Post: Seven Tips For Cycling On Rough Roads

Tip 3: Weight distribution

Weight distribution on your bike is different depending on if you are going up hill or going down. When you are riding downhill, you want to move your weight towards the front of the bike. Putting weight over your front wheel will give you more control and if your weight is too far backwards you will notice that you loose tire traction. Going uphill, you want to do the opposite. By focusing your weight towards the back wheel of the bike this will help you control overall bike handling, and prevent you from skidding out. You can also tuck in your elbows, and squeeze your glutes together for increased power and control, especially on very steep terrain.

Tip 4: Cadence

As a general rule, you might want to drop a few gears into something that feels a bit harder while on dirt. This will bring you into a lower cadence where you should aim for a full, round pedal stroke. This means always putting power down to aim for a consistent and full feeling pedal stroke, without any empty spots. By putting in constant watts you are less likely to skid or slip on the dirt. Generally speaking, you can aim for roughly one pedal stroke per second as a way to maintain a nice and constant output.

Tip 5: Choosing a line

It is always good to be looking ahead. If you can see 50-100 metres in front of you, you should be able to pick the best line. ‘The best line’ is usually an invisible line on the road ahead of you, where you can imagine yourself riding through the least amount of obstacles. The less potholes, bumps, corrosion, the better. Sometime the line doesn’t have to be imaginary in your head, and you can look for tire tracks from vehicles as a guide, or take note of where cyclists or motorbikes are positioned on the road already. It’s also good to remember that you can dodge potholes, but breaks in the road and bumps are less avoidable.

Bonus Tip: Hand Positioning

Changing hand positions while you ride is a great way to keep the vibrations of the road from hitting on the same place on your hands. By switching your grip and where you place your hands on the bars, you’ll also be able to alleviate fatigue in your arms and shoulders. We’d recommend switching every few kilometres to avoid hand numbness and sore spots. If you have a drop bar bike you can especially take advantage of the different positioning that your bike allows for.

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