Finally conquered that sketchy gravel descent near Hamilton today

Was bombing down the Bruce Trail on my hardtail and hit a loose patch about 2 km in, almost ate it into a ditch. Stepped off, dropped my tire pressure by 10 psi, and rolled the rest smooth like butter. Anyone else find that small tweaks save more rides than raw skill?

3 comments

3 Comments

grant.jade25d ago

That pressure drop is honestly the best free upgrade you can get, right? Had a similar thing happen up on the Devil's Bench trail near Hamilton last summer where I was getting bucked around on every root. Let some air out of the tires and suddenly it went from a fight to a flow state, which is how I ended up riding with a guy who had the same tire pressure epiphany like a week before. Funny enough @claire958 this reminds me of that time we met at the trailhead by the old rail bridge, except that day I was running way too much pressure and ended up with bruises that lasted a month. Small adjustments really are the secret weapon, way more than trying to muscle through stuff with fancy technique or gear.

claire95825d ago

That 10 psi drop is basically cheating and I'm totally here for it. I had a similar moment on the Dundas Valley switchbacks last fall where I was bouncing around like a pinball until I let some air out and suddenly felt like I could actually steer. Some folks think it's all about the latest suspension or carbon wheels but honestly, a half-turn of a shock adjuster or a few psi has saved my tailbone more times than I can count. You gotta love when the simplest fix makes you look like you actually know what you're doing out there.

-1

samw4725d ago

Drop your pressure and suddenly you're a bike handling genius right? The real cheat code though is setting sag before trail pressure. Everyone blames their fork but half the time it's just not balanced front to rear.