Steven Rindner Discusses How to Hone Gravel Bike Handling Skills
Cyclists must expect the unexpected on the gravel, embrace the adventure and have fun. Riding gravel is much more difficult than riding a bike on a smooth pavement. However, with the right techniques, gravel biking has become a lot easier. As per Steven Rindner, shifting their weight and changing the cadence over challenging terrain would help cyclists to make quicker forward progress.
Steven Rindner Sheds Light on How to Improve Gravel Bike Handling Skills
First of all, one needs to relax while riding on the gravel. The bike must have enough breathing room to float freely beneath the rider, so that it can correct its path and maintain forward momentum while moving through sketchy terrain. Cyclists must wrap their hands around the top of the bars and keep their arms relaxed and elbows bent. The body of the rider should soak up the lumps and bumps.
A higher level of shock absorption and stability will be needed on rough descents. The riders must move their hands into the drops, elbows still bent and relaxed while descending. Doing so would help lower the center of gravity of the rider. They should ideally shift their weight to the back of the seat, and bend and bend the legs. This would help in using the legs much like springs that absorb the bumps and allow the bike to continue tracking in a straight line. If the terrain is very rough then it shall be better to hover out of the saddle and provide the bike with enough freedom to move beneath.
Bikes are usually much more stable at speed, especially on bumpy terrain. The bike can break traction and start bouncing if the speed is low, and it is not at all easy to control a bouncing bike on gravel. The front wheel of the bike particularly should be free to roll. Otherwise, one would run the risk of washing out and losing control. If the rider really needs to lower their speed, then they must feather the brakes and favour the rear. Braking should largely be used while going straight.
Proper weight distribution is critical to smooth and efficient gravel riding, especially when one is negotiating technical terrain. Such terrains can include chunky climbs and descents and the occasional rock garden. Gravel bike tyres must be weighted properly to maintain contact with the ground, and respond to braking and turning. One must especially pay attention to the front wheel. As per Steven Rindner, riders should try to shift their weight to the back to allow the front tire to get up and over an object, and then shift it forward immediately to give the back tire room to move. Curbs can be the ideal place to practice this. When one approaches the curb, they must lean their weight a bit back and pull up on the bars lightly to lift the front wheel. Once on the curb, the riders must move forward and off the seat to lift the rear wheel next. While riding their gravel bike, riders must keep their chin up and eyes forward, while scanning the terrain for the smoothest surfaces. After all, they are unlikely to want to be crisscrossing all over the road.
