Dirt Essentials
I often watch Bret Tkacs Youtube videos because there is always so much good information. Bret is also my first ADV coach back in 2014. I’m sharing my take aways from his ‘Dirt Essentials’ video. Why reinvent the wheel right?
What to expect while riding on a gravel road? You should ride on the more packed area where it is obvious that traffic has packed down the surface of the road. This usually means less rocks and other debris. When crossing over the middle part of the road, it may have more gravel or other debris, which will increase the resistance of the wheel pushing through it. So, add a little pressure to the bars to add a bit of resistance to the bars moving all over. This doesn’t mean squeeze the bars more, instead you want to have a firm, yet relaxed grip and push forward a bit on the bars to add a bit of resistance to the bars. Don’t squeeze the bananas! To practice riding in the deeper gravel, as you are riding, find areas of the middle part of the road that isn’t very deep and practice moving from one side of the road to the other to get a feel for how the bike behaves.
Let the bike do its job by having enough speed and momentum to allow the bike to self-correct. The rack, trail and gyroscopic effect for the bike to stay in a straight line needs speed to make that happen. Riding at 5, 10, even 15 MPH is a terrifying speed to ride at because it doesn’t allow the bike enough momentum and the bike will struggle to ride in a straight line. The gravel will start pushing the front tire around a lot more. Having more speed, somewhere around 25-35 mph will stabilize the bike because the front tire can push through the resistance of the gravel, sand or whatever type of surface you maybe on. You can go faster than 35 mph but make 25-35 mph a good target speed to start with. Going 25-35 mph is probably not going to happen right off the bat, but it should be your target.
You need to be using both brakes! Search for advantages in the terrain for better places to be using your brakes. For example, areas with better traction like less gravel. Brake hard while on the better surface to manage your speed and then ease off the brakes once you’re back in the less traction situation like deeper gravel. When you ease off the brakes, you don’t want to completely put the brakes away. Instead, remain hovering over them so you can gently apply the brakes back on as you have more traction. Having more time riding off road will build more confidence and speeds will naturally increase, especially when you get really good at braking.
Having a good attitude really matters! Fatigue, distractions, frustrations can all effect your attitude significantly and can lead to bad things happening. Smiling in the helmet will have a positive outcome when it comes to your attitude. Physically smiling will make a difference! “SMILE WHILE YOU RIDE, BECAUSE ATTITUDE MATTERS!” – Bret Tkacs
Proper bike set up also matters. Having your controls adjusted so that you can use them easily will go a long way to you mastering your bike. When it comes to tire pressures, go with either the tire manufacture recommendation or the recommendation for your specific bike. There might be recommendations for different situations like, riding solo, riding with a passenger or luggage, or for riding off road. When in doubt, there is usually a sticker directly on the bike that will give you the recommended tire pressures. The same information will be found in the manual for that bike.
When you’re first starting to ride off road, you may have heard you have to be standing. Standing does allow for you to control your bike better than being seated, but if you don’t know what you’re doing, it may not be the best thing to be doing. So, until you know what you’re doing, sit down. However, you don’t want to sit down like you do on the street. Instead, slide forward into the area we call, the pocket, which is up close to the tank. This adds more weight to the front tire, giving it better traction and makes the bike more stable. Riding in the pocket also allows for your elbows to be slightly bent, which will allow you to “roll” the bike under you while going through corners. Rolling the bike means to roll or push the bike into the corner, while you remain upright, perpendicular to the road. Riding in a higher gear, like 2nd or 3rd and a lower RPM, will help in cases where you add a bit more throttle for whatever reason, there won’t be a dramatic input as there would be if you were in a lower gear and a higher RPM. This will help smooth your inputs out. Now, being in 2nd and 3rd gear does require you to be going faster. But remember, the bike actually performs better by going at least 25-35 mph because it doesn’t get pushed around as much, especially in deeper debris like gravel and sand.
Riding with two fingers covering both the front brake and the clutch allows for better use of those controls. When you ride with all four fingers around the bars and then you go to use the controls, you will have the tendency to over apply them, especially the front brake. But, by covering the controls, you won’t have the tendency to over apply the front brake. By covering the clutch, you can easily and quickly buffer the speed if things get a bit festive, a.k.a. fast and out of control.
Even while you are using all the basic techniques like; staying loose and relaxed, keeping the elbows bent and away from your body and allowing the bike to do what it’s designed to do, don’t forget to take breaks. Riding off road, for the first time especially, is EXHAUGTING! You don’t want to allow the stress and fatigue to build up because that’s where mistakes start happening and the likely hood of getting injured goes up. You will be burning a lot of calories, both mentally and physically, so bring snacks and hydrate often. Anytime you start feeling a lot of stress and tension, take a break! That might mean, take your gear off, cool down, snack and hydrate and allow the stress to dissipate before getting back to it. Riding with others who are not in a hurry and who are willing to give you the breaks you need is extremely important.
If you already are a well-dressed, well protected street rider, you don’t need to go crazy buying off road riding gear. If you have a full face helmet, eye protection other than just the visor (because you may want your visor up when riding slower and temperatures are warm), having a jacket and pants that have armor in all the high strike areas like, shoulders, elbows, back, hips, and knees that is in a secure pocket designed for the armor is going to be enough, with exception to your boots. Off road boots are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! A good general rule of thumb is to get an off-road boot with at least 3 buckles or more. Soft sole street boots should be avoided. Lower leg/foot injuries are on the top three injuries for off-road riding. Collar bone and ribs are the top two reasons, but there isn’t any gear that can help eliminate those injuries. Boots, however, can help prevent or at least minimize your injuries.
Final words, “SMILE WHILE YOU RIDE, BECAUSE ATTITUDE MATTERS” – Bret Tkacs, especially when you feel your stress go UP. Remember, you chose to be riding off-road because you thought it would be fun. So, SMILE!
Most of the information taken from Bret Tkacs YouTube video First time dirt essentials, Adventure riding off-road
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