Many road bike enthusiasts who have just stepped into the field of road bikes want to feel the speed and passion brought by road bikes, especially when they are downhill, they pursue the thrill of high-speed swooping. But while enjoying this process, you should also always pay attention to controlling your speed to avoid the risk of falling or crashing. Therefore, Xiaobian also summarized three safe downhill skills for road bike enthusiasts who are just getting started, making downhill easier and safer.
1. Relax your body and look forward
Learn to use your body as your own shock absorber, because it is inevitable that you will be nervous when going downhill, and your body will feel stiff due to stress. However, the stiff movements cannot absorb the bumps caused by the road surface, so the stability of the downhill slope will also decrease.
The recommended posture is to keep your elbows slightly bent, relax your shoulders and arms naturally, and when you encounter a pothole, your upper body will bear part of the impact, alleviating the discomfort of riding.
Keep your eyes in front when cornering downhill, and staring forward can help maintain balance, ensure that the route does not deviate from the lane, and avoid danger in the face of oncoming vehicles.
Finally, remind everyone that the speed of downhill is very fast, even if you have the best control skills, you still can't grasp all the situations on the road, in addition to looking around and listening to the eight directions, you must also maintain an appropriate safe distance when riding with your teammates, so as not to make you too late to react with sudden movements.
2. The front brake is the main and point brake principle
When going downhill, excessive confidence and panic can cause greater danger. Knowing the speed limit you can master is the primary goal, and only in this way can you gradually improve your downhill speed. When facing a downhill slope, pre-test your braking system.
When encountering a straight downhill, the front brake should be used as the main and the rear brake as a supplement; when encountering wet road surfaces, or rapid downhill, the main braking force should also be placed in the front, because the bicycle does not have an ABS anti-lock braking system, and the rear wheel braking force is too large Tires are easy to lock and lead to side slippage
When cornering, you should start adjusting your speed before entering the corner, so that the cornering can be more easily controlled. Instead of starting to slow down after entering a corner, this reduces the friction in contact with the ground. Avoiding sharp braking is a well-understood principle, and this concept should be emphasized when going downhill.
Control the braking force of the brake handle, slowly apply the braking pressure, it is best to use the point brake method to achieve the effect of safe deceleration.
3. Hold the handle to maintain the balance of gravity at high speed
When grasping the lower handlebar, the body's center of gravity is also reduced, which can effectively improve the stability of riding, which is quite important when the speed is fast. Grasping the lower handle also makes it easier to control the braking force of the brake handle, and it can also effectively increase the speed when going downhill.
Make sure you can comfortably grasp the brakes with your fingers when riding, and you will feel more secure riding. Therefore, when riding, you are more familiar with the feeling of grasping the lower handlebar, and you will be more confident after getting used to it.
Source of this article: Wild Way Network
Acknowledgements: Qinghai Zhiyi Service Area Operation and Management Co., Ltd. Culture Media Branch strongly supports the outdoor advertising resources of The Lake Race!