Jump to content

Just How Mental Is This?


seage

Recommended Posts

I think we can all agree that to some extent, many of our limitations, especially in the learning stages are limited by our minds. I found many times that my own fear was stopping me from doing things I could naturally do. Like going down curbs, or hitting 30kmph on my 16s. Once I went on a group ride and was with others and was able to watch and mimic them, suddenly curbs and speed (admittedly slow speed, but give me a break, lol) stopped being such a challenge, and suddenly im doing it with confidence. I think mainly because I wasnt being limited by fear. I wasnt focused on it, so it stopped being an obstacle.

As some of you know, I upgraded from my KS-16s to the 18XL and boy have things been interesting. First, the tire was filled to the brim, so i was bouncing on what looked like flat road. Hitting everything along the way. Cornering was crazy. The wheel stayed up, and turned like a cars wheel, while my body was leaning. I was like, what in the heck is going onnnnn?? I was prepared for this, but with the higher form factor and different weight of the wheel my legs are all bruised up again, as I need to condition them all over again. All of these things slightly dinging my confidence. But nothing was bad until I felt that speed wobble for the first time. Admittedly I was riding in 60kmph winds, lol........................................................... Look, when the addiction calls...

Now let me go down a rabbit hole for a second. On my 16, when my legs were tired, or i was nervous about a ride or the terrain, my stance would change. I would tighten up on the wheel. I would be trying to grip the pedals for dear life. Really holding on. Id be very stiff to the point my feet would be killing me after only 1km. Knees aching, legs sore, feet so bad id need to walk it out or sit. But the moment id get back to my city. The roads ive ridden 1000 times, id be loose and nimble. Able to change my stance while riding. I didnt even focus on trying to get the "perfect foot position" as id just get into it eventually while riding. It was just intuitive. Id be in a flow and could easily ride 20km without any foot pain or fatigue of any kind. Now drop me in downtown, even on the bike path, and 1 km in, and i cant even stay upright anymore. Too much pain. Its my damn mind again... It changed the game.

So now on my 18XL im trying to ride, and i can hit 30 super quickly and it feels stable and nice. The moment I try to push past and I hear the motor make that faster than 30 noise (its a real thing, dont @ me) I stiffen up and get speed wobble. My foot position starts becoming a thing, where I feel like im gonna fall off the wheel, even though looking down shows im securely in place. Actually, Im WAY closer to the body of the wheel than I think I should be to the point it feels awkward - probably because Im scared of falling off???? The only way ive been able to maintain "higher speeds" has been by locking the wheel into my legs. Tightening up and locking it over to the left or the right leg and slow carving. Mainly the left as its my dominant. To the point i can lift my right heel. But I feel like this is STILL way too much pressure on my foot. So i started wondering. Is this a correct technique for riding heavier wheels, OR, is my fear causing me to stiffen up to the point of wobbles and im doing external things to try to temporarily patch it when what I really need to do is give things time to slowly build up and become comfortable and "one" with the wheel so that i can ride at any speed without forcing the wheel into my legs? Like...can you ride at faster speeds stably without tightening the wheel? Is this just fatigue and my legs need to heal and build the correct muscles to deal with the new wheel? How much does my mind have to do with this? Will Goku ever become the father Gohan deserved? Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I almost always ride my bigger wheels quite strongly clamped between my legs. At the higher speeds the bigger wheels are capable of, the rider should try to stay on the wheel because no safe step-off is possible. Bail from a wheel at 26 mph and you will get hurt, but try to ride the bucking bronco out and you might not even crash.

It's my opinion that rider induced oscillations occur whether you strongly clamped the wheel or not, but the best option is to strongly clamped the wheel while completely relaxing your hips, that is, while your legs strongly clamp the wheel your relaxed hips allow the wheel to get rid of wobbles when they occur.

Or just strap a heavy object, like a large Bluetooth speaker, to the front or back tip of your wheel, and be done with it. The heavy weight creates inertia that dramatically reduces speed wobbles.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

................... Yep..... It is a mental war. 

Keep in mind that you do not have a problem until you start thinking.  The part of the mind that was driving was over run by your so called smart thinking brain.

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, LanghamP said:

I almost always ride my bigger wheels quite strongly clamped between my legs. At the higher speeds the bigger wheels are capable of, the rider should try to stay on the wheel because no safe step-off is possible. Bail from a wheel at 26 mph and you will get hurt, but try to ride the bucking bronco out and you might not even crash.

It's my opinion that rider induced oscillations occur whether you strongly clamped the wheel or not, but the best option is to strongly clamped the wheel while completely relaxing your hips, that is, while your legs strongly clamp the wheel your relaxed hips allow the wheel to get rid of wobbles when they occur.

Or just strap a heavy object, like a large Bluetooth speaker, to the front or back tip of your wheel, and be done with it. The heavy weight creates inertia that dramatically reduces speed wobbles.

And you could stay clamped for a full say 50km ride? I feel like my legs would fall off after 10km, haha. Would it make more sense to clamp when the wobbles come on and loosen when they're not happening? 

And really? Ive heard mixed opinions about speakers. Some people swear by em. Others say it caused them to be off balance. 

 

31 minutes ago, RockyTop said:

................... Yep..... It is a mental war. 

Keep in mind that you do not have a problem until you start thinking.  The part of the mind that was driving was over run by your so called smart thinking brain.

 

You're 100% right. And as the overthinker that i am, this is amplified, haha. Even now my mind is ticking a mile a minute thinking about what i'll do on my next ride. Instead of just being excited to go out there.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, seage said:

You're 100% right. And as the overthinker that i am, this is amplified, haha. Even now my mind is ticking a mile a minute thinking about what i'll do on my next ride. Instead of just being excited to go out there.

  Just a thought. Maybe keep your mind busy with music. If not actually listening to music, Play a track in your mind. I know that some of my best video game achievements were done while zoned out listening to music. 

Just NOT this music. 

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, seage said:

can you ride at faster speeds stably without tightening the wheel?

I can’t ride fast stably WITH tightening my grip. My legs would turn to jello quite fast, which is a perfect measure of a riding technique gone wrong. Getting the tire pressure correct for your wheel, weight, and preference is crucial. You should aim for maximum riding comfort in every way. Anything uncomfortable will introduce fatique, which increases all risks.

If you get the wobbles, carve. Don’t squat or try to squeeze the wheel, as those usually makes the wobbles worse.

That’s the physical side. But you are right, mental barriers are with us on every ride. Luckily, riding more helps! My worst barriers are related to short but steep off-road inclines. Usually I get to the top fine, and then have to step off because I don’t have the guts to lean forward anymore. If I’d just find a better tire for the MSX, I’d do a lot better. I think...

  • Like 1
  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

41 minutes ago, RockyTop said:

  Just a thought. Maybe keep your mind busy with music. If not actually listening to music, Play a track in your mind. I know that some of my best video game achievements were done while zoned out listening to music. 

Just NOT this music. 

 

Lmfaooooooooo! Do i want to know how you found this? This is so funny. If all of these girls combined to become one super girl, that girl would be an amazing dance. They all seem to make up for areas the others lack, and its so funny. And yeah, actually I had music going today, in one ear of course. And not too loud. But theres a road i know super super well. Its my comfort road. No cars, no houses or hidden entries or exits, and smoooooth. I was rolling smoothly until i heard my 35kmph beep for the first time, which made me slow down immediately, as im not used to it and those alarms trigger me to just cool it, haha

19 minutes ago, mrelwood said:

I can’t ride fast stably WITH tightening my grip. My legs would turn to jello quite fast, which is a perfect measure of a riding technique gone wrong. Getting the tire pressure correct for your wheel, weight, and preference is crucial. You should aim for maximum riding comfort in every way. Anything uncomfortable will introduce fatique, which increases all risks.

Ah i see! Actually, I think my pressure is too low at the moment. Im bouncing around like im on a trampoline. Which is nice for some of the potholes, but I dont feet connected properly. Although, at low speeds and on grass - dirt - rocks it feels amazing. Just not once i get past 30, lol. Also it feels like the wheel corrects itself in a weird manner due to how soft it is. I jsut calibrated the pedals with a slight forward dip because I felt like i was sitting on my heels when I calibrated it perfectly straight. I think that MAY be due to the lower pressure? Or this damn wheel aint calibrating properly and i need to fist fight it like with the 16. But im going overkill. 2 spirit levels! 

30 minutes ago, mrelwood said:

If you get the wobbles, carve. Don’t squat or try to squeeze the wheel, as those usually makes the wobbles worse.

Putting all the pressure into one leg seems to stop the wobbles for me. Like, you know how you ride with one foot? I'll do that and lean it into my left leg and the wobbles stop. That mixed with slowing down, of course. Since i dont have a deathwish yet. Yet.... But actually, i do that then carve...so maybe...... im just carving? LOL...

32 minutes ago, mrelwood said:

That’s the physical side. But you are right, mental barriers are with us on every ride. Luckily, riding more helps! My worst barriers are related to short but steep off-road inclines. Usually I get to the top fine, and then have to step off because I don’t have the guts to lean forward anymore. If I’d just find a better tire for the MSX, I’d do a lot better. I think...

I took some pretty fine inclines on that lil 16 and felt okay. Those same inclines on the 18 feel terrifying for some reason, even though it has more power to get up them. 

Do you slip when you get to the top? Or is the tire thing more for peace of mind? Fear of that unknown?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, seage said:

Do you slip when you get to the top? Or is the tire thing more for peace of mind? Fear of that unknown?

No slipping at the short inclines, nope. It’s all about the ”guts”. The tire itself has worn to have a terrible grip on mud and wet grass, but the inclines I meant have been dry so far. I guess I concentrate on the steep part of the incline too closely, so that when I get past it, I didn’t consider needing just a bit more momentum.  But why not lean a bit more then?!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guys, i freaking got it. I have to thank @Lutalo and you guys for the tips that helped me overcome my hump. I had to do something uncomfortable to find my comfort. On my 16, i positioned my left foot so that there was quite a bit of overhang, and my heel was right on the pedals. And on the right my foot was more centered, with a small overhang over the back and front and that worked. But on the 18 all that did was give me wobbles and foot pain. I realized when I went out today and moved my stance wider and more forward on my left foot that all the pain went away, but the right was still aching. So...I just positioned it far forward too. Now this is where the fear comes from. Dangling both feet over the front of my pedals whilst riding at speed is not up there in my list of things to do for fun, but in this situation, it completely stablized the wheel. It was no longer neccessary to lock it into a leg, and I could easily and comfortably accelerate and break smoothly. I do find when doing finer maneuvers, i move my foot around on the pedals pretty quickly to apply them, then move my feet back to the front and go. Had to get used to going up things and down things for a few mins, but after that it was clean sailing. Hopefully I can keep advancing, but this is one big obstacle down. Less pain means longer rides, means more practice. 

 

 

  • Like 1
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, mrelwood said:

No slipping at the short inclines, nope. It’s all about the ”guts”. The tire itself has worn to have a terrible grip on mud and wet grass, but the inclines I meant have been dry so far. I guess I concentrate on the steep part of the incline too closely, so that when I get past it, I didn’t consider needing just a bit more momentum.  But why not lean a bit more then?!

I get you, haha.I guess maybe it helps to think that a fall on an incline is a lot more forgiving than one on a decline, since you're way closer to the ground. Would jsut suck if your wheel went for a tumble back...dow...n...yeah ok, nevermind. 

11 minutes ago, Darrell Wesh said:

When I see a pothole, bump or whatever coming up, I crouch in preparation/ use my legs as shock absorbers. I absolutely do not clamp the wheel. Watch some chooch tech videos to see proper “EUC suspension”. 

I do that/was doing that from before. And ive been studying chooch and all those guys pretty regularly. The they they speed over all those imperfections and the wheel bounces so high and they remain in complete control is amazing. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, seage said:

Guys, i freaking got it. I have to thank @Lutalo and you guys for the tips that helped me overcome my hump. I had to do something uncomfortable to find my comfort. On my 16, i positioned my left foot so that there was quite a bit of overhang, and my heel was right on the pedals. And on the right my foot was more centered, with a small overhang over the back and front and that worked. But on the 18 all that did was give me wobbles and foot pain. I realized when I went out today and moved my stance wider and more forward on my left foot that all the pain went away, but the right was still aching. So...I just positioned it far forward too. Now this is where the fear comes from. Dangling both feet over the front of my pedals whilst riding at speed is not up there in my list of things to do for fun, but in this situation, it completely stablized the wheel. It was no longer neccessary to lock it into a leg, and I could easily and comfortably accelerate and break smoothly. I do find when doing finer maneuvers, i move my foot around on the pedals pretty quickly to apply them, then move my feet back to the front and go. Had to get used to going up things and down things for a few mins, but after that it was clean sailing. Hopefully I can keep advancing, but this is one big obstacle down. Less pain means longer rides, means more practice. 

 

 

Now that's the ticket. You are off like a rocket 😉👍 

Edited by Lutalo
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, seage said:

I get you, haha.I guess maybe it helps to think that a fall on an incline is a lot more forgiving than one on a decline, since you're way closer to the ground.

I’m afraid this one isn’t reasoned out that easy. As I have just cleared the difficult incline, my speed at the crucial moment is zero. So even if anything happened, like the wheel gave up on me, I would most likely just step off without drama.

I think I just have to find a suitable spot and rehearse the situation a few dozen times.

Good to hear that you are finding better foor positions. My rule of thumb is to stand as much forward as I can without notably compromising the ability to emergency brake. If I’m blasting around with the MSX doing repeated strong accelerations and brakings, I have started to offset my feet a bit after all: The other foot less than an inch forward.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...