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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?
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grant.jade4mo 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.
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claire9584mo 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.
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samw474mo 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.
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