[urbaindk]

I went to the local BMX track last night. As far as conditioning goes, ugg! How do you do it? I can ride DH for 4 or 5 hours straight but I was sucking major wind just trying to make it around the track once. Obviously it's all sprinting. I guess I just need to keep going and working on it to build up conditioning.

I also have a lot of trouble maintaining enough speed to clear the big doubles. I was getting pretty close to mastering the rhythm section though! One thing I thought might help was switching from my DH tires to Krads or holyrollers or something which would give me a little less rolling resistance and lighten my bike considerably. I'm riding a freeride hardtail (SC Titan) with a 150mm fork. I realize that may not be optimal but it's all I got.

Any other tips you can give a relative n00b?

 

[NCBMXPRO]

BMX is all sprinting. Funny thing is, I cant make it down a DH course without cramping and my legs feeling like jello.

If you really want to get faster in a 35 second sprint then you need to do sprints. Try doing 50-75 yard sprints. Do ten with about 4 minutes in between. This will help you get around BMX track at full speed without feeling to tired.

Another thing is trying a waterfall of laps at the track. Do 5 full track laps at full speed. Then do 6 3/4 laps. Then 7 half laps. Then 8 first straits. My track only has three berms so adjust accordingly. Just up the amount of times you do each staight and make sure you do at least 3 full laps.

It will hurt like crazy the first couple weeks but soon you wont even be breathing hard at the finish.

 

[SilentJ]

One thing I thought might help was switching from my DH tires to Krads or holyrollers or something which would give me a little less rolling resistance and lighten my bike considerably. I'm riding a freeride hardtail (SC Titan) with a 150mm fork.

Any other tips you can give a relative n00b?

I found switching to K-Rads to be a HUGE difference. I had gone through the trouble of shaving down my old DH tires to make a semi-slick, but switching to K-Rads gave me 2-3 bike lengths in the first corner with much more gas left in the tank.

Is your fork adjustable at all? Is purchasing a cheapo fork for your current HT or a cheap cruiser bmx an option?

Clipless pedals if youre not already on them.

Are you SSing?

Hehehe...it took me a couple times of riding the track to not feel like I was gonna puke.

Edit: Oh yeah...careful of that rhythm section that you just mastered if you switch tires...it'll come up MUCH faster with some fast tires!!

 

[urbaindk]

I found switching to K-Rads to be a HUGE difference.

Is your fork adjustable at all? Is purchasing a cheapo fork for your current HT or a cheap cruiser bmx an option?

Clipless pedals if youre not already on them.

Are you SSing?

Hehehe...it took me a couple times of riding the track to not feel like I was gonna puke.

Edit: Oh yeah...careful of that rhythm section that you just mastered if you switch tires...it'll come up MUCH faster with some fast tires!!

Let's see. Yeah I have a set of krads. I was just too lazy to throw them on. Just riding urban with them I have noticed a big difference. I'm going back tomorrow night. I'll throw them on tonight after work.

I'm running a sherman flick so I can drop it down to 110 mm. I do it for XC all the time. I'll try it on the track. The bike is geared and will stay that way. I'm running a 36 tooth ring for my big ring so I should have enough gearing. I just need to get used to pushing tall gears instead of spinning.

I'm running flats. Clips scare me.

I was so close on the R section. It goes like this pump, jump, pump, pump, pump, jump. I was gaining speed through the pumps and almost hitting the jumps without casing them. I'll get it next time.

 

[SilentJ]

The bike is geared and will stay that way.

I'm running flats. Clips scare me.

Are you actually shifting, though? I had gears, but once I found the right one, I never shifted.

Clips are super not scary on the track, I find. Even way less scary than they were on my commuter. The only time they're nerve racking is when the starter takes forever to drop the gate - not many thing suck more than falling over in the starting gate all clipped in and domino-ing all your buddies! I've been told running clips makes you 1-2 bike lengths faster through the first corner. Try it, if you can.

 

[amydalayna]

I run a single speed at the track. You really don't need to shift. Just find the one right gear.

I think the best thing for getting better at riding the track is just sticking with it. Spring time I'm totally hurt up riding at the track, but now it's not so bad. Just keep riding....

 

[urbaindk]

Let me clarify, no I don't shift at the track. But since the bike is my all-around ride, I won't be going SS either. Like you say, I usually just find a good gear and stick with it.

I'll think about the clips. I'm totally comfortable riding them XC or whatever, but I got out of the habit when I started riding DH and freeride type stuff. The thought of casing a double clipped in gives me the heebie jeebies.

I put on the krads last night. I'll let you know how they do at the track tonight!

 

[amydalayna]

I think if you want to ever race at the track you'll want to switch to clips. But if you're just going for practice once in awhile ride whatever you want. I'm most comfortable with clips so I go with clips.

 

[Tattooo]

I run clips on my 4x/DS bike that I run at the track here to train on. Its not that scary, and it helps you to suck the bike under should you have life hit the fan without anticipation

 

[urbaindk]

OK, I went back to the track last night as promised. Those KRads made a huge difference for sure. I was so much faster and much less tired. I was nailing the rhythm section and the step-up off the starting gate. It felt really good. I've been pumped ever since. Next week I'll try the clips and see what happens.

Another question. There's a long table with a roller at each end on the first straight. Most of the fast guys I have seen manual across the top of the table and do some sort of little hop over the last roller onto the back side of the tranny. I can manual across the top of the table but I haven't figured out how to do the hop out of the manual. I always end up whacking the roller with my back tire and lose a bunch of speed. Any advice for going from a manual to a hop?

 

[SilentJ]

Any advice for going from a manual to a hop?

Clips. :biggrin: hehehe...kidding..., but not really.

I know almost exactly what youre talking about and I can do it fairly decently, but I have no idea how to explain it. It just clicked for me one day. Maybe the lip you have to clear is bigger, but on the tracks Ive ridden that have that feature it wasnt as much of a hop as it was a switch from front wheel high/rear wheel low to the opposite right as your rear was about the hit the lip. Seems to me it just clicked one day and I went from coming 2-3rd to winning 9 times out of 10 just by learning that one thing.

It's funny, even though the MTB class was the slowest, (of the older kids) our races were by far the most competitive and the best racing to watch.

 

[amydalayna]

It's funny, even though the MTB class was the slowest, (of the older kids) our races were by far the most competitive and the best racing to watch.

what's the difference between mtn bike class and cruiser? i just race cruiser on my p1.

 

[SilentJ]

what's the difference between mtn bike class and cruiser? i just race cruiser on my p1.

Nothing, really..as long as there's 3 or more MTB's we get our own class. aka the dirtbag class. If not, we get chucked in with the cruisers. The reason for classing us on our own is that the cruiser dudes are actually racing for points and we're not. (and the cruiser dudes get all pissed off when we beat them!:biggrin

 

[urbaindk]

(and the cruiser dudes get all pissed off when we beat them!:biggrin

Yeah, at our track most of the cruiser dudes are older Dads. They seem pretty slow and cautious. But the MTB teens and 20-somethings look like they could kick most peoples asses especially mine. I'm kind of in between I guess. I'm mid-thirties and won't be a dad until January.

 

[amydalayna]

Nothing, really..as long as there's 3 or more MTB's we get our own class. aka the dirtbag class. If not, we get chucked in with the cruisers. The reason for classing us on our own is that the cruiser dudes are actually racing for points and we're not. (and the cruiser dudes get all pissed off when we beat them!:biggrin

But when you get more points you get a lower number.... and people fear you if you have a lower number. don't you want people to fear you?

i just do it for the trophies. the very awesome trophies.

 

[SilentJ]

But when you get more points you get a lower number.... and people fear you if you have a lower number. don't you want people to fear you?

i just do it for the trophies. the very awesome trophies.

They already fear us! We get the "pro" colored plates!

We really don't race enough to get enough points...we mostly race through the winter (where no points are accumulated anyways) and the spring. Once summer comes around, we're busy enough riding the mountains that we maybe get out once a month or so.

 

[amydalayna]

They already fear us! We get the "pro" colored plates!

We really don't race enough to get enough points...we mostly race through the winter (where no points are accumulated anyways) and the spring. Once summer comes around, we're busy enough riding the mountains that we maybe get out once a month or so.

i'm in the same boat. my # is rising because i only really like racing in the spring time.

i wish i could race in the winter. bummer.

 

[urbaindk]

Bumpage. What a difference a year makes... I went out a bought a cheap cruiser this spring and have been hitting the track about once a week. It's like the bike I never knew I was missing. So fun. Anyway...

Last night I did 5 laps in a row with out stopping. I can clear the first step up, manual the second table, double in or out of the triple, clear the step out of the first corner. The next straight gives me a bit of trouble (big scary tables). The rhythm section is a breeze, although I can really only ride it one way. Some of the better riders can do all sorts of variation through it. For some reason, the last straight gives me trouble too. It's just a six pack. Manualling them is OK but for some reason I freak out when I'm trying to jump. I almost cleared one of them last night but then I had a bad nose case and exploded my front tire. (Seriously, it exploded) How I didn't die, I'll never know. I sucked it up and rolled the next two doubles on a floppy tire and called it a night.

Hitting those doubles is all mental, I know it, and it weighs on me everyday, and will until I just sack up and hit them. I even know what I'm doing wrong, I panic and suck up the lip rather than boosting. Well at least it gives me something to work on. Can anyone recommend me a psychiatrist?

 

[jeremyb]

It definately takes a few weeks to get used to it, sprint fitness comes and goes very quickly so you need to keep it up or you'll lose it, its not the same as endurance fitness, keep doing as many full laps as you can and you'll find you're not needing to be recusitated at the finish line each time