[quadricolour]

Hello, today I hit a trail that climbs about 1100 feet in 1.5 miles. About a quarter of the terrain is sand, and I had a real rough time keeping forward momentum. Any tips?

I'm running Hutchinson Mosquito Air Lights in 2.3.

(I also ate **** coming back down the other side, washing out on sandy corners... )

 

[Heidi]

Sand is tough. Climbing, you pretty much have to stay seated and keep a high cadence. It's all about perfectly weighting the front and back tires so they don't spin out. As for the way down, it's more of a surfing feeling, you can't try to control or steer too much, you're better of with leaning and suttle movements.

Surf's up!

 

[quadricolour]

Alright cool, so lower gear/higher cadence. My skills suck, so I'll have to practice the front / rear balance thing.

Is lower tire pressure better (like on 4x4s)?

 

[rockstar]

you might want to try airing your tire down for better traction

 

[bikebabe]

On the sandy corners downhill do any needed braking before hitting the corner and try to cut across the corner in as straight a line as possible so you don't have to steer much.

Lower tire pressure and wider tires do give you better "control" in sand. You kind of have to go where the sand takes you though.

 

[D_D]

You want to try and balence yourself in the middle of the bike so you have a better chance of getting the tyres back where they should be when they get pushed off course by the sand.

If the sand sections are small enough you can use speed to float across the top.

 

[Clark Kent]

Spin dont stomp... On the descents stay off the front... Fat tyres give you better flotation , ya gotta kinda let em go where they want, skinny tyres more control but they sink in... On ANY ascent follow the advice of the great Deadly Nedly... Always make sure your forearms are parralel to the surface you are riddin... This will keep your body / weight at the right spot on yur ride to keep the front wheel down, while providing maximum weight on the rear!

 

[BAC5.2]

on the decents, just keep the front end light and a loose grip on the bars.

Lean, don't turn. It's like riding a road bike. Float over the bike, use your arms and legs as your suspension, and you gotta let the bike roll. pedal in short spins (no stomping) and keep light on the pedals.

Just gotta flow.

 

[Softy]

Spinning is good. Wheelies in the next gear up( like the stand up gear) Bury the rear tire and provides more traction for acceleration to acheive obstacle in your sandy climbs. It takes energy and power no matter what. So prepare yourself be slowing pace a 1/4 mile or so and get a god drink before the sand and pick up the cadence when you hit the sand.

 

[The Toninator]

1100 feet in 1.5 miles? sounds like you need a good pair of nike's.

 

[Clark Kent]

Most importantly...Always remove sand from shorts IMMEDIATELY!

 

[MikeD]

Don't gear down too much; torque can simply cause the rear tire to spin the sand out from underneath you! That said, you need a gear you can push while seated...seated precariously on the nose of your saddle when it gets steep.

Fatter, (heavier) tires that you can run at lower pressures are key. I like DH tires; Kujos work well in sand. Conti Survival pros, I thought, were good, and I might give the 2.4 Mutanoraptors a try if I were still stuck in the desert riding XC.

On descents, don't get too far over the rear...you need to stay centered, and learn to deal with the oscillation of the bike as it weaves its way down the sand...look where you want to steer, use your shoulders and hips; don't try and turn the bars.

 

[Bommie]

Another thing you can try when climbing in sand is zig-zagging acros the surface. That wil keep your tires from digging themselfs in.

 

[Drunken_Ninja]

I do the same thing in sand as i do in wet mud. if the rear wheel is sinking in too much i stand and place my but just above and behind the saddle while leaning forward over the handlebar.

climbing, i move to the front of the saddle as far as possible and i do not feel the least shameful in doing so. Leaning towards the handlebar helps.

going down the hill or speeding i will try to sit back to the rear of the saddle while pulling up on the handlebar as much as possible to make the front tire lighter while using my leg muscles to rest on the saddle lightly incase of unpredictability...so i can rise up and throw my weight around a little.

 

[RockTumbler]

1100 ft in 1.5 miles... hmm isnt that rock climbing?