I know when I was new to mountain biking, ruts scared the hell outta me. Hell, even last weekend at the 24 Hour Race, a pretty gnarly rut developed on a dowhnill sharp corner and I saw PLENTY of people getting manhandled by the thing. So, I came across this in Bicycling Magazine and thought I'd post it here:
Don't panic and try to steer out of a rut as soon as you get into it
The most common mistake is panicking and trying to steer out of a rut as soon as you get into it. When you do this, your front wheel often can't "climb" the wall of the rut. Your body leans out while your bike stays stuck-and you crash. Some very skilled and nervy riders will hop out of ruts, but we don't recommend that. Our advice: Either ride the rut out or slow way down, then turn your wheel so the front of the tire--instead of the side--contacts the wall of the rut and you roll out.
If you want to ride a rut until it ends, keep your speed. The slower you go, the less stable your bike is. Maintain a fast walking pace. Keep your pedals level.
To steer out of a rut, make sure you're in control and not going so slowly that you lack momentum and balance. Look for a spot within the next 10 feet where the walls get shallow, slope upward like a ramp or are uniformly steep (as opposed to jagged and crumbly). Those are the only places to steer out. If you don't see any, you're stuck with riding the rut or stopping.
You have two options to get your front wheel out: Turn the wheel so the tire contacts the rut wall head-on, or keep the wheel more or less parallel and lift it out of the rut with a slight upward pull on the handlebar. Either way, you don't want the side of the tire to contact the wall. If it does, you're likely to crash.
The ultimate rut-beating skill is learning to cross them instead of falling into them. When the trail encounters a rut, make a sharp move sideways toward the rut and cross as quickly and as perpendicular as you can. If you try to gradually cross the rut, you likely will wash out your front wheel in the rut and stack. Practice this advanced technique on flat terrain with small ruts.
Your Survival Guide to Ruts
V-Shaped: The more V-shaped the rut is, the harder it is to ride because you catch your pedals and hang up your wheels. Get out as fast as you can. The most rideable are shaped like a U, with about 4-6 inches at the bottom--like those formed by truck or ATV wheels.
Fresh: These are the worst, especially right after a rain and in the spring. Don't ride 'em. If you notice loose dirt on the trail, it means the ruts will be tougher.
Deep: When a pedal hits the sides, look for escape points--places where the gradient decreases and you can get out. Good luck.
Narrow: The narrower the rut, the greater the chance of the tire rubbing up on the side and making you fall. If the rut is pinching the tire, you've got no room to move back and forth. Twice the width of your tire is a good minimum gauge for rideabilty.
Your life: Stop watching TV. Get out on your bike--or ski. Do something. Anything. Get a goal. It's really important to have goals and a plan on how to attain them. If you don't have something looming on the horizon, then life can seem a little in a rut.
Don't panic and try to steer out of a rut as soon as you get into it
The most common mistake is panicking and trying to steer out of a rut as soon as you get into it. When you do this, your front wheel often can't "climb" the wall of the rut. Your body leans out while your bike stays stuck-and you crash. Some very skilled and nervy riders will hop out of ruts, but we don't recommend that. Our advice: Either ride the rut out or slow way down, then turn your wheel so the front of the tire--instead of the side--contacts the wall of the rut and you roll out.
If you want to ride a rut until it ends, keep your speed. The slower you go, the less stable your bike is. Maintain a fast walking pace. Keep your pedals level.
To steer out of a rut, make sure you're in control and not going so slowly that you lack momentum and balance. Look for a spot within the next 10 feet where the walls get shallow, slope upward like a ramp or are uniformly steep (as opposed to jagged and crumbly). Those are the only places to steer out. If you don't see any, you're stuck with riding the rut or stopping.
You have two options to get your front wheel out: Turn the wheel so the tire contacts the rut wall head-on, or keep the wheel more or less parallel and lift it out of the rut with a slight upward pull on the handlebar. Either way, you don't want the side of the tire to contact the wall. If it does, you're likely to crash.
The ultimate rut-beating skill is learning to cross them instead of falling into them. When the trail encounters a rut, make a sharp move sideways toward the rut and cross as quickly and as perpendicular as you can. If you try to gradually cross the rut, you likely will wash out your front wheel in the rut and stack. Practice this advanced technique on flat terrain with small ruts.
Your Survival Guide to Ruts
V-Shaped: The more V-shaped the rut is, the harder it is to ride because you catch your pedals and hang up your wheels. Get out as fast as you can. The most rideable are shaped like a U, with about 4-6 inches at the bottom--like those formed by truck or ATV wheels.
Fresh: These are the worst, especially right after a rain and in the spring. Don't ride 'em. If you notice loose dirt on the trail, it means the ruts will be tougher.
Deep: When a pedal hits the sides, look for escape points--places where the gradient decreases and you can get out. Good luck.
Narrow: The narrower the rut, the greater the chance of the tire rubbing up on the side and making you fall. If the rut is pinching the tire, you've got no room to move back and forth. Twice the width of your tire is a good minimum gauge for rideabilty.
Your life: Stop watching TV. Get out on your bike--or ski. Do something. Anything. Get a goal. It's really important to have goals and a plan on how to attain them. If you don't have something looming on the horizon, then life can seem a little in a rut.
Just feel comforted in knowing that I've never encountered any pirahna...yet.