Whoooah,
I was just out riding muni on Bramcote, which is our local muni place. I’m currently riding the Schlumpf cos I’m in training for a race. So I was riding Hemlock Stone, which is a part of the area with a load of steep singletracks on the side of a big hill. Anyway, there I was, in low gear, practicing using the brake, in order to ride down some steep bits that I’ve never managed brakeless before, when it came to me that what would be a sensible plan would be to learn braking on some of the easier singletrack in high gear, cos it’d be pretty much the same as super-steep stuff in low gear, and the steep bit I was riding I kept dropping the unicycle down a 10 foot cliff, which was too too much hassle.
So I started off on an easy trail, wide, a bit steep but not too steep, which I can easily ride in low gear, and discover I can ride jolly fast down this, but it’s pretty easy. So obviously the cunning thing to do here is to hit some of the steeper ones, and some of the tighter turns and more exposed bits. Riding downhill in high gear is such a buzz, although crashing hard on steep bits and getting launched several feet ahead is a brand new world of pain. It’s amazing how much you can get down / over just by using the brake not too much and letting your momentum carry you.
Do any of you other Schlumpf people ride singletrack on it? I can really recommend high gear on the downhills, previously this was the sort of thing I’d have been going down to low gear for, whereas now I realise that the brake is my friend, which along with the fact you don’t spin out so easily in high gear makes for a fantastic ride.
Another cool thing, there were fireworks over the Hemlock Stone this evening, so I got to end my ride and watch some fireworks too!
Joe
