Yesterday I rode the blue and red trails at Haldon Forest Park (nr Exeter UK) on my Whyte E180 RS. On previous visits there earlier in the year when the bike was still relatively new to me I had quite a few pedal strikes. The red trail especially is quite rocky in places and both trails have large rocks guarding the edges of trails in places or reinforcing turns etc. The only thing I have changed on the bike since then are the pedals...replacing Nukeproofs with DMR v12...only really because I found the Nukeproofs too big..........and i had knocked off several of the pins!!
This time not a single pedal strike. So what was the difference?
The bike has a lower BB than my Levo and also 180 front 170 rear suspension and both contribute to potential pedal strikes. Obviously, I have become more at one with the bike over time but I have learned to focus on 2 things on those sorts of rock littered trails..........albeit I do it automatically now.
1. I pick my line carefully and purposely give those rocks a wider berth than I might otherwise do because any shift of the rear whell for example caused by a shape in the trail can jolt the bike sideways.
2. I have learned with both my bikes to make all my speed in the right places to I do not need to pedal, or at most put a half crank in, in the more technical sections.
3. I am aware how suspension compression lowers the bb even more so take that into account.
So, for me at least, it has shown that there is no need to consider shorter cranks etc. Just ride better!!
This time not a single pedal strike. So what was the difference?
The bike has a lower BB than my Levo and also 180 front 170 rear suspension and both contribute to potential pedal strikes. Obviously, I have become more at one with the bike over time but I have learned to focus on 2 things on those sorts of rock littered trails..........albeit I do it automatically now.
1. I pick my line carefully and purposely give those rocks a wider berth than I might otherwise do because any shift of the rear whell for example caused by a shape in the trail can jolt the bike sideways.
2. I have learned with both my bikes to make all my speed in the right places to I do not need to pedal, or at most put a half crank in, in the more technical sections.
3. I am aware how suspension compression lowers the bb even more so take that into account.
So, for me at least, it has shown that there is no need to consider shorter cranks etc. Just ride better!!
