Och! The hardest roads to ride are those that have just been maintained. Tied for first are roads that get enough traffic to get DEEP washboard, like the kind that swallows what feels like a third of your tire before spitting you out and back down to the next one. I have yet to figure those out other than stand and go slow and hope there is a line you can follow at some point. They are horrific to hit at speed. Most washboard is short lived and/or has a clear line (near the middle or the edge as Ken described) through it. Of course, on Colorado dirt roads, there are often steep drop-offs to one side, with looser gravel on the shoulders, so that is usually a poor line to take.
But back to the loose gravel/pebbles/sand (usually whatever was on sale at the quarry. Sardonic grin), we generally get it in patches and the texture is often such that n most light you can't tell it apart, so it adds some excitement to the Russian roulette aspect of how fast you want to go. The good news is maintenance like that generally only happens 1-2 times a year, and things firm up pretty quickly if we've had some rain (no idea why, it's not like there is clay or mud in the sand/pebbles/gravel they use). I usually go with a looser grip, but if it gets jouncy I tighten my grip stand slightly with knees bent and relaxed and keep my arms bent and relaxed. It really is amazing how much shock absorption is in those appendages, and how much descending will work your thought and hamstrings because you're in a constant squat over the saddle. Switch which foot is forward in the 9 and 3 o'clock positions, that helps the legs on long descents. Riding through areas with flickery tree shadow nearly eliminates the possibility of seeing ruts or potholes or "iceberg rocks," so that adds to the excitement. Grin. Practice makes better than you used to be and the fun factor makes it easy to practice. I would say 98% of the dirt road milage is absolutely splendid (meaning there is a relatively smooth and packed way through somewhere on the road). It's just that the 2% as described above takes up 20% of your time, so tends to get remembered disproportionately. Sardonic grin. Dirt roads are well worth the learning curve. Enjoy! With abandon, Patrick -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
