Jeannie and I hit Peach Valley today for a short session of riding practice. We worked on banked turns and hill climbs. Also we were able to ride across two washes in a loop over and over again. It's all great practice.


This is one BIG bump.

Considering the XT225 is only 223 CCs and it doesn't have a paddle tire, the little bike climbs quite well. It's been a while since we rode this type of terrain so the practice is really helpful.

Complete slide show HERE. (3 frames w/captions)

Nice!

Something I've spoken about in the past: If you have a dead bike and you're at the top of a steep hill (like this) stay upwards of the bike and using the brake and clutch, swing the handlebars back and forth to let the bike travel in 3 foot or so arcs downwards...back and forth.

I pointed out to Scott and Jeannie a spot on California Gulch where a friend made it all the way down a very steep ridge, safely this way.

Alexd

Alexd - What you mention is a good technique. We actually do practice it here in Peach Valley. What's nice is you can pick the severity of the terrain and work up slowly. The really nice part is it's a generally soft fall. As for the above photo there's a dynamic going on that isn't obvious.

Conditions have been very dry and the ground is loose and crumbly. Centrifugal force is required to press the bike into the arc to maintain traction and a vector force up the hill. If you (or me) were to stop (or slow below a threshold) at the top of that arc, both tires would slide out of control down the hill. The best you could do is make a jump uphill and get free of the bike. You'd need to get turned around quickly, sit on your can, dig palms in, dig heels in and try to slow your decent. Fundamentally the terrain here is very different than the back side of California Pass.

The best thing to do is keep in rolling and don't screw up the move if you're going that high. My bike is about 50' up. Hard to see that and the hill's pitch in the photo. Come with us next year to see this area first hand. It's a fun place, great practice and scalable. Pick what you're comfortable with and enjoy riding it.

The kids two mounds over were imitating Travis Pastrana back in his motocross days. They looked pretty good flying through the air. As for me, I have neither the sack nor the skills for such feats.

I would love to find some smooth hills with variable pitches so Barbara could get a little practice with them. After her tumbles in Colorado she has been very hesitant to tackle anything other than a very mild grade, and nothing with loose rocks on it.