dave f wrote:
> Hi all
>
> On my commute home, I ride down a set of 7 steps.
>
> I got a puncture yesterday. Normally I run slicks on the mountain bike at 100 psi, and the mini
> pump only pumps up to about 60 psi so I was a bit more cautious descending.
>
> Will riding slowly or quickly down stairs cause least damage to the bike?
>
> Thanks
>
> Dave
The main thing is to be smooth. Get off the saddle (not sure how you'd do it without, unless you've
got full suspension... ouch!), bend your knees and elbows, get off the back of the saddle, and let
the bike float underneath you. I find that I feel smoother (and faster) riding down stairs if I
almost shove the bike forwards and down when I get behind the saddle. If you time it right, it makes
for a really nice smooth transition to the steps. Stay behind the saddle, and then kind of make a
rocking motion backwards as you get off the stairs. Pull on the bars, get a little bit farther back,
and use the same pull to start your forwards motion back onto the saddle. Kind of hard to explain,
but its almost bunnyhop, minus the unweighting of the rear, or a downhill manual. If you do it
right, you'll be smooth on both transitions, won't get bounced around too much, and not come down
too hard on any corners.
I always ride stairs fast, but then again, I'm running 2.1 knobbies most of the time. I didn't have
a problem with my 1.25 or so slicks with that technique though.
Then again, you could ignore the steps all together and just huck off the top. Bonus points if
you're still in "work" attire
Jon Bond
