The second -- and smaller -- waterfall on the logging road that climbs Sumas Mt's east slope from the Beer Shrine to the P1000 Rd. (and the only big old growth Douglas fir remaining in Sumas Mt's vast upper valley).
Rode up from the Beer Shrine in Kendall to about the 1900 foot elevation level on the east flank of Sumas Mt., where my path was blocked by snow a little before the Big Old Growth Tree.
Met two groups of people apparently stealing timber and/or poles off state land just above where the Godswilla Trail meets the main road.
While I climbed, I thought about Full Suspension-specific Techniques For Faster Riding. Generally speaking, hardtail technique is the best technique since it requires you to be fundamentally strong. There are, however, a few dualie-specific techniques that are worth knowing about...
One is the bob and compression you can get going when you stand in the saddle and
really hammer in a slow, steady rhythm. You let your weight hang back, and then you pull
yourself up and forward with your arms on every stroke. In this situation, you are able to
achieve more bite and traction than a hardtail, even if the hard tail rider uses the same
technique. I personally don't like to stand much, but there are times (like the steep
climb out of a creek crossing) where this can be a life saver.
You can also induce this same rhythmic bob when you need maximum traction on poor road
or trail surfaces. A gentler version can be useful in snow, but NOT ice.
Another full suspension technique involves climbing on muddy gravel roads. Often there is at least a little drainage action going on, which erodes away the finer particles from part of the road bed, leaving larger rocks. Sometimes the remnants are just a little larger, sometimes a lot larger.
With a good full suspension bike, you can ride on this exposed aggregate, and you should because this is where your find the hardest packed surface and fastest rolling for your tires. A hardtail rider will naturally gravitate to the smoother, unerroded portion of the roadbed, which is also softer and as a result significantly slower, requiring more work on the part of the rider, downshifting sooner, etc.
Another variation on this occurs when the fastest or otherwise favored line is strewn with rocks, roots, etc. With a good full suspension bike, you are much freer to stay in the saddle and ride the good line under power. Hardtail riders are forced to pick their path more carefully, and they may fatigue faster.
I myself am now moving away from the easy spinning that has propelled me since my foot injury last June. Now I'm riding everything in the highest gear possible (generally at least one gear higher than before). I have found to that I can spin in a higher gear -- and hence achieve faster climbing speeds -- than I would have dreamed even a few months ago.
This partially the result of my increasing strength, and also partly the result of my increasing understanding of climbing technique (like zigging and zagging back and forth across the path to gain momentary relief and/or standing for short periods to make the crest of a climb).
Approximately 1700 verts.
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