Racergirl

Hi, Melanie. First of all congratulation about Maui and sorry for my terrible english. I've started with mountain bike for a few months ( before that i've been doing road triathlon ) and i'd like to ask you one question if you don't mind: My friends every time when we are going to start a downhill course they tell me to decrease my saddle's height. ( they decrease the saddle before the downhill and after that they increase the saddle height again, what i don't think is good specially because i'm training to XTERRA and i want to get used to ride all the course without having to stop to change the saddle's height ). I ride a scott genius RC ( a full suspension bike for cross country ) and a scott scale ( hard tail )and because i have long legs the handle bar is about 1.5/2.0 inches below the saddle height ( i've done a bike fit with a professional ). Every time i fall they tell me is because of the saddle's height. I wander if they are right or it is because i don't have enough practice ( recently i started to throw my body behind the saddle in the steeper down hills to put my body weight off the front of the bike, and i realized i'm getting better at the descends ). Do you think getting a riser handle bar to the full suspension bike to ride the rough courses with the steeper downhills with my friends and keep the hard tail with a flat handle bar to XTERRA's races is a good idea or do you think i have to practice more and keep the flat bar in both bikes? Thank you very much, happy Christmas, happy New Year and best luck in 2007, Luiz.

Post edited by: lfcgatti, at: 2006/12/30 00:27

Dropping your saddle height during training rides can be helpful if it increases your confidence. Riding a descent is better than not riding it. However, it is true that you will not have time to drop your seat in a race in order to bomb a downhill.

The only time I ride with a low seat height is in the winter time on my big downhill dual suspension bike during "freeride" days. On these kinds of training days the idea is to push my limits for technical riding. On a bigger bike with pads and fattie tires and lots of suspension I can ride things that would be very difficult on my light hardtail with the seat at optimum climbing height. However, when I go back to my cross country bike, the slightly less technical stuff looks much less intimidating and I then ride more things.

Also, I choose to always ride with riser bars. I find it is more comfortable for descending. I would advise trying the riser on one or both of your bikes to see if pushing yourself slightly back and more upright improves your confidence on the downhills. I know it worked for me. I ride a big Hellbent Prorise riser bar with a 1.5" sweep on my training bike and the Titec Pluto carbon bar with the 5 degree rise while racing. I don't think you are giving up any performance racing riding a riser, which is why you see many, many pro mountain bike racers doing the same thing.

Happy training!

Mel

Thank you very much, you've helped a lot. Can I ask you one more question? I've heard some pros telling that for Maui they prefer to use a dual suspension bike because of the rocky course. Nico said at his web site that he did a wrong bike choice riding his hard tail in Maui this year. I saw at magazines that you've used a hard tail. These 2 pounds of diference in weight are really so important in terms of performance ? Thank you again, Luiz.

Post edited by: lfcgatti, at: 2006/12/30 00:28

Sorry it has taken a bit for me to get on this.... too many New Year's celebratory drinks.... oops!

Anyhow, bike choice. I have won three world _title_s on hardtail bikes and twice on the Orbea Alma. I had the fastest bike split this year on an Orbea Alma, the second fastest to Shonny Vanlandingham again on an Alma. That said, I think I would have been faster this year in Maui had I been on a dual suspension. The course in 2006 was particularly rough which meant that a dual suspension would have helped in navigating the descent and would have cushioned some shock on the climbing, which was BRUTAL. That said, my Alma has a little bit of suspension which have me just enough cush, so I had the lightest possible option with just enough suspension for me to ride smoothly and cleanly. I have pretty good skills for mountain biking which helps me when I choose a hardtail... there is less room for error when you ride without rear suspension. I see the lines that a guy like Conrad will take on his duallie and I would be conduction a yard sale if I rode it on my bike. So you have to make intelligent decisions. This year at Worlds I would back off if men were in my way on the descent to be sure I could ride cleanly. That is the trade off...

In 2007 Orbea is unveiling the carbon Oiz, which has a geometry similar to the Alma with a rear suspension platform like the scandium Oiz. I will probably choose that bike next year because I have said that Maui is a good duallie course. But, you can never hold me to that because I will bring what I hear is best for the course. No rain might mean no rocks which means hardtail again.. you never know!

Thanks again, Luiz.