Free Speed: How better braking makes you faster!
The BrakeAce Method
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What does “free speed” actually mean?
To us, it means the speed that gravity wants to give you as you ride down a trail. One of the most obvious factors that affects free speed is if you are riding the brakes too much as you go down a trail. This means that we are working too hard, and so is our bike. Of course, there is more that goes into it but essentially, what anyone can tell you is that if you don’t touch the brakes as you go down a hill, you are going to pick up speed until you hit terminal velocity. Lucky for us, mountain biking trails are not just smooth, straight, fast and featureless, they have corners, drops, dips and rises, jumps, rocks, roots, etc, etc. So, it is decided that even the most skilled riders are going to need their brakes. Now that we have accepted that we need our brakes because there are things that we need to slow down for, it would be handy if we could figure out how we are currently braking so that we can see where we could improve our braking. One sure way to improve your braking is to take a mountain bike lesson and get some coaching. Now pair that coaching with some data and you are sure to improve more than just your braking, you will see overall improvements in your riding. BrakeAce will give you that data on your riding!
Step One to get Free Speed: Build Confidence by Working on the Technique
If it was as easy as just getting off of the brakes, then everyone would be crazy fast. There is a lot more to it than that. The first step is to build your confidence. We offer lessons that help with this. If you feel confident, then a lot of things fall into place. No matter what your ability, two of the most important things that are going to help you relax as you head down a trail is your ability to scan what is ahead of you while having a good and relaxed stance. We want to be relaxed because we need to be dynamic in order to let the bike move under us and stay in control rather than fight the bike down the trail while getting kicked around like crazy on the verge of crashing. We want to avoid crashing because it hurts, but is also ruins a race run, and you are increasing the risk of doing yourself a major injury if crashing is a regular thing for you.
Check out this video on what we mean by a relaxed body position.
Step Two: Know What to Focus on Improving
Getting some coaching to have an outside perspective from someone who helps other riders progress is always going to be the fastest way to identify what our work ons should be. Pair that with these BrakeAce Sensors and the BrakeAce App and you have a critical eye, paired with data from your bike, and some actionable feedback from the app that highlights the areas of a trail that you could improve on. The BrakeAce app gives you a Flow Score (the lower the better) and a bunch of other helpful info like the total duration of your braking, your brake balance, and where you are braking on the trail. Knowing these things, you can go and work on your lines and technique, to make major gains in your riding. One of the most important things it will show you is where you are missing out on this elusive free speed!
Step Three: Practice your Key Opportunities on a Trail
Now that you have your Key Opportunities, you can go and session them. As you could see in the video, looking at a piece of trail with a critical eye, and practising some fundamental skills that you may have lacked in those sections of trail, can really make a huge difference to your overall riding. In the above video, we practised using the BrakeAce Method. Get in touch about joining us for a coaching session in Rotorua.
Ride the trail (recording your braking using the sensors and App)
Session your key opportunities. Look at new lines, ways of riding the same lines breaking them down, LOOK FOR THE PLACES THAT YOU ARE ON THE BRAKES AND OFF OF THE BRAKES!
Ride the trail again. Feel and see the difference.
BrakeAce is brand new technology that has only just come out. This has been one of the best bits of kit that we have added to our coaching as the data really helps you see how and where a rider is braking. We offer BrakeAce sessions that offer coaching based on your Key Opportunities. The session with you will not only improve your Key Opportunities but it will enhance your overall riding! Get in touch to find out more and see if one of these sessions is for you. We can rent sensors to riders as an ad on to the package.
We also offer Mountain bike lesson vouchers that make the perfect gift that keeps on giving. By offering the gift of expert guidance, customized lesson packages, progression in New Zealand’s most diverse trail network in Rotorua, additional perks, and the opportunity for group experiences, you’re providing an experience that will challenge, inspire, and be very memorable. So, unleash the thrill of mountain biking and watch your loved ones embark on an exciting journey of skill development and exploration. Happy riding!
At New Zealand Mountain Biking, we run epic mountain biking tours across the scenic North Island, New Zealand. We also help riders build confidence and skills in our MTB and eMTB private lessons on the legendary Rotorua trails. If you race or you want to get into some racing and you want to improve those skills, get in touch for some lessons!
You can learn more about our trips here to book your ride today!
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