To stand or not to stand?

[stevent]

One of the newer riders asked me, at the start of Ride Lane, whether he should stand up. I was like "err.... if you feel confident to do so yes, but not if you don't."
Anyway then in my Facebook feed this article popped up:
http://www.brake-magazine.com/how-to-stand-up-properly/
Lots of waffle before you get to the advice and some good tips there.
And so in summary in my words, you're better off standing most the time, so even as a beginner, try to get yourself up, and learn to ride the right way.
If standing up doesn't feel right, then do it on easier trails, even on the road, to get used to the feel and controls while stood up.
Bearing in mind the cons...
http://www.rideadv.com/ride-adventures- ... nding-Cons
What do others think?
Steven

[kris]

you will be less tired if you stand ... the legs transmit all the shock rather then your back (so I was told one training session)

if you watch at enduro ... the good riders are stood up ... the fast mx riders sit down ...(but then they only last 20mins til they hit a tree ...)

trials is the best training and they dont have a seat to sit on !!

[Billy]

Ideally you should stand up most of the time. This has the benefit of lowering the centre of gravity of the bike (from the seat to the footpegs) which is about the difference between a Discovery and a Ferrari but it also makes moving about on the bike easier.This is obviously very important for balance but also for traction and weighting the suspension for corners and hills etc. Saying that it can sometimes be better sat down , fast corners , deep ruts (if you might need to paddle), gnarly climbs (you may need the odd dab). But as Steven says whatever you are most comfortable with. If you are a newer rider you should try to stand as much as possible, you will soon learn when you feel more comfortable standing or seated. If you ride a KTM you will stand as much as you can because the seat is so fuc#ing uncomfortable................

[steve sharp]

Stand up as much as possible. This is one of the main things they teach at any Off Road training school.

Recommend practicing standing up on easy sections to get used to it.

Good luck!

[PippaB]

11 months reply later....yes stand as much as you can

Though 11 months earlier I would've said sit. Physically the muscles aint there at first, going from tarmac to lanes and the brain well that kind of goes into over drive, so between brain and limbs there is a continuous argument of what you meant to do and what your body can actually do.....

Personally I found it quite hard at the beginning and it wasn't til the summer time, my muscles and me were feeling a tad more confident about things.
Firstly being left handed, my muscles set up is stronger on that side and changing gear was almost impossible to stand up and change gear all at same time, so the 'up' and 'down gear mon derriere was on sat mode.

As time goes by, the body has a knack of remembering what to do when (muscle memory) and the only way of getting stronger is getting out and practising standing up as long as you can....

[MattDavies]

Having recently come back from my beginners ride with the Lovely Derek ( Raleigh Chopper ) I thought I would add my comments on this.

I feel I did a lot standing when down the BOATs while on the ride, I also did some sitting. I personally struggled with feeling unbalanced at times and I put this down to a few things:

1) My core muscle and general balance muscles aren't strong enough - I would be riding standing happily and then something would happen that would catch me off guard, I would then sit down, I put this down to not being able to control my own body weight and pull it back in line with the bike.

2) When I was riding too slow - I found that when riding slower I was wobblier, when I picked up the pace I found it easier as I had momentum on my side and it would iron out the bumps and obstacles that previously would of knocked my balance out, then (1) would happen.

3) I got caught off guard - when riding a long if it got all to technical all to quickly and I couldn't comprehend what was going on a where I was riding I defaulted to just sitting as a comfort/ known position. The more I ride the more I feel I will worry less about the smaller things and start to focus on the bigger things such as my line and be looing further ahead. On this ride I would follow Derek's lines as I was focusing on different things other then where I am going, this was enjoyable as he is not shy of the odd muddy patch or small jump

4) Riding Up or down hill - I found myself either hanging off the bars or feeling just too many forces on my body, I am sure this will come with practise although reading through a few articles it is not uncommon so sit down while ascending/descending on hills. I am sure I will have to adjust my body position for these bits of the ride.

[PippaB]

Seriously it will get better, the more you ride, the more responsibility one will take on board, there is so much to think of at the beginning, just take one step at a time and get tips from other riders and knowing when to stop.
Though before you get too carried away and start falling into bad habits really consider some basic training.

This year I went off to Tricks in the Sticks based in Kent, though riding with an injury I couldn't complete the days course, though I so want to go back.
One thing that stuck in my head was the sitting down positioning that really does help me now as we all get tired from different and more challenging terrain.
https://www.tricksinthesticks.co.uk/