WHEN IT’S OK TO RIDE IN MUD

Choose your technique and terrain, and soggy off-road cycling needn’t be a disaster – for you or the environment

Some places on Earth are covered in soil types that are hardy when wet.  Others become terribly fragile.  For some reason, it has been the inhabitants of the mainly dry, fragile-when-wet areas that have written the Universal Gospel of Mud Riding, namely: “Don’t”.  Some places are miserably slippery when wet and it retains the last tire print made like a piece of incriminating evidence.  Other places are well drained, tough and durable even in the wettest of weathers.  So what do you do?

Etiquette

o          DON’T “lens out” a puddle in a trail.  Ride right through the middle so you don’t widen the scar that the trail makes through the vegetation.  Also, riding the edge leaves no way for the hikers to get around the trail with dry feet.  We cyclists are more waterproof than they are.  (And if you’re gonna ride in the mud, you better not mind water!)

o          DON’T ride down steep, fall-line descents when the surface is saturated and weak.  You’ll leave a rut that might do the erosion thing.  Very bad.

o          DON’T lock your rear brake and skid.  This is way uncool in the dry, and worse in the wet.  Only a total skill-less idiot locks up the wheel anywhere but in a downhill race.  It’s the quickest and most offensive way to dig a rut.

o          DO ride with friends for more fun and safety.  Mud season usually coincides with short days.  A breakdown on a cold, muddy, late afternoon is even more depressing when you are without help.  Bring a friend, preferably one who always has the right tools and spares.  Remember that muddy rides are much more tiring than dry rides, so don’t try to go as far.

Equipment

o          Use the right rubber.  A good dry-land tire isn’t likely to be a good mud tire.  Avoid using tires that plug up with mud turning it into traction less slicks.  Tires of this design can mean the difference between making any progress at all and just spinning your wheels.  Also, even the best mud tires need to be run at lower air pressure (210 kPa if you can do without suffering pinch flats).

o          Fenders aren’t dumb.  There are plenty of good plastic models that will help keep you and your equipment protected.  Use them.

o          Get into a maintenance ritual.  Lube your chain before every ride, and replace the chain and sprockets frequently to avoid the ravages of chainsuck.  (A heinous occurrence in which the lower run of the chain gets jammed between the smallest chainring and right chainstay.)  Wash your bike right after every ride and don’t point the hose at the bearings.  Use a brush to get the grime off the rim sidewalls, or your brakes won’t work on the next ride.

o          Wear clothing that stays warm when wet.  This means avoiding cotton and especially not wearing a T-shirt next to your skin.  Wear the expensive, funny-looking (but effective) stuff that they sell in bike and outdoors shops – usually polypropylene, polyester blends, or fleece.  It is also recommended that you carry a wind shell for long descents.

Technique

o          Stay in the saddle on slippery ground.  Standing causes wheel spin.  Ride one gear higher than you would in the dry (again, to avoid wheel spin).  Steer by shifting your weight, not by turning the handlebar, which will cause the front wheel to wash out.

o          Try to gain some momentum before the climb.  You won’t be able to power up as many hills due to the lack of grip, so use sluggishness if you can.

o          Watch for slippery roots and rocks.  Try to float over them or at least hit them squarely.  Over inflated tires will kill you on slippery obstacles.

o          Avoid really steep descents.  Once you pick up speed in the mud, you won’t be able to get rid of it unless you hit a tree.  Remember that your rim brakes won’t be very effective when covered in mud.

o          Finally, don’t ride on muddy trails if you are damaging them to do so.  You’ll know.  Just as important, don’t condemn people who ride in the mud in areas that can tolerate it very nicely.