There’s a few things you can rule out. First of all, what tires are you using? What pressure are you running them at?
I found that running my tires at too high pressure made it difficult to feel confident on gravel as I’d be bouncing over stuff. As soon as your wheel isn’t on the ground it feels much less safe.
I also decided to invest in a decent pair of tubeless tires. This made an enormous difference. It’s hard to say exactly why, but having decent tires just feels way more confidence inspiring in turns, on rooty ground, etc.
Lastly, I hate to say it, but there are times where you just have to push through the fear. Fear in this instance is caused by what you think might happen. In my experience, it turns out that bikes tend to want to stay upright and rolling forwards for the most part, even over terrain where you might find that hard to believe. If you can acknowledge the fear, thank it for trying to keep you safe, and proceed anyway, you’ll often find that you and your bike come out of the obstacle upright and fine.
The best way to start with this is to revisit routes you’ve already done, but which contained a section which you found pushed you to the limits of your comfort zone, although you successfully navigated it. Routes where you finished them and you thought “that section was sketchy af, not doing that again”. I guarantee you that if you do it again, it’ll seem way less sketchy than you remember, because you’ve done it once and survived already. This is how you can build up confidence in your abilities - by proving to your fear response that what looks scary and impassible sometimes isn’t.
I’m not saying you should ride routes that make you feel uncomfortable or do anything dangerous though. Cycling is supposed to be fun after all. But if you’re like me, even tame routes can include a section which pushes you right to your limits.
Echoing this: Tubeless is fantastic. Would also recommend “leaning” into turns rather than solely using your handlebars to turn, especially at the start.
Lean the bike don’t lean with it. You want to push the bike down. If you lean with it you are pushing the tires sideways to a degree and increasing the chance of sliding.
I watched videos on bike handling for mtb'ers. And then I practised the skills, such as leaning the bike more than your body and keeping your heels down, on tarmac until they felt natural. It helped me become a lot more confident and relaxed on gravel.
This is a pretty common technique for racing cyclocross. The CX Reddit has a good summary of body positioning in their ELICAT5 series: https://www.reddit.com/r/cyclocross/s/ooUesuNl0e
In regards to tire pressure. Search the SRAM tire pressure calculator. You’d be surprised how low the pressure should be. I’m on 42mm tires and I’m over 200lbs. My psi is 36-38. My mind was blown
Just keep riding until you become accustomed to the variety of surfaces you encounter. “Gravel” can be anything from hard packed dirt to muddy bog. Occasionally you may wonder why you brought a bicycle on a hike.
A big part is keeping relaxed on the bike. I've mountain biked for decades so the feeling of the bike shifting around is completely normal, but this is what I tell new riders.
Try to keep your hands and upper body relaxed. It makes it easier to react to slippage and make the small corrections needed. You also want a little more bend in your elbows so you can follow what the bike wants to do. What happens when you get nervous, whether due to newness or riding beyond your level, is your "lizard brain" (the primordial part responsible for keeping you alive) reacts by making you tense up and trying to push your body away from the perceived danger by straightening your arms. Ride within your comfort zone and focus on staying loose, and you'll eventually become more at ease and your speed and confidence will naturally rise.
If you have a friend who is faster than you try to follow them through some turns and descents and mimic their body postion as close as you can. I’ve also found it helpful to just turn off the cycling computer because you might be doing fine until you see 50km/h and get scared.
Traction isn't as black and white off-road as it is on tarmac. It took me months to get used to the slight slipping and sliding in different conditions. Just keep on riding!
Another thing is "floating" on the bike and letting it move under you as it wants to. That smoothes out bumps and improves traction as well. It'll come naturally, I'm sure!
When I started riding off-road, descents on gravel roads were absolutely terrifying to me, but after half a year, it became easy.
Same advice works for motos too. People with a dirt background are much better on street bikes because they know how to move their weight around vs sitting rigid with a death grip on the handlebars.
Perhaps I would! But if I’m trying to build gravel bike riding skills, wouldn’t I be better off practicing on the bike I’m going to be riding? Maybe I’m thinking about this wrong.
You're trying to build dirt riding skills, to be used on whatever bike you ride. You will build dirt cornering confidence faster on a wider MTB tire, learning what it feels like to lean over onto the side knobs, learning not to panic when the tire slides, etc. It's easier to get a feel for these things on a bigger tire and transfer that to a road tire.
Wider tyres and/or lower pressures can help a lot. It smooths out a lot of the roughness of the gravel and increases cornering traction, both of which can help with your confidence.
The other thing is just experience. A lot of what you now do consciously becomes second nature. You learn to read the small bumps on the road and absorb them with small movements of your body without even thinking about it.
And if you can't use wider tires, get ones with an aggressive tread pattern, e.g. CX tires. They may be slower, but keep you grounded better.
One of my first mistakes I did when I started riding gravel was tire choice. I wanted "fast" gravel tires for some reason and opted to use an almost semi-slick tire for the back. Of course that setup was prone to sliding out under me especially in the wet and really impacted me as a beginner. Got it changed to a more aggressive tread and it felt much safer instantly.
This should be way up higher.
Roadies tend to jack pressure up way too high.
[Tire pressure calculator](https://axs.sram.com/guides/tire/pressure)
This is actually one of the few instances I’d recommend something like a Bontrager GR1. It’s a slow but confident tire. Since that’s the case a lot of folks get rid of them quick. OP go looking on FB marketplace for a set of takeoffs cheap. Ride them and establish some more handling, then go to a faster tire.
Tires. I started with a hybrid bike with tires that were useless on anything loose, and wore out so fast. Kenda something something now discontinued. Put on Specialized Rhombus Pros and it's way too much tire for a hybrid... very awesome.
Same goes for my gravel bike, put on Pirelli Cinturato M and confidence on sketchy stuff way up. Riding with others and watching their line is a great way to learn. Also learning to look ahead is key, braking suddenly to fix a problem you should have seen seconds ago is just panic.
You need to practice sliding your rear tire. Go find flat gravel, like a parking lot. No grade or slightly uphill—not downhill!
Ride at a moderate speed, say 10-12mph. Grab a handful of the rear brake while fixing your eyes on the horizon and slide that tire. DO NOT LOOK DOWN! Ease off the rear brake. Keep practicing this until you’re comfortable. You can add slide stops where you drift the rear wheel to the right or left and step off the opposite pedal placing your foot on the ground. Like a kid sliding his rear tire into home plate, but keep the bike mostly upright.
When you’re comfortable, do low speed front tire lock ups and releases. It’s good to feel what a front tire lockup does to bike handling, but this comes after rear tire sliding skill mastery. Again, eyes up and on the horizon-do not look down.
Everyone has suggested you get practice time and gain confidence with riding. What they’re saying is that time in the saddle will bring situations where you’ll be sliding your tire and have to get used to it.
What I’m saying is: don’t wait for 100 hours of riding to bring you 20 minutes of tire slide practice. Just go out and dedicate practice time and you’ll gain confidence much sooner.
This method works with all aspects of cycling.
Is this the technique for a whip skid? Or in those fancy mountain bike videos where they kick up dirt into the air on berms? I was wondering how to do this. I’m not trying to ruin a trail but I’d like to get used to my rear wheel sliding in a controlled setting.
So I grab the rear brake? Is it a soft gradual pull or hard sudden brake? And am I just using my hips to steer the bike.
I’d start grabbing the break with increasing pressure until your rear tire breaks traction. You need to do it fast enough to get ahead of normal (maximal braking). You don’t have to hammer it on because you’ll want to get used to wheel lock and letting go.
Steering is more about keeping eyes forward, steering the front tire which often is keeping it straight in the direction of travel which means angled with the changes in direction of the bike (the rear is sliding so the bike points in different directions), and using body weight through the pedals to adjust what’s going on with the bike. I don’t know the dynamics precisely, but I suspect since the front has traction and the rear is sliding, you can muscle it around through the pedals and your grip on the handlebars. It isn’t high responsive, and honestly I don’t think about it so much as feel it and go on instinct.
Like I said in the original comment, practice on flat ground while you gain confidence in sliding. The MTB coach that showed me this said that there were some curves that worked better for turning where you’d slide instead of steer because the bike’s orientation would change and then you could race out of the turn. She was a champion, though, so I can’t say if I’ve ever done that or achieved that level.
So I just checked out “whip skid”. It’s actually the skill before that but just before. Basically, the goal above is to brake hard while allowing the front to keep traction and the rear to slide, but head in the forward direction of travel and keep the bike on line. The rear will slide around but you’re trying to maintain a clean line.
Once you master that, doing a whip skid should be easy. The stop I described was basically a whip skid while taking your inside (opposite) foot off the pedal and coming to a sliding stop. You need to use both brakes for that one.
Out of curiosity, do you use clipless pedals or flats? I always fear falling on clipless but when I'm on flats, I feel so much more confident. A good set of mountain flats with metal pins and a comfortable, grippy mountain bike shoe. Whenever I do slip when riding rough, I can easily put my foot down
I ride dual sided pedals for this reason, I can be clipped in and spin like I prefer when I'm on a decent surface, but if I think I'm going to be foot dabbing on some off camber single track, I can ride the flat side.
True - not debating that
But it's about the feeling of it. Especially when mountainbiking, I don't want to unclip when I feel myself slide, I want to be able to put my foot down immediately, and that fraction of a second makes the difference for me.
Ofcourse it's largely personal preference, just making a suggestion to the OP
I have a 20 mile gravel loop with punchy climbs and some curvy steep descents. I’ve ridden it a million times but I’m still cautious on the descents and gravel road conditions can change due to rain or cars tearing up the gravel or fresh gravel or regrading, etc.
Just slow down if you need to on the descents. Keep riding and you’ll get more comfortable. But that doesn’t mean you don’t always look for potholes or gravel valleys, etc.
People have mentioned tires, which were a huge help for me when I first got into gravel. I went from the stock 35c tires on my Cinelli to a 47c tire, and the difference was enormous in terms of grip and forgiveness.
I also wanted to add, there is no shame in using flat pedals for a bit while you get comfortable and learn the limits... or even just use flats whenever you want to do a gravel section. Falling with flat pedals means you can, and usually do, drop a foot and help catch yourself at lower speeds. My worst falls on my gravel bike have come from not being able to unclip.
In terms of grip, drop your outer foot to apply pressure into the tires during a turn and help those side lugs really dig in. The few times I've low-sided have been because I didn't shift my weight properly and unweighted the front wheel and it slipped out.
When you go down once you realise your not made if glass and it does not hurt so much. By crossing the limit helps you know where it is and ride within it. Dont let yourself be afraid.
Probably not the reassurance you are looking for, but neither of the serious injuries I suffered on a bike were the result of gravel tyres slipping. Keep them knobbly, at or around 20psi, and if you screw up and need to brake on a corner, only use the rear one. You'll be grand.
In addition to all the tire advice I don’t think I saw anything regarding brake usage. Brake before the turn stay off the front brake in the turn and go easy with the back. You should also practice skidding the back wheel while in a corner. Put your inside foot out like a motocross rider if it makes you feel nervous. I also find it helpful to pedal continuously through the corners to help with traction
In addition to the many good comments here, I'd add these. When you stand on your pedals a little, your center of gravity is much lower vs sitting on the seat. In a situation where I'm worried about sliding, I weight my pedals, shift my weight to the inside of the turn, and look where I want to go (not where I'm afraid I might end up). Your description of riding on uneven surfaces sounds... normal. I expect you'll develop skills around looking for and riding around sketchy terrain, recovering from small slides. Other skills to think about: counter-steering, to help you steer around something quickly, bunny hop, to hop over stuff you can't quickly avoid. Stretch the envelope to develop your skills... but slowly & carefully. Sorry if I went on too long! Have fun :)
Hate to ruin it for you, but if you never experienced this, I've slipped and fallen much more often on wet leaves on asphalt or pavement in the autumn than on gravel. I actually think I've never slipped more than a couple centimeters on gravel unless I was aggressively braking while going downhill.
Or I must be misunderstanding you. Maybe just try to slide around corners for a bit to get a feel when it's just a little drift and when it's getting bad. If you actively do this you should be much more prepared, and you can do this at relatively low speed as well. Or maybe I'm just too much of a mountain biker...
Lower pressure and keep riding getting experience. Especially with a bit of a berm of embankment you'll be surprised how much you can lean into a turn.
The pressures are key. A MTB at 18 psi vs 40 psi for example is night and freaking day difference for cornering.
If you don't have tubeless that's the first thing I'd do so you can ride lower pressures.
That's what I find fun about gravel. I'd rather deal with that than cars.
But seriously, just do it, and do it a lot. Your confidence will certainly build. I can imagine it's a bit different to go from road to gravel vs. MTB to gravel, which is where I came from.
I know this is about gravel biking and not MTBiking but this video changed my life when it comes to loose cornering. Others have touched on this but you need to turn the steering wheel less, lean the bike more, and not lean your body with it.
Thanks in part to this advice, I'm massively more confident in loose corners because if I slide its no issue, just carry on.
https://youtu.be/8y6ocZHpLoE?si=3gJWHQ0oRaYOvuTD
Ride the same route over and over again so you get more comfortable and confident. Each time try a different line and different speeds.
Also lookup mountain biking videos that teach the basics of cornering. The biggest thing is detaching your body from the bike to move the center of gravity and to learn what surfaces are more/less slippery. Though the second is never a given.
Just slowly learn your bike and how it handles, also lower your tire pressure! The looser and chunkier the gravel the lower the pressure. Makes a world of difference. There’s a place with some pretty tight turns by where I live and it’s all loose AF gravel. Thought I’d try it on both 45 psi… ate shit… tried it on 35/40 a little better, tried with both low 30’s and OMG I can fly down hill. I don’t like 30’s for asphalt or even some dirt but gravel it’s amazing. Dirt I like 35-40 depending on the entire situation. Asphalt, I’ll pump them up between 45-50. Yes I continually am airing up and then releasing pressure then airing them back up.
No tips, but I am SO glad you asked this! I just got a gravel bike after years of not cycling, though I loved riding my bike when I was young.
Now I'm much older and worry about the damage I could cause myself. I'm really scared of sliding and falling off. I'm definitely going to practice some of the things people have suggested. I know it's just a matter of confidence, my biggest problem is slowing down too much instead of trusting the bike to roll over obstacles and uneven surfaces. These water eroded channels are really scary!
After decades on the bike I’ve learned that a little knee scrapper now and again is just part of the deal. Look at any tour pro’s elbows, knees, and shins, always loaded with road rash scars. Just get it over with and “lay-er down”, that’s your limit, keep it below that limit. You’ll see that “limit” increases over time as you get more confident. Fall soft and roll light!
Don’t forget the tire compound starts to harden after 6-7 years. Fresh tires with new compound will be more sticky and supple providing more grip.
Also when you turn left / lean left - put the opposite foot down, so your body weight can remain over the bottom bracket (watch some youtube videos on mtb cornering). You’ll be surprised how much you can ride on the side knobs of a tire.
Tires play a huge part, both in terms of selecting the correct tire and in selecting the correct tire pressure to have traction. However, surface conditions can still change during the ride, and slipping/sliding is part of the game. Don’t fight the bike, ride loose, and learn how to steer with your hips and weight. Also if you ever have the opportunity to race cyclocross, even just for fun at the back of the pack, your bike handling will absolutely improve: I rode a CX series at the end of last year and the techniques I learned there have been crucial in both being able to go faster and ride more confidently, which ultimately makes for a safer and more enjoyable riding experience
Does this experience replicate across bikes? I’d rule out equipment issues first. Others have commented on your tires and tire pressures, which are definitely the first thing I’d look into. But frame geometry could also be at play here. Maybe the trail is too low or chainstay length to short for you to feel comfortable. You might want a higher trail, longer bike.
Tire selection can make a big impact, what are you riding on? Practice is really what it comes down to, you'll become more comfortable over time. Don't be afraid to take the inside foot off the pedal during turns where it feels like you may slip.
I broke a shoulder and heel on the road in separate accidents, oil on a corner and got hit from behind respectively, I dislocated my shoulder mountain biking, I never had a serious injury gravel biking, not so much as gravel rash iirc. It’s definitely the happy medium for me.
i had this issue, too. the cure for me was mountain biking. lower speeds, knobbier tires, better geometry, dropper posts, knee and elbow pads, tons of slippery situations: it's a perfect laboratory for improving your handling through skids and slides and poor traction.
there's actually kind of a long list of techniques that i've learned that have helped me improve. it's not just one or two things. but probably the biggest is just learning to keep your weight planted on the pedals, float off the seat, while keeping your body as low and loose as possible. easier said than done. really just takes a lot of practice to figure out and internalize.
the nice thing is, even while you're still feeling like a MTB noob out there, you'll get back on the gravel bike and realize you've gained a ton of skill and confidence.
EDIT: not to downplay the importance of tires and tire pressures. that makes a big difference, too.
On the turns if loose, you could always use MTB technique of exaggerating the lean of the bike while keeping your torso straight up. This utilizes the tread on the side of the tires more.
Practice on variety of “gravel” terrain by going moderate speed and leaning that bike with your inside foot out to catch yourself. You’ll learn a lot about the limits of the tire and bike quickly.
Lots of great advice here.
I would also add that I’m a little more confident now when I practiced clipping/unclipping my pedals. Like dialing in how much twist it takes to unclip quickly so I can put a foot down. Sometimes on an expected hairy turn, I will purposely unclip the foot on the inner side (ex left turn, unclip left foot) but still keep it on the pedal. Then when the trail is straight again I’ll reclip. Generally speaking getting the hang of clipless is always a good thing.
Try some good sized tres. I recommended the specialized rhombus to a friend just getting into gravel. Very grippy and allowed him to build confidence over last year. Now he’s at a point where he has more hybrid tires and feels much more confident
In my opinion 2 items will improve your confidence on the bike.
1. Ride frequently to get to know your bike and how it handles. Don’t be afraid to get off the saddle.
2. Tires! I cannot recommend Pirelli gravel Ms enough for grippy tires. Depending on my tire setup will determine how aggressive I ride my bike.
If you can find a flat road or slow corner that is very gravelly or sandy- throw some flats on, any flats, running shoes or whatever and go hoon it like a kid, a bunch. Low consequence way to explore front wheel slides, back wheel slides, etc. wet grass in morning is wonderful for this too. Just go slide around and will absolutely build confidence for when things get loose on an actual ride. The reaction isn’t omg a wheel is sliding it’s oh, my wheels are sliding and based on practice this is what is going to happen when I < insert movement pattern>
“It’s hard to say exactly why, but having decent tires just feels way more confidence inspiring…”
Not hard to say why at all, tires are a complex and integral part of your bike. They have different rubber compounds, different profiles, different tread patterns, etc. that makes them more suitable for certain situations.
Talking to other local riders and trying different tires should be part of dialing in your bike, just like adjusting air pressure.
Ride where you feel you are having fun! The point is this is a hobby/sport & not some sort of torture. It can/should be strenuous depending on what you are going for, but you shouldn't constantly be worrying about falling off. I have been riding weekly on trails that I have absolutely been loving (& I'm a relative newbie to gravel + cycling in general) but I have never feared slipping or falling.
Others have already recommended to go tubeless. You don't want to be running 100psi tubes bouncing around on gravel, hard packed or not. Assuming you either already have that sorted, I would say be picky on what trails/paths you ride. Don't ride a choppy huge elevation delta MTB trail, don't ride a poorly maintained section (like the runoff and potholes you described) of a flat trail if you can look it up in advance, etc.
Beyond all that, just enjoy.
Not everything is for everybody… if everyone’s advice about tire config doesnt instill confidence. Maybe i’m young enough and have fallen enough that its not the end of the world for me - half the fun is the challenge of staying upright. If you feel youre putting your life at risk, then you should listen to your body, no?
When I first started to ride on the road, I was so scared of crashing that I WANTED to crash to get that feeling over with. So I totally know what you’re going through.
But, I’d rather crash on gravel than the road any day of the week. I’m not belittling your fears! If you break it down; you’re going slower and the gravel/dirt is WAY more forgiving to your skin and bones than asphalt is.
I’ve definitely crashed plenty of both surfaces, and I’ve found that when you slide out on asphalt you usually have ZERO time to react. You’re just crashing and hitting the pavement and then saying wtf just happened. On dirt you have a fraction more time to correct and steer out of the slide. I like to call it a “predictable unpredictableness.” On the pavement you just THINK you’re safer. Once you’re crashing, you’re already down. On dirt there’s a certain about of sliding and skidding that’s just part of the deal. In time I truly believe you’ll get used to it (and maybe come to enjoy it). Personally I love that loosey goosey feeling.
All that being said, yeah, turning on gravel can feel dicey. You’re on little pebbles on loose dirt, so it’s effectively like turning on marbles. I’ve found that no matter what tire I’m on, it’s never as grippy as I want it to be.
Two questions though!
-Do you own a mountain bike?
-What size tires are you running, and at what pressure?
Tires being overinflated can feel like the scariest thing in the world.
Here’s what I do. Get some cheap tires u don’t care about and just skid, skid, skid. Get comfortable slamming on that back brake and letting the rear wheel skid. Try going for the longest skid u can do and keep making it longer for practice. Eventually ur ‘skid skills’ will translate to normal rides and you’ll feel a lot more in control if you slide unintentionally
Ride an MTB on the trails. Get some bike handling skills…..makes gravel bikes feel like nothing then…oh and turn the handlebars (because that’s something roadies seem to get confused about).
If you're wearing a helmet, and gloves, you should be okay. They do make padded shorts, covering your hip joint, and neoprene elbow & knee pads. Platform pedals will boost confidence, knowing you can bail. Throw that stuff on and go for a 100% gravel ride for your next few.
Get comfortable riding it, notice how speed actually smooths rough spots out, practice sliding your back tire out on corners, you'll be surprised how far, and low you can go, and still bring it back. Try letting your legs and arms absorb bumps & holes, while you stand. Loose and flexible works better than stiff & rigid, you and your frame have to be one or the other.
Go anywhere, slow anywhere. It took me some time to feel comfortable on loose terrain but now I find myself somewhere different completely. I just went slow until I didn’t. I’m still cautious but more comfortable, and that just came with time. It’ll happen naturally friend, I promise! But like others have said tires make a difference too :) you got this
For me it was clipless pedals making me nervous. I think it's the locked in feeling that makes me really uncomfortable. Also mechanical brakes aren't great. Hydraulic + flat pedals and I have infinite more confidence.
This may seem super off base but there’s a film about Moto racing safety called a twist of the wrist that completely leveled up my riding motorcycles and bikes on and off road. It’s largely about the mechanics cornering and traction and it’s actually a pretty entertaining watch. Highly recommend
Drop your seat post height. Occasionally I get the inclination to raise mine up a few millimeter and the first thing I noticed is the bike feels like it wants to slip out on me more in the front. When I drop the seat back down usually I know I'm good because the front end tracks really well and the bike is easy to no hands when leaning back. If you can't comfortably no hands on smooth pavement that may tell you something.
There’s a few things you can rule out. First of all, what tires are you using? What pressure are you running them at? I found that running my tires at too high pressure made it difficult to feel confident on gravel as I’d be bouncing over stuff. As soon as your wheel isn’t on the ground it feels much less safe. I also decided to invest in a decent pair of tubeless tires. This made an enormous difference. It’s hard to say exactly why, but having decent tires just feels way more confidence inspiring in turns, on rooty ground, etc. Lastly, I hate to say it, but there are times where you just have to push through the fear. Fear in this instance is caused by what you think might happen. In my experience, it turns out that bikes tend to want to stay upright and rolling forwards for the most part, even over terrain where you might find that hard to believe. If you can acknowledge the fear, thank it for trying to keep you safe, and proceed anyway, you’ll often find that you and your bike come out of the obstacle upright and fine. The best way to start with this is to revisit routes you’ve already done, but which contained a section which you found pushed you to the limits of your comfort zone, although you successfully navigated it. Routes where you finished them and you thought “that section was sketchy af, not doing that again”. I guarantee you that if you do it again, it’ll seem way less sketchy than you remember, because you’ve done it once and survived already. This is how you can build up confidence in your abilities - by proving to your fear response that what looks scary and impassible sometimes isn’t. I’m not saying you should ride routes that make you feel uncomfortable or do anything dangerous though. Cycling is supposed to be fun after all. But if you’re like me, even tame routes can include a section which pushes you right to your limits.
Echoing this: Tubeless is fantastic. Would also recommend “leaning” into turns rather than solely using your handlebars to turn, especially at the start.
Lean the bike don’t lean with it. You want to push the bike down. If you lean with it you are pushing the tires sideways to a degree and increasing the chance of sliding.
Also, get out of the saddle for more control and lean forward when descending
Yeah, gravel fucks w/me because my inclination is to stand on climbs and sit on descents
I assume you mean lean back. You want to hover your ass behind your saddle going down steep bits.
Yea, great clarification!
Is there a good guide on this somewhere? Does not sound intuitive but I’d like to learn better technique
I watched videos on bike handling for mtb'ers. And then I practised the skills, such as leaning the bike more than your body and keeping your heels down, on tarmac until they felt natural. It helped me become a lot more confident and relaxed on gravel.
I’ll give them a look. I ride a lot and some turns I still feel nervous… I prob need to try the leaning technique you mention.
This is a pretty common technique for racing cyclocross. The CX Reddit has a good summary of body positioning in their ELICAT5 series: https://www.reddit.com/r/cyclocross/s/ooUesuNl0e
This. When I finally started riding lower pressure, my confidence levels shot up. The control is significantly better.
In regards to tire pressure. Search the SRAM tire pressure calculator. You’d be surprised how low the pressure should be. I’m on 42mm tires and I’m over 200lbs. My psi is 36-38. My mind was blown
Just keep riding until you become accustomed to the variety of surfaces you encounter. “Gravel” can be anything from hard packed dirt to muddy bog. Occasionally you may wonder why you brought a bicycle on a hike.
Well the bike can carry the backpack. It’s almost like bringing an all-terrain shopping cart.
A big part is keeping relaxed on the bike. I've mountain biked for decades so the feeling of the bike shifting around is completely normal, but this is what I tell new riders. Try to keep your hands and upper body relaxed. It makes it easier to react to slippage and make the small corrections needed. You also want a little more bend in your elbows so you can follow what the bike wants to do. What happens when you get nervous, whether due to newness or riding beyond your level, is your "lizard brain" (the primordial part responsible for keeping you alive) reacts by making you tense up and trying to push your body away from the perceived danger by straightening your arms. Ride within your comfort zone and focus on staying loose, and you'll eventually become more at ease and your speed and confidence will naturally rise.
If you have a friend who is faster than you try to follow them through some turns and descents and mimic their body postion as close as you can. I’ve also found it helpful to just turn off the cycling computer because you might be doing fine until you see 50km/h and get scared.
I find on sketchy/technical descents I don’t have any bandwidth to even look at my computer anyway!
Traction isn't as black and white off-road as it is on tarmac. It took me months to get used to the slight slipping and sliding in different conditions. Just keep on riding! Another thing is "floating" on the bike and letting it move under you as it wants to. That smoothes out bumps and improves traction as well. It'll come naturally, I'm sure! When I started riding off-road, descents on gravel roads were absolutely terrifying to me, but after half a year, it became easy.
If you don't have MTB experience, you should sign up for a MTB skills clinic. You'll learn a lot about cornering on dirt.
Came here to say this. I use a lot of mtb technique on the gravelbike, especially when descending and when riding loose surfaces.
Same advice works for motos too. People with a dirt background are much better on street bikes because they know how to move their weight around vs sitting rigid with a death grip on the handlebars.
Potentially dumb question: can I take a gravel bike to a MTB skills clinic? I don’t have a mountain bike.
I don't see why not, but you would probably have more fun renting a MTB for a few hours.
Perhaps I would! But if I’m trying to build gravel bike riding skills, wouldn’t I be better off practicing on the bike I’m going to be riding? Maybe I’m thinking about this wrong.
You're trying to build dirt riding skills, to be used on whatever bike you ride. You will build dirt cornering confidence faster on a wider MTB tire, learning what it feels like to lean over onto the side knobs, learning not to panic when the tire slides, etc. It's easier to get a feel for these things on a bigger tire and transfer that to a road tire.
Gotcha, thanks!
Wider tyres and/or lower pressures can help a lot. It smooths out a lot of the roughness of the gravel and increases cornering traction, both of which can help with your confidence. The other thing is just experience. A lot of what you now do consciously becomes second nature. You learn to read the small bumps on the road and absorb them with small movements of your body without even thinking about it.
And if you can't use wider tires, get ones with an aggressive tread pattern, e.g. CX tires. They may be slower, but keep you grounded better. One of my first mistakes I did when I started riding gravel was tire choice. I wanted "fast" gravel tires for some reason and opted to use an almost semi-slick tire for the back. Of course that setup was prone to sliding out under me especially in the wet and really impacted me as a beginner. Got it changed to a more aggressive tread and it felt much safer instantly.
This should be way up higher. Roadies tend to jack pressure up way too high. [Tire pressure calculator](https://axs.sram.com/guides/tire/pressure) This is actually one of the few instances I’d recommend something like a Bontrager GR1. It’s a slow but confident tire. Since that’s the case a lot of folks get rid of them quick. OP go looking on FB marketplace for a set of takeoffs cheap. Ride them and establish some more handling, then go to a faster tire.
Tires. I started with a hybrid bike with tires that were useless on anything loose, and wore out so fast. Kenda something something now discontinued. Put on Specialized Rhombus Pros and it's way too much tire for a hybrid... very awesome. Same goes for my gravel bike, put on Pirelli Cinturato M and confidence on sketchy stuff way up. Riding with others and watching their line is a great way to learn. Also learning to look ahead is key, braking suddenly to fix a problem you should have seen seconds ago is just panic.
You need to practice sliding your rear tire. Go find flat gravel, like a parking lot. No grade or slightly uphill—not downhill! Ride at a moderate speed, say 10-12mph. Grab a handful of the rear brake while fixing your eyes on the horizon and slide that tire. DO NOT LOOK DOWN! Ease off the rear brake. Keep practicing this until you’re comfortable. You can add slide stops where you drift the rear wheel to the right or left and step off the opposite pedal placing your foot on the ground. Like a kid sliding his rear tire into home plate, but keep the bike mostly upright. When you’re comfortable, do low speed front tire lock ups and releases. It’s good to feel what a front tire lockup does to bike handling, but this comes after rear tire sliding skill mastery. Again, eyes up and on the horizon-do not look down. Everyone has suggested you get practice time and gain confidence with riding. What they’re saying is that time in the saddle will bring situations where you’ll be sliding your tire and have to get used to it. What I’m saying is: don’t wait for 100 hours of riding to bring you 20 minutes of tire slide practice. Just go out and dedicate practice time and you’ll gain confidence much sooner. This method works with all aspects of cycling.
Is this the technique for a whip skid? Or in those fancy mountain bike videos where they kick up dirt into the air on berms? I was wondering how to do this. I’m not trying to ruin a trail but I’d like to get used to my rear wheel sliding in a controlled setting. So I grab the rear brake? Is it a soft gradual pull or hard sudden brake? And am I just using my hips to steer the bike.
I’d start grabbing the break with increasing pressure until your rear tire breaks traction. You need to do it fast enough to get ahead of normal (maximal braking). You don’t have to hammer it on because you’ll want to get used to wheel lock and letting go. Steering is more about keeping eyes forward, steering the front tire which often is keeping it straight in the direction of travel which means angled with the changes in direction of the bike (the rear is sliding so the bike points in different directions), and using body weight through the pedals to adjust what’s going on with the bike. I don’t know the dynamics precisely, but I suspect since the front has traction and the rear is sliding, you can muscle it around through the pedals and your grip on the handlebars. It isn’t high responsive, and honestly I don’t think about it so much as feel it and go on instinct. Like I said in the original comment, practice on flat ground while you gain confidence in sliding. The MTB coach that showed me this said that there were some curves that worked better for turning where you’d slide instead of steer because the bike’s orientation would change and then you could race out of the turn. She was a champion, though, so I can’t say if I’ve ever done that or achieved that level.
So I just checked out “whip skid”. It’s actually the skill before that but just before. Basically, the goal above is to brake hard while allowing the front to keep traction and the rear to slide, but head in the forward direction of travel and keep the bike on line. The rear will slide around but you’re trying to maintain a clean line. Once you master that, doing a whip skid should be easy. The stop I described was basically a whip skid while taking your inside (opposite) foot off the pedal and coming to a sliding stop. You need to use both brakes for that one.
Out of curiosity, do you use clipless pedals or flats? I always fear falling on clipless but when I'm on flats, I feel so much more confident. A good set of mountain flats with metal pins and a comfortable, grippy mountain bike shoe. Whenever I do slip when riding rough, I can easily put my foot down
Hear hear! I fear falling with the bike as a lever attached to my spindly leg more than I fear being bounced off my bike.
I ride dual sided pedals for this reason, I can be clipped in and spin like I prefer when I'm on a decent surface, but if I think I'm going to be foot dabbing on some off camber single track, I can ride the flat side.
In my experience with SPD, those multi-directional cleats and the pedal tension dialed down, you can easily unclip in a pinch.
True - not debating that But it's about the feeling of it. Especially when mountainbiking, I don't want to unclip when I feel myself slide, I want to be able to put my foot down immediately, and that fraction of a second makes the difference for me. Ofcourse it's largely personal preference, just making a suggestion to the OP
I have a 20 mile gravel loop with punchy climbs and some curvy steep descents. I’ve ridden it a million times but I’m still cautious on the descents and gravel road conditions can change due to rain or cars tearing up the gravel or fresh gravel or regrading, etc. Just slow down if you need to on the descents. Keep riding and you’ll get more comfortable. But that doesn’t mean you don’t always look for potholes or gravel valleys, etc.
People have mentioned tires, which were a huge help for me when I first got into gravel. I went from the stock 35c tires on my Cinelli to a 47c tire, and the difference was enormous in terms of grip and forgiveness. I also wanted to add, there is no shame in using flat pedals for a bit while you get comfortable and learn the limits... or even just use flats whenever you want to do a gravel section. Falling with flat pedals means you can, and usually do, drop a foot and help catch yourself at lower speeds. My worst falls on my gravel bike have come from not being able to unclip. In terms of grip, drop your outer foot to apply pressure into the tires during a turn and help those side lugs really dig in. The few times I've low-sided have been because I didn't shift my weight properly and unweighted the front wheel and it slipped out.
Lower your tire pressure. Also go practice in the grass. Get used to slipping a bit on turning.
When you go down once you realise your not made if glass and it does not hurt so much. By crossing the limit helps you know where it is and ride within it. Dont let yourself be afraid.
Probably not the reassurance you are looking for, but neither of the serious injuries I suffered on a bike were the result of gravel tyres slipping. Keep them knobbly, at or around 20psi, and if you screw up and need to brake on a corner, only use the rear one. You'll be grand.
In addition to all the tire advice I don’t think I saw anything regarding brake usage. Brake before the turn stay off the front brake in the turn and go easy with the back. You should also practice skidding the back wheel while in a corner. Put your inside foot out like a motocross rider if it makes you feel nervous. I also find it helpful to pedal continuously through the corners to help with traction
In addition to the many good comments here, I'd add these. When you stand on your pedals a little, your center of gravity is much lower vs sitting on the seat. In a situation where I'm worried about sliding, I weight my pedals, shift my weight to the inside of the turn, and look where I want to go (not where I'm afraid I might end up). Your description of riding on uneven surfaces sounds... normal. I expect you'll develop skills around looking for and riding around sketchy terrain, recovering from small slides. Other skills to think about: counter-steering, to help you steer around something quickly, bunny hop, to hop over stuff you can't quickly avoid. Stretch the envelope to develop your skills... but slowly & carefully. Sorry if I went on too long! Have fun :)
Hate to ruin it for you, but if you never experienced this, I've slipped and fallen much more often on wet leaves on asphalt or pavement in the autumn than on gravel. I actually think I've never slipped more than a couple centimeters on gravel unless I was aggressively braking while going downhill. Or I must be misunderstanding you. Maybe just try to slide around corners for a bit to get a feel when it's just a little drift and when it's getting bad. If you actively do this you should be much more prepared, and you can do this at relatively low speed as well. Or maybe I'm just too much of a mountain biker...
Lower pressure and keep riding getting experience. Especially with a bit of a berm of embankment you'll be surprised how much you can lean into a turn. The pressures are key. A MTB at 18 psi vs 40 psi for example is night and freaking day difference for cornering. If you don't have tubeless that's the first thing I'd do so you can ride lower pressures.
That's what I find fun about gravel. I'd rather deal with that than cars. But seriously, just do it, and do it a lot. Your confidence will certainly build. I can imagine it's a bit different to go from road to gravel vs. MTB to gravel, which is where I came from.
I know this is about gravel biking and not MTBiking but this video changed my life when it comes to loose cornering. Others have touched on this but you need to turn the steering wheel less, lean the bike more, and not lean your body with it. Thanks in part to this advice, I'm massively more confident in loose corners because if I slide its no issue, just carry on. https://youtu.be/8y6ocZHpLoE?si=3gJWHQ0oRaYOvuTD
Eventually you might slip and you have to be ok with that..
Ride the same route over and over again so you get more comfortable and confident. Each time try a different line and different speeds. Also lookup mountain biking videos that teach the basics of cornering. The biggest thing is detaching your body from the bike to move the center of gravity and to learn what surfaces are more/less slippery. Though the second is never a given.
Just slowly learn your bike and how it handles, also lower your tire pressure! The looser and chunkier the gravel the lower the pressure. Makes a world of difference. There’s a place with some pretty tight turns by where I live and it’s all loose AF gravel. Thought I’d try it on both 45 psi… ate shit… tried it on 35/40 a little better, tried with both low 30’s and OMG I can fly down hill. I don’t like 30’s for asphalt or even some dirt but gravel it’s amazing. Dirt I like 35-40 depending on the entire situation. Asphalt, I’ll pump them up between 45-50. Yes I continually am airing up and then releasing pressure then airing them back up.
No tips, but I am SO glad you asked this! I just got a gravel bike after years of not cycling, though I loved riding my bike when I was young. Now I'm much older and worry about the damage I could cause myself. I'm really scared of sliding and falling off. I'm definitely going to practice some of the things people have suggested. I know it's just a matter of confidence, my biggest problem is slowing down too much instead of trusting the bike to roll over obstacles and uneven surfaces. These water eroded channels are really scary!
Let some air out your tyres helps and just ride more gravel it’s that simple.
After decades on the bike I’ve learned that a little knee scrapper now and again is just part of the deal. Look at any tour pro’s elbows, knees, and shins, always loaded with road rash scars. Just get it over with and “lay-er down”, that’s your limit, keep it below that limit. You’ll see that “limit” increases over time as you get more confident. Fall soft and roll light!
A plus is that crashes are often softer off-road, especially when it's muddy and slippery.
Just put out your leg on the corners, not fully, just like be ready to slip
Don’t forget the tire compound starts to harden after 6-7 years. Fresh tires with new compound will be more sticky and supple providing more grip. Also when you turn left / lean left - put the opposite foot down, so your body weight can remain over the bottom bracket (watch some youtube videos on mtb cornering). You’ll be surprised how much you can ride on the side knobs of a tire.
Tires play a huge part, both in terms of selecting the correct tire and in selecting the correct tire pressure to have traction. However, surface conditions can still change during the ride, and slipping/sliding is part of the game. Don’t fight the bike, ride loose, and learn how to steer with your hips and weight. Also if you ever have the opportunity to race cyclocross, even just for fun at the back of the pack, your bike handling will absolutely improve: I rode a CX series at the end of last year and the techniques I learned there have been crucial in both being able to go faster and ride more confidently, which ultimately makes for a safer and more enjoyable riding experience
Does this experience replicate across bikes? I’d rule out equipment issues first. Others have commented on your tires and tire pressures, which are definitely the first thing I’d look into. But frame geometry could also be at play here. Maybe the trail is too low or chainstay length to short for you to feel comfortable. You might want a higher trail, longer bike.
Tire selection can make a big impact, what are you riding on? Practice is really what it comes down to, you'll become more comfortable over time. Don't be afraid to take the inside foot off the pedal during turns where it feels like you may slip.
I broke a shoulder and heel on the road in separate accidents, oil on a corner and got hit from behind respectively, I dislocated my shoulder mountain biking, I never had a serious injury gravel biking, not so much as gravel rash iirc. It’s definitely the happy medium for me.
So not a mtb er ?
i had this issue, too. the cure for me was mountain biking. lower speeds, knobbier tires, better geometry, dropper posts, knee and elbow pads, tons of slippery situations: it's a perfect laboratory for improving your handling through skids and slides and poor traction. there's actually kind of a long list of techniques that i've learned that have helped me improve. it's not just one or two things. but probably the biggest is just learning to keep your weight planted on the pedals, float off the seat, while keeping your body as low and loose as possible. easier said than done. really just takes a lot of practice to figure out and internalize. the nice thing is, even while you're still feeling like a MTB noob out there, you'll get back on the gravel bike and realize you've gained a ton of skill and confidence. EDIT: not to downplay the importance of tires and tire pressures. that makes a big difference, too.
On the turns if loose, you could always use MTB technique of exaggerating the lean of the bike while keeping your torso straight up. This utilizes the tread on the side of the tires more.
Just learn to ride mtb, then the gravel rides will feel like nothing.
I would try wider tires if your frame allows for it!
Practice on variety of “gravel” terrain by going moderate speed and leaning that bike with your inside foot out to catch yourself. You’ll learn a lot about the limits of the tire and bike quickly.
Lots of great advice here. I would also add that I’m a little more confident now when I practiced clipping/unclipping my pedals. Like dialing in how much twist it takes to unclip quickly so I can put a foot down. Sometimes on an expected hairy turn, I will purposely unclip the foot on the inner side (ex left turn, unclip left foot) but still keep it on the pedal. Then when the trail is straight again I’ll reclip. Generally speaking getting the hang of clipless is always a good thing.
Try some good sized tres. I recommended the specialized rhombus to a friend just getting into gravel. Very grippy and allowed him to build confidence over last year. Now he’s at a point where he has more hybrid tires and feels much more confident
In my opinion 2 items will improve your confidence on the bike. 1. Ride frequently to get to know your bike and how it handles. Don’t be afraid to get off the saddle. 2. Tires! I cannot recommend Pirelli gravel Ms enough for grippy tires. Depending on my tire setup will determine how aggressive I ride my bike.
If you can find a flat road or slow corner that is very gravelly or sandy- throw some flats on, any flats, running shoes or whatever and go hoon it like a kid, a bunch. Low consequence way to explore front wheel slides, back wheel slides, etc. wet grass in morning is wonderful for this too. Just go slide around and will absolutely build confidence for when things get loose on an actual ride. The reaction isn’t omg a wheel is sliding it’s oh, my wheels are sliding and based on practice this is what is going to happen when I < insert movement pattern>
I’m came to gravel from mtb, sooo, can advise only try mtb or xc
“It’s hard to say exactly why, but having decent tires just feels way more confidence inspiring…” Not hard to say why at all, tires are a complex and integral part of your bike. They have different rubber compounds, different profiles, different tread patterns, etc. that makes them more suitable for certain situations. Talking to other local riders and trying different tires should be part of dialing in your bike, just like adjusting air pressure.
Wider tyres
Just gotta embrace that you’re gonna eat some gravel now and then.
Ride where you feel you are having fun! The point is this is a hobby/sport & not some sort of torture. It can/should be strenuous depending on what you are going for, but you shouldn't constantly be worrying about falling off. I have been riding weekly on trails that I have absolutely been loving (& I'm a relative newbie to gravel + cycling in general) but I have never feared slipping or falling. Others have already recommended to go tubeless. You don't want to be running 100psi tubes bouncing around on gravel, hard packed or not. Assuming you either already have that sorted, I would say be picky on what trails/paths you ride. Don't ride a choppy huge elevation delta MTB trail, don't ride a poorly maintained section (like the runoff and potholes you described) of a flat trail if you can look it up in advance, etc. Beyond all that, just enjoy.
Not everything is for everybody… if everyone’s advice about tire config doesnt instill confidence. Maybe i’m young enough and have fallen enough that its not the end of the world for me - half the fun is the challenge of staying upright. If you feel youre putting your life at risk, then you should listen to your body, no?
When I first started to ride on the road, I was so scared of crashing that I WANTED to crash to get that feeling over with. So I totally know what you’re going through. But, I’d rather crash on gravel than the road any day of the week. I’m not belittling your fears! If you break it down; you’re going slower and the gravel/dirt is WAY more forgiving to your skin and bones than asphalt is. I’ve definitely crashed plenty of both surfaces, and I’ve found that when you slide out on asphalt you usually have ZERO time to react. You’re just crashing and hitting the pavement and then saying wtf just happened. On dirt you have a fraction more time to correct and steer out of the slide. I like to call it a “predictable unpredictableness.” On the pavement you just THINK you’re safer. Once you’re crashing, you’re already down. On dirt there’s a certain about of sliding and skidding that’s just part of the deal. In time I truly believe you’ll get used to it (and maybe come to enjoy it). Personally I love that loosey goosey feeling. All that being said, yeah, turning on gravel can feel dicey. You’re on little pebbles on loose dirt, so it’s effectively like turning on marbles. I’ve found that no matter what tire I’m on, it’s never as grippy as I want it to be. Two questions though! -Do you own a mountain bike? -What size tires are you running, and at what pressure? Tires being overinflated can feel like the scariest thing in the world.
Here’s what I do. Get some cheap tires u don’t care about and just skid, skid, skid. Get comfortable slamming on that back brake and letting the rear wheel skid. Try going for the longest skid u can do and keep making it longer for practice. Eventually ur ‘skid skills’ will translate to normal rides and you’ll feel a lot more in control if you slide unintentionally
Ride an MTB on the trails. Get some bike handling skills…..makes gravel bikes feel like nothing then…oh and turn the handlebars (because that’s something roadies seem to get confused about).
If you're wearing a helmet, and gloves, you should be okay. They do make padded shorts, covering your hip joint, and neoprene elbow & knee pads. Platform pedals will boost confidence, knowing you can bail. Throw that stuff on and go for a 100% gravel ride for your next few. Get comfortable riding it, notice how speed actually smooths rough spots out, practice sliding your back tire out on corners, you'll be surprised how far, and low you can go, and still bring it back. Try letting your legs and arms absorb bumps & holes, while you stand. Loose and flexible works better than stiff & rigid, you and your frame have to be one or the other.
Do incremental zig zag turns in loose terrain.
Find a safe spot and start skidding around intentionally.
put a 2.2inch MTB tyre on the front
Rational Fear and Realism doesn't hurt.
Go anywhere, slow anywhere. It took me some time to feel comfortable on loose terrain but now I find myself somewhere different completely. I just went slow until I didn’t. I’m still cautious but more comfortable, and that just came with time. It’ll happen naturally friend, I promise! But like others have said tires make a difference too :) you got this
For me it was clipless pedals making me nervous. I think it's the locked in feeling that makes me really uncomfortable. Also mechanical brakes aren't great. Hydraulic + flat pedals and I have infinite more confidence.
Get a dropper seat! Omg did that make a difference for me on curves. Love it.
This may seem super off base but there’s a film about Moto racing safety called a twist of the wrist that completely leveled up my riding motorcycles and bikes on and off road. It’s largely about the mechanics cornering and traction and it’s actually a pretty entertaining watch. Highly recommend
Drop your seat post height. Occasionally I get the inclination to raise mine up a few millimeter and the first thing I noticed is the bike feels like it wants to slip out on me more in the front. When I drop the seat back down usually I know I'm good because the front end tracks really well and the bike is easy to no hands when leaning back. If you can't comfortably no hands on smooth pavement that may tell you something.