SKILLS: How to ride in mud
Muddy trails should be left to dry, but in races they aren't avoidable. Here are Jared Rando's tips for mud mastery.
Words: Jared Rando
Photos: Nick Waygood
The first tip to riding in the mud is try to avoid it at all costs! For the most part, riding in muddy conditions can be destructive to trails and also your bike but the reality is that at times it just can’t be avoided. These days, a good portion of trail networks will be closed down to riding in excessively muddy conditions, while others with well supported maintenance programs may stay open. Make sure you know the rules where you are riding so you don’t contribute to any excessive damage.
When it comes to racing of any kind though, it’s inevitable that at some point you’ll be lining up with a muddy track in front of you. After 10 years of downhill racing in every condition you could possibly think off, here’s some of the best tips for what you can do when the conditions turn muddy and it’s time to get out and ride.
Step 1 – Tyres and Pressures
Are specific mud tyres worth it? You bet! All the major manufacturers offer a mud specific tyre for any bike but just remember that traction in the mud will come with the cost of rolling speed.
Mud tyres are generally narrower and with taller, further spaced knobs. There is one thing that no tyre will grip to though and that’s wet roots. If you don’t have mud tyres a good tip is to drop your pressure by a couple of psi. This will allow your tyres a little more contact with the trail and in most instances you’ll be going slower down the trail anyway so the equivalent tyre roll and pinch protection can be provided with a lower pressure.
Step 2 – Suspension Settings
Once again as with tyre pressures it’s important to remember you’ll be going a little slower for the most part so slightly softer suspension settings can help with traction.
Try dropping 5% to 10% in your pressure settings to get a little more conformity to the terrain. The other setting worth looking at is your compression settings. A couple of clicks of low speed compression can assist with getting your tyres to push through the mud as well. On most shock setups these days that may mean flicking to the trail setting on your rear shock or a little extra on your forks from fully active.
If your suspension has high / low speed compression adjustment then it’s the low speed setting you’ll want to go in a couple of clicks on. This will change depending on the mud you are riding in but if it doesn’t improve, just go back to where you started.
Step 3 – Unweight for the Roots
As I mentioned earlier, there is nothing which will make your bike grip on wet, slippery roots. The best thing you can do here is avoid your wheels touching them at all costs.
If you come across wet roots, unweight your bike and aim to “float” over the roots – especially with your front wheel. Look for the patches of dirt in and around the roots and aim to weight the bike here so you can pop over the next batch. Riding on roots can be incredibly frustrating so take your time and work up to it when the conditions dictate.
Step 4 – Go straight over the rocks
Like wet roots, wet slimy rocks are also incredibly slippery but soft compound tyres and the right bike setup will help a bit here.
The key with rocks is try to avoid turning on rocks and also unweight where you can. In this instance I’m taking a high line to turn into the gully to avoid turning on the rock slabs and unweighting as my bike goes over the rocks. If you come across rocks, take a second to look up and pick your line. Look for patches of dirt with traction to set you up on the right line and stay loose and light on the bike to let it find its own line through – don’t force it.
Step 5 – Choose smart lines
Look to ride around puddles and boggy sections but be smart about it. Don’t venture way off the trail and make the trail three times as wide as it needs to be.
Ride just to the side and / or bunny hop the edge of the muck to avoid it rather than creating new lines. Even simply lifting up your front wheel through the mucky sections will stop mud flicking up into your face if it can’t be avoided.
Step 6 – Dig in where you can
The great thing about muddy conditions is as it dries out you’ll encounter sections of terrain with some of the best traction you’ll ever come across! When you do, it’s time to have some fun and push hard.
Riding ruts in the mud can also be a whole lot of fun with insane amounts of support when it all lines up right. Once you get your confidence up it can be a whole lot of fun but just remember to build up to it and read the conditions as they change.
