Does everyone know how to ride this?

[No Worries]

Marko posted this road in another thread. Super steep, plenty of curves, and tons of switchbacks (hairpins). Because it's so steep, the switchbacks are blind when you are going uphill. But when you're going down, you can usually take a quick glance down to see if the road is clear in the next section.

Going uphill is great. You get to go WFO after coming out of each hairpin curve. Going downhill is completely different. To go quickly and safely, you have to trail brake into each hairpin since it's basically a U-turn with gravity-assist. Does everyone know how to trail-brake?

The reason I ask is that Lookout Mountain is just like this road. But instead of going up one face of the mountain like this road, Lookout Mountain's road circles around three sides of the mountain to reach the top. Less switchbacks, but more curves around ridges and valleys. If someone comes out here, I'll take them up (and down) Lookout Mountain and a couple canyons.

[fasternyou929]

While not that extreme, those same blind, uphill switchbacks exist on every mountain I've ever visited. NC, TN, KY, VA, and WV are full of them. Did you intend to sound like Lookout Mountain is the only road with this kind of curve in it?

Does everyone know how to trail brake? No. I'm pretty sure there was a thread on here that showed a good portion of TWF members don't understand what trail braking is.

[CasterTroy]

Originally Posted by fasternyou929

While not that extreme, those same blind, uphill switchbacks exist on every mountain I've ever visited. NC, TN, KY, VA, and WV are full of them.

Shady

Originally Posted by fasternyou929

a good portion of TWF members don't understand what trail braking is.

Ain't dat where ya use JUST your back brake all the way thru a turn?

[BobTheBiker]

Originally Posted by CasterTroy

Ain't dat where ya use JUST your back brake all the way thru a turn?

Kinda, but you can use either. its more of easing off the brakes while going into a turn to scrub off speed than JUST using the rear.

[fasternyou929]

Originally Posted by CasterTroy

Ain't dat where ya use JUST your back brake all the way thru a turn?

I laughed when I read this, but nearly choked on my water when Bob corrected you.

[CasterTroy]

Originally Posted by fasternyou929

I laughed when I read this, but nearly choked on my water when Bob corrected you.

me too...

[marko138]

Originally Posted by fasternyou929

I laughed when I read this, but nearly choked on my water when Bob corrected you.

Same here.

[No Worries]

Originally Posted by fasternyou929

While not that extreme, those same blind, uphill switchbacks exist on every mountain I've ever visited. NC, TN, KY, VA, and WV are full of them. Did you intend to sound like Lookout Mountain is the only road with this kind of curve in it?

In Marco's original thread, someone wanted to race down that road. I wanted to bring up the difference between going up and down. I prefer going up myself.

Is Lookout Mountain the only mountain road with curves? In a straight line between western Kentucky and the Rocky Mountains, it pretty much is. It seems to me that most Easteners stay east and most Westerners stay west. Midwesteners can go either way. I've been behind a car from Kansas going up Lookout Mountain that rode on the double yellow. The center of the car was on the line. I'm sure it was both their first time on a mountain and on a curve. If someone from the Great Plains rides to a mountain area, they should know how to ride it.

Originally Posted by BobTheBiker

Kinda, but you can use either. its more of easing off the brakes while going into a turn to scrub off speed than JUST using the rear.

Actually, trail-braking is putting your brakes on before the curve and keeping them on into the apex. On decreasing radius curves, I keep my brakes on past the apex of the turn. In steep, downhill curves, gravity acts like having the throttle open.

Putting on the brakes while in a curve changes the geometry of the suspension and puts a heavy braking load on tires that already have a leaning load on them. If you already have the brakes on, squeezing harder puts more load on rather than changing it completely. I say brakes, because why put all that load on just the front tire, when that nice fat rear tire could be doing some braking?

[CasterTroy]

[fasternyou929]

Originally Posted by No Worries

Is Lookout Mountain the only mountain road with curves? In a straight line between western Kentucky and the Rocky Mountains, it pretty much is.

Alrighty then. If most TWF members lived in a straight line between Western Kentucky and the Rocky Mountains, that would've been relevant.

Originally Posted by No Worries

If someone from the Great Plains rides to a mountain area, they should know how to ride it.

And thanks to this thread, they will. Without a doubt.