A safe and fast underground slope is a pleasure for every bicycle rider and a must-have skill and quality. We will introduce you to the basics of downhill slopes on paved roads in both safety and speed.

1. Stay low, sit back

Simply put, when you are downhill, the lower the center of gravity, the better the stability of the downhill slope. You should maintain a stable sitting position, sit on the back half of the cushion, and hold your hand under the bend. The elbows are slightly buckled instead of outward, and the chest is parallel to the ground and close to the upper tube, so that the body does not form a pocket on the windward side.

There are several advantages to doing this: from a safety point of view, holding the lower position will make your center of gravity lower, the lower plate will be more stable, and it will not be easy to slam the dangerous situation in a sharp direction; It will keep your hand closer to the brake handle, the arm will be larger, and it will be faster and more direct when the brake is decelerating. Once you need to brake, sitting in the back half of the cushion allows you to stop faster and won't flip forward because of the front wheel lock. From a quick point of view, keeping your body posture low can make your windward area smaller, wind resistance also reduced, and the speed of downhill is naturally faster. Studies have shown that, with other factors unchanged, the speed of the hand grip and the lower position can be more than 10%.

Note: Do not press the center of gravity above the handlebar or even the front of the front wheel, which will increase the risk of the front flip "street". Also don't leave the cushion when you turn, it may cause the front wheel to hit the inside of the thigh, causing unnecessary injury.

2. Slow down before cornering and lift the inner leg

What should you do when you find a corner in front of the downhill process? The correct way is to slow down the brakes in advance and lift the foot toward the turning side to the 12 o'clock direction of the crankset to enter the corner. From a safety point of view, the importance of cornering at the right speed is self-evident. Too fast speeds into the corners may lead to abduction, hitting the wall or fence outside the corner. After entering the corner, the danger of pinching the brakes while hitting the direction is even worse than the former. In fact, most drift-overturn accidents are caused by turning and braking at the same time. The reason for raising the inner leg is that when you turn, the body will tilt toward the inside of the curve. If the inner leg is at the lowest point, the pedal may hit the ground. Stepping the outer foot to the lowest level also helps to maintain the center of gravity and prevent people from slipping inside the corner. From a quick point of view, a smooth turn once after decelerating often tends to brake more than after the bend, resulting in less loss. Immediately after the exit, some pedaling moves will make you quickly compensate for the loss of the corner.

3. Take the largest turning radius

When going downhill, it is important to choose the correct curve. The correct curve is: the direction of the turn is the inside, close to the outside of the road before entering the corner, enter the corner and close to the inside of the curve, pass the center of the curve and then come to the outermost side of the road to bend out. From a safety point of view, this can make your trajectory a maximum arc, so the angle of turning the handlebar is the smallest, reducing the possibility of turning over. From a quick point of view, this will minimize your braking and maintain an acceptable maximum speed to pass through this corner. Remember: If it is a two-way lane, do not cross the yellow line to the opposite lane. Continue to focus on the opposite direction if there is a car coming.

For these basic downhill skills, practice more and strengthen your confidence. We believe that you can also experience the thrill of high-speed downhill. At the same time, remind everyone again: Do what you can, pay attention to safety!