Some call them “baby heads,” because the largest rocks that a cross-country mountain bike can roll over for any distance are about the size of a toddler’s noggin. Most riders call them rock gardens and steer well clear of such things. There comes a time, however, when you’ll have to pedal over a patch of rocks—perhaps because you were traveling too fast to stop in time, or maybe because you’d like to ford a shallow creek bed without making a mess of your brand new shoes. Either way, you’ll find that, with a few tips and the ability to “flow with the changes,” you can ride over and around a very nasty section of baby heads and live to enjoy the experience.
Choose and commit: Choose your line well before you enter the rocks. Firm up your arms and upper body and pedal smoothly. Commit to your line.
Meet your new friend Mo.
Bouncing over rocks uses a lot of energy, so be prepared to ride into the baby heads with a little speed. Momentum is your friend, but don’t overdo it. Pedal into the rocks at about jogging speed. Choose a gear that is about midway through the cogset and in the granny chainring, or use the middle ring paired with the lowest cog.
Straight is great: Choose the straightest possible line that takes you over the smallest rocks. Look well ahead so you won’t fixate on a difficult section and fail.
“Get straight; move ahead.”
Pick the straightest possible line through the rock garden. Survey your options well before you reach the point of no return and then commit to your line. As you reach the rocks, fix your gaze at least ten feet ahead. Avoid fixating on any single boulder along the way. If you do, you will get sucked into the rock, smack it, and then stall. Pedal smoothly and in circles as if your legs were an electric motor.
The right way: When a sizeable rock looms in your path, hit it and roll up and over. Avoid abrupt changes in direction.
Adopt the “Icebreaker” position.
The key to blasting through boulders is to lower your body slightly and get centered between the wheels. Bend your elbows slightly and brace your arms and shoulders. Imagine that you are punching at the rocks ahead with your front wheel. There is no need for a lot of leg power. In fact, bursts of power will vector you off line and ruin your balance. Keep pedaling smoothly and effortlessly, eyes forward. Let the bike’s front suspension punch through the rocks.
The wrong way: Trying to ride around tricky sections risks losing your balance. Ride as straight as possible, but if you do get deflected off line, go with the flow—follow your bike until you are balanced again.
Walk the dog.
There is no way that your bike will stay on your chosen line. Rocks shift and roll under your tires and you must also wiggle around to keep your balance. Keep your Ice Breaker stance with your upper body, but let the bike find its own line. If your bike drifts off line, follow it like you are walking the dog. As long as you are maintaining a relatively straight path across the rocks, it doesn’t matter if you veer a yard to the left or right. Go with the flow, but always with conviction.
Too much is a bad thing: Hard charging through the boulders will usually end in disaster. If you don’t carom off line, your rear wheel will probably bounce high and cause your bike to nose into a boulder—it could hurt.
Believe in your bicycle.
Okay, you have chosen a good line, pedaled with conviction, followed your bike off line a couple of times and kept your eyes forward. Now you must pass the final test: the deal-breaker boulder. It always happens—a large rock, bigger than you imagine that your tires can roll over, looms directly in your path. Do you attempt to steer around it, or play it safe, hit the brakes and start walking? Neither. Attempting to round a corner in a rock garden will destroy your momentum. Believe in the capabilities of your bike. Keep pedaling and simply bash up and over the boulder. Any rock that meets your tire at or below the axle level can be safely rolled. Don’t even lift the front wheel, just bash and dash. Maintaining a straight line is your best survival tool in the boulders.
Nice article. I've only been trail riding steady for about a year now and rock gardens have been a chief reason my knees and elbows stay all scarred up. The toughest obsticle we have locally is known as nothin'. And they don't call it nothin' for nothin'.
What make it so difficult is that there is a very steep rock garden climb. But as you near the top there is a 90 degree turn to the right with baby heads and rock ledges that must be negotiated. You can't go around.
What this article says about a straight line must be true because most riders who make it up the initial rock climb can't make that turn.
I can't agree with the speed they discuss going into a rock garden. I guess I go by gut feeling when I see the rocks, and I usually go pretty slow, because I want to rely on my balance ability and not try to force the bike over stuff. I would say my best ability on a bike is balance, and I like to weave a bit more, and speed kills that. If you move slow, REAL slow, sit back in the saddle, and keep the bike upright, you can really maneuver around stuff. I have these dry creek beds all around my 'hood and I love going to them and just riding around. In my driveway I practice balance on my bike on weekend afternoons while my kids are riding their bikes around the tree in the front yard. I found a great way to train for balance: I ride into my garage, with it's small piles of boxes here and there, and try to turn the tightest radius I can and ride back out of the garage without touching the ground. I do this in left and right turns. If you do this you'll find that going slower, and removing the anxiety about going to slow will make you fall, and just relax and keep all the weight off of the handlebars, you can turn at 90 degrees, or even more. I can even come to a dead-stop for a second or two sometimes, mid-turn. With all of the technology that goes into bikes these days it's easy to try to replace a little skill with a few bucks and some new components or new frame with modern geometry. But balance is free and will get you over a rock garden or stump or whatever with more of a sense of accomplishment. Also, I think its good to unclip if you can, till you get out of the rocks.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008 12:34:25 AM by c25porter
If you want to really try your skills and you are anywhere near Santa Barbara ride up Romero Canyon turn Left on the paved road that runs the ridge and go down cold springs trail. More rocks then I could ever want. If you don't want to ride up, drive up Gibralter and turn right at the top. Cold springs trail is marked with an old rusted sign with some bullet holes in it, trail lets out near Westmont college. A recomended ride for downhillers looking for technical learning
----------------------------- Just get out and ride what you have.
Still consider myself a beginner, but I go for the gardens as well. Here in the Northeast, roots and rocks abound on twisty singletrack. Doesn't feel like a good ride unless I've been battered by some boulders. Great article and good advise. Have learned, many times the hard way, some of my own do's and don'ts, but would love to hear some more regarding techniques for climbing and controlling speed when decending through rocks.
Listen, if you want rocks, come to West Virginia. We've got 'em but the truck load. There's some super advice in this column and if you follow along with the author's advice, there should be no reason to wipe out on "baby heads". Or at least I think so. Anyway, at a NORBA downhill race at Snowshoe, WV, the pro's were kicking butt over our WV rocks and there's no doubt technique was key. But you don't have to be a pro to ride over a rocky section, just use your noggin to get over the "noggins". Ride on.
I'm with you, PDub. We may not have many (any?) mountains in N. Texas, but we've got lots of rock (and root) gardens. I think the best piece of advice in this article is to aim at the medium-sized rocks. I see guys all the time who try to go around them and catch a pedal (or worse...a derailleur) and have to dab. It'samazing what you can actually ride over if you try!
I must going about this whole biking the wrong. I aim for the rock gardens most of the time. LOL. I dont know if it is the chage of pace or the little kid in me pretending to play 4x4 with his hot wheels. either way I love the rocks.
