Riding advice needed

[the100thidiot]

I am after a bit of riding advice. I have a week off work soon and, due to me getting the new wheels on finance, I will be stuck with cheapo tent n bike holidays in the UK for now. So I thought it would be a good idea to have a practice trip with my OH and brave the 200 miles to deepest darkest Devon and visit my parents.

I am a lil nervous about the last part of the journey, arriving in the tiny village with its nasty 1:4 road in, and after speaking with my Dad today there is no other route. I have no choice but the steep road :( This road btw is quite narrow and has pretty crappy visibility, so I won't see anyone coming the other way until they are right in front of me. My dads advice - get off the bike and walk it down lol.

I have a bit of a love hate relationship with the Devon roads. They are very beautiful, but often with big drops close to the edge of the road, or real steep downhill straight into hairpin bends so I'm going to be taking it easy! The locals don't help, they mostly drive like lunatics in the middle of the road … if your lucky, if not they will just use the wrong lane and crash headfirst into you (RIP my silver Yaris, victim of a crazed Devon driver). And god, the bloody sheep and pheasants, they love to leap into the road right in front of you. Actually as I am typing this the car is looking more and more appealing…

I have spent my entire 1 year biking history on nice flat(ish) tarmac and I think its going to feel very different riding in Devon on bike. Anyway, back to the point of this post - Are there any particular dos or don'ts for riding up and down stupidly steep hills? Or can anyone think of steep Surrey roads which I can have a practice run on?

[kitkat]

ive been to devon in the car and it was very scary especially down near salcombe direction. I think I went down the pirbright twisties the other day in the car, it might be a good start dealing with down hill corners, road was wide, well tarmaced and not very steep. Get your dad to drive down the road in front of you lol. Make sure you have a noisy exhaust and keep to low gears, they may not see you coming but they will hear you.

[Kilted Ginger]

Are there no hills near you that you can practise on, practise starting and stoping both going up and down them, then if you get really brave try a few u turns.

[BBadger]

Get out the house, go down Downside road (opposite waitrose on the high street ) and turn off To the right by the cricketers.
Narrow windy roads that have big hedge rows and horrible bends you cant see round.
Good practice for the time being perhaps ??

[Stu]

Off the top of my head http://maps.google.com/maps?q=51.231215,-0.467291&num=1&sll=51.261796,-0.430386&sspn=0.006295,0.023095&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=51.24999,-0.410957&spn=0.077039,0.222988&z=13
Green arrow is a nice downhill hairpin. Or if it's specifically hairpins (I don't think it is) Boxhill road [ Actually called Zig Zag Road.

Happy to go out with you sometime & try & find some steep roads - when are you free?

[the100thidiot]

There are plenty of hills in Surrey, but they are not like Devon hills (well, not that I have found yet I could easily be wrong!). I don't have a problem with hill starts etc. but I have never ridden a bike down roads like that - steep, windy sometimes with bad visibilty, sometimes with a big ass drop along side :?. Any Devon bods on here from Porlock, Lynton & Lynmouth or Brendon might be able to back me up on this one :)

I just want some nasty Devon like roads to practice on, as I can picture it now - me riding at 5 mph, scared pooless and getting abuse from the car behind screaming "f***ing grockel" at me as they ram me off the road ;)

TBH thinking about it I don't really have that much experience bike riding outside of my daily commute on the A3 (or via Burpham if I need a change of scenery). I have done a few trips to random places like the obligatory Newlands corner, done a bit of central London (and I never drive in London), Winchester, Wotton Basset, Newmarket, but generally only via roads like M4, A31, A3 - wide roads with a nice view.

Thanks for all the suggestions - Sometime this weekend (weather permitting) I'm going for a lil ride through all those recommended places to push me out of my comfort zone eek :pale:

Any people want to tag along and offer tips, and maybe help me pick my bike up when I inevitably get something wrong :rolleyes:, feel free!

[tonyk]

[QUOTE=Stu;2240602]hairpins at Boxhill road Actually called Zig Zag Road.
QUOTE]

if you can ride the zig zag road, your set to ride any road.
also Happy to go out with you sometime & try & find some steep roads -

[the100thidiot]

Ok cool. I'm going to work out a route (not necessarily in this order) taking in the following:

Pirbright twisties
Downside Road
Zig Zag road
and that road that Stu pointed out..
and somewhere to stop for a coffee to calm me down afterward and then see if I still like the idea of riding in Devon after that :D

Anyone got any more suggestions for good windy roads/hills etc?

[BBadger]

Chill-brook road its called i think.
If you start there it will take you all the way out to Ripley where you could then hit pirbright

[Stu]

Ok cool. I'm going to work out a route (not necessarily in this order) taking in the following:

Pirbright twisties
Downside Road
Zig Zag road
and that road that Stu pointed out..
and somewhere to stop for a coffee to calm me down afterward and then see if I still like the idea of riding in Devon after that :D

Anyone got any more suggestions for good windy roads/hills etc?
Pirbright twisties are a bit out of the way, & not too steep - more fast sweepers.
Don't know downside rd - you'll need to do that bit yourself
how about
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=103963579458735118386.0004841de6ddd0b05e493&z=12

[fizzwheel]

I know what you mean, Theres some sections like that around me and I have been into Devon lots. It can be off putting but its all about how you approach it. Positive mental attitude, if you think you are going to not mange it, you'll end up doing just that.

Ride at a speed you feel comfortable with, if that means you hold up traffic, who cares.

Stick your bike in a low gear, and use that engine braking to control your speed. Dont load it up on the front brake, its makes it pitch and wallow, if you want to slow a little more use the back brake. If you feel like you are stalling then slip the clutch and drag the back brake and keep the revs up.

Look where you want to go, look at the apex or exit of the corner, and dont look at the drop or the tree or the post or the telegraph pole at the edge of it.

The only way to conquer how you feel is to go out and ride those roads that you are afraid of riding.

[ceeshaw]

Ok cool. I'm going to work out a route (not necessarily in this order) taking in the following:

Pirbright twisties
Downside Road
Zig Zag road
and that road that Stu pointed out..
and somewhere to stop for a coffee to calm me down afterward and then see if I still like the idea of riding in Devon after that :D

Anyone got any more suggestions for good windy roads/hills etc?

Saturday afternoon's looking good... 16 degrees & sunny :D
Post a time and starting point and you may have some company.

[Stu]

Look where you want to go, look at the apex or exit of the corner, and dont look at the drop or the tree or the post or the telegraph pole at the edge of it.

All good advice except - you should be looking at the limit point.

[Dizeee]

If your coming to Pirbright count me in, I live on the twistes so we could meet at mine?

I can't do Saturday though as I am riding to Folkestone all day.