Riding in mud - any tips?

[hebe]

I found a new bridleway yesterday. Lovely and wide, and large sections of it are thick mud from one side to the other for yards on end. Working on the principle that I was probably better off on the bike than on my feet, I kept going until it turned uphill as I wasn't sure how to ride up a muddy hill. I really want to do this one, as at the top of that muddy hill are long views and a good long stretch of riding.

Any tips? On gears, braking, knowing when to bail, choosing puddles or mud when they both look deep? My bike is a comfort hybrid, which I think was slightly out of its comfort zone anyway. There was a lot of slurping/squishing going on and I could feel the wheel being pulled by the mud. My brakes were horribly squealy for a little while afterwards, is that normal? I had to poke out clods of mud from under the fenders too. I am hoping for a mountain bike before the end of the year, will this make mud riding any easier? What do I need to do to the bike afterwards?

Thank you!

[jessmarimba]

So many questions!

For me, with mud - make sure I have enough speed going into it but I'm not out of control. Dig in and pedal! Don't make any sudden moves, and don't brake suddenly - you'll go down. Try to pick the straightest line through the mud. Also, keep your mouth shut (though you mention fenders, you're probably protected!)

I prefer puddles over mud, but that's partly because mud beside a puddle here means you are widening the trail (which is frowned upon. But so is riding on most dirt trails when they're that muddy to begin with).

Mud and water both suck when it comes to braking afterwards if you have rim brakes - disc brakes (on some hybrids and most mountain bikes) handle muck a little better due to the design. Just make sure you give yourself a little extra time to stop afterwards. They'll dry out soon enough (and they'll squeak in the meantime).

Tire choice, tire pressure, brake system, and rider skill will all affect how a mountain bike handles in the mud - it won't necessarily be better or worse than what you have now! I suck at mud. But my mountain bike is pretty low-end and I don't have a lot of practice.

Hopefully some of the 'cross folks will chime in with better tips!

[hebe]

Thank you! I am sorry for all the questions and I really appreciate your detailed reply.

That's such a relief about the brakes squealing, I thought I might have broken something. They are rim brakes.

The bridleway is pretty wide already and pretty well mashed up by horses, so I'm not too worried about riding it when muddy. I think it gets a lot more horse riding traffic than cycling traffic.

[jessmarimba]

Haha, I was just teasing you. And I wasn't sure exactly what a bridleway was! I hope I didn't sound like I was scolding you - we just have issues here with people destroying our local trails. Your situation sounded different so I tried to leave it open. And explain why I don't have as much experience with mud as I ought to

[hebe]

Bridleways are public rights of way here. They are typically old - many go back at least a couple of hundred years and some go back to prehistoric times. They were originally used by horses, horse and cart or walkers but were opened up to cyclists in fairly recent history. Cars/motorised traffic can't use them. The usage by horses in an English winter accounts for the mud. They are such a fantastic network of traffic free routes that I would really like to get to grips with muddy riding so I can make the most of them!

Good luck with your muddy riding too

[Irulan]

Bridleways aren't singletrack, if that's what you are wondering.

IMBA teaches not to ride in mud on singletrack, but as has been stated, that appears to be a non issue for bridle ways.

[Owlie]

Hebe, can I come visit? It sounds like fun!

(Well, I'd need a new bike first. Hmmm...)

[marni]

the rule is you should never ride into water that you can't see the bottom of because you never know what is there. I would think that that would be twice as true for mud puddles.

[oz rider]

Also keep your cadence up, and check your brake pads aferwards. Any grit in them will grind away your sidewalls which will scream in pain.

[hebe]

Thank you for all the replies!

Bridleways aren't singletrack, if that's what you are wondering.

IMBA teaches not to ride in mud on singletrack, but as has been stated, that appears to be a non issue for bridle ways.

Yes, I think they are muddy by default. Is singletrack built just for bikes?

Hebe, can I come visit? It sounds like fun!

(Well, I'd need a new bike first. Hmmm...)

You'd be very welcome! It is gorgeous riding, this part of the country is absolutely stuffed with history and pre-history (Stonehenge, Avebury, earthworks, ley lines...).

the rule is you should never ride into water that you can't see the bottom of because you never know what is there. I would think that that would be twice as true for mud puddles.

That makes sense. I knew someone who sped his car into a deep puddle post storm, and took out a whole load of undercarriage to debris under the surface. One corner of the bridleway is puddled completely, but there is an 18inch mud verge that I took instead.

Also keep your cadence up, and check your brake pads aferwards. Any grit in them will grind away your sidewalls which will scream in pain.

That makes sense, thank you.

I'm going to post some pics of typical riding around here, at the risk of hijacking my own thread. This first one is of a local bridleway that goes into the centre of town. It now has a development of new houses adacent, but is still gorgeous.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/miketoons/4117691431/

And these two are from a nice set of photos that I found when searching (speedbird747.com). The first one shows a typical muddy Wiltshire track. This one looks like it's open to motorised traffic too so is probably a byway rather than bridleway. Imagine this but wider and more yellow and you have my Wednesday trip. Except for mine the hill at the end went up rather than down.



This is what it can look like:

[pll]

That's gorgeous! Thanks for posting the pictures.

[Bike Writer]

Beautiful countryside. I enjoy photos of where people ride, I am a visual person and it helps to bring posts to life.

[jessmarimba]

I think the term "singletrack" generally implies bikes are what the speaker has in mind, but the trails are just thinner (one person wide) and are sometimes restricted to people only, sometimes allow horses as well as bikes, and sometimes allow even motorcycles. The problem when they get muddy is that people go around the puddles, widen the trail, and destroy vegetation around them. Someone will eventually come close off that part of the trail to allow the plants to grow back. Rail trails are about the equivalent of bridleways, it look like!

Your photos are gorgeous You definitely have some mud to deal with though. I wonder if my doctor would count that as "off-road"...maybe I should go there and ride my bike instead!

[hebe]

I can't take the credit for the photos, they are gorgeous though! I am so grateful that my bike gets me out into that loveliness, I'd never have time to do it on foot - I just can't fit that much walking into an hour.

Mud seems to be a feature of the flatter paths - the hilly ones seem better drained. Silver lining, I suppose.

We do have some "rail trails" too, though none within easy reach of here. They are often nicely surfaced and have amenities such as bike hire and cafes along them.

[malkin]

Another mud recommendation is to clean your bike afterwards!