Chin Over Stem

Each week, we look forward to seeing #teachabletuesday posts on Lindsey Richter’s Ladies AllRide Instagram account. Be sure to follow @ladiesallride so you don’t miss her helpful tips and tricks — including this one from a couple of weeks ago:

”Many of us were taught to get our butts back before there were seat droppers. This was because the only way to feel like you wouldn't get flung over the bars when there was a seat up your arse was to push your butt back and hover it over the rear tire until you were through the steep section. That’s a good way to get a tire enema. 😮🤭

🙏 Now that we have seat droppers we can get those saddles out of our way so we don't let our arms extend away from the front end.

👉 There are two angles of this line here. Notice how my arms and legs stay bent to absorb the bumps but also so I can guide the bike out in front of me. Each time the bike moved away from me and my arms extended, I re-situated my body position to absorb the impact and then make the next move.

👉 We like to refer to "chin over stem" because it's a nice reference point to ensure the front end doesn't scoot too far away from us. The chin does not STAY over the stem at all times, nor is my chin going to hit my stem, it simply helps me make sure the bike isn't getting away from me. So each time the bike needs to move out in front of me, I come back to a centered/balanced position with the weight in my feet, my chin over my stem and my arms and legs bent and ready to make the next move so I can stay in control of the front end.

👎 It’s not the best idea to hang out in the back seat and let the bike just plop down stuff without your control. Chin over stem is where we can come back to in order to make the next move”.

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