Teaching for loose surface?

[slofox]

Sooo...how did it go then?

[schrodingers cat]

Actually, get her to practice riding in a straight line as slowly as possible (on grass or similar)
Help her understand that any time she approaches this speed she risks geting it wrong.
Adding some speed will help with stability.

Advise her to keep looking well ahead and just let her body work out what to do. If she drops her eyes her balance will suffer. The easiest thing to remember is to keep your head back and chin up.

By approaching loose surfaces with a bit of confidence, a little speed and looking ahead everything will go well. When it turns to custard it is usually because they stopped doing one of these things.

Get her to practice going down hills and not to panic when gravity adds to the speed she has selected.

And don't push her. Let her select her own comfort level

[JATZ]

Some good advice here, but there's no substitute for time on the bike IMHO. Find some nice gravel rd's that aren't too busy and go riding. Confidence will come eventually...and then ya dick off and have to start from square 1 again
I have a dualsport riding dvd here if ya want me to post it up to ya.

[BMWST?]

I find on the ol gs that gravel roads are easy peasy...too easy peasy in fact,remind her that it offers much less stopping ability than seal...i dont mind the rear wheel spinning and the front feeling less than planted,but i dont like going into corners with both wheels locked up...so i give myself plenty of time to slow down for corners or anywhere sight lines are limited
Oh and go easy on the front brake till she gets the feel of it

[bart]

My 2c....what I've learnt over the years is that everyone has a different riding style. There's no 'right' way of riding gravel. Some people find it better to do the sit down, foot sticky outy method. Some people stand and move their weight around. I've seen both methods used very succesfully, and even some very unorthodox hanging off the bike type stuff. I usually stand, but lean the bike over more than most.

My point is, find what method works for you (or her) and build on that. As BMWST? says, brake early and power through the corner. As long as you have control of the front, everything's good. The back can do what it likes.

[NordieBoy]

I was always very tentative in gravel until my eureka moment when I plucked up the courage to give it a handful in a corner one day.
Rear spun up, front tracked nicely instead of washing out and I was hooked.

"If in doubt, gas it out" just freaked me before that moment.

The Dual Sports Riding DVD is good for learning...

[Padmei]

My 2c....what I've learnt over the years is that everyone has a different riding style. There's no 'right' way of riding gravel. Some people find it better to do the sit down, foot sticky outy method. Some people stand and move their weight around. I've seen both methods used very succesfully, and even some very unorthodox hanging off the bike type stuff. I usually stand, but lean the bike over more than most.

My point is, find what method works for you (or her) and build on that. .

Amen. Just let her find her own way in her own time.