Help with Technique

[Squeak the Rat]

Hi guys,

This is embarrasing, so I really need some advice on technique. I'm having trouble getting it up

and down my driveway.

Yep, I'm serious. Got a new bike after about 4 years off but didn't factor in the driveway to the new digs. It is short, turning, potholed and very very steep. Dry is ok, but in the wet it becomes super slippery and difficult to ride. When heading down I need to stop at the end as it goes straight onto the road.

As shameful as it is to admit incompetence, seeking assistance is better than dropping a brand new bike (I hope).

I'm sort of working on the following:
Up - Carry speed from the road, lean forward slightly?
Down - Weight back, ride back brake only?

Is this right? Any help appreciated. Any laughs understood

[WildBoarMouse]

Would it be possible to spray a 1m wide strip of that rubbery grit they use at intersections up the driveway? That should give you sufficient traction in the wet going down. Sounds as though the driveway needs a bit of repair... would now be the time to redo it? Concrete outer for the car wheels and maybe a centre section of bricks for the bike? Aside from that, steep driveways scare the crap out of me. I just park at the bottom, lock the bike, and walk up.

[DMNTD:Me]

Best thing to start with is grabbing a steel rake and smoothing off the high spots of gravel which should give you enough to fill ya pot holes and add some traction to the bare dirt.
After that use ya cage as a roller to compress the driveway so you're more likely not to skid it up especially when going up.
I use roughly 80% rear and 20% front when coming down...but just "float" ya front brake...adjust as ya go especially on a corner for obvious reasons.
Good luck...once ya suss it you'll wonder what the prob was in the first place

[Ixion]

The actual coming down is obviously no problem. The only problem is that when you reach the bottom you may be going too fast to stop without entering the road.

Is there room at the bottom to slide the bike sideways ? Probably the rear wheel may be locked anyway, so it would just be a matter of flicking it round, then that might give you the width to come to a stop?

[eliot-ness]

I have a similar drive, steep, narrow, trees overhanging and with nowhere to turn the bike at the bottom so I have to reverse down. The Bandit aint the easiest bike for this manouvre. This time of the year and through to december
mould makes it slippery as ice. The cure is simple, waterblast it. Cheap enough to hire one for a few hours and you'll be amazed at the difference.

[Ixion]

Oh, yes , that is another good tip for steep gravel - go down backwards, that way you can use engine power to control your descent. (I assume the drive is not so steep that you cannot get UP it)

[vifferman]

I'm sort of working on the following:
Up - Carry speed from the road, lean forward slightly?
Down - Weight back, ride back brake only?

Is this right?

Yeah, sounds good to me.

[Squeak the Rat]

Thanks guys, driveway is a shared driveway and I'm renting so not much chance of fixing it up. It's concreted but because of the steep turn it's a bit chunked up in places.

And not too confident tail sliding onto the road not yet anyway.... though it got me thinking i might just head down the footpath which is a straighter angle.

Cheers