Quick Tips With Chris Birch: Get a Big Bike Unstuck By Yourself
Extreme Enduro/ADV rider Chris Birch shares some extreme wisdom.
You’ve marveled at his ADV riding skills – torqued out power slides, fender-dragging wheelies, trials-like rock hopping – but Chris Birch does, from time to time, find himself in a spot of bother. And while it is always advisable to ride with a buddy, we know that isn’t always possible so we asked Chris if he had any tips that would help a solo rider get out of precarious situations.
Bring A Rope, The Stronger The Better
Few things are more humble, simple, and unassuming as a plain ol’ rope. With a little ingenuity and clever thinking however, it can get you out of some seriously dire straits. Chris Birch says he uses a dyneema rope with a nylon sheath. Some quick research shows that dyneema is incredibly strong and can replace steel cabling in winches. It can also be found in marine applications so the closest retail store that will have it might be your local boating supply shop.
“I never go exploring without a strong rope. I use a dyneema rope with nylon sheath. This has gotten me out of all sorts of trouble many times. There is the trick of using the rear wheel hub as a winch drum which works a treat on the KTM Adventure bikes.”
“I’ve also used it to get myself back up onto a trail when I slid off the side after goofing a corner. I tied the front wheel off to a tree then dragged the rear up as far as I could. Then I swapped the rope to the rear wheel and dragged the front up as high I could basically working my way back up onto the trail. It wasn’t easy but I got out of there by myself.”
How Low Can You Go? PSI, Not Limbo
Depending on the bike and tires, you’ve probably worked out your highway tire pressure and off-road tire pressure that you are comfortable with. The lower the pressure, the fatter the tire, the larger the contact patch, offering more traction. Low psi also means pinch flats, sidewall punctures, and bent rims are much more likely. But, extreme situations call for extremely low PSI. Just don’t forget to pump them back up after you are back to safety.
“In a difficult situation I’ll drop the rear down to as low as 12 psi to get out of trouble. Dropping the pressure is way easier than pushing bikes. If I’ve had more than a couple of goes at a hill or some other obstacle I’ll drop the tire pressure for more traction. Muddy stuff, steep stuff, basically anything I’m struggling with and I’m going slow. Also, I always carry a pump to pump them back up once I’m out of the crap.”
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nice article!
[…] If you want to know how Chris makes his bike into its own winch, check out this Quick Tips story. […]
[…] If you want to know how Chris Birch makes his bike into its own winch, check out this Quick Tips story. […]