Jumps - I go off balance. Tips please.

pilsburypie

Drop offs I'm fine. Even pretty big ones. Just riding off poses no real problem. Small jumps are just about OK too, but any bigger and I end up going off balance and landing badly. Is it the act of being launched in the air that upsets my balance causing the bike to lean to one side at will, or is it just being in the air and being poorly positioned which in turn makes me land with the bike leaning?......not good either way.

Is it just because I am a clumsy git? How can I jump better?

OllieTheWelder

Just keep trying smaller ones until you get the hang of it. Also try to keep on top of the bike not to far back or to far forwards.

ricardo_smooth

you're probably dropping an elbow, causing you to lean whichever way our elbow is lowest (i do it myself and am in the process of training my brain not to do it!)

Muttly1981

I was having problems similar to yours untill i realised i had slightly more weight on one foot so one of the pedals was lower than the other

concorde

Elbows. If one drops you will agle toward that way. Film yourself and keep em straight.

Jedi

you are pulling on the lip

cooldad

Jedi wrote:

you are pulling on the lip

Expand please

concorde

Jedi wrote:

you are pulling on the lip

That's what the mrs says to me when I stroll in after 15 pints!

phz

cooldad wrote:

Jedi wrote:

you are pulling on the lip

Expand please

I guess he means actively pulling on the bars as the bike launches - any slight imbalance in effort (as there is almost bound to be?) would lead to a weight shift one way or the other and pull the bike off line - different way of explaining the 'uneven elbows' comments I think.

It's my (admittedly layman's, and so probably mistaken) understanding that 'unweighting' the bike on the lip rather than 'pulling' is a better approach?

slainte :?: rob

Jedi

pulling makes you pull harder will the dominant limb and teh twist to one side or lurch is the result

getonyourbike

definitely the pulling up. If you want extra height you need to pump instead of pull. Lots of jumps you don't need to pump at all but that's different for each individual jump.

lochussie

You get the same issue with pumping, pressing down harder one one side can cause spectacular crashes.

getonyourbike

lochussie wrote:

You get the same issue with pumping, pressing down harder one one side can cause spectacular crashes.

oh, so it's still the same issue. You've just got to put equal pressure on both sides of the bars.

dan shard

Exactly this. I had a bad fall doing the same.

Pulling on the bars leaves the bar not facing forwards as one arm is always stronger than the other. It also pulls your weight forward over the front wheel where it definately does not want to be!

The best method for jumping is to shift your weight backwards just before the ramp up so that as you leave the lip of the jump your arms are fairly straight and your front wheel is unweighted. You'll find (as I did) that with a bit of practice you can get the timing right that as a result you can jump much higher, and it makes you feel far more stable and comfortable/confident in the air.

getonyourbike

getonyourbike wrote:

lochussie wrote:

You get the same issue with pumping, pressing down harder one one side can cause spectacular crashes.

oh, so it's still the same issue. You've just got to put equal pressure on both sides of the bars.

I've crashed because of this too tbf, really stupid ones on tiny jumps aswell.

Johnny Napalm

I hear this.

I'm the same...even over small stuff I can make a right arse of it. I agree with what Dan's saying - I try to pull up and I end up pulling my weight forward and then going over the, albeit pathetically small, jump in true nose-dive style.

*AJ*

I'd say most people's issues are being to rigid in the air! I see it all the time! People just looking like they've locked into place until they land! You need to relax, move about in the air to control the shape the bike carves in the air.