Feet leaving pedals

Typerchris
Typerchris Posts: 74
edited June 2011 in MTB general
Just wondering if anyone can help. Im riding with etnies skate shoes and wellgo b25 pedals but i keep loosing my feet off the pedals. I think this is more a technique problem than a pedal/shoe issue. It is happening over rough terrain and on jumps.

Can anyone help?
«1

Comments

  • themanfromdelmonte
    themanfromdelmonte Posts: 46
    On rough ground, drop your heels.
    2007 Giant XTC 4.5

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  • Typerchris
    Typerchris Posts: 74
    how far should they be dropped?
  • getonyourbike
    getonyourbike Posts: 2,648
    drop your heels as far as you can and bend your knees too. Your knees and ankles should be acting as suspension. With jumps try and let the come into into you instead of extending your legs as soon as you're in the air, pushing the bike away and your feet off the pedals. I had the same problem when I first started mtbing but after a bit of working on it, it's now done without thinking.
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    Practice.
    And use your body legs etc as a spring.
    I don't do smileys.

    There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda

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    Parktools
  • Typerchris
    Typerchris Posts: 74
    ok it all sounds so easy however its a different story out there lol. however i did manage an excellent superman impression holding onto the bars with my legs flying behind me off a jump today. god only knows how i stayed on.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Typerchris wrote:
    ok it all sounds so easy however its a different story out there lol
    Keep practicing. You need to flow with the bike, and not fight it.
  • getonyourbike
    getonyourbike Posts: 2,648
    yeehaamcgee wrote:
    Typerchris wrote:
    ok it all sounds so easy however its a different story out there lol
    Keep practicing. You need to flow with the bike, and not fight it.
    +potato
  • clamps81
    clamps81 Posts: 315
    l. however i did manage an excellent superman impression holding onto the bars with my legs flying behind me off a jump today. god only knows how i stayed on.

    This exact same thing happened to me yesterday. I absolutely shat myself. Landed the bike legs akimbo and somehow stayed upright using just my arms and arse as the enxt jump rolled towards me.
    Nukeproof Mega AM


    Tomac Snyper - Now sadly in pieces
  • Jedi
    Jedi Posts: 827
    its your foot placement on the flat pedals
    http://www.ukbikeskills.co.uk

    mtb coaching
  • The Northern Monkey
    The Northern Monkey Posts: 19,174
    yeehaamcgee wrote:
    Typerchris wrote:
    ok it all sounds so easy however its a different story out there lol
    Keep practicing. You need to flow with the bike, and not fight it.

    Yup, gotta stay loose. Keep your knees very slightly bent and stand up to keep with the flow.

    You'll know when you've got it right as it'll feel fcuking awesome! :lol:
    Santa Cruz Butcher
  • Welsh_Tom
    Welsh_Tom Posts: 571
    Typerchris wrote:
    ok it all sounds so easy however its a different story out there lol. however i did manage an excellent superman impression holding onto the bars with my legs flying behind me off a jump today. god only knows how i stayed on.

    rofl, same thign ahappaned to me first time also. weed my self, how i lived i dont know. but keep at it and you will get there. i can do jumps now. drop off are more work. small ones are easy but bigger ones i am not sure if we are ment to push-thought to help keep you feet down.
  • Typerchris
    Typerchris Posts: 74
    All you guys are right. I think I might invest in some tuition. Surely that has to be worth it.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    You don't push anything, until the last second. Pushing the bike away with your feet is pushing it away from you. Flow with the bike, don't fight it.
  • getonyourbike
    getonyourbike Posts: 2,648
    Jedi wrote:
    its your foot placement on the flat pedals
    by that he means have the pedals on the arch of your foot not the ball, like clipless
  • Jedi
    Jedi Posts: 827
    goyb, yep :)
    http://www.ukbikeskills.co.uk

    mtb coaching
  • Typerchris
    Typerchris Posts: 74
    getonyourbike wrote:
    Jedi wrote:
    its your foot placement on the flat pedals
    by that he means have the pedals on the arch of your foot not the ball, like clipless

    Ah This helps as i have been trying to ride on the balls of my feet. so this is only for clipped in.

    What does goyb mean lol.

    Do you ever come up to the lakes to give coaching or is it best just to get a instructor from whinlatter?
  • Jedi
    Jedi Posts: 827
    goyb means getonyourbike the guy i was replying too.
    http://www.ukbikeskills.co.uk

    mtb coaching
  • joshtp
    joshtp Posts: 3,966
    yeehaamcgee wrote:
    Typerchris wrote:
    ok it all sounds so easy however its a different story out there lol
    Keep practicing. You need to flow with the bike, and not fight it.

    Be like water, my friend...


    Deep...




    :lol:
    I like bikes and stuff
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    joshtp wrote:
    Be like water, my friend...
    Deep...
    F**K YEAH!!
    Water can flow, or it can crash. And on saturday, I was just like water. I crashed :lol:
  • joshtp
    joshtp Posts: 3,966
    I'm usually like water.... I flow, untill faced with some big rocks or a sizable drop, then I crash. :lol:
    I like bikes and stuff
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    :lol:
  • thegiantbiker
    thegiantbiker Posts: 212
    Typerchris wrote:
    ok it all sounds so easy however its a different story out there lol. however i did manage an excellent superman impression holding onto the bars with my legs flying behind me off a jump today. god only knows how i stayed on.

    I managed that when my bike was brand new. There's a really steep-sided dip in the singletrack near where I live. After learning how to pump I can take it at at least twice the speed I almost fell off at. So my advice would be to get aggressive. Basically force your bike to follow the natural terrain and then you can control IT instead of the other way round.
    Big guy; small air!
  • Johnny Napalm
    Johnny Napalm Posts: 1,458
    Interesting, is this.

    Over the last few weeks I've been understanding more about riding (after all this time, eh!), and I've had some times where things just seemed to have clicked...both on the FS and the HT. I know that most people probably ride faster in the wet than I do in the dry, but I've been riding faster than I was previously.

    However, the last week or so, I seem to have taken a step backwards and things don't seem to be flowing as well. It's like I've forgotten everything.

    Good to read the advice and pick up as many tips as possible from these threads. I'll drop my heels more and see how that goes. Mind you, I've p*ssed around with my rear shock on the FS and I can't seem to get it right again, which is frustrating. :roll:

    And, I agree, when you get it right it does feel pretty good.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Marin
    SS Inbred
    Mongoose Teocali Super
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Johnny Napalm wrote:
    Interesting, is this.
    Bloody hell, we've had Jedi's input, now we have Yoda too :lol:
  • Johnny Napalm
    Johnny Napalm Posts: 1,458
    Bloody hell, we've had Jedi's input, now we have Yoda too

    :lol::lol::lol:

    Yoda would need a bigger bike than me. :wink:
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Marin
    SS Inbred
    Mongoose Teocali Super
  • Jedi
    Jedi Posts: 827
    i aim to please :)
    http://www.ukbikeskills.co.uk

    mtb coaching
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    Johnny Napalm wrote:
    Bloody hell, we've had Jedi's input, now we have Yoda too

    :lol::lol::lol:

    Yoda would need a bigger bike than me. :wink:
    Think you're confusing Yoda with Jabba theh Hutt
    I don't do smileys.

    There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda

    London Calling on Facebook

    Parktools
  • joshtp
    joshtp Posts: 3,966
    thegiantbiker wrote:
    Typerchris wrote:
    ok it all sounds so easy however its a different story out there lol. however i did manage an excellent superman impression holding onto the bars with my legs flying behind me off a jump today. god only knows how i stayed on.

    I managed that when my bike was brand new. There's a really steep-sided dip in the singletrack near where I live. After learning how to pump I can take it at at least twice the speed I almost fell off at. So my advice would be to get aggressive. Basically force your bike to follow the natural terrain and then you can control IT instead of the other way round.

    I dissagree. Kind of. I guess it comes down to riding styles, but I think that trying to wrestle the bike around too much just causes problems... you get all stiff and notchy... I prefer to let the bike do it's own thing and just go nut's underneath me while I simply guide it down the trail... that's not to say you cant be aggressive, you can still push the bike into/through stuff, but you trying to micromanage is a BAD idea on a bike...
    I like bikes and stuff
  • thegiantbiker
    thegiantbiker Posts: 212
    joshtp wrote:
    thegiantbiker wrote:
    Typerchris wrote:
    ok it all sounds so easy however its a different story out there lol. however i did manage an excellent superman impression holding onto the bars with my legs flying behind me off a jump today. god only knows how i stayed on.

    I managed that when my bike was brand new. There's a really steep-sided dip in the singletrack near where I live. After learning how to pump I can take it at at least twice the speed I almost fell off at. So my advice would be to get aggressive. Basically force your bike to follow the natural terrain and then you can control IT instead of the other way round.

    I dissagree. Kind of. I guess it comes down to riding styles, but I think that trying to wrestle the bike around too much just causes problems... you get all stiff and notchy... I prefer to let the bike do it's own thing and just go nut's underneath me while I simply guide it down the trail... that's not to say you cant be aggressive, you can still push the bike into/through stuff, but you trying to micromanage is a BAD idea on a bike...

    Meh, it's sort of hard to explain. I meant more making sure it tracks through bumps and ruts so you don't get bucked off. But I agree that micromanaging is generally a bad idea, especially in the corners.
    Big guy; small air!
  • CharlieH
    CharlieH Posts: 410
    I have recently followed Jedi's advice about foot placement on a similar thread a while back and what a difference!! I'd used spds for years before swapping to flats and naturally rode rough trails with the balls of my feet over the pedal axle. I knew about dropping my heels but since moving my feet forward (arch over axle) I've found it's actually easier to drop my heels and with my legs bent I dont have any issues with my feet coming away on the rough stuff

    (now if I can only sort the same issue when trying to jump) ;)

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