Technique whilst jumping?

MTB noob

I had a decent go today on my low-end XC/trail bike at my local trails today but noticed the blue run was too slippery even for my crazy riding style. So then I decided to go onto the slightly smoother red run.

With this of course, I had to learn how to jump doubles with shallow 8ft gaps. So I spent most of my time on the trail, teaching myself how to clear these jumps successfully (i still haven't quite managed it yet).

I asked a couple of locals with big freeride machines and full faced helmets for advice and I showed them what I was doing but after they saw it, they said i did nothing noticeably bad: good approach speed, jump height and flat landing but still not making the distance. And yes i did end up crashing after about 15 attempts (grazes to my calves, buckled rear wheel and a wrecked saddle.)

Could have it been my body position on the lip, approach being different for a XC bike or just bad form? It's really puzzling me.

I've attached an image of the jump as well to show what the jump is like.

Thanks

cooldad

I see some logs and dirt.

97th choice

So you're trying to get over a gap jump on a hard tail, that other riders attempt on freeride machines, and you might also not be going fast enough?

Seems like you've answered your own question.

The Northern Monkey

Go faster.

supersonic

If you are turning your speed into height, then you need to go faster to clear it. Sometimes best to 'squash' the jump - keep low.

Kowalski675

Have a look at this:

http://vimeo.com/69255024

rockmonkeysc

If in doubt, flat out is the main rule for jumps!
That take off looks a bit ropey.
As you approach the jump you need to be low on the bike, bent arms and knees. As you hit the take off you almost bunny hop but time it to match the take lip.
You need to have your body weight central on the bike to land nice and level.
On a little jump like this your xc bike should be better than a freeride bike, long travel suspension soaks up the kick from the lip so you need more speed.
Don't try squashing the jump, you will come up even shorter.
Keep trying and remember, chicks dig scars.

tootsie323

All of the above. And remember to shout 'Whoo hoo' or 'Yee haa' whilst airborne.

MTB noob

Kowalski675 - I had a look at the link video and it looks like my approach was too slow for a hardtail. The jumps he did was similar to the ones I was doing but the only difference was that mine were a bit longer and didn't have much in the terms of a safety net if I didn't make it.

Cooldad - Yeah I should've took a picture with my cheapo action cam instead of my phone. I couldn't go any further back because of a fallen tree. It was the smallest jump I could find.

RockmonkeySC - I tried to get as low as possible but my saddle wouldn't go down fully and yes i did try and pump the bike into the jump for more height which probably didn't help. Would suspension setup affect it because my camera shown that i went through 110 of 130mm travel on the lip?

rockmonkeysc

You should use a reasonable amount of travel otherwise the rebound won't be helping you boost the jump. Take a photo of the take off from the side, I think it sounds like the shape of it might be wrong.

MTB noob

Next time I'm up there I'll set my camera to record on the seat tube (it can only do 60fps at 720p so i might miss it) and then have another go.

Cqc

That looks pretty bad if you come up short... Find a smaller jump to learn on off your only a beginner

rockmonkeysc

Doubles teach you commitment and speed judgement better than nice easy jumps.

cooldad

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Doubles teach you commitment and speed judgement better than nice easy jumps.

And injury when you c0ck it up. For non supermen like the mighty RMSC, I suggest tabletops to learn on.

rockmonkeysc

You have to come up very short on doubles before it gets messy. As long as your front wheel makes the landing it will just be uncomfortable

welshkev

RockmonkeySC wrote:

You have to come up very short on doubles before it gets messy. As long as your front wheel makes the landing it will just be uncomfortable

you keep saying that, but there's doubles/gap jumps by me that would fecking hurt and you'd probably end up in hospital if you didn't make it!

cooldad

welshkev wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

You have to come up very short on doubles before it gets messy. As long as your front wheel makes the landing it will just be uncomfortable

you keep saying that, but there's doubles/gap jumps by me that would ******* hurt and you'd probably end up in hospital if you didn't make it!

You forget who you are talking to. Sense and RockmonkeySC are mutually incompatible.

pilch

Save your bike & your bones and have a lesson?

rockmonkeysc

welshkev wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

You have to come up very short on doubles before it gets messy. As long as your front wheel makes the landing it will just be uncomfortable

you keep saying that, but there's doubles/gap jumps by me that would ******* hurt and you'd probably end up in hospital if you didn't make it!

Sometimes you just have to ignore the sensible voice in your head, man up, crank as hard as you can and hope for the best.
Any good trail builder will build a landing to allow for casing it.
Good jumps are built so that faster riders don't over jump them which means that other people will come up short.
I have (more than a few times) landed with my bottom bracket on the lip of the landing and it's not as bad as you would expect. I wouldn't recommend doing it too often though.
Tables are always good to learn on, a double is just a table with the middle bit missing.

welshkev

RockmonkeySC wrote:

welshkev wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

You have to come up very short on doubles before it gets messy. As long as your front wheel makes the landing it will just be uncomfortable

you keep saying that, but there's doubles/gap jumps by me that would ******* hurt and you'd probably end up in hospital if you didn't make it!

Sometimes you just have to ignore the sensible voice in your head, man up, crank as hard as you can and hope for the best.
Any good trail builder will build a landing to allow for casing it.
Good jumps are built so that faster riders don't over jump them which means that other people will come up short.
I have (more than a few times) landed with my bottom bracket on the lip of the landing and it's not as bad as you would expect. I wouldn't recommend doing it too often though.
Tables are always good to learn on, a double is just a table with the middle bit missing.

wtf are you on about? where did I say about me not making it? why do you always have to have the last word and assume you're right?

I'm telling you that there's jumps that you wouldn't ride out if you came up short near me. that's a fact!

the one in the OP's pic does look as if you can ride it out coming up short, but not every ride spot is the same as where you ride, that is also fact. :roll:

rockmonkeysc

Not every jump is the same. Some are well built, some are definitely not.
I didn't say anything about you not making the jumps.

welshkev

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Not every jump is the same. Some are well built, some are definitely not.
I didn't say anything about you not making the jumps.

exactly what I was saying...you've contradicted yourself there - not every jump can be cased and rolled out.

you quoted me and then said sometimes you just have to ignore the voice and pedal (paraphrasing) it sounded like you were talking about me.

rockmonkeysc

No. I would have been properly offensive if I was talking about you :-)

Kowalski675

Probably best not to do it like these blokes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WJPY8_rOIA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbLjxUoPTkg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrqN58CdIkA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wxkv0MrEbyw

MTB noob

There aren't really any tabletops there but I learned to jump on some small BMX tabletops (3ft or there abouts, see profile) aimed for wimpier people.

These are the local trails that I go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPU-9Q9cSIs 0:29 - 0:56 is what I usually do. I've seen these guys practice 1:22 onwards on those jumps and they are really impressive.

The jumps there are easier for beginners as the landings are rounded, not with a sharp edge so I can come up short but I did bend my seatpost in the process.

rockmonkeysc

Those ladder drops don't really require any technique. Just ride off it, you can't go too slow or fast. Ideal for building confidence but not technique.

welshkev

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Those ladder drops don't really require any technique. Just ride off it, you can't go too slow or fast. Ideal for building confidence but not technique.

I have to disagree with you again there mate (sorry ) but having completely fecked up going off a ladder drop and landing with my balls on the stem and handlebars - with the bruises to prove it! there is at least some technique involved i.e: don't lean too far forward, get your weight back etc. you don't simply ride off them.

but OP, that place looks fun

pesky_jones

welshkev wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Those ladder drops don't really require any technique. Just ride off it, you can't go too slow or fast. Ideal for building confidence but not technique.

I have to disagree with you again there mate (sorry ) but having completely fecked up going off a ladder drop and landing with my balls on the stem and handlebars - with the bruises to prove it! there is at least some technique involved i.e: don't lean too far forward, get your weight back etc. you don't simply ride off them.

but OP, that place looks fun

+1

To say they don't require any technique is not only patronising but just plain wrong. You can definitily go off these drops too fast or too slow. Or you could ride off them front wheel heavy, or back wheel heavy. Definitly technique involved.

rockmonkeysc

You could go off them at walking pace or pedal in to them flat out. You're not going to overshoot that down slope. As long as your weight is somewhere near central you can't go far wrong.
With a nice down slope like that you can get away with a lot.

welshkev

RockmonkeySC wrote:

You could go off them at walking pace or pedal in to them flat out. You're not going to overshoot that down slope. As long as your weight is somewhere near central you can't go far wrong.
With a nice down slope like that you can get away with a lot.

but you still require technique, you go off there with the wrong technique and you're over the bars

rockmonkeysc

I guess if you do something really stupid you could.