Can`t Jump - Dare`nt Jump « Singletrack Forum

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Can`t Jump - Dare`nt Jump

166 posts & 66 voices | Started 2 years ago by trout | Latest reply from glenp

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theotherjonv - Member

it's on my list for this year.

I can ride drop offs ok, couple of feet no issue, any bigger and I start to pucker a bit but that's psychology I think more than any technique thing (I keep getting the thought 'what if the landings a bit heavy and the cranks snap....'). Glenp and his lot taught me the basics there of pushing with your arms and feet to get the bike rotating and so the front wheel goes up.

But jumps still do me in, even though I'm sure the technique is similar / the same. I used to jump Ok as a kid (when you bounce) and cleared a small double with a pit between last year somewhere up by Holmbury on a general XC ride but that was fluke. Or better put - I didn't know it was there, followed another rider on a slightly different line and before I know where I was I was on it with no time to panic or do anything other than 'ride' over it in a nice relaxed trail riding manner. If I'd had time to think about it......

Posted 2 years ago #
lyons - Member

ok jedi, I dont want to cause offence, and i think we may just disagree with a few aspects of mountain biking... Lets just agree to disagree. At the end of the day everyone on here enjoys riding a bike and that is what matters.

Andy

Posted 2 years ago #
lyons - Member

oh, a bit of advice, its better to over-clear a jump, than to not clear it in my experience...

Posted 2 years ago #
jedi - Member

lyons, im interested

Posted 2 years ago #
Dancake - Member

It is a relief to see others share my fear of flying.

Getting confident to take features in my stride has become an obsession and I watch this thread with interest to see how others get over it. Truth is that anything I cant ride straight off and demands a bit of commitment sends me hard on the brakes usually resorting in an hilarious spd topple (much to the annoyance of my riding chums who have lost all their flow because of me)

I am slowly building up confidence but it is really slow.
Tomorrow I am going to try AGAIN to build up the confidence to pop of a tiny root (about a foot drop onto a sleep run-off ). Each time I get to it I chicken out though and it is doing my head in. Going out tomorrow before work; wish me luck

I know if I do it a handful of times it will be on to the next one..then the next one. The holy grail is to take off the brakes, look ahead and just ride it!

Posted 2 years ago #
jedi - Member

be settled before the root drop that you speak of and dont rush to land.

Posted 2 years ago #
lyons - Member

jedi are you refering to the overclearing? In my experience, if I overjump, it results in a near crash, or at worst a slidey type fall.

Whereas if you say hang up on the front wheel, that results in a trip over the bars, which to me hurst more, you may be lucky and hang up the back, but that can still send you over the bars...

Do you think differently?

Posted 2 years ago #
Dancake - Member

be settled before the root drop that you speak of and dont rush to land.

indeed. The problem with this one is that is goes uppishly first and you can only see sky infront of you until the last minute. This puts the willies up me. I can do a similar one with a downward approach and it doesnt bother me at all (the landing is at the same angle as the approach)

Posted 2 years ago #
jedi - Member

no andy, the agree to disagree. about what?? i thought we agreed....

Posted 2 years ago #
jedi - Member

dancake, even better. look out, as you approach and ride off it

Posted 2 years ago #
lyons - Member

oh, about the bikes... Maybe its because i have been lucky enough to ride alot of different types of bikes, so one can feel 'wrong' easilly to me.

P.s, I'm rubbish at putting what i think into words, so alot of what i type doesnt make sense to me either...

Posted 2 years ago #
jedi - Member

pmsl high5

Posted 2 years ago #
Dancake - Member

dancake, even better. look out, as you approach and ride off it

its funny (and sad) really. 2 of my workmates are my ridiing partners who have much bigger balls than me and we have this same conversation.

I usually end up convinced that I am actually brilliant on my bike and walk around with my head held high knowing that TOMORROW is when it will happen for me.

why am I so scared.? I have never broken anything on my bike (ok maybe a rib) and only went over the bars once. That was going over a big jump I didnt know was there sat on a saddle at full extension.

These days the saddle is down and I move around a lot more. I will be fine, right? I dont have much of a technique..just squash the forks a bit and straighten my arms as the fron wheel comes off....simples??

Posted 2 years ago #
jedi - Member

erm not quite

Posted 2 years ago #
lyons - Member

I still need to get through that jump section at corby though! I'm possibly going to get my wrist x-rayed though, as it still doesnt feel right .It may be a while if its a bad result

Jedi can definitely teach you how to jump. I saw a picture of my friend 'jezkidd' with both wheels off the ground tonight. That is a miracle, I never thought i would see the see the day!

Posted 2 years ago #
Dancake - Member

erm not quite

I knew it!

So could you teach anybody..even me.

joking aside is it one to one or do you do small groups? 3 of us might be interested...

Posted 2 years ago #
jedi - Member

lyons, i told you i would get him to fly

i still think you broke your wrist at corby

Posted 2 years ago #
lyons - Member

Yeah, its good stuff, he was raving about it... I'm looking forward to riding with him again, I'm sure i'll see a difference.

As i said, I'm gonna try to get it x-rayed. It isnt really painful, most of the time it is ok, but hte odd time i've knocked it its hurt for a few minutes. Then i slipped over in the mud earlier and its started doing all sorts of clicky stuff again. Thing is, ive ridden my bike quite alot since, done tons of digging and it seems ok. Surely it would hurt more? It doesnt even hurt now, just keeps clicking.

( sorry for going waaaaaaaaaaaay off topic)

Posted 2 years ago #
jedi - Member

worth check ing for sure!

Posted 2 years ago #
sambob - Member

i try to jump off little stuff on rides as much as i can and i can do 2 ft step downs, but thats about it. when i crash doing jumps, its because i am at an angle in the air, and dont think about it until i land, then its too late.

Posted 2 years ago #
dans160 - Member

Well, yesterday was my 38th birthday which meant a day off of work and time to do as I pleased. So off I went to the local downhill runs. None of the jumps are massive the largest being about a 4 foot drop off the further you fly and that is fine. On one of the other runs there is a small gap jump (3foot) I finally managed that, then there is a drop off into a steep almost immediate left hand berm, that took two attempts followed by four more jumps and some decent fast bends. Point being, I just decided that I needed to be brave. I checked each jump out, worked out where I should hit it and just rode off of them. It was fine. A few issues with feet leaving pedals but really it never seems as bad as you think.

However, my technique is probably rubbish so will be calling on Jedi once the weather sorts itself out to pay me a visit either in Essex or Rogate.

Posted 2 years ago #
lyons - Member

Oh, one thing i used to do, is to place a small stick or something visible, but not obstructive on the point where i wanted to ride off the drop. This meant I knew I would ride off in the right place and it used to give me confidence.

Posted 2 years ago #
Euro - Member

The Southern Yeti

I'm talking 25+ foot jumps where crashing becomes a bit more serious.

If your talking about a 25' double then it's probably down to technique. Then again, I'd like to think that most people wouldn't attempt a jump of that size unless they were pretty confident they could make it.

If it's a just a kicker and you're gaining that sort of distance using speed, it could be something else that's causing you to come in front wheel hot. Something as simple as slowing down your rear rebound could help (i'm assuming your using a full-sus). Also some jumps have an optimum speed at which they can be hit. Go too fast and (due to the shape/length of the transition) it's impossible not to be pitched forward.

As has been said, the basics of jumping are fairly straightforward. But more advanced techniques take time to learn. The faster you hit a jump, the less time you have on the transition, making it harder to dial in how much 'pump' is needed. It's all too easy to be thrown out of a kicker mid-pump simply by going to fast. The opposite can also happen. Over pumping a transition can also have similar results. Once you have mastered the 'art of pump' you can hit bigger gaps with much less speed and far more control.

Apologies if i'm teaching you suck eggs here, but it's nigh on impossible to cure you without seeing you ride said jump.

p.s. if any of the above was helpful, please send your cheque to Jedi. I'd hate to think he was losing out on a potential client.

Posted 2 years ago #
Bushwacked - Member

In my limited experience jumping and drops are all down to body weight management / distribution on the bike (plus some confidence / encouragement). Something that is great to learn whether you have your wheels off or on the ground - the balance I've gained from jumping is great for controlling wheel washouts, unintentional skids and all manner of other "adjustments" needed when riding.

Admittedly I've not done anything massive but loving it all the same.

Posted 2 years ago #
jedi - Member

pmsl@euro

Posted 2 years ago #
glenp - Member

Go on then?

TBH I think that my jumping skills might be a slightly diff level to a lot of the other people here, but some serious over the bar landings puts a bit of doubt in my mind.
As Jedi said, it will be a rotation problem, and the solution will at least in part involve something that will always improve your general flow at the same time. If you are jumping that big then Jedi has a better profile to teach you than I - I will tell you the same thing, but you won't be as inclined to believe me, because I am not your style of rider.

Posted 2 years ago #