I’m with Euro on the helmet thing but never mind.

Clips for jumping, I don’t know about you but I like to know that if a landing is looking bad then I can ditch the bike. Hitting the ground with metal tubing in between my legs doesn’t sound fun. Chicks dig scars but not guys with broken willies. 😛

Also you can do gnarcore skillz wid flats

A short stem is perfect, I’d rather have a short fork but be fairly upright on the bike thanks to a short stem.

*caution I’m not a pro jumper I have done a little bit – but that’s what I’ve got from what I’ve done*

I only dirt jump with an open face lid, I have always found that a full face has a blind spot ( usually where the landing is for me). I also only use knee pads as I find everything else restricts movement a bit too much. For downhill I will pad up like a storm trooper.

Flats only when dirt jumping, there are few things worse than landing clipped in, your hands slip off the bars and you end up using your nuts for a brake. Riding flats will teach proper technique which can be transferred to riding in disco slippers and party pedals, like keeping you weight in the right place rather than relying on the clips to hold your feet onto the pedals, overall knowing how to ride flats properly will make you a better all round rider. I frequently swap between Flats and clips on my XC bike to stop me getting lazy.

I only dirt jump with an open face lid, I have always found that a full face has a blind spot ( usually where the landing is for me). I also only use knee pads as I find everything else restricts movement a bit too much. For downhill I will pad up like a storm trooper.

Flats only when dirt jumping, there are few things worse than landing clipped in, your hands slip off the bars and you end up using your nuts for a brake. Riding flats will teach proper technique which can be transferred to riding in disco slippers and party pedals, like keeping you weight in the right place rather than relying on the clips to hold your feet onto the pedals, overall knowing how to ride flats properly will make you a better all round rider. I frequently swap between Flats and clips on my XC bike to stop me getting lazy.

Ok.

I’ve ordered a full face and some padded pants (I want to learn to do that really cool back wheel stays on the ground, front wheel floats over the double/gap thing – going to land on my arse sooner or later mastering that one)

Lid choice is entirely personal, and if a FF gives you confidence to try new stuff then fair play. Glad you decided to go with flats though. It’s really not a good idea to learn* to jump clipped in, anyone who says differently should be ignored for your own safety.

Manualling is cool (and far harder to master than you’d think) but the best skill you can learn is how to bail out and fall properly. This is just one of the reasons that spds should not be used. If/when things go wrong during a jump you’ll need to try to get the bike away from where you want to land. A gentle but firm push on the bars and pedals at the same time generally does it. Push too hard and you risk the bike bouncing back towards you, which isn’t all that pleasant.

*Once you are really confident at jumping (and ejecting), you can switch to spds if you really wish.

This thread is hilarious… I haven’t read the whole thing but you’ve asked for some advice on an area you are unfamiliar with. The best bit of advice has been flat pedals and you’ve rejected it.

Flat pedals and a shorter stem is good plan looking at your bike set up. Why flat pedals? Not so much technique as ability to bail, when jumping gaps it cam go wrong and landing from 10ft up in the air losing control and trying to unclip and eject the bike is not something that will happen naturally.

I’d also suggest rather than modding your xc set up buy yourself a cheap jump bike (can pick one up for about £200 on ride.io classifieds.

In the adapted words of Baz Lurman…. Trust me on the flat pedals.

I started off riding jumps and skate parks and trials as a teenager. Have ridden and raced DH and now ride mostly all mountain xc…. I’d never hit a set of dirt jumps on clips as it’s just dangerous… Really dangerous.

Paul

When you buy a full facer do not mess about. Get the best one you can afford. I destroyed a tld d3 this week and those things are solid. I now have another. I also use a neck brace but that is up to you. I would not dh and or jump without it. Flats pedals are a worthy investment as are some decent shoes that will grip said pedals and also protect your feet. Look at how your bike is set up as well. The first thing Jedi did to my bike was alter the position of the brake levers.

full face and done!

Am i right in thinking that is you in the picture?? to the OP

As for your question you certainly have a point in asking that.
What was you thinking trying riding of a professional level in the picture without being seriously kitted out im baffled!

It goes without saying that proper protective apparel is without doubt the most important thing when trying anything even remotely close to that level of freeride next time wear it!

Chilled76, I said I’d try flats, so er… Chill fella.

Thanks everyone for all the advice, look forward to the journey.

During my race today there was a rollable gap jump, had to quell the urge to go for it and squash the bumps. My xc bike flies like a dream but the SID fork feels horribly noodly on landing.

don’t need a full face, listen to the guys bout flats though. I jump on spds now (’cause that’s what’s on my bike), but learned on flats and the advice “Get the bike away from you as fast as you can when it goes tits up” rings as true now as it was when I was taught it years and years ago.

crashing off a jump on spds is a world of wrongness

nickc – Member
don’t need a full face, listen to the guys bout flats though. I jump on spds now (’cause that’s what’s on my bike), but learned on flats and the advice “Get the bike away from you as fast as you can when it goes tits up” rings as true now as it was when I was taught it years and years ago.
crashing off a jump on spds is a world of wrongness
POSTED 46 MINUTES AGO #

Hmmm.. Who would have taught such a thing as ‘getting the bike away’ during a crash?? The one thing I always taught my clients was to try think more about body posture, do NOT tense up, this is by far the worst mistakes that I see on a regular basis! Stay calm and keep as relaxed as possible, thus stopping any breaks that could occur if one was to tense up, when you concentrate on getting your bike away you are not relaxing! Please do not listen to the people telling you not to wear a full face, that would be plain silly when trying such manoeuvres on a bike. Hope this helps to take you to the next level. 🙂

richmtbguru

A quick hop over the bars and running out >>>>>>> holding onto the bars, relaxing and falling onto my face

Being able to eject from the bike with zero notice has saved me over and over and over.

As others who have said (from my life time riding DJs/BMX, spending my whole life around DJer and BMXers)

.Flats
.Short stem
.No excessively loose clothing
.You already have helmet/knee/elbow pads, that’s all you need

LOL @ Pro DHers using spudds cos they’re better for jumping

Yep. One of the most useful skills I learned from riding bmx trails was getting away from the bike when it all goes wrong.

I think this is the most unintentionally hilarious thread I’ve seen in a long time!

Please rename this thread to “Davy Jones’ locker” as I’m certain its chocked full of dead sailors.

Ahoy hoy! 🙂

richmtbguru

You’ve clearly never seen me jump chap. Really, some times getting the hurty metal thing as far away from where I’m intent on landing has saved me a few times. I get what you’re saying about staying calm and relaxed, but don’t worry after 20 years, and no bust bones, I’m happy to carry on carrying on..

thanks though

I think this is the most unintentionally hilarious thread I’ve seen in a long time!

Please rename this thread to “Davy Jones’ locker” as I’m certain its chocked full of dead sailors.

Ahoy hoy!

One has certainly lost me there?

Dead sailor is a term used to describe a jump gone wrong. Usually a nothing jump where the rider goes stiff and falls through the air instead of flies. Happens to everyone once in a while.

And richmtbguru, you don’t really teach people do you?

And richmtbguru, you don’t really teach people do you?

I often think this.

How dare you? He’s a guru!

A dead sailor is where you are really stiff in the air surely (ie have no style), just like a dead sailor would get all stiff due to all the salt in them?

And agreed with the hilarity of this thread, coming from a dirtjump background – piss pot, flat pedals (not even 5.10s as they are too grippy), and get used to ditching the bike.

Sorry mate, so you did. I said I’d not read the whole thing, I got to the bit where you were saying you didn’t need to try flats a few times and then I skipped to the end and posted…

You won’t regret it. Also no footers are one of the easiest tricks to learn first when you start getting airborn.

Think I’m due a burial at sea but genuinely grateful for this thread because hidden within it is some good advice. Just need to work out where. 😉

Update.

Just bought some shin guards.

er… what flat peddles for under £50 thread diversion….?

Superstar or Carbon Cycles for pedals