Hit this yesterday, using the technique that Jedi talked about in the 'drops' thread. Think I've always pulled up on the bars before and always had rough landings even on little drops.

'Takeoff' is the root between my back tyre and saddle, and landing probably a foot or two out. Started on a smaller bit to the left but doing it right makes so much difference 😀 Thanks Jedi! Was my first off road ride clipped in too so was pretty happy.

Then there's this which has been bugging me in the middle of my favourite cheeky trail, tree stump about 6 inches high but drops a foot on the other side. It's right in the middle of a nice fast bit and going round it always slows me down. How can I ride this? Bunny hop it?

Landing

And finally some bluebells for you all

no worries. great news! 🙂
can you use the stump as a kicker?

Sweet, it feels good when you first nail the drop which you have been worried about. The treestump you can either bunnyhop it, or, it has a built in ramp (the root facing you) so you could just ride it like s jump.

Is that a meta 5 with dh forks, or are they the spesh forks?

Just hit the stump, you'll be fine.

Nice 'bells.

I went to hit the stump as a kicker and you can see where I bottled it, I think after doing the drops clipped in I can hit it with a bit more confidence.

They're the Spesh E150s, bloody love em!

pretty sure with that setup you can do anything you like mate! just stay loose and rattle on through…

Yeah, there is no need to bottle it.

not with those forks 😯

IMHO, If I was a bit nervous on drops and jumps then on the second jump/tree stump I'd spend 5 mins filling in and packing the kicker with a bit of dirt to give a nicer take off.

I think on that bike I wouldn't bother doing anything for either of those obstacles. Just ride straight through them 8)

J0N – Member
IMHO, If I was a bit nervous on drops and jumps then on the second jump/tree stump I'd spend 5 mins filling in and packing the kicker with a bit of dirt to give a nicer take off.

I reckon that's a plan.

Yeah I probably could just 'ride/rattle through' but I want to be smooth as mother's butter

Can we have a recap please, what technique's the OP talking about at the top? Mine is to ride at stuff quickly, pull up and hope for the best, which is a bit hit and miss.

Pushing forward with your feet, heels down, as you approach the lip and not pulling on the bars. Landings are so much smoother, don't know about you but I found when just pulling up the back wheel drops like a stone, this way it's a two wheel landing more often than not (in my very limited experience!)

The idea of using the stump as a kicker scares me, you could multiply the height of that drop by 3 and I'd happily ride it, but I'd never hit the stump as I'd surely crash and burn by being off-balance and out of kilter. <shudders at the thought>

Good stuff, love the feeling of nailing something new that you've wanted to do for a while 🙂

Now build up that stump into a mini kicker/drop off and it should be just as easy as your other drops.

I think sunday will be spent crafting then riding that

Coffeeking – my fear was hooking up the backwheel and going over the bars still clipped in

if you wanna be smooth then leave the trail as it is. and hop the thing.

digging a kicker isnt the same as being smooth. if you have to alter the trail to ride it nicely you are admitting defeat…

Okay I'm going for a smooth/fun balance 😛

shame if you ask me. no need to build anything. not even a big hop. particularly if you are clipped in…

Even with a kicker it could still be hopped, the kicker will just give another option, and it will be small I'm not going to recreate woburn in sussex.

furry muff.

wouldnt have though building an inch and a half of mud against it is gonna aid your fear of going over the bars. you still gotta go over it!

Just jump it, changing the trail is admitting defeat. If you can't jump it yet, then practise and come back when you can.

My old haunt:

Just keep practicing, it gets more and more natural and eventually you'll be astounded by what you can ride off! But I still don't do jumps!

Well done to all those who can 'just ride it' but the OP evidently still has issues with that approach. If he wants to build it up and its not altering someone else's work then surely it's ok to change it.

Another approach is just ride over it slowly then get faster and more confident until the OP is naturally jumping it and certainly the bike looks very capable of just riding it.

i think that i'd try and use either of these as lines.

compress into the suspension before hitting the tree stump so that you are coming up in the suspension when you hit it (does that make sense) this is the same as 'going light' over roots.

use a hop front first to get the front wheel up (same technique as drop) and then unweight the rear and you should 'just ride over it'.

HTH

edit: why the tiny photo!!

I could bunny hop it easily (height wise) but it's just the confidence, I think if I've done it a few times with the kicker and get the landing sussed like that I'd be more willing to give it a go trying to clear the whole lot.

The left hand line in that photo is the one I *try to* take, it's a landing in the rough if you go much further right.

is that tilgate

🙂

Not Tilgate but near