Hopping back end round hairpins

I fancy learning to do that for those really tight switchbacks.
Is it just about weighting the front and picking up the rear with backward/upward leg lift?
Is upper body rotation a vital component?
Front brake or not?

Radtastic if you get it right, entertainment/fatal if you don’t!!!

Front brake endo type of thing innit?

I would learn to do stoppies on flat ground first. Grass is probably a good option. Then you can start shifting your weight as you do them to get used to rotating the bike while rolling on the front wheel. Then and only then try it in situ when hit with a suitable trail situation.

there are some really good examples in this vid:

can it be done with rim brakes or are discs needed?

I’m working on this just now- actually found it easier to learn while going downwards rather than on the flat. Struggled for ages but doing it going down my front steps- just 2 wee steps with a corner straight after- has helped loads, the front’s already weighted up so it needs a bit less input to get it working.

Any brakes are fine. We were doing them on cantis, before Vs, before disc.

I learnt exactly like theflatboy said above. Even though I can do it repeatably and well in the car park, kissing gates, etc – trusting yourself to do it with a bit of speed on a trail with a drop is another thing altogether.

There’s also two kinds of “hop round tight corners” techniques too. The “STOP – Apply front brake, weight on front, twist upper body then bounce the back up and round” which isn’t too difficult to do as you are stationary and keep the front brake locked on hard. Then there is the Pro “arrive at a rate of knots – shift weight forwards, feather front brake into a stoppie, rotate upper body to twist bike around whist you hover rear wheel about 2 feet in the air at 15mph”.

Needless to say, option 2 is rather more difficult, and much more prone to getting out of hand if the surface / terrain changes unexpectedly………

also – when the terrain is already steep (like in that video you posted), it’s much harder.
But they’re all extensions of the same thing so start with straight up-and-down endos.

As northwind says, easier with a bit of a downward slope, Really doesn’t need much though, I’ve been practicing in our car park which is quite a shallow slope, far harder uphill than down.

Find a traffic cone and stick an apple on top.
When you´re able to knock it off using the rear wheel….join a circus.

Shame they look crap.

Skids are way cooler.

*wonders if he can still do endo hops *

If I come across a hairpin or some other technical feature I simply alight and have my man carry the bike to the next smooth section of trail. I’ll follow on in the palanquin.

If I come across a hairpin or some other technical feature I simply alight and have my man carry the bike to the next smooth section of trail. I’ll follow on in the palanquin.

Is that you, Carruthers?

Generally considered easier (at least psychologically) without death as the penalty for getting it wrong: