I’ve never been good at riding these and can come nowehere near clearing ones with any real size. Is it just bottle and not touching the brakes on the run in or is there alot of technique to it. The gradient of the upslope makes me think that if you don’t touch the brakes, that you end up getting way to high with not enough distance – but i know this is wrong.

Badly.

Best thing to do re speed is follow someone who can clear it cleanly.

Simple technique, taught well by ukbikeskills

You could a) **** it at 1000mph and hope for the best / let gravity take care of it.

b) get some training.

You’d be amazed at how little speed you actually need to clear tables with the prober technique.

It’s 99% the same technique as manualing as you come up the face, level off in the air by pointing your toes and aim for the tranny – but spend a half day on a decent course and it’s pretty easy to master if you put the work in.

Simple technique, taught well by ukbikeskills

+1

I’ve enjoyed myself on Energy at Afan much more every time since being Jedi’d.

P-Jay

It’s 99% the same technique as manualing as you come up the face, level off in the air by pointing your toes and aim for the tranny

Also a good technique to use on a night out in Brighton………. 😉

Approach quite slowly. Grab the brakes just before the up slope as i panic. I then need to change down and do a couple of pedal strokes to get up the steep bit. Then relax as i role along the top. Panic at the far end and role down clutching both brakes and with my bum so far back its touching the rear tyre

PM if you want coaching

For full effect you need to make sure the table top is groaning under the weight of a silver service tea set

She needs to wrap her legs round your waist and using one arm to support her and the other to swipe said crockery out of the way with gay abandon then plonk her down on french polished surface and go at it. You should be okay from there on.

Points to look out for… If it looks like an ikea table best double check all the bolts holding the legs on. Fitted carpets or no carpets rugs will slip.

If in doubt, flat out.

Only time I’ve cleared a table top are during a post a training session with jedi.

Speed is critical, the exact pace is less than you expect, technique is everything!

It’s been said before but honestly before I was this exactly, infact I think ampthill has been watching me ride for years:

Approach quite slowly. Grab the brakes just before the up slope as i panic. I then need to change down and do a couple of pedal strokes to get up the steep bit. Then relax as i role along the top. Panic at the far end and role down clutching both brakes and with my bum so far back its touching the rear tyre

The best way to do it is to pedally furiously and blindly at the upslope, hit it shard as you can whilst yanking at the bars getting at least 2 inches of air before smacking gracellesly and front wheel fist in to the flat bit. That’s what I do.

I rolled up and over them at first, then just went at the same ones with a little bit more speed each time until I was clearing instead of casing them (I’d also had a little bit of instruction on setting the bike up for landings while in the air). I have a long way to go before I have any good technique and stop dead sailoring, but if you can find somewhere to practice and just make yourself bottle it a bit less each time, you’ll come on faster than you think.

Dude, just hit the tranny & boost off the lip! Innit.

practice.

As sideways as possible.

Thing is there are tables and there are tables. One table isn’t necessarily like another, more occasional one!

Things to consider and the steepness and length of the up slope, the severity of the transition between the start ramp and the upslope, and the upslope and the top. Then there is the length of the table, the straightness of it, any cross winds, the length and steepness of the landing ramp, and the run out.

In short, there is no single correct answer, but dial you basic technique and start on small/ slow ones, before working up to the big/fast ones!

(and make sure, what ever you do, don’t listen to me, as i can’t jump anything properly 😉

Another nobrainer +1 for Jedi – he had me sailing over tables and then a gap in a few hours.

It’s not a dark art as has been said above – best advice would be to find a tabletop you can ride repeatedly and try rolling into it at gradually increasing speed. You’ll go from rolling over the whole thing to getting a little air and landing on the top. Just keep easing the speed up, pedals level as you approach the jump.

You’ll need to control your body as you go through the transition – be a pilot not a passenger (was a lot of my problems).

As it’s Christmas, why not treat yourself and get jedi’d? I can pretty much guarantee you will be flying the friendly skies by the end of the day – and the rest 😉

I suspect it depends on the tabletop. If you are thinking of the ones at the end of ‘freeride’ section at Cwmcarn, forget it. I think there is something wrong with the profiles on those, I can barely get any air at all. Too steep.

Height gets you high but doesn’t get you the distance for the same speed.So,get the speed right,the height right( keep low to begin with then work up gradually to the 360, hands off the bar twirling stage )and push the front down when you approach the downslope.IANqualifiedinanything 🙂

Always suprises me how much people recommend coaching on this site.

You’re over thinking it, pedal – pump as if you’re going to manual off the lip – level out – look for your landing – aim for it

scunny, your instructions there ain’t helping anybody.

People are recommending the coaching with Jedi because they know it’s the quickest way to learn to jump safely and competently.

It’s not the only way to learn, but it’s the best way.

I could jump before Jedi taught me the simple technique. I would do quite big gaps 15 to 20 feet. But it took bravery to do it because I wasnt 100 percent in control . I would only do it if I liked the angle of take off etc.. I would feel I needed to be on my big bike.

Now I feel confident to do virtually any jump on any bike. I feel in control, I’m starting to style it in the air. I don’t need to be brave.

People always say… You just need to ride with people that know how to do it. I know people that are very good at dirt jumping and they would be willing to help me. But these people have just been doing it since they were kids and don’t even know what they are doing. They just have a spliff and do it.

The problem with coaching is it is hard to know who is a good coach and who isn’t. As with any profession some are better than others.

There is a reason why people are quick to recommend UK bike skills.

Maybe so, never said it wasn’t a good route to take, just suprising how many recommend it.

But still though, find a table, hit it for 3 hours straight and surely you’re going to get it in the end.

The table and approach design does help. Also had help from Jedi, but then would struggle with some local tables where the run up just doesn’t seem to set up right. Then out in Morzine/PDS this year and messing about in some of the stuff off Super Morzine, and the tables there were fantastic. Perfect flow from the berms into the tables and progressive into the next larger table with speed from the last sufficient to clear the next, and so on. They got a bit big for me to clear the lot but was really impressed I was clearing them at all.

North Lincs ftw.

ride fast, land flat!

or get someone to teach you

Sonofuzzz1, your old technique is exactly what I do. Speed and hold on! Just having the balls and a perfect take off. I can clear pretty large gaps (chatel river, fly tipper etc), but my technique is all wrong, no control and yes I need my fs – not comfortable on ht. That’s because I’m doing it wrong. 1 day training with Neil Donoghue and I’m trying to start from scratch, although nearest good jumps to practise on aren’t close, so when I do get there I just revert 🙄

Pump through the pedals\bb, and timing. Front of bike should lift with the back following, level out and spot landing by pushing down on bars.

Put your saddle all the way down to start with. If you’re on a hardtail then dropping the travel on your forks and stiffening them up a bit will help aswell.

Stay relaxed and loose, do some breathing exercises pre jump. Roll in and pump through the take off. THe more you pump and the harder you pull up, the higher you will go.

Body position on the bike is determined by the fact you have to pump the take off, obviously if you are leaning too far back or too far forward then you won’t be able to do this.

Stand withe the pedals somewhere between the middle of your arch and the ball of your foot.

If the table top is quite long, then you’ll be able to jump onto the top and then roll down the landing to begin with. IF it’s short, you’re probably best off just aiming for the landing to start with.

Here’s a photo of me shutting down hamsterley table top on my hardtail. 25ft lip to landing. No pads, no gloves, no full face helmet; just 100% confidence in my technique and ability.

Then you see lads going through all padded up, on full sus carbon wonder machines. With a go pro on their helmet. And they’re barely being able to make the landing. No tekkers, that’s their problem. As a general rule, the more bling the bike is, the less idea they’re likely to have – so don’t copy their technique.

Hope this helps