[UncleHowie]

Hey guys I need some help!
I'm fast on technical,loose and steep trails but as soon as there are jumps or drops I'm riding like a total beginner. I know it's mostly a mental thing but I would like to make my bike more predictable on jumps, I usually have problems with nose diving over jumps/drops.

My bike:
Intense M9 with CCDB
- HA: 64 degrees (0 cup)
- Progression: Middle
- Travel: 9.5"
- Chainstay: Middle
- Dorado is pretty firm
- Bar with 5 mm rise (would more rise be better for jumps?)

Besides jumping I think my bike rides really great

 

[DMdh]

If you have problems with nose diving I would try slowing the rebound in the back end 2 clicks and taking 1 in the front.

Moreover, try not to be nervous before jumping that makes you being stiff and in the back of the bike. I had the same problems as you nosediving on jumps, and something I found is that having a more relaxed and upright (centered) position on the bike and pulling the handelbars a little at the same time that you pump the transition with the pedals solved the problem or at least the most of it.

 

[Nick]

Set up your bike and suspension for the trails you ride, then learn to jump 'that' bike. Making adjustments to cater to a weakness in your riding isn't helpful in the long run. Make YOU more predictable on jumps.

Know what I mean?

 

[BigHitComp04]

I've got an M9 with Dorado also. 9.5in, middle progression and middle chainstays. I'm pretty comfortable jumping and actually think the bike jumps really well. I've got it set up go fast. May just be a technique thing. Slightly higher bars may help. I also had 5mm rise and went to 20mm rise and feel way better. Raising the lower crowns on your fork may be worth experimenting with too. I have my fork setup very similar to the 'DH race' recommended settings in the Dorado manual

 

[djjohnr]

I recently did a coaching session while in Whistler to get better at jumping; I've often had the same problem on bigger jumps (nose diving). It turns out that in general I'd wind up nose diving or wheelie-ing because I didn't preload evenly going off the jump - I preloaded one end more then the other. In my case part of the reason was due to my body position. Over the years I've developed a position that was fairly low, with a deep squat to aid in traction through rock gardens. It turns out the deep squat isn't as stable and was leading me to collapse at times - particularly under higher G situations (it also was causing my legs to tire quickly). So I'd collapse a little bit and shift my weight to compensate, which led to uneven preloading. To fix the coach had me change my position so that my legs are only slightly bent (specifically he had me bend my knees just to the point where I could easily support myself for a long period standing on the ground). Jumps instantly became easier for me, both in terms of a predictable flight arc as well as decreasing the amount of speed I'd need to clear them. Additionally I'm getting through berms faster as well. It is taking some re-learning for me in rock gardens though.

Hey guys I need some help!
I'm fast on technical,loose and steep trails but as soon as there are jumps or drops I'm riding like a total beginner. I know it's mostly a mental thing but I would like to make my bike more predictable on jumps, I usually have problems with nose diving over jumps/drops.

My bike:
Intense M9 with CCDB
- HA: 64 degrees (0 cup)
- Progression: Middle
- Travel: 9.5"
- Chainstay: Middle
- Dorado is pretty firm
- Bar with 5 mm rise (would more rise be better for jumps?)

Besides jumping I think my bike rides really great

 

[WestCoastHucker]

Set up your bike and suspension for the trails you ride, then learn to jump 'that' bike. Making adjustments to cater to a weakness in your riding isn't helpful in the long run. Make YOU more predictable on jumps.

Know what I mean?

^^this^^

unpredictability on jumps is almost always the fault of the rider and lack of proper technique, not the bikes suspension setup...

 

[canadmos]

Everyone had said some solid points. I find myself in the same boat, most of the time. I'll ride down pretty much any trail, no matter how rocky or steep. But toss in a trail with some jumps, and I'll find a way to screw it up. One thing that I've noticed on my local trails (that I have no problems hucking on my trail bike), is to make sure that I have my speed corrected wayyyy before the jump comes up. If I'm coming into the jumps feathering my brakes, I know I'll go nose heavy.

 

[bdamschen]

Best things you can do-

1. Make sure your rebound in the rear is not faster than your rebound in the front. It'll cut down on your chances of getting launched ass over tea kettle of a lip.

2. When you're in the air, do SOMETHING. It doesn't matter if it's a fat whip or a bar hump or just a really awkward turnbarleanbike. You'll feel more comfortable moving around.


That's all I got.

 

[Bikael Molton]

slow down the rebound a little (fork matters more) and/or pull harder off the lip. Mostly the latter, probably. If you spend a lot of time on bmx or DJ bike you can forget how to jump a big bike.

 

[demo 9]

raise the seat

 

[WestCoastHucker]

...2. When you're in the air, do SOMETHING....

this is actually super good advice. keeping a constant movement from takeoff to landing is the best solution for dead sailors and the bike going somewhere you don't want it to. it keeps you in control of the ride instead of just being along for the ride. watch any video you like, mtb, bmx or anything in between and you will notice that there is never a point where someone is just holding on and hoping for the best. rather you see riders keeping that same constant fluidity throughout the entire airtime...

plus it teaches you how your bike acts in different scenarios which really helps when your bike is doing something you don't want it to. you have a library of situations in your mental database to pull from to save your butt in mid-air scenarios you really don't wanna be in...

 

[kidwoo]

this is actually super good advice. keeping a constant movement from takeoff to landing is the best solution for dead sailors and the bike going somewhere you don't want it to. it keeps you in control of the ride instead of just being along for the ride. watch any video you like, mtb, bmx or anything in between and you will notice that there is never a point where someone is just holding on and hoping for the best. rather you see riders keeping that same constant fluidity throughout the entire airtime...

I've made a habit of hitting myself in the crotch with my dropper post in the air on my trail bike.


Because it's ****ing hilarious.

And dangerous.


And I never learned barspins.

 

[bumster22]

raise the seat

This man speaks the truth!

 

[WestCoastHucker]

I've made a habit of hitting myself in the crotch with my dropper post in the air on my trail bike...

hey, we all have our own steeze...
my trail bike and its high seat have definitely put me in some spots i never wanna be in again. luckily i had that previously mentioned experience to fall back on. otherwise i'd probably have even less teeth than my current gap tooth hockey smile...

 

[blindboxx2334]

And dangerous.

be like woo and sprint off the lips.

 

[kidwoo]

Next personal milestone: sprinting, ass popping the seat, and getting a ghost shift all at the instant of lip departure.


We all need goals.

 

[SCARY]

I had a bike with the exact same compontents. Some times, on smaller jumps or something abrupt, the back end will want to kick up a bit.You can tune most of this out by the 2 rebound knobs on the ccdb.i would play with slowing the hsr down first. I was surprised how slow I had mine setup when I would just just sit on it, but it worked.
I also had the Dorado pretty stiff and quicker on the rebound than the rear.

 

[Dirk77]

I ate **** this weekend on a lippy jump that I've hit plenty of times perfectly before. I was going a tad fast, i think i was riding in the backseat a little too and my rear end bucked up. Almost otb'd..

Good info in this thread.

Keep weight centered, Preload evenly.
Always focus on doing a little trick in the air.

 

[4130biker]

When I was having trouble with this, a wise rider once told me to "push" (aka pump) all the way through as you go off the lip- arms and legs. If you let up early, the rear will fling up and buck you off the lip. This was on a bmx, but that way of thinking about it helps me on any bike, BMX, DH or otherwise.

I'm pretty sure it was Dave "The Lord" Voelker who once equated being able to bunnyhop well with jumping well. Mastering bunnyhops on any bike will help you in my opinion. Also like the "do anything" in the air advice. Dead sailors will bite you in the ass otherwise- good luck!

 

[bdamschen]

Next personal milestone: sprinting, ass popping the seat, and getting a ghost shift all at the instant of lip departure.


We all need goals.

If you can throw a little Jammin Salmon in there you can probably get your nuts to do something like this