tips for hitting berms
- Thread starter Rob Munro
- Start date
depending on what pedals you ride, and how much the berm "pulls" i like to come in fast and "dirtbike turn" it. just put your foot down and lean forward if the rear tire washes it usually wont be a problem. there are many different ways to do it. can u give us a riding style and normal conditions and or the usuall problems you have.
unfortunately that would involve purchasing decline magazine....
oxymoron
Grab a copy of 'brian lopes mastering mountain bike skills book', it really is quite good. Berms are mostly about keeping it simple, no brakes and leaning always gets you through fair enough.
you could always buy a bike with a lower bb height.
The moral of the story is you can ask your tires to turn or to brake, but asking both usually gets you in trouble.
Brake late and hard, then let off and lean hard. Trust your tires, if you lean, then panic, then pull brakes youll end up sliding rather than railing.
Brake late and hard, then let off and lean hard. Trust your tires, if you lean, then panic, then pull brakes youll end up sliding rather than railing.
I think that's exactly what I'm doing. I'll try no brakes from now on and see what happens. do you guys aim for the middle of the berm going in, or do you start down low and creep up the berm as you go around?
demo 9 - I spend most of my time at Diablo. I ride flat pedals. not sure if you're familiar with Alpine, the US open berms, Tempest, etc. they are very well build berms, at times a bit dusty. I ride flat pedals.
you just have to commit and lean over more than you might think you're comfortable with. keep pressure on your outside pedal and grip and look around the turn so your bike follows your head through it.
ok i ride diablo too so this will be easy
for all the turns at diablo that are berms. just lean in ALOT. its goign to be scary to commit too but once u are down and the berm pulls you will be comforable. plus with flats if u get sketchy you can put ur foot down.
for all the turns at diablo that are berms. just lean in ALOT. its goign to be scary to commit too but once u are down and the berm pulls you will be comforable. plus with flats if u get sketchy you can put ur foot down.
I agree with a few things said but will add.....look through the turn not in front of your tire......Does that make any sense or has riding all day up at the opening day of Northstar fried my coconut..
check your equipment as well, u don't want a loose stem too. That could be the problem too!
try reading these:
Part 1:
http://www.nsmb.com/shore_news/endlessbiking2_02_07.php
Part 2:
http://www.nsmb.com/shore_news/endlessbiking_04_07.php
Part 1:
http://www.nsmb.com/shore_news/endlessbiking2_02_07.php
Part 2:
http://www.nsmb.com/shore_news/endlessbiking_04_07.php
The Zephyr lift took peeps to the new trails. It was running little slow so I stayed on the usual side.
All the trails are musts bro....All of them.
If ya see me say hey....white Morewood Izimu w/WC.
Always keep your outside foot weighted & look at the end of the berm.
Sandstone I fail to see any two contradictory terms in my statement. Learn the definition of a word before you use it.
whoa dude... i'm pretty sure he knows the definition of "oxymoron" and was probably referring to "decline magazine" and "great article." way to snap back; he offered some advice and even recommended a book for you to check out.
Never asked for advice.
hehehe that's me, I'm guilty too!
is this what happens to you? dont worry it happens to everyone =]
so you should try....
POWERTHIRST!!!!
all you have to do is commit and stay off the brake while you're on the berm and you'll be ok.
There's a few things to know...
First, before the berm, already have your braking done, e.g. you should be going as slow/fast as you feel comfortable and try not to brake in the turn. Your pedals should be level, and your body mass should be balanced above your bottom bracket. Your arms should be bent and you should feel like your in an aggressive stance (attacking).
Second, as you come in to the berm, visualize your body mass lowering into your legs - especially your outside leg. Really believe that your outside leg is getting very heavy... This is what people mean by 'weight the outside leg'. Your outside pedal should move down towards the ground by somewhere between 1/8 & 1/4 a turn (from 3/9 o'clock to between 4 & 6 o'clock). At about the same time, start leaning the bike into the turn by weighting the inside grip on your handlebar. The bike will tilt into the turn between your legs, and this will get your tires on edge.
Third, and this happens simultaneously with the second paragraph... look through the turn, keeping your head up. Slightly turn your upper body into the turn (project your body into the turn) and slightly point your inside knee into the turn, opening up your stance. This is committing to the turn.
If you've done all this, you'll be railing the turn. Try to keep your inside foot on the pedals during the turn, and start pedaling as soon as you feel comfortable (sooner the better!).
Finally, a note on how to practice... you'll want to roll into the turn from a short distance away, e.g. 20 feet, at a speed that feels comfortable to you. When you gain a little confidence, then roll in from a little farther hitting the berm faster and faster over the course of an hour or so. By the time you're finished practicing, you should be ripping.
First, before the berm, already have your braking done, e.g. you should be going as slow/fast as you feel comfortable and try not to brake in the turn. Your pedals should be level, and your body mass should be balanced above your bottom bracket. Your arms should be bent and you should feel like your in an aggressive stance (attacking).
Second, as you come in to the berm, visualize your body mass lowering into your legs - especially your outside leg. Really believe that your outside leg is getting very heavy... This is what people mean by 'weight the outside leg'. Your outside pedal should move down towards the ground by somewhere between 1/8 & 1/4 a turn (from 3/9 o'clock to between 4 & 6 o'clock). At about the same time, start leaning the bike into the turn by weighting the inside grip on your handlebar. The bike will tilt into the turn between your legs, and this will get your tires on edge.
Third, and this happens simultaneously with the second paragraph... look through the turn, keeping your head up. Slightly turn your upper body into the turn (project your body into the turn) and slightly point your inside knee into the turn, opening up your stance. This is committing to the turn.
If you've done all this, you'll be railing the turn. Try to keep your inside foot on the pedals during the turn, and start pedaling as soon as you feel comfortable (sooner the better!).
Finally, a note on how to practice... you'll want to roll into the turn from a short distance away, e.g. 20 feet, at a speed that feels comfortable to you. When you gain a little confidence, then roll in from a little farther hitting the berm faster and faster over the course of an hour or so. By the time you're finished practicing, you should be ripping.
the easiest way to think about all of this man is that its all about body position. thats all dh really is. when to brake, and pedal just come with time and experiance. if you dont have good position over the bike its just not ever gonna work. so just remember when your hitting nice groomed berms drop the outside pedal and lean all of your weight to the outside pedal. this will cause the side nobs to bite into the dirt and well there you go. ohh and when your hitting berms remember to take it easy on the brakes and that you really dont have to turn your front wheel that much. your body weight will cary you most of the way, or else you will end up like the guy in the pic.
this should help you on your positioning. its just about right in that aspect. the reason that i'm not higher in the berm on this one is that this set of berms have ****ty exits and it is needed to exit a little early. the one thing to really not in this pic is my head positio. notice that it is parallel with the trees in the back ground meaning that i'm looks at the trail as if i was walking it. one other thing to remember is to apex the berm as well this will help you build speed. normal tech. on this is to enter high and exit low. also in the second pic notice how far ahead i'm looking. it might not looks like it but i'm already looking at about 1/8 the way through the NEXT berm.
excellent advice guys. I worked on a few of the key points yesterday. Getting off the brakes and leaning the bike further than I thought I could really seemed to help. A few times I shot out of the berm too high or too low, but I think that will be corrected when I start looking through the berm. I was really starting to feel it...until my crankarm threads stripped out and ruined my day...a long story, not related to the berms. thanks again everyone.
no prob man glad we could help.
It's already been said, but looking ahead will change your riding more than anything else. I wouldn't look to the end of the berm (exits often don't line up with where you're going very well), but I would look where you're next change in direction is. In an S set, look to where you're going to be jumping into.
The other thing that I found helped me out a lot, is in good berms, really have your weight centered, not forward. If it's too forward, the rear will slide and check, which robs speed. Stay centered, head up, and rip through the berm so hard that you can't help but have the front wheel in the air during your exit.
And on steep terrain, like a steep berm sequence, or a berm into a chute, etc, practice having your weight so low and centered that you can use it as a jump into where you're going next, popping out of the berms. Beyond feeling fast, it feels real good.
The other thing that I found helped me out a lot, is in good berms, really have your weight centered, not forward. If it's too forward, the rear will slide and check, which robs speed. Stay centered, head up, and rip through the berm so hard that you can't help but have the front wheel in the air during your exit.
And on steep terrain, like a steep berm sequence, or a berm into a chute, etc, practice having your weight so low and centered that you can use it as a jump into where you're going next, popping out of the berms. Beyond feeling fast, it feels real good.
One thing on head position - as noted above just looking at the end of the berm is a bad habit; you can easily miss something ahead and not be in the best position.
Google up some car racing tips for really good info on how to visualize a course in front of you to decrease your time. Learn to use your peripheral vision. For instance, as your coming towards the berm you want to be simultaneously looking for your braking point and your apex point. As you hit the braking point you should be looking ahead at the apex and the exit. As you reach the apex look at the exit and the next transition point beyond the exit. This way you're always well aware of whats coming up with plenty of time to find the best route. It takes a little getting used to though, so practice it slow at first.
Also, look up Blair Lombardi. She's a coach with some really good insights on cornering technique.
Google up some car racing tips for really good info on how to visualize a course in front of you to decrease your time. Learn to use your peripheral vision. For instance, as your coming towards the berm you want to be simultaneously looking for your braking point and your apex point. As you hit the braking point you should be looking ahead at the apex and the exit. As you reach the apex look at the exit and the next transition point beyond the exit. This way you're always well aware of whats coming up with plenty of time to find the best route. It takes a little getting used to though, so practice it slow at first.
Also, look up Blair Lombardi. She's a coach with some really good insights on cornering technique.
On the look ahead note, i've been playing with placing more and more concentration on the exit point / what's after the corner than the corner itself. It can get a little scary but on corners you are comfortable with (and can hit quite capably already), exit speed can increase quite noticeably. You're also far better lined up for the next corner, instead of exiting at the point dictated by the berm (which sometimes isn't the correct one).