[johnbryanpeters]

OK, a little help here, please.

I seem to have a singular talent when I essay a jump to point the nose down and nose wheelie or endo or augur on the landing. What's the trick here?

The one I have been fiddling with recently is a horizontal ladder, three or four foot drop to transition. I have all the grace of a blind buzzard with one wing.

First one who tells me it's age is a .

J

 

[derekbob]

sounds like you need to have your weight farther back on your approach, and you need to pull up on the bar alittle on the takeoff. The best thing to do is to find/make some small dirtjumps and hit em up often. Not only will you be better at jumps, but your bike handling in general will improve (alot). Cedric Gracia has been known to say that the best way to get good on a bike is to jump.

 

[ito]

A shorter stem could help as well. Keep the weight back and all that. Landing front end slightly first will be smoother though.

The Ito

 

[Skookum]

Shorter stem does help, also are your handlebars wide enough? I know i have a harder time with my trail bike because of shorter bars. Seat too high? I've been practicing wheelie drops on small drops like little 1 to 2 footers, and pulling my front wheel up through puddles, divits, just so i can get a better feel for it. It also helps to carry speed through puddles and divits by doing that anyways.

 

[splat]

Must be a windows problem, reboot it , I'm sure that will fix it.

 

[jaydee]

Sometimes if you're going too slow or tentatively the front drops before the rear gets off the lip. You can do a little compression and mini bunnyhop just before you roll off to get the bike horizontal as it leaves the jump. You don't even have to actually hop enough to get airborne, just enough to lighten the front end so it doesn't drop. Of course if you want to wheelie drop off at slow speed, you have to get in a half pedal stroke and a little fork precompression and then a gentle upward pull on the bars to make it work. Of course I did break my back once on a wheelie drop, so I may not be the best authority on the subject.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Originally posted by splat
Must be a windows problem, reboot it , I'm sure that will fix it.

Phbbbptth!

 

[I Are Baboon]

I agree with the "ass back and pull up on the handlebar" advice. It's ok if you pull up a little too hard and wheelie land. Personally, I'd rather wheelie land than go endo. Better the fall on your ass than on your head.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Originally posted by jaydee
Sometimes if you're going too slow or tentatively the front drops before the rear gets off the lip. You can do a little compression and mini bunnyhop just before you roll off to get the bike horizontal as it leaves the jump. You don't even have to actually hop enough to get airborne, just enough to lighten the front end so it doesn't drop. Of course if you want to wheelie drop off at slow speed, you have to get in a half pedal stroke and a little fork precompression and then a gentle upward pull on the bars to make it work. Of course I did break my back once on a wheelie drop, so I may not be the best authority on the subject.

The low speed wheelie drop I can handle, although not elegantly. I have problems at speed. I'll try the hop, thanks.

J

 

[JerseyDave]

1: Lower your seat. What kind of bike are you on? You need to lower your seat down out of the way, like as low as it goes.

2: put flat pedals on your bike, and wear shin pads. Are you by chance talking about the ladder drop at catamount? If you're not pedaling off, and your nose is dropping, you need to go a little faster and hold your front wheel up a little longer. Common sense, right?

Think about this. As your front wheel approaches the edge, your bike is supported by 2 points. As your front wheel leaves the edge, it will want to drop, so you have to rock back in anticipation and pull up. You need your front wheel to stay up for as long as it takes for your back wheel to get to and just off the edge. If you do it right, as your front wheel starts to drop, your back wheel has just left the edge, and you drop flat. This is where the low seat comes in. It gives you more room in the cockpit to manipulate the bike and absorb the impact. Flat pedals will keep you from "hopping" off the edge, which will work, but is not a good way to learn.


a way to practice. Pick a spot on the ground...pretend it's an edge. roll up to it at a jogging speed...as your front tire gets to it...rock back and manual for one bike length...just as your back tire hits that spot, your front wheel should be at it's peak and just begining to drop. Repeat 100 times. beware...anything with a lip or bump at the edge will cause your front wheel to abruptly dive...anticipate and rock back harder.. Good Luck!

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Thanks, JerseyDave. I'll try your suggestions.

It's a Joker. Z1, Fox Vanilla.

I'm riding at Camp J. There's a recently built short ladder drop on one of the newer trails. Never been to Catamount.

J

 

[D_D]

Go find a 6 inch high kerb and practice riding off it at different speeds and getting both wheels to land at once.

 

[Echo]

JerseyDave pretty much nailed it... just remember, you'll significantly reduce the chance of getting hurt when you are going off the back of your bike than over the front. So err on the side of pulling up too much, rather than not enough

 

[The Kadvang]

Originally posted by D_D
Go find a 6 inch high kerb and practice riding off it at different speeds and getting both wheels to land at once.

Yeah, or just find a small drop and practice about 1000 times. Thats what I did when i had a tendency to lean too far back, and it worked.

 

[JerseyDave]

structure at Camp Johnson???? Do the authorities know about this!?! j/k

 

[johnbryanpeters]

I presume that Mike O'Hara knows about it. The antz have been so busy in the past couple of years that shortly there will be no woods left, just a bunch of criss-crossing threads.

One of two things will happen - the riding community will start talking to the base environmental folks or a bunch of chain link and razor wire fencing will show up. We're (VMBA) working towards the former, but all the new construction isn't helping the conversation.

J

 

[Knuckleslammer]

Originally posted by I Are Baboon
I agree with the "ass back and pull up on the handlebar" advice. It's ok if you pull up a little too hard and wheelie land. Personally, I'd rather wheelie land than go endo. Better the fall on your ass than on your head.

WORD brutha. Don't fall on ya head. My neck still aches like a SOAB and that was a month ago. Haven't ridden since (


Knuckle