[I Are Baboon]

I need to work on mine. I keep pulling the handlebar left or right which causes me to land awkwardly. I do land them ok, but it's ugly. I'd say half my wheelie drops result in an odd landing.

Practice, practice, practice, I guess.

 

[Tweek]

Same here. I've gotten rusty at my wheelie drops. Seems like I pull my bars in the direction of what foot is forward. Keep doing the same drop over and over until it's totally smooth, then do it some more until it's robotic. Works for me, and it looks like from the pic you have a good practice drop to use.

 

[I Are Baboon]

Yeah Tweek, this one is great for practice. Nice wide landing and not too big. There are some other drops I have my eyes on that have ugly approaches (not a lot of room to pick up speed), but they are doable if I can learn to wheelie drop better. Learning this skill would have prevented my injury at Vietnam earlier this Spring.

 

[tonyhawk]

practice wheelies first. then practice wheelie drops...

 

[Ian F]

Hmm... Yes - practice, practice, practice, but I'm not sure that drop may be the best spot to do it. From the pic (although it can be decieving, I know) the drop looks like it has a tranny to land on, which I always avoid wheelie-dropping. Look for a drop with a fairly flat landing. Even a high curb (12" or so) will suffice - the technique is the same.

Otherwise, the same rules apply - look where you want to go, not down at the landing. Having your head down can throw your balance off and will make you lean to one side or the other.

Oddly, I find wheelie-drops much easier on a hardtail. Seems easier to control the landing that way, but I learned doing this sort of drop on a 20" BMX bike over 20 years ago, so your results may vary.

 

[narlus]

i don't agree w/ that. you don't have to be able to ride wheelies to wheelie drop. i can't ride a wheelie for crap, but can wheelie drop just fine. gear choice, run up distance, and pedal pressure at take off point are key.

edit - i agree w/ ian; wheelie drops are easier on a HT. the only time i took my imperial to lynn woods, i couldn't beleive how precise it was.

 

[spincrazy]

Gear choice is key. My front end comes up very easy and I don't have to do a lot of pulling on the bars so they generally stay straight. You can practice outside your house on a curb, doesn't matter the size, it's all the same. Wheelie drops came natural to me and I find myself boosting drops at speed that don't require a wheelie drop. I just feel more comfortable with that little jump and stall/fall that allows me to correct any misteps.

 

[I Are Baboon]

Hmm... Yes - practice, practice, practice, but I'm not sure that drop may be the best spot to do it. From the pic (although it can be decieving, I know) the drop looks like it has a tranny to land on, which I always avoid wheelie-dropping. Look for a drop with a fairly flat landing. Even a high curb (12" or so) will suffice - the technique is the same.

Actually that landing is perfectly flat. The picture is decieving. I can wheelie drop fine off curbs and small drops (like a foot and under). Soon as they get bigger, I get messy. I'm probably making the mistake of pedaling too hard when the drops get bigger.

 

[Toshi]

try to accomplish as much as you can by shifting your weight back and down. the less you do the whole sit-up-straight-and-pedal-like-mad deal, the easier drops will feel and the less damage you will suffer if your chain should skip or break.

 

[I Are Baboon]

try to accomplish as much as you can by shifting your weight back and down. the less you do the whole sit-up-straight-and-pedal-like-mad deal, the easier drops will feel and the less damage you will suffer if your chain should skip or break.

ok.

 

[Ian F]

Actually that landing is perfectly flat. The picture is decieving. I can wheelie drop fine off curbs and small drops (like a foot and under). Soon as they get bigger, I get messy. I'm probably making the mistake of pedaling too hard when the drops get bigger.

Then it's probably in your head. Don't look at the landing. Look a good 20 feet or so beyond the landing. Relax. Think "smooth"

And I agree with spincrazy. I can wheelie reasonably well, but wheelie-drops require a different skill-set. Related, but different.

 

[Serial Midget]

No good can come of this... bikes have 2 wheels for a reason!

 

[slowSSer]

well, got a local college campus nearby that you can sorta kinda legally ride on? if so, find small sets of stairs and practice on those. why? controlled conditions- you know the exact height of your jump, you dont have to worry about traction on concrete, and you can amuse the college students when you crash.

Ive been doing this for years down at UCI (my college and local urban playground) and one of my favorite set of steps was shown recently in bike in a brian lopes/oakley ad, with the "planet of the apes" buildings in the background. now im using it to get comfortable with flats on the Cowan.

my $0.04 new zeland dollars.

 

[Slugman]

Actually that landing is perfectly flat. The picture is decieving. I can wheelie drop fine off curbs and small drops (like a foot and under). Soon as they get bigger, I get messy. I'm probably making the mistake of pedaling too hard when the drops get bigger.

Opinion from a former New Englander - it look like you're pulling up way too much. On those NE landings (flat) you want to land both wheels at once, or slightly on the rear... but your picture looks like it's going to be all rear.

Relax the wheelie a bit and concentrate on leaving the rock with the front just slightly higher than the rear...

 

[T-Pirate]

Wheelie dropping is a good skill to have, but in my opinion, you should only use it when required, or in a pinch. Like if you are going to do a speed drop and you end up with less speed at the lip, a pedal stroke can really do wonders as far as not eating dirt goes. I am not real good at wheelie drops because I realized that with my drivetrain, they are pretty much an accident waiting to happen, so I speed drop pretty much exclusively. I am really smooth on speed drops compared to wheelie drops, plus wheelie drops usually dont have trannys, and I dont drop to flat anymore. I prefer a harder gear usually, so as to prevent the whole sit down and pedal your ass off and sketch out drop. I used to do them sitting down, and standing mid air, but now I think I do them standing. Most people say to start the wheelie with your bad foot forward, but I cant start a wheelie with my bad foot forward, so I have to land bad foot forward. I don't like to wheelie drop smaller drops either, because if they are bigger I can correct my pedals mid air.

 

[Tenchiro]

My problem is I am pretty good at them, but for some reason I am terrified of anything over about 2 feet...

 

[Ian F]

Opinion from a former New Englander - it look like you're pulling up way too much. On those NE landings (flat) you want to land both wheels at once, or slightly on the rear... but your picture looks like it's going to be all rear.

Relax the wheelie a bit and concentrate on leaving the rock with the front just slightly higher than the rear...

This is a difference of opinion... The more you pull up, the more gently you can set the front wheel back on the ground. Try to copy trials riders' technique, which is basically what you are trying to do.

Speed-dropping is totally different and will usually get you killed on tight New England singletrack... Great for wide, open drops to flat without slowing down, but not much else, IMO.

 

[Toshi]

This is a difference of opinion... The more you pull up, the more gently you can set the front wheel back on the ground. Try to copy trials riders' technique, which is basically what you are trying to do.

Speed-dropping is totally different and will usually get you killed on tight New England singletrack... Great for wide, open drops to flat without slowing down, but not much else, IMO.

i've never heard the term "speed dropping" before, but if it's simply dropping using body english instead of pedal force it is definitely not only useful for drops to flat. most of the drops out here have transitions and gaps, and no one in their right mind wheelie drops off them. wheelie dropping is just too prone to failure, relying on the weak chain and rear wheel traction of unknown nature...

 

[I Are Baboon]

i've never heard the term "speed dropping" before, but if it's simply dropping using body english instead of pedal force it is definitely not only useful for drops to flat. most of the drops out here have transitions and gaps, and no one in their right mind wheelie drops off them. wheelie dropping is just too prone to failure, relying on the weak chain and rear wheel traction of unknown nature...

There are at least two drops I can think of that I have not tried because there is no room on the approach to gain speed. You only have enough room to generate maybe two pedal strokes, so your only option is the wheelie drop. But I want to do those drops because, well, they're there. If I have the room, I choose the "speed dropping" technique, which I have done plenty of times.

 

[Ian F]

i've never heard the term "speed dropping" before, but if it's simply dropping using body english instead of pedal force it is definitely not only useful for drops to flat. most of the drops out here have transitions and gaps, and no one in their right mind wheelie drops off them. wheelie dropping is just too prone to failure, relying on the weak chain and rear wheel traction of unknown nature...

I'd say it's obscure technique with limited applications: Like urban drops to flat with a wide-open landing area. I'll hit a drop like that with all the speed I can muster, land it rear-wheel-first, and set the front wheel down as gently as possible. In 15 years of mountain biking, I can only think of a few times I've used the technique on dirt.

 

[Toshi]

There are at least two drops I can think of that I have not tried because there is no room on the approach to gain speed. You only have enough room to generate maybe two pedal strokes, so your only option is the wheelie drop. But I want to do those drops because, well, they're there. If I have the room, I choose the "speed dropping" technique, which I have done plenty of times.

done properly (and to a sloped transition!) you barely need any speed at all... practicing manuals really helps for this.

 

[Slugman]

Speed-dropping is totally different and will usually get you killed on tight New England singletrack... Great for wide, open drops to flat without slowing down, but not much else, IMO.

What the hell is "speed dropping"... do you mean launching it?

What I was describing is what I used when I would come to a drop with zero speed and have MAYBE 2 bicycle lengths before the drop. You approach it with minimal speed and pop the front end up a little bit.

I don't have enough timing or skill to pull off what those psycho trials guys do... so I just make sure that the force is distributed equally between the wheels and try to suck up some with my body (arms and legs) too.

 

[I Are Baboon]

Maybe there is some confusion on the term "wheelie drop." My interpretation of it is starting from a near stop, then "pedal, pedal, drop." I am not actually trying to land a wheelie, I am trying to land both tires at the same time, or at least as close to it as I can with my back tire hitting first. I guess the pulling up on the handlebar is where the wheelie part comes in.

 

[I Are Baboon]

What I was describing is what I used when I would come to a drop with zero speed and have MAYBE 2 bicycle lengths before the drop. You approach it with minimal speed and pop the front end up a little bit.

I don't have enough timing or skill to pull off what those psycho trials guys do... so I just make sure that the force is distributed equally between the wheels and try to suck up some with my body (arms and legs) too.

 

[Ian F]

What the hell is "speed dropping"... do you mean launching it?

Read T-Pirate's post (right after yours on the previous page). He started it. LOL!

I don't have enough timing or skill to pull off what those psycho trials guys do... so I just make sure that the force is distributed equally between the wheels and try to suck up some with my body (arms and legs) too.

That sounds painful...

Wheelie-drop => approach a drop really slow, pull-up, land rear-wheel first, suck up most of the impact with your legs, gently set the front wheel down, ride away with big sh!t-eatin' grin on your face, all happens in one smooth motion when done right.

I don't practice it enough and usually end up slamming the fork into the ground too hard (usually because I didn't commit or looked down), but occasioally I get it right and it feels like butter.

 

[tenderfoot]

I just stumbled onto this thread and figured I might offer my opinion. Say no to drops to flat, particularly wheelie-drops or pedal-kicks or whatever else you want to call them. There are way too many possibilities for error, whether it be mechanical error (your chain skips),human error ( you pull up too much/not enough), or some kind of fluke.
The drop in the pic looks more fun to huck or hop at speed than to wheelie drop from a standstill, but that's just me. A great way to work on this stuff, whether it's huckin' or wheelie-dropping is to make your own. When I got into this stuff, I built a 1 footer, a 2 footer, and a 3 footer. The three looked huge at first, but then I worked my way up and it seemed small. It definitely helps to have a practice area where you're comfortable and you can spend as much time as you like staring at the landing until you're comfortable.
I don't know if this was helpful at all, hopefully it was. Oh yeah, one more thing, say no to drops to flat.......

 

[Knuckleslammer]

Yeah what he said. F-wheelie drops. I ghost shifted on a wheelie drop and almost broke my neck. Tenderfoot? He just popped a couple bonz through his leg is all when he did a wheelie drop.



Just kiddin man. No more drops for this kid. I suck, I'll stick to the ground.

Knuckle

 

[Slugman]

gently set the front wheel down

Stil haven't figured that part of it out!

 

[Ruprick]

Shift your weight back and down more to bring the front wheel up, yanking the bars to your chest will pull you sideways. The more you make it one fluid motion, the more straight you'll drop.

 

[smash-itup]

i went to the blue hills mountainbike day, and justbill brought his 3 ladder bridges, and it was awesome for anyone to learn on, or improve their skills, they are three different sizes, 1, 2, and 4 feet. perfect for learning. smooth, predictable, relitively wide. they'll probably be at nembafest again this year. go and practice. i had the same problem, and after a few runs on these things, i was doing the biggest one perfectly.

 

[T-Pirate]

What the hell is "speed dropping"... do you mean launching it?

Right, sorry, I dont know what else to call it. But honestly, its pretty self explanatory. You drop off it with speed. As in go fast and lean back, no pedaling involved.

 

[SilentJ]

Shift your weight back and down more to bring the front wheel up, yanking the bars to your chest will pull you sideways. The more you make it one fluid motion, the more straight you'll drop.

Sorry to bring this back, but ^^^^ thats 'bout the best advice Ive read in this thread. In my experience no good can ever come of yanking up on the bars with your arms. Its all body motion...when I had the 4" fork on the Toy I could drop from a standstill with my front tire on the edge of the drop, no pedalling, just release brakes, throw weight forward, throw bike forward and thats about it..all body motion. Of course its not the most reliable technique and I'd never try it on anything high. It was also ugly and fairly useless, but it could be done.

IAB, you know, you just could have called it 'style' and started a 'Check out my style' thread! Im suprised nobody mentioned this earlier.

As for landing awkwardly on smaller drops; does that matter? I mean really, if you get lots of practice landing small easy drops all sketchy-like, then itll be much easier to decide to try a drop where the landing is some kind of silly rock garden or root mass or mosh pit of midgets.

Its a win-win situation....if you get all sideways, you can either call it 'style gone a little wrong' or you can call it 'practicing sketchy landings'