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wind, jumps and skinsuits

ArthurDH

Monkey
Apr 20, 2007
162
0
Italy
last summer at a local race i was jumping over a double when the wind threw me off balance and i fell down, breaking my arm and nearly dislocating my shoulder
since then i've become paranoid about wind when jumping... so what can i do about it?

first question: is it just my body/clothing that catches the wind?
or do wheels also act as sails?

second question: would wearing a skinsuit during windy races help me?
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,563
24,182
media blackout
gauge the direction and strength of the wind, then counter jump to try and compensate.... that's my best advice.

the skinsuit... maybe if you have a neon pink one :busted:


you will wear the skinsuit.

you love the skinsuit.









(that's twice in one week i've been able to use that)
 

jamesdc

Monkey
May 6, 2007
469
0
stay low off the jumps and if you know the direction of the wind, try to jump more toward the direction the wind is coming from so it will blow you back on course. Also I've found it helpful to table a bit into the wind to keep from getting high sided. But most importantly stay as low as possible.
 

[Tha]Shovla

Monkey
Aug 28, 2007
119
0
Somewhere over the rainbow
yeah stay low, jump into wind, and pre walk course to be able to think more carefully about that jump.

but really dont jump in wind, pro's often postpone or even dont film a segment that has a jump when its windy. just too risky
 

kev211

Monkey
Jan 22, 2008
320
0
San Diago
Stay low. Jeremy McGrath said that the reason he was so fast and won so much is because when he was a kid he raced BMX. taught him to stay low to the ground. Two positives come out of that...

1. Less chance of catching the wind and being thrown off.
2. the more, your tires are on the ground, the more you can pedal and go faster. When youre up in the air, pedaling doesnt do sh*t.

So, stay low and pedal
 

flymybike

Monkey
Jan 7, 2004
260
0
Jackson Hole
A skin suit will help about 0.5% overall. Don't bother.
If you feel you have too jump in the wind, jump very slightly toward where the wind is coming from. Don't go jumping off trail or anything. As the wind hits you, you can deflect alot of the energy by tabling your bike away from the wind if needed. Seems counter intuitive because you end up doing a table, lets say right and drifting left which ends up straight. When it comes down to it, practicing with a lesser amount of hang time to get the feel of whats happening. Go out on a windy day and hit some 2 footers, like 100 times. Then try a bit bigger until you have enough hang time to really feel some drift. The more you do it the more you'll get used to it.
I did a race at Red Lodge last year and everyone was talking about the wind on a jump that was on the ridge and getting a ton of cross wind. Small talk about not everyone vowing to not hit it. You know someone will, I sent that thing as fast as ever, tons of drift but it worked out. Maybe I was lucky but I've done it alot of times and knew I could pull it. I wouldn't tell anyone to hit it if there uncomfortable but if you practice, you'll start to feel confident. It's not an exact science but you can predict and react enough to deal with it.
 

seth505

Monkey
Jun 9, 2006
519
0
CA
if jumping is so horrible you can start riding xc with steezyweezy? That and dont run those plastic things in your wheels like road riders, that would cause you to wreck in a crosswind! Also, do not put on a skinsuit.
 

EOBF

Monkey
Mar 26, 2005
177
0
Bellingham, WA
Not sure why an xc guy like steezy would even try to offer advice, but he is right in this case. Tucking and staying low and fast would be the best way to deal with the wind.
 

William42

fork ways
Jul 31, 2007
3,908
634
if you practice at your local DJ's in a skinsuit, i'm sure you can set a new trend, the bmx'ers are already wearing really tight jeans, they're almost there anyway
 

ire

Turbo Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
6,196
4
first question: is it just my body/clothing that catches the wind?
or do wheels also act as sails?
Everything catches the wind, when I went from a DHI to an M3 I noticed the difference with the mono frame in the wind. Stay low and tight, avoid big air and the skinsuit....you'll look like a tool. You may win, but you'll never live down the skinsuit
 

AzToJrse

Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
254
0
SOUTH JERSEY
if you practice at your local DJ's in a skinsuit, i'm sure you can set a new trend, the bmx'ers are already wearing really tight jeans, they're almost there anyway
at the park we ride, all the little bmx emo groms wear there little brothers jeans and think its a fasion statment, i dont get it.
 

demo 9

Turbo Monkey
Jan 31, 2007
5,910
46
north jersey
they are probably cooler than you, everybody knows that emo kids with cool jeans and tiny wheels are the most insane riders and much respect should be had to them
 

ThePriceSeliger

Mushhead
Mar 31, 2004
4,860
0
Denver, Colorado
they are probably cooler than you, everybody knows that emo kids with cool jeans and tiny wheels are the most insane riders and much respect should be had to them
Actually, we have a few pros in town who dress like that. They get all the respect in the world from other riders in town. There are a few posers, but for the most part, they can move around in ways I can't.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,563
24,182
media blackout
pretty soon bmx riders are going to be buying denim from joann fabrics and just sew it straight onto their bodies so its as tight as possible.
 

P.T.W

Monkey
May 6, 2007
599
0
christchurch nz
A skin suit will help about 0.5% overall. Don't bother.
If you feel you have too jump in the wind, jump very slightly toward where the wind is coming from. Don't go jumping off trail or anything. As the wind hits you, you can deflect alot of the energy by tabling your bike away from the wind if needed. Seems counter intuitive because you end up doing a table, lets say right and drifting left which ends up straight. When it comes down to it, practicing with a lesser amount of hang time to get the feel of whats happening. Go out on a windy day and hit some 2 footers, like 100 times. Then try a bit bigger until you have enough hang time to really feel some drift. The more you do it the more you'll get used to it.
I did a race at Red Lodge last year and everyone was talking about the wind on a jump that was on the ridge and getting a ton of cross wind. Small talk about not everyone vowing to not hit it. You know someone will, I sent that thing as fast as ever, tons of drift but it worked out. Maybe I was lucky but I've done it alot of times and knew I could pull it. I wouldn't tell anyone to hit it if there uncomfortable but if you practice, you'll start to feel confident. It's not an exact science but you can predict and react enough to deal with it.
i agree a skinsuit would only help 0.05% but if you also remove your peak the "crosswind effect" is cut by an amazing 1.27%
 

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
Skinsuits are necessary in road because of over a 45-90 minute time trial, the aerodynamics of your clothing could save you a half second per mile, which adds up to about 15 seconds, a major chunk of time for the podium.

But for jumping? Unless you are wearing baggy vinyl jackets you leave half unzipped, motocrossers are hitting 100 foot jumps with MX jerseys, pants, and armor.

If it is windy, don't jump.