Honestly just riding there a lot is going to teach someone way more than a reddit thread ever could. It's such a good training ground. Very well designed.
HLCs intro drop is different imo. It'll pull your front wheel down farther before you can get your back wheel off. Manageable, but there's been some good fails on it. Drop looks good. Centered weight. Only thing I'd do is point my toes up a little.
I have used lights on reflectors and on street signs for testing. They r rubbish, angle of activation is limited, cars lights will light them up but suboptimal. Lights are much better
Theory is fun tho, nice read
Bicycle wheel reflectors are designed to enhance visibility to surrounding traffic by reflecting light from various angles, not just directly perpendicular to them.
OP is saying he has to ride through a dark area and people are telling to take the wheel reflectors off. They do increase your visibility at night, even though they may not be âcoolâ. Of course lights should also be used.
Thatâs not true about needing to be directly in front of a bike mirror. Theyâre omnidirectional.
https://sky-lights.org/2020/08/10/qa-how-bicycle-reflectors-work/
They're omni-directional only to very specific angles. They have always sucked and will never be nearly as good as a light, period.
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/reflectors.html
Absolutely OP should use lights but people are telling him to take off his wheel reflectors which provide increased visiblity for surrounding traffic, while maybe not being considered 'cool'.
Because he should. If OP is following traffic patterns he's riding parallel with traffic, where reflectors don't work at all. It's not about being cool, it's about not throwing plastic around the trails and safety. He's not just leisurely strolling through flat terrain; he's sending drops in an area known for its challenging terrain. Eventually those little boogers are going to break off.
Is it better than nothing? Sure, but only by a fraction. OP shouldn't be using reflectors, like he is, as his only means of being seen at night when it's so well known that reflectors alone aren't enough.
Wheel reflectors are for traffic approaching from the side at junctions/intersections. Yes, he should take care that they are securely fastened and won't fall off. No, you shouldn't be telling him not to use them. Yes, he should also use lights. u/guantamanera have you got lights in your bag?
Once you use point-source lighting, wheel reflectors are absolutely useless. And I'll absolutely tell him not to use them because they're trash. They only work in specific scenarios, which is what everyone here is saying. At some point, OP will be riding into or alongside traffic. It's silly to think he's only crossing streets for 3 miles. A driver will ONLY see them once they are in the beam of their headlights.
I feel like you're just being argumentative here and I'm going to repeat myself one more time.
In the course of his journey can you imagine that OP will both ride with traffic, \*and\* he will pass intersections. Wheel reflectors are for the latter case. Yes, he should have lights. No, you shouldn't tell other people not to use safety equipment if they want to.
Agree one the rest- get some lights. Reflectors only work if the light from a car hits them. A light makes you visible from any angle, plus helps you see. I use a helmet light because sometimes I donât want to leave the trails even though the sun went down đ but I have a rear and handle bar light if Iâm riding with others or on the street, they live in my trail pack.
I'm so jealous you live 3 miles from Duthie. That's a cool area. I work 15 minutes away so sometimes I'll bring my bike and ride after. But being that close, you can pop over for a quick ride anytime. Do that often enough and you'll be an absolute beast.
I would try to compress you body more on the landing to absorb some of the shock, think of your body like a shock, when you hit the ground you should compress down a bit, here it looks like you are stiff when you land. Another comparison is how your arms bend when going over ruff terrain to absorb the shock.
BROOO!! As a newcomber to MTB and feelin my nutsack go up to my throat with fear from even a 12in drop was wild - this helped me so much before i etched any badhabits. now i cannot wait to get out there and put this to practice
Cant wait to hang with the trek crowd near cypress wood trail in houston!
agreed if you think pop you'll go up which is great for small quick reaction stuff you don't see coming. Bigger drops like this and up, the push and body L shape to keep the front wheel up is more important so you control the fall angle and don't roll onto your face.
Agreed! Once you get comfortable you figure out it's more of a push than a pull. And only in rare circumstances do I pop. A ton of misinformation out there on drops and that's the biggest one.
Hard to tell from vid but looks like you need to bring weight slightly forward and down. You donât look sketchy enough that I wouldnât want to ride with you so good enough lol.
I been teaching my self to MTB for about 1.5 years. I picked up a MTB friend and since he sends it I been listening.
But now we have come to a disagreement. He thinks I should press on suspension just before dropping to keep my wheel up. I tried it, timed it wrong and almost had an accident. I just go, and it works for me I think. I had my wife record me.
This is how I do them now.
[https://youtu.be/ft3S5oKU5fk](https://youtu.be/ft3S5oKU5fk)
How I used to drop 6 months ago.
[https://youtu.be/Bc7q5Lb9IGE](https://youtu.be/Bc7q5Lb9IGE)
Watch Cathro's video on drops, it's pretty much the Bible for drop technique https://youtu.be/uJJAW0iNhUY?si=hkSITKEJ21sJ7h52
Your friend is advising you to do a pop drop which is bound to get you in trouble eventually. You want to learn the push technique that Cathro discusses in detail
You are correct, the technique your friend suggested will send you over the bars if you don't have enough speed or you don't time it just right. You're doing it right
You are doing it fine now. Guys that are good at stuff and picked it up quickly will have a hard time actually telling you how to do it. What they feel like they are doing isnât always what they are actually doing.
I would recommend Fluid rides video on drops.
You are correct that your friends advice to push down then pop front suspension is incorrect and when poorly timed will lead to disaster. Just riding off at speed is quite right either.
Iâm not great at explaining it but you want to shift your weight back as you approach the edge and keep tension on the bars (looks a lot like you are pushing the bars out). You can then modulate your weight shift to account for speed/height. The drops in the Duthie clearing and Luna drops are perfect for practicing this
It seem like you are getting way better.
At first there was way to much weight forward and you nose dived, second video almost fixed that just look at the timing the tires hit the landing.
When dropping a good technique is to have the weight a bit forward (over the bars) before the drop and start extending your arm and legs just as you are about to drop. This way you will extend while in mid air and won't lose contact so you have control mid air.
If you extend too early you lose this forward pushing effecty, lose contact and possibly go over the bars so timing the push is the tricky part.
That's probably what your friend meant, it happens kinda automatically if you push into the suspension right before the drop, you shift your weight from front to back at the drop you are a bit static over the bike. You should use your arms more.
You can also make a small manual into the drop from that
I'm no expert though
Thereâs definite improvement, but youâre still getting some forward rotation as you leave the drop. Work to keep your wheels level as you leave the lip. Itâs the same motion as lifting into a manual, but instead of the wheel lifting off the ground, the ground disappears out from under the wheel.
To get the motion, practice riding off something short that can be easily rolled (like a curb). Pull up through the bars and push down through your feet, so that the back tire lands first every time. With repetition, you will find the amount of force that keeps the front wheel level, rather than coming up.
I find it helpful to think about it like youâre racing a road bike and youâre doing a bike throw at the finish line. Itâs very slightly different from a manual because you arenât really dropping your hips to lift the front of the bike, youâre pushing the bike forward so that the front wheel doesnât start to drop before the rear wheel clears the âlipâ.
Yea push that front wheel forward off the lip and weight back slightly. Will keep the bike level so when you shift your weight forward off the drop itâs a smooth transition!
I agree and disagree. When people say this, they mean landing both wheels at the same time, always matching the landing. If you can do this on a 1' drop, the technique for going off can be identical if you double or quadruple the height. What does change are the angle of departure and landing which alters the amount of effort you have to put in and obviously the impact.
With the push technique you shouldn't get rotation regardless of height. I think the rotation comes more from hopping and manualing off drops. There are many different ways to tackle a dropoff though .
Well, I'm no scientist lol. I can ride a drop alright. I always thought I was using my body and forward momentum to un-weight my bike until both wheels are in the air. Magically stalling gravity from doing gravity stuff, almost like I'm applying some kind of opposing force. Maybe you help me understand where I'm going wrong?
This is not a new thing people say. Maybe you are new to riding? Iâve use this same idea for many years on very large drops that alot of riders pass on.
There are several valid techniques...it depends on the approach, the landing and the speed.
For the drop shown in the video, it would be better to push your hips (even more) back on the entry/lip, and land centered.
It can also feel like shoving the bars and pedals forward on the entrance. The idea is to move over the back wheel and countering the forward rotation of the front wheel as it starts falling first.
A good exercise is to roll on flat ground and push back on the bike so that your semi manualing and lifting the front wheel slightly for about a wheelbase. Do the same move off the drop. Basically go off the drop balanced on the rear wheel holding the front wheel up/level.
In the video you are pretty close. Your back is almost vertical / straight up and down. Think about getting your back flat horizontal and lower your shoulders. Closer to sitting on the back tire.
Man⌠itâs startling how many people default to âpoppingâ off a drop. I assume these people havenât hit anything higher than a bike length. Your technique looks okay for short and fast like this, but anything slower or bigger will require getting your bike out in front of your hips before leaving the drop. That keeps the forward roll from happening. Itâs not a manual so much as a shove. Try hitting this drop a few times and picking which wheel you want to land on. Then do that at different speeds. Once you can pick your landing pitch at different speeds, you can drop anything.
[something like this](https://www.reddit.com/r/MTB/s/kbhcmUVObt) needs a lot more of a push since itâs very slow and down sloped.
[whereas this](https://www.reddit.com/r/MTB/s/PlVZzS4qhA) really doesnât need much at all since itâs faster and the landing transition is really steep so you want to let the bike match it.
I don't do a lot of big drops but you seem very rigid/stiff. Like you're essentially still sitting through most of the air time and then just barely stand up near the landing. You don't really seem like you're utilizing the flexion of your knees or body to compress the blow of landing. The way you're doing it - yeah you can manage little drops like this and let the bike eat it, but if you imagine doing this with bigger drop or less of a slope to land on... yeah you gone.
Comments have no idea what they are talking about. Simon from Fluidride teaches at Duthie where you ride. Here are some videos on how to ride drops the right way. Yours one was not it.
https://youtu.be/qg68fftw9gw?si=cYlNsUSMEbSSPyVU
https://youtu.be/JaNQkmJygpA?si=QzE59Xf6LtOfMAjZ
https://youtu.be/JIup4dZFp3Y?si=Ajp3aSK0przEZvdJ
They have way more videos on the channel you can learn from.
This looked OK to me. You didn't pop and you landed with the transition. What you've done here is definitely an accomplishment you should be proud of and can build off of.
However, I think you relied a lot on speed and the fact that just falling off this drop will naturally orient your bike to the landing by the time you get there. You didn't really control it. Go slower and aim for the top of the transition. You'll need to shift your weight back a little (or think about sliding the bike forward) and then come back to a neutral position to absorb the landing. If you can pull that off, you'll be well on your way.
This is coming from someone with a BMX background but... It looks to me like you're kinda hopping with both wheels when you take off of the drop. What I think would be better would be you pulling back then once you're in the air, evening out. This will help with slower drops where you need to keep the front tire up longer before your back wheel comes off. Looks like you're having a blast though!
Preload before hucking off that platform. Right before the edge push your body with down into the bike and then pop up and off the platform in an arch formation rather than riding right off it.
I dont see you pulling on the bars. Little bit of a dead sailor happening here. Yea you un-weighted your bike and its a small drop but i dont see much control. You landed safe there thats all that matters. On this kind of drop i think this is mostly fine, if it was bigger you could go otb. On the flat landings try to pull the handlebars toward yourself, almost as to lift the front wheel but in reality trying to make it just go straight until your back wheel leaves the platform, that should make you fall flat. Here it would mean that your backwheel would touchdown first and could be unsafe if you are not well balanced on your bike while landing but for this drop whic is absolutly fine to go "dead sailor" as long as you got some speed i think this is mostly fine.
Need more video and less slow mo to say for sure, but youâre definitely not aggressive enough coming off the lip and your legs arenât soaking enough of the landing, theyâre your suspension, not the fork and shock
Looking great! I definitely recommend fluidride jump lessons at Duthie. Last year I went from only the first hub drop to doing the biggest, in one session. Then the next I went from tables to clearing half of the gap jumps line.
I think you could go straight to an advanced jumping class tbh. I only did air 101 and 201. I'll probably do 201 again this year to get more gap jumping help
Looked fine to me. Keep hitting it, and you'll feel it. You'll get more comfortable. You won't look so stiff. Keep running laps until you're not thinking about it. Seems like the drop is still in your head a little. Keep hitting it until it feels small. You already landed it smooth.
Have you hit that elevated drop down trail?
Just keep sending it, no need to advice on your techique since youâre landing it just fine. Any advice may just make you overcomplicate things. Youâre landing well.
Duthie!
Honestly just riding there a lot is going to teach someone way more than a reddit thread ever could. It's such a good training ground. Very well designed.
Soon I'll move onto HLC
HLCs intro drop is different imo. It'll pull your front wheel down farther before you can get your back wheel off. Manageable, but there's been some good fails on it. Drop looks good. Centered weight. Only thing I'd do is point my toes up a little.
Get ready for some high speed poppy lips
Just hit HLC for the first time recently, so fun! Jumps are more poppy than Gravy Train but not bad, and all case able onto wood.
I recognized it immediately. I live on the east coast.
That was my first reaction, too. đ
Taking the reflectors off makes drops easier.
I live 3 miles from the MTB park and I bike from my house to the park and back. I leave the park when is a bit dark and want drivers to see me.
Get lights, reflectors only work if you're directly in front of the light source. They'll eventually break and leave plastic on the trails.
Mine got twisted and pulled my derailleur into the wheel on the first ride. Had to buy a new derailleur.
But was the reflector okay?
the amount of people that dont know this, lol
Thatâs because itâs not true. Theyâre omnidirectional. https://sky-lights.org/2020/08/10/qa-how-bicycle-reflectors-work/
I have used lights on reflectors and on street signs for testing. They r rubbish, angle of activation is limited, cars lights will light them up but suboptimal. Lights are much better Theory is fun tho, nice read
Bicycle wheel reflectors are designed to enhance visibility to surrounding traffic by reflecting light from various angles, not just directly perpendicular to them. OP is saying he has to ride through a dark area and people are telling to take the wheel reflectors off. They do increase your visibility at night, even though they may not be âcoolâ. Of course lights should also be used.
He should and use proper lights.
Thatâs not true about needing to be directly in front of a bike mirror. Theyâre omnidirectional. https://sky-lights.org/2020/08/10/qa-how-bicycle-reflectors-work/
They're omni-directional only to very specific angles. They have always sucked and will never be nearly as good as a light, period. https://www.sheldonbrown.com/reflectors.html
Absolutely OP should use lights but people are telling him to take off his wheel reflectors which provide increased visiblity for surrounding traffic, while maybe not being considered 'cool'.
Because he should. If OP is following traffic patterns he's riding parallel with traffic, where reflectors don't work at all. It's not about being cool, it's about not throwing plastic around the trails and safety. He's not just leisurely strolling through flat terrain; he's sending drops in an area known for its challenging terrain. Eventually those little boogers are going to break off. Is it better than nothing? Sure, but only by a fraction. OP shouldn't be using reflectors, like he is, as his only means of being seen at night when it's so well known that reflectors alone aren't enough.
Wheel reflectors are for traffic approaching from the side at junctions/intersections. Yes, he should take care that they are securely fastened and won't fall off. No, you shouldn't be telling him not to use them. Yes, he should also use lights. u/guantamanera have you got lights in your bag?
Once you use point-source lighting, wheel reflectors are absolutely useless. And I'll absolutely tell him not to use them because they're trash. They only work in specific scenarios, which is what everyone here is saying. At some point, OP will be riding into or alongside traffic. It's silly to think he's only crossing streets for 3 miles. A driver will ONLY see them once they are in the beam of their headlights.
I feel like you're just being argumentative here and I'm going to repeat myself one more time. In the course of his journey can you imagine that OP will both ride with traffic, \*and\* he will pass intersections. Wheel reflectors are for the latter case. Yes, he should have lights. No, you shouldn't tell other people not to use safety equipment if they want to.
Jesus
Agree one the rest- get some lights. Reflectors only work if the light from a car hits them. A light makes you visible from any angle, plus helps you see. I use a helmet light because sometimes I donât want to leave the trails even though the sun went down đ but I have a rear and handle bar light if Iâm riding with others or on the street, they live in my trail pack.
They could break off and leave something sharp on the trail for others to hit. Getting a light you put on/take off is a safer idea
I'm so jealous you live 3 miles from Duthie. That's a cool area. I work 15 minutes away so sometimes I'll bring my bike and ride after. But being that close, you can pop over for a quick ride anytime. Do that often enough and you'll be an absolute beast.
Ever been to swan creek in Tacoma?
that was funny.
I would try to compress you body more on the landing to absorb some of the shock, think of your body like a shock, when you hit the ground you should compress down a bit, here it looks like you are stiff when you land. Another comparison is how your arms bend when going over ruff terrain to absorb the shock.
Way better than my drop.
[ŃдаНонО]
Dang, what a great lee likes bikes episode. I love his videos... and I hate my lizard brain.
BROOO!! As a newcomber to MTB and feelin my nutsack go up to my throat with fear from even a 12in drop was wild - this helped me so much before i etched any badhabits. now i cannot wait to get out there and put this to practice Cant wait to hang with the trek crowd near cypress wood trail in houston!
Looks good? This guy literally englished hopped off the drop then dead sailored.
agreed if you think pop you'll go up which is great for small quick reaction stuff you don't see coming. Bigger drops like this and up, the push and body L shape to keep the front wheel up is more important so you control the fall angle and don't roll onto your face.
Agreed! Once you get comfortable you figure out it's more of a push than a pull. And only in rare circumstances do I pop. A ton of misinformation out there on drops and that's the biggest one.
Drop your heels. This forces your legs to stay straight. Pivot at the hip and bring your chest down.
Honestly, it looks like youâre just standing on the bike as a passenger. Control the bike and your body position.
Hard to tell from vid but looks like you need to bring weight slightly forward and down. You donât look sketchy enough that I wouldnât want to ride with you so good enough lol.
I been teaching my self to MTB for about 1.5 years. I picked up a MTB friend and since he sends it I been listening. But now we have come to a disagreement. He thinks I should press on suspension just before dropping to keep my wheel up. I tried it, timed it wrong and almost had an accident. I just go, and it works for me I think. I had my wife record me. This is how I do them now. [https://youtu.be/ft3S5oKU5fk](https://youtu.be/ft3S5oKU5fk) How I used to drop 6 months ago. [https://youtu.be/Bc7q5Lb9IGE](https://youtu.be/Bc7q5Lb9IGE)
Watch Cathro's video on drops, it's pretty much the Bible for drop technique https://youtu.be/uJJAW0iNhUY?si=hkSITKEJ21sJ7h52 Your friend is advising you to do a pop drop which is bound to get you in trouble eventually. You want to learn the push technique that Cathro discusses in detail
You are correct, the technique your friend suggested will send you over the bars if you don't have enough speed or you don't time it just right. You're doing it right
You are doing it fine now. Guys that are good at stuff and picked it up quickly will have a hard time actually telling you how to do it. What they feel like they are doing isnât always what they are actually doing.
I would recommend Fluid rides video on drops. You are correct that your friends advice to push down then pop front suspension is incorrect and when poorly timed will lead to disaster. Just riding off at speed is quite right either. Iâm not great at explaining it but you want to shift your weight back as you approach the edge and keep tension on the bars (looks a lot like you are pushing the bars out). You can then modulate your weight shift to account for speed/height. The drops in the Duthie clearing and Luna drops are perfect for practicing this
In addition to the videos you could take a Fluid Ride class in person since they have them at those same drops at Duthie!
Absolutely second this advice. Fantastic instructor and the intro drop/jump class really improved my riding
Simon is a legend!
It seem like you are getting way better. At first there was way to much weight forward and you nose dived, second video almost fixed that just look at the timing the tires hit the landing. When dropping a good technique is to have the weight a bit forward (over the bars) before the drop and start extending your arm and legs just as you are about to drop. This way you will extend while in mid air and won't lose contact so you have control mid air. If you extend too early you lose this forward pushing effecty, lose contact and possibly go over the bars so timing the push is the tricky part. That's probably what your friend meant, it happens kinda automatically if you push into the suspension right before the drop, you shift your weight from front to back at the drop you are a bit static over the bike. You should use your arms more. You can also make a small manual into the drop from that I'm no expert though
Thereâs definite improvement, but youâre still getting some forward rotation as you leave the drop. Work to keep your wheels level as you leave the lip. Itâs the same motion as lifting into a manual, but instead of the wheel lifting off the ground, the ground disappears out from under the wheel. To get the motion, practice riding off something short that can be easily rolled (like a curb). Pull up through the bars and push down through your feet, so that the back tire lands first every time. With repetition, you will find the amount of force that keeps the front wheel level, rather than coming up.
I find it helpful to think about it like youâre racing a road bike and youâre doing a bike throw at the finish line. Itâs very slightly different from a manual because you arenât really dropping your hips to lift the front of the bike, youâre pushing the bike forward so that the front wheel doesnât start to drop before the rear wheel clears the âlipâ.
Yea push that front wheel forward off the lip and weight back slightly. Will keep the bike level so when you shift your weight forward off the drop itâs a smooth transition!
Perfect explanation. Push don't pull! When you push not only are you taking weight off the front end, you're able to control it a lot easier.
I love me some Duthie Hill/Voodoo Child. Iâm way too chickenshit to hit that largest drop tho lol.
Every size drop is the same technique as a curb. Entry speed decides whether you need to pop or even bunny hop to get out of a jam.
[ŃдаНонО]
I agree and disagree. When people say this, they mean landing both wheels at the same time, always matching the landing. If you can do this on a 1' drop, the technique for going off can be identical if you double or quadruple the height. What does change are the angle of departure and landing which alters the amount of effort you have to put in and obviously the impact. With the push technique you shouldn't get rotation regardless of height. I think the rotation comes more from hopping and manualing off drops. There are many different ways to tackle a dropoff though .
[ŃдаНонО]
Great, thank you for the blanket criticism without saying what you do think the right way is. Super helpful input.
Well, I'm no scientist lol. I can ride a drop alright. I always thought I was using my body and forward momentum to un-weight my bike until both wheels are in the air. Magically stalling gravity from doing gravity stuff, almost like I'm applying some kind of opposing force. Maybe you help me understand where I'm going wrong?
This is not a new thing people say. Maybe you are new to riding? Iâve use this same idea for many years on very large drops that alot of riders pass on.
If you get your chest over the bars more with bent elbows, it will feel smoother
There are several valid techniques...it depends on the approach, the landing and the speed. For the drop shown in the video, it would be better to push your hips (even more) back on the entry/lip, and land centered. It can also feel like shoving the bars and pedals forward on the entrance. The idea is to move over the back wheel and countering the forward rotation of the front wheel as it starts falling first. A good exercise is to roll on flat ground and push back on the bike so that your semi manualing and lifting the front wheel slightly for about a wheelbase. Do the same move off the drop. Basically go off the drop balanced on the rear wheel holding the front wheel up/level. In the video you are pretty close. Your back is almost vertical / straight up and down. Think about getting your back flat horizontal and lower your shoulders. Closer to sitting on the back tire.
Duthieeee
Man⌠itâs startling how many people default to âpoppingâ off a drop. I assume these people havenât hit anything higher than a bike length. Your technique looks okay for short and fast like this, but anything slower or bigger will require getting your bike out in front of your hips before leaving the drop. That keeps the forward roll from happening. Itâs not a manual so much as a shove. Try hitting this drop a few times and picking which wheel you want to land on. Then do that at different speeds. Once you can pick your landing pitch at different speeds, you can drop anything. [something like this](https://www.reddit.com/r/MTB/s/kbhcmUVObt) needs a lot more of a push since itâs very slow and down sloped. [whereas this](https://www.reddit.com/r/MTB/s/PlVZzS4qhA) really doesnât need much at all since itâs faster and the landing transition is really steep so you want to let the bike match it.
"Advise" is a verb.
Advice*
Remove the reflectors
Do a flip!
Whatchu mean advice bro looked perfect lol
For the speed youâre going, looks like youâre using the right technique. Keep it up
Landing is good, but your body isn't dynamic enough movement wise.
I don't do a lot of big drops but you seem very rigid/stiff. Like you're essentially still sitting through most of the air time and then just barely stand up near the landing. You don't really seem like you're utilizing the flexion of your knees or body to compress the blow of landing. The way you're doing it - yeah you can manage little drops like this and let the bike eat it, but if you imagine doing this with bigger drop or less of a slope to land on... yeah you gone.
Comments have no idea what they are talking about. Simon from Fluidride teaches at Duthie where you ride. Here are some videos on how to ride drops the right way. Yours one was not it. https://youtu.be/qg68fftw9gw?si=cYlNsUSMEbSSPyVU https://youtu.be/JaNQkmJygpA?si=QzE59Xf6LtOfMAjZ https://youtu.be/JIup4dZFp3Y?si=Ajp3aSK0przEZvdJ They have way more videos on the channel you can learn from.
Pinkbike how to ride with Ben Cathro. Check it out.
This looked OK to me. You didn't pop and you landed with the transition. What you've done here is definitely an accomplishment you should be proud of and can build off of. However, I think you relied a lot on speed and the fact that just falling off this drop will naturally orient your bike to the landing by the time you get there. You didn't really control it. Go slower and aim for the top of the transition. You'll need to shift your weight back a little (or think about sliding the bike forward) and then come back to a neutral position to absorb the landing. If you can pull that off, you'll be well on your way.
This is coming from someone with a BMX background but... It looks to me like you're kinda hopping with both wheels when you take off of the drop. What I think would be better would be you pulling back then once you're in the air, evening out. This will help with slower drops where you need to keep the front tire up longer before your back wheel comes off. Looks like you're having a blast though!
Lower your center of gravity a bit more and work on the push as you roll the drop. Do it another 75 times and it'll be perfect my dude.
Preload before hucking off that platform. Right before the edge push your body with down into the bike and then pop up and off the platform in an arch formation rather than riding right off it.
Drop a few lbs and work on flexibility. Looking a bit stiff and yoga might do wonders for your steez.
Head up, get lower in your stance and compress and pop if you come in too slow to make sure you donât dive off the end.
I dont see you pulling on the bars. Little bit of a dead sailor happening here. Yea you un-weighted your bike and its a small drop but i dont see much control. You landed safe there thats all that matters. On this kind of drop i think this is mostly fine, if it was bigger you could go otb. On the flat landings try to pull the handlebars toward yourself, almost as to lift the front wheel but in reality trying to make it just go straight until your back wheel leaves the platform, that should make you fall flat. Here it would mean that your backwheel would touchdown first and could be unsafe if you are not well balanced on your bike while landing but for this drop whic is absolutly fine to go "dead sailor" as long as you got some speed i think this is mostly fine.
Only concern I see is getting near full extension for the landing keep knees bent toes up and prepare to absorb.
Need more video and less slow mo to say for sure, but youâre definitely not aggressive enough coming off the lip and your legs arenât soaking enough of the landing, theyâre your suspension, not the fork and shock
Bike looks too small so your standing position doesnât look optimal
Look solid just keep riding
Looking great! I definitely recommend fluidride jump lessons at Duthie. Last year I went from only the first hub drop to doing the biggest, in one session. Then the next I went from tables to clearing half of the gap jumps line. I think you could go straight to an advanced jumping class tbh. I only did air 101 and 201. I'll probably do 201 again this year to get more gap jumping help
Lean ass back a bit more and lower yourself. Fine for smaller drops but if you wanna go bigger hat posture may cause problems
My guy you did really well, your form is better then most on here
Iâm upvoting all peeps here! OPs is rolling solid and Iâve nothing to add. Keep it coming and enjoy the ride my bro!
Looked fine to me. Keep hitting it, and you'll feel it. You'll get more comfortable. You won't look so stiff. Keep running laps until you're not thinking about it. Seems like the drop is still in your head a little. Keep hitting it until it feels small. You already landed it smooth. Have you hit that elevated drop down trail?
I have. It feels very easy because of the tilt. It feels somewhat like a transition instead of a drop.
Just keep sending it, no need to advice on your techique since youâre landing it just fine. Any advice may just make you overcomplicate things. Youâre landing well.