Location: Noosaville, Sunshine Coast, Australia
When mountain biking on single flow tracks and a hump comes up (or anywhere that you can get air), do you pull up on the handlebars or just let your bike get 'air' naturally?
Simply put, what's your technique when you get air?
Location: Silver City, NM, USA
A slight touch (or pull) on the bars, but not much... the jump itself should determine a rider's path. I think it's important to be ready for the jump, especially with regard to pedals and cranks... I like leveling the cranks at the last second so neither one protrudes downward, then I make sure my feet are solidly on the pedals. On a good jump, the bike will seemingly "stick" to one's feet through the midair phase, due to subtle control. The landing should be smooth, not bouncy or out of control. Even on otherwise flat ground, this is possible: in my BMX days, riding a "circus bike" with 20" wheels, I could "bunny hop" a standard trash can lying on its side, clearing the can with both wheels and landing smoothly on the far side of the hop. I routinely hopped tall curbs in Coronado to access the sidewalks, even on my Powerlite Cruiser with its longer wheelbase... a cool sight to see, that big bad cruiser sailing through the air at speed and landing on the sidewalk ahead, lol. But I digress...
Subtle "body English" is important as a rider approaches the launch point... look at the top freestyle MX riders today, and how carefully they make their approaches to jumps. Those riders have mastered control of their bodies AND bikes... I always dig seeing riders do the WHIP, as it's such a stylish maneuver, and body English is important. Those riders aren't jerking their bikes around, they're using subtle control to make the bike do the whip. Back in the day, the "tabletop cross-up" was another bad@$$ maneuver, very impressive when done correctly! All the radical maneuvers involved subtle control, almost like the riders were letting the bike follow a preordained course while applying a slight "touch" here and there to keep things rolling (or flying) smoothly, yeah? Some riders are more "heavy-handed" than others, and you can see the difference... but there's a certain cachet in slinging the bike around like so much hash down at some greasy spoon diner, lol.
Funny thing, I was riding my old (and heavy) KLR 650 on a trail in the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico, and there were some jumps on the trail... however, I did not really WANT to do anything but let the bike catch air and simply keep it straight in its trajectory. A weird feeling, jumping something that heavy! The LAST thing you'd want is for that heavy KLR to LAND on you in a botched jump, it would bust you up the way an aspiring rock star busts up cheap motel furniture, lol. So I just kept the bike straight and sailed through the air, only about 2' off the ground, but that was high enough for that heavy bike! I called the bike 'Porky Pig' due to its 400-lb. weight, and that was after the previous owner made mods to lighten the bike, lol. Somehow, I'm reminded of a rider who jumped a big ol' hog and pulled a back flip, there's a video somewhere on the web. Moi, I'd rather jump on a lightweight pedal bike or "reasonable" MX bike, not some heavy cycle that could KILL me in a mishap, lol.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained..."
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