[hokie77]

Hey guys, as a self-professed newb to freeriding I was wondering if anyone could share some tips pointers for basic FR techniques/maneuvers. I'm gonna get up w/ some local guys hopefully but I've been trying to work on some endos and wheelies and realized I haven't done that stuff in over 12 years. After a painful encounter with the street I relinquish myself to the title of "rookie". Time for some pads!! Anyways, I figured a sticky or something with some tips might help newcomers to the style. Thanks.

Aaron

 

[SquadraCorse]

Welcome! What are you riding at the moment?

Some advice:

1: Wear a full face.

2: I would say watch as many freeride DVD's as you can, and read as much as you can on forums and in magazines. Pretty much just study peoples various riding styles, how they approach jumps, how they move through tech sections, how the position their weight, etc. etc.

3: Ride with people who have experience and will force you to ride things you normally wouldn't hit on your own. You don't get better if you stay within your known limits. Only when you have to progress to keep up do you really expand your abilities IMO. Also experienced riders will be able to give you advice when you're having trouble with specific sections of a trail, or give you specific pointers on things to change after observing you.

It's a tough subject to give tips and pointers on while sitting at a computer!

 

[ATOMICFIREBALL]

I remember "Dangerous Dan" saying this: Do a 2' drop 50 times, then do a 3' drop 100 times & so on.

As far as wheelies & manuals. It's about that balance point & making constant adjustments with your body.Have your finger on the rear brake & don't do them with clip pedals & clipped in! Having the right bike really makes it alot easier too. Can you really manual or wheelie a roadbike as easy?No! Some can because they are awesome though!

Heck,i don't know.Ride alot and ask better riders to talk you through something. I have done this with a guy i ride with & he has progressed since i have simply talked him through a drop or jump that he said no way too. If your up there on a drop or whatever going through all the mental pictures of scenarios of yourself going over the bars or crashing you will psyce yourself out & never progress. I believe that was his problem.Sometimes it's alot mental. Also not exactly knowing what to do with your body movements & weight shift.
.02

 

[Huck Banzai]

Ride a lot / Practice.

And ride with people that are better/faster/trickier etc.. the above advice about progressing this way is 'the word'

Most importantly do it for fun 1st, compete 2nd (Friendly or Organized)

 

[hokie77]

Thanks, I realize it's not something you can read a how-to and master. Just looking for tips and advice like yall are giving. Gonna join up with a freeride club here at Virginia Tech, just signed up for the listserv before work. When I was skating as a kid people could tell you how to ollie a hundred times but until I tried it a hundred times it didn't matter. Anyways, thanks for the input and hopefully I'll have some cool ridin pics soon I just got a Diamondback Zetec Comp frame from the bike coop which is pretty light w/ a marzocchi bomber fork. Not bad for $10 and an old rigid gt outpost.

 

[ROTFLMAO]

Make some of your own skinnies. Make them modular so that you can raise, lower, move and re-configure them. Riding skinnies will quickly improve your balance and slow speed handling. Learn how to bunny-hop and manual. Search mtbr.com for tutorials, there are many on there.

 

[Horror Business]

Get comfortable riding with your weight way back. There are lots of very steep down sections to ride, and it helps to get your ass way back behind the seat to ride these sections.

 

[rmb_mike]

Make some of your own skinnies. Make them modular so that you can raise, lower, move and re-configure them. Riding skinnies will quickly improve your balance and slow speed handling. Learn how to bunny-hop and manual. Search mtbr.com for tutorials, there are many on there.

I second that.
You don't have to become an expert at trials, but in addition to the bunny hop and manual, you should learn a few other trials skills as well; a track stand (those come in handy when having to navigate super slow tight skinny corners, and when you want to stop and rests for a sec and get your balance and bearing), 180 front and rear wheel pivots (those also help in navigating tight corners), hopping(and rotating)in place(navigating tight corners, adjusting your position).
And about Atomic quoting Dangerous Dan, to do drops(ones with sloped trannys), you will have to learn how to shift your weight, to extend your arms and push the bike forward and down to match the tranny when you land.
Learn how to jump and control your bike in the air. Again, like the Dangerous Dan quote, you can do the same thing with launch ramps; start with a small one. Hit it 50 times. Move up to a slightly bigger one. Hit that one 100 times and so on.
A lot of it is just getting out there and riding, and trying the stunts. You also have to just overcome your fear, commit, and embrace the fact that you may crash(although don't allow it to psyche you out at the same time)...no risk, no reward. A lot of times, you will nail a stunt for the first time and realize how stupid you feel for being afraid of it in the first place.

 

[FrontRangeDH]

The best way and cheapest way to develop comfort riding skiinies is to go to a parking lot and ride curbs. THey are six inches tall, free and help you learn body position and stability along with looking forward, not at your front wheel. You can work on riding them fast, slow, track standing on them and starting on skinnies. Worst case you slide off the slid and roll away. Wear a helmet and some knee pads

 

[stinkyboy]

Pull up.

 

[cheetaprowlerDH]

The best way and cheapest way to develop comfort riding skiinies is to go to a parking lot and ride curbs. THey are six inches tall, free and help you learn body position and stability along with looking forward, not at your front wheel. You can work on riding them fast, slow, track standing on them and starting on skinnies. Worst case you slide off the slid and roll away. Wear a helmet and some knee pads

definitley,
curbs are awesome starting points and when youre ready to step it up, many parking lots have elevated retaining walls that you can practice getting used to the feeling of height as well as dismounting your bike in such a way that you dont kill yourself. some retaining walls also have little steps every so often that can help you learn control while balancing and going through rough...

if you have room in your driveway, etc. and have some 2x4's you can set up any range of stunts to work with... my friend and i do this at my house all of the time.

you can find small ledges around town to practice low speed roll-offs so that you dont hang up on the lip and dive headfirst...

 

[Dangerous E]

I spent a lot of time riding w/ guys that were (still are) way better than me, which, like everyone else said, helped tons. But when I moved I started riding w/ guys that weren't as good as me and strangely, that helped too. Sometimes being able to see what NOT to do is just as helpful. If you're out sessioning a jump and you watch you buddy flounder around in the air you can pinpoint style and technique elements to avoid. Good luck man.

 

[Del]

One thing that helps me is watching videos. Studying everything from the way a pro downhill rider handles his bike through a turn to clips of amateurs throwing themselves off high places can teach you what to do and what not to do when you ride.

Putting to practice what you see successful riders do is a surefire way to improve. If you see someone do something you like, get out there on the trail and try it.

Buy or rent videos, go to Pinkbike and check out the streaming videos there - just watch and imitate (unless they bust their ass).

Another thing I find helpful when doubting myself is thinking back to a time when I've nailed a similar stunt. A few days ago I was wimping out on a about a 5 foot drop. Each faltering approach pissed me off until I remembered that I know how to drop 1 foot, 2 feet, 3 feet and 4 feet. Thinking about this built confidence and I was able to hit it and did so easily. And the next time I have a 6 foot drop in front of me I'll puss out again until I remember the 1, 2, 3, 4, and now 5.

If you allow yourself to get stuck at a plateau you'll never develop but you've also got to know your limits. If a stunt can put you in the ICU of your local hospital, maybe the risk is not worth the reward.

 

[surfinguru]

Alot of good suggestions put up already. Pick up this book as well. Tons of good reference material.

http://www.leelikesbikes.com/mastering-mountain-bike-skills

 

[kidwoo]

5 years ago all you had to do was wear a sleeveless muscle shirt, jeans and vans and bar hump the sh1t out of every 7 foot drop.

Now you have to be a dirtjumper on 26" wheels and own something called a slopestyle bike.


That's really all freeriding is.

 

[Del]

Often when I go off a jump my bike will drift in one direction or the other while I'm in the air. I have never noticed if it's biased to the left or right.

How can I prevent this?

 

[rmb_mike]

Often when I go off a jump my bike will drift in one direction or the other while I'm in the air. I have never noticed if it's biased to the left or right.

How can I prevent this?

According to the video, you're drifting because your elbows aren't level when you take off.

 

[Del]

Apparently my posts drifted in the air too. I made one post but never saw it so I made another.

Thanks for the video

 

[matt2991]

how do you guys go about doing drops and jumps. For drops to flat, I pull at the very end, but always land nose heavy. For drop to tryanny I just kinda pop of the end of the drop, but always end up landing nose heavy or rear heavy. You guys bunnyhop off drops? For jumps, do you bunnyhop at all. I always think that I won't get me nose down for the landing.

 

[allsk8sno]

the bunnyhop (not racer hop) is the single most usefull bike skill, learn it now and use it everywhere!!!

 

[matt2991]

I can bunnyhop like a foot. I just heard don't bunnyhop on jumps and drops for some reason?

 

[ZHendo]

i don't bunnyhop jumps or drops and i never have issues. for drops, you really just need to evaluate speed and, depending on how tall the drop is and how steep the tranny is, pull on the bars harder or not at all. don't try and do too much off a drop, like bunny hop, it just makes more room for error. try to stay loose coming into the drop, watch a few videos on youtube and you'll see what i mean. you'll be standing up, but have your knees bent and a loose grip on the bars with a comfortable bend in your elbows. you'll want to lean back a tiny bit and, as a result, give the bars and little tug. this will ensure that regardless of speed your front wheel won't drop before your rear even leaves the drop. it's hard to describe correct form without seeing what you're doing, just get out and practice. don't go big to start, work on the small stuff and get your form going, and then take your skills to progressively bigger obstacles.

 

[norbar]

the bunnyhop (not racer hop) is the single most usefull bike skill, learn it now and use it everywhere!!!

What's racer hop?

 

[allsk8sno]

Racer hop is pulling both wheels up at the same time by gripping the pedals or if you're clipless just lifting up you legs. where the bunny hop of J-hop as some call it, is a front then rear lift similar to an ollie, the bike does the same motion as a skateboard.

The motion most dirt jumpers use is a bunnyhop but very slight, hence the POP off the lip same as a drop witha lip, or stepdown...yada yada.

 

[norbar]

Thx just wasn't familiar with the term. Thought it was sth different (rising your front wheel and using a small obstacle to launch you or sth similar, was in Lopes book. Can't seem to find it right now. Damn ppl borrowing books from me).

 

[rmb_mike]

how do you guys go about doing drops and jumps. For drops to flat, I pull at the very end, but always land nose heavy. For drop to tryanny I just kinda pop of the end of the drop, but always end up landing nose heavy or rear heavy. You guys bunnyhop off drops? For jumps, do you bunnyhop at all. I always think that I won't get me nose down for the landing.

You can bunny hop off drops but it will make the landing a bit harder.
For drops to flat, you want to land ever so slightly rear heavy, those I find the aforementioned racer hop to be the best.
For drops with trannys, try to keep your body position/attitude/pitch the same, and then as your bike goes off the edge of the drop, extend your arms, as if you are going to push the bike away from you, and ensure that your behind goes over the rear wheel. Your body should be in a very similar position as if you are going down a steep hill. Kinda like this pic of me going off this drop:

Notice my arms are extended and I'm sitting over the rear tire.
Hope that helps a bit.

 

[matt2991]

Would you wanna throw the bars forward on a drop to tryanny in order to land both wheels at the same time or just straight arms and but behind the seat?

 

[Frorider1]

Ride, and ride some more. You cant teach someone how to be good at a sport thats almost all mental. It is all up to you, drops, jumps, wallrides, all require little skill to just ride, so get in the right mindset and go for it. Then you will aquire some skill and willl be able to go faster and do tricks of sunts!

 

[Horror Business]

Ride, and ride some more. You cant teach someone how to be good at a sport thats almost all mental. It is all up to you, drops, jumps, wallrides, all require little skill to just ride, so get in the right mindset and go for it. Then you will aquire some skill and willl be able to go faster and do tricks of sunts!

I agree, I think drops are 20% skill and 80% mental. You have to have confidence and commit. Easier said then done as the drops get bigger, trust me.

 

[matt2991]

I have been practicing my drops a little bit. I kinda practice my timing by just going off curbs. I was wondering if the racer hop would work for drops to trayanny or would that not work. I am worried that I will nose dive if I just put my butt behind the seat and extend my arms. I noticed that they are easier with speed for it is easier to level out the front wheel, like when you go off a curb.

 

[Tjaard]

Second on the Mastering MTB book from Lee McCormack. It is a must have for any MTBer.

 

[basikbiker]

Pull up.

and bend your knee's:biggrin:

 

[SK6]

Something that I am working on that's real important is trusting your bike. If you have no faith in your bike, you won't have faith in yourself.

 

[dakota_lyons]

Something that I am working on that's real important is trusting your bike. If you have no faith in your bike, you won't have faith in yourself.

yes, very true, but also, you can't over trust your bike... my friend thought he could do a 5 footer off a womens trek... no, it didn't work
master the bunny hop, it comes in handy, for everything. and try to hit jumps landing flat, or a little rear.

if you pull up to much, you can usually fix that. if you dont pull up enough, your screwed

 

[Tjaard]

Get 'Mastering MTB skills by Lee McCormack (Leelikesbikes.com). It is a must have for any MTB, whether freeride, XC or 'just ripping on a bike' !

 

[BlackHornet]

practice

 

[Trajan]

Hello everyone, i am new here.
I am riding free ride 6-7 months. I did 5-5.5' tall drops, jump from 10-12 stairs, but i have one big problem. This is ladder bridge. I want to do 7.0' tall drop, way on the top lead on ladder bridge 16" wide, 10-12' long, bridge is raise from ground and it is problem for me. What I should to do, learn pass teh bridge, just do not thinking about it and ride fast.
thanks for help, and sorry my english.

 

[Streamline]

See the post above yours.. You could build yourself a 10' long ladder and start with it on the ground in the yard and then move up on some cement blocks Then take it a bit higher with a couple 4x4s and a 2x4 cross beam. once you get used to it being a bit higher your should be fine. Also keep it from getting in your head to much. You can easily psych yourself out.

 

[MTBXRacing]

Get the Fluid Like a Pro DVD. It has some really good advice on just about every aspect of riding.

 

[seespotendo]

Something that I am working on that's real important is trusting your bike. If you have no faith in your bike, you won't have faith in yourself.

thats why i ride a Faith. haha.