Posts
10
Joined
7/25/2019
Location
GB
Edited Date/Time
7/26/2019 6:24am
I'm a fairly new rider and I noticed that people say to "move your weight forward" to bring the front down after hitting a jump with to much throttle. I can't seem to do this, I know how to move my weight forward on mountain bikes because I do it all the time, but I just can't seem to have the flexibility to move my weight forward on the bike.
Should I try throwing my hips forward or trying to get my whole body over the front of the bike? I can think about it but when I try to do it, it doesn't seem to work.
Stupid question but hoping to get an answer.
(also I'm a fairly tall guy, around 5'11, I'm not sure if that would affect it at all)
Should I try throwing my hips forward or trying to get my whole body over the front of the bike? I can think about it but when I try to do it, it doesn't seem to work.
Stupid question but hoping to get an answer.
(also I'm a fairly tall guy, around 5'11, I'm not sure if that would affect it at all)
The Shop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvwbNKpjgK0&t=11s
Dont gas it off the takeoff. Thats how i broke my tibia and collar bone. Learned the hardway.
Rear brake is how your bring it back level.
Find a mellow double or table top you are familiar with. By mellow, I mean the face of the jump isn't steep.
Like said above a neutral position going up the face. Neutral meaning, weight mostly on the pegs, core tight, grip bike with knees, very little to no weight on your bars.
The lip or top of the face is where you start to transfer your weight to the front to pitch the front down a bit after the bike completely leaves the face.
Transferring your weight is a combination of leaning forward and pushing bars down. You can also grip the bike with your legs and pull the rear up.
You can chop the throttle at the lip and it will pitch the bike forward with a neutral body position. A 4 stroke will have a more dramatic effect because of the engine braking.
I would start on something very small, 10-15 foot. Hit it over and over and over until it clicks. Once it does click and you will start to feel how a small change in weight shifting and pushing the bars down/forward moves the bike.
The steeper the face the less input you need to put on the front, the jump face will arc the bike in a sense if you are neutral on the bike.
Pit Row
If that is you in your profile picture Markee is giving you good advice. If your not gripping with your legs you are going to have trouble positioning yourself on the bike.
knees slightly in front of pegs. Hips above footpegs, bent at the waist with your head over handlebars. you should be able to see the front of your number plate. you'll be amazed at how much more in control you'll feel with your weight in the proper spot. good luck!
I also give my bars a little tug when the front wheel leaves the ground; this helps move me closer to the front and puts a tiny bit more preload into the shock. I believe it helps me to set my bike and body into a comfortable in-air position from which I can adjust midair if necessary.
Your head should be forward, bent at the hips, and arms should be extremely relaxed with almost zero bar input. Let the suspension do it's job and you'll just float away perfectly evenly. As you start to get more confident, the next step is start to suck your knees up and absorb the face of the jump to stay lower. The reason fast guys look effortless on jumps is because they're not putting much effort into the bike when not needed.
Post a reply to: Stupid question, how do you move your weight forward?