Air time??

[schleppp]

Well here is my situation... Basically I need/want to learn to be more comfortable in the air. I do all right on most things, as long as I am on the ground. However, anything that requires getting air, weather at low speed or high speed I just can't seem to bring myself to do it. Can anyone give me some ideas on places where I can practice, the catch is that I need to be able to go through a progression, obvioulsy I can't start on big stuff... Furthermore, would anyone be willing to help me? And as I am sure that I am not the only one that needs help in this area maybe some others would join us... Thanks.

Kevin

[chongoblanco]

hey man me and my old lady were just talking about that I know a few places to learn how to jump many mt bikers dont hit it up because its alot of bmx stuff but there are diffinatley enough things to learn on and its a bounus if you dont mind digging. what area are u in

sorry just noticed your in perris let me no if you want to set somthing up. gues i should pay attention to profiles more huh

[UR2KLOS]

I have the same problem. I think my gravity setting is turned up too high. Some sort of genetic thing. I don't think there is anything I can do about it.

[roadkillross]

the loop has some nice stuff. do you ride clipless?? whats your rig setup, try dropping your center of gravity as much as you can while sitll being able to work efficiently. ie. drop seat move your body backwards.
biggest thing in the air to remember is to MOVE YOUR BODY. doing a dead sailor is no good. and most of the time if you hold on, even though you think you may fall, you can pull it sketchy. it works alot for me.

[schleppp]

Originally Posted by roadkillross

the loop has some nice stuff. .

What is and where is the loop??

[jfromlv]

Come out to Southridge on Nov. 17th, they don't have a ton of jumps, but I would be willing to help.

[roadkillross]

the fullerton loop located in fullerton,CA 92831. dont know exact coordinates since ive only been once.

would anyone like to add direction or location?

[schleppp]

Originally Posted by jfromlv

Come out to Southridge on Nov. 17th, they don't have a ton of jumps, but I would be willing to help.

I will be there... What time?

Originally Posted by roadkillross

the fullerton loop?

I have heard of it, and I think it is a posted ride on Geoladders. I will look into it thanks...

[jfromlv]

[quote=schleppp;126328]I will be there... What time?quote]

I'm usually there around 7 am. I'm sure we'll get something posted, once the date is closer.

[Rockinthecasbah]

Relax is the most important thing . if you are nerves and stiff your feet will come off or you will loose your composure in the air, start with small stuff and medium speeds that you can get comfortable on, The biggest problem I see on bike and motorcycles is people tend to stiffen up which is the worst possible thing you can do.

[RacinJason]

The jumps at the loop are located conveniently by the hospital at the base of the hill. The problem is the jumps are spaced for BMX bikes so if you try them on a MTN bike there is a good chance you will bite it. The people need a beginner table top jump with no gaps. The gap is what is going to scare people.
I am down to go work with people. If I find anything set up to practice jumping I will let you know. It would be nice to find a series of ladder drops starting from small going to large.
If anyone knows where to find that it would help.
Mean while if you want to learn to jump off drops look for stairs that way you can roll it then pick up the speed till you are coming off the ground.
Then when you are flying say a little more than half way down a 10-12 foot flight of stairs then you are almost ready to remove the gap. Stairs are like table top jumps for drops.

I take Willie to schools and places like that.
She now will roll a 20 foot stair case with out jumping them but they where a little too steep last time. You never want to flat land. Ouch ! I have broken both my feet many times. On a motocross track.

[Sprockethead]

I'd agree with Rock, you gotta relax when jumping. Start off jumping curbs. You can roll off the end of curbs and try landing with both tires at the same time. It'll teach you how to load the bike up and pull up on the handle bars to land smoothly. Along with that, practice taking off the side of driveways. The ramped curbs give you a small jump to practice on. I still do it, though, nowadays, I'm trying to get distance. It's a great way to get comfortable with "air time".

Tabletops are the best way to learn how to get big air. I suggest a trip to Whistler. Rolling off a big drop is just like jumping off a curb. The technique is the same, but the fear is what gets in the way. Oh yeah, dropping your seat will make jumping easier cause you can move more freely and you won't get pushed in the arse when you land hard.

[jcampbell]

The smoother you are the bigger you can go. Practice being neutral on the bike. The way I see it, you can crawl to the hospital from the Fully Loop jumps so huck it.

[RacinJason]

Jumping is something everyone should learn to do reasonably well.
Wheelies and bunny hops can also help you.
With trails changing all the time you never know whet you might hit next. If you have great bike control you will always have the upper hand. There are some great riders on this forum. I have also noticed the differences in the great riders. Some are point and shoot. Line mean nothing to them. Then you will see the finesse rider who does a more trials type of attack on the hill. Both get you down the hill. Both are good skills to have. The bike sometimes decides what type of rider you are for the day. Example - On a hard tail you would use finesse through a technical section.
On a long travel DH bike you would plow through it and lean back and hold on.
If you can put the 2 together and be fast you have a great combo. The DH approach many times land you flat tires, bent rims and broken deraluers.
Cant finish a ride or race when you are broken.

We need a Riding technique forum.
Or something like that.
It can list all the great places to practice jumps and drops and railing turns.

Originally Posted by schleppp

Well here is my situation... Basically I need/want to learn to be more comfortable in the air. I do all right on most things, as long as I am on the ground. However, anything that requires getting air, weather at low speed or high speed I just can't seem to bring myself to do it. Can anyone give me some ideas on places where I can practice, the catch is that I need to be able to go through a progression, obvioulsy I can't start on big stuff... Furthermore, would anyone be willing to help me? And as I am sure that I am not the only one that needs help in this area maybe some others would join us... Thanks.

Kevin

I need top be able to bunny hop better.
I need to get over my last crash and hit a big gap jump.

[Geronimo]

The ski jump at del cerro is primo for getting comfortable with big air. It's a table top jump with a huge landing area. The play area table tops at santiago oaks are great place for learning as well.

[RacinJason]

The jumps at the oaks are constantly getting changed but they can be fun.
I like that ski jump.

[RacinJason]

Bootleg Canyon NV
Look it up.

[ODB]

Just go to Kenter/The Whoops and launch the ravine jump. Everything will work out fine.

[Rob]

Schleppp, you live in Perris, hit up Lake Perris BMX and the Ride skatepark. On the track they should have some tabletop jumps and at Ride they have a foam pit.

Check out this vid.



In case the embed doesn't work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXc1_UF6xXg

[ghixon]

If you like to read, read this. It helped me a bunch. I am by no means Superman, far from it, but it helped me learn what the hell was going on throughout the entire process.

http://www.leelikesbikes.com/Masteri...ainBikeSkills/

I referenced this thing so much, it's dog-earred.