would like to step it up a notch. . .

While I agree, you have to love calculated train wrecks. :beer:

 

I think its all relative....some stuff you ride like a 5 foot drop is darn right scary to other people.....

I think with mountain biking alot of us push ourselves to "go bigger" which means different things to different people ....

 

But also, a lot of people go "big" at Whistler on that last drop at the end of your run. I'm pretty sure that people land it more than 50% of the time. Bender just finds the biggest cliff he can find, puts on body armor, gets a bike with 10000 inches of travel and launches it. If he lands it awsome. If he doesn't, he'll try again in another year when his broken bones heal.

 

I think Bender has a screw loose, just don't get the attraction.

But of course remember Evil Knievel. Jumping distance on a harley davidson of all things. None of these wimpy lightweight japanese bikes.
He broke more bones...

 

Mo brave den smart.

Hardly, he will be soaking in the hot tube and eating pain pills like M&M's just to be able to get out of bed each morning.

No one has enough money to buy good health - mental or physical.

 

Because the sport course wouldn't make Bender or many of us blink. A 40 foot drop is easy for Bender and outside of his popularized crashes he was a very good free rider. He pushed his limits and his failures got put into compilation videos.

Want to post up videos of all your crashes so we can call you an idiot for trying?

 

Back to my original question- how can I step it up a notch and huck like Bender? The Jaw Drop is obviously too far of a drive. Are there some beginner courses where I could learn the fundamental skills?

 

You guys act like Bender is the only big mountain hucker out there, he is only 1 of many!!!

 

Anywhere really.
If you have the skill to hit 4, 5 or 6 foot drops you have the skill to hit 10, 20 and 30 footers. Bigger drops require you to control the bike a little longer in the air but the biggest reason that holds a lot of rides from hitting the huge drops/gaps ... fear or to put it lightly, self preservation.

Conquer the fear and starting hitting the drops. Start with smallish 4 and 5 footers and go from there. Off loading docks, stairs, walls, ect ect etc.

Other then that, try and join in on some rides with riders who ride freeride/DH. Being with a group that rides like that will push you to improve, quit or become the photographer.

 

The problem is that people buy the vids of people trying to kill themselves. Josh, is a skilled rider but I have no desire to emulate him or to watch others throw themselves off a 50' cliff. There is as much skill jumping off a 10, 20 or more cliff so why keep going bigger? Because people pay to see it. I don't.
I think it's bad for the sport. It gives people the wrong idea of what mountain biking is all about and adds fuel to the fire for the Sierra Clubbers. It has so little to do with what mountain biking really is.

 

Mountain biking, like many other sports, has expanded based on technology. Freeriding and slopestyle events are a common everyday occurence now. After watching the Redbull Rampage in person I have renewed respect for the riders. To each his own, I will keep watching!!!!

 

There are great lines that lead to big drops right here in Socal, San Diego county, Riverside county, and trails above 5000 feet. Jake, Ob1,Bullcrew and I huck this stuff...Sean if you want to play let me know..

 

THANK YOU so much....you were reading my mind!

I was one of many who was inspired by this man. I would not be the (free)rider I am today if it were not for his inspiration. I started out small...jumping off loading docks. A couple years later, I was hitting 15/20 footers. It just takes a little skill and A LOT of trust in your bike. I've also watched many freeride videos and actually studied what the riders do with their bikes...from takeoff, in the air, and on the landing. It was because of that I acquired the skill to hit my first 20 footer successfully. Was I nervous?...F*** yeah! But I applied the techniques I saw on the video and landed it like a pro. I shocked myself, along with everyone that was watching. One HAS to push their limits in order to progress as a rider...ANY kind of rider. In the seven years I've been riding big bikes, I can count on one hand how many times I've crashed (hitting a drop), but that in no way means that I am a better rider than Bender. I only WISH I had the courage to hit a 50'+ drop. I'm still working up the courage to hit my first 25 or 30 footer.

Oh...and a little technical advice...the bigger you go, the more suspension tuning you have to do. I can't tell you how many crashes I've seen on video and in person due to improper suspension tuning. The suspension either bottoms out or bounces back too fast or both.

mpmffitz, this thread has rejuvenated my motivation to go huck again! :bang: Message me sometime when you have time to ride!

 

Chris, with all due respect, my friend, I do not say that at all. Speaking soley for myself, I simply enjoy having air under my tires, and can stand atop drops and "see" hitting/landing them. Some people understand it, some do not... it doesn't matter to me either way. I do the kind of riding i'm passionate about (as we all should). Oftentimes it's freeriding, sometimes it's an XC ride, sometimes it's just riding local fire roads with friends.

 

thats funny, some of my friends were talking about that today and all i could think of was magic johnson.

 

Thanks Zokefan and Sean, this Friday eve if your available east of Wildomar for great jump course or Simpson for a feeling like a pin ball in a pin ball game 3 minute relays top to bottom. Gaps,step ups, step downs, bouldering, drops, doubles..

 

First is first

First is first, get your brain examed first.:lol:

 

I really doubt Pastrana will look back at his life and regret doing the stuff that he did. He changed the face of FMX and has experienced more stuff than most of us could ever dream of. I'm not saying I would jump out of plane with no chute, but it would also be nice to make a phone call to Ken Block and go drive rally cars. He is a nut, but he is also amazingly talented at pretty much everything he does.

 

Progression

Actually Art, you did say something to that effect in a conversation we had once. You talked about starting to drop small stuff and were talking about your progression and how the one adapts quickly to bigger and bigger drops. I can't say you mentioned adrenaline, however. Sorry if I appeared to put words in your mouth.

Progression is great - it is fun to be able to routinely ride stuff that used to be scary, or to ride something familiar a little faster. Same goes for uphill. It's cool to bag 4000' of climbing when 2000' used to make one fall over with leg cramps.

I just can't relate to progression that leads to the maniacal edge that the Bender videos portray.

 

Get a pal with a high speed camera so you can have fluid slow-motion for post-mortem analysis.