This gal is going UP hill and she's in the air! how did she do that?
these are great pictures btw, a lot of what you are saying is true for road bike riding too. I find myself in your 3 and 9 oclock positions going over rough roads too.
Printable View
(back from skiing)
That's the exit of a fun little whoopdedo, and you can get air off it if you do it just right.
This is what body english is all about, you are not static on your bike. Type of bike ( hardtail, fully etc) is irrelevant, you use your body with the suspension.
Images, riding the steeps. Even this first guy doesn't' have his belly on the saddle, and you can see the stance. From the few steeps I've done, it's all about balance and CG; the saddle is just a reference point and not something you necessarily work into the dance as a weight holder.
http://www.bikemagic.com/news/images/whistler_drop.jpg
http://p1.pinkbike.com/photo/458/med/mpbpic458245.jpg
http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:...esizednsmb.jpg
http://www.singletracks.com/blog/wp-...e-freeride.jpg
Yeah i can back up the moving your butt back with loose legs thing too. I learnt this the hard way after nearly endoing a couple of weeks back cos i'd clamped the saddle tight with my thighs and had locked out my arms...well you can guess what happened! :rolleyes:
So next time i rode and did the same section i still came off but this time i was so far back on the bike that i landed my butt on the wheel and my chest on the saddle. If you think about your body, you're like a big spring. It doesn't matter if you're on a full susser, a hardy or a roady your knees and arms bend much much more than any bike travel. Stay loose, stay low and stay back on the downs. It's easy to tense up when things get a bit hairy but the trick is learning not to...i'm still working on this myself!:D