Getting front of bike off the ground -- tips?

[SheFly]

I'm with Irulan on this one - I NEVER use my arms to get the front end of my bike off the ground. Inistead, it's a power stroke with my legs.

Practice this. Go out on the lawn, and from a virtual standstill (but clipped in with both feet), give a hard push with your dominant leg (for me, I always use my right leg, starting at 12:00 and pushing hard). You can try this both sitting, and standing, but I recommend fully seated first.

Next, try to do this and complete a pedal rotation (keep those fingers over the brake lever! If you feel yourself going over backwards, a tap of the REAR brake will put the wheel back down). I can go for about three full pedal rotations doing this.

Once you have that all put together, then try going over the log. For this, you will do the same motion, and can try it standing so that you can follow through with the rear tire.

Again, practice, practice, practice! This is a great skill to learn.

SheFly

p.s.
Indigoiis - you intending to do any racing in the Northeast? If you come to one of the MTB races, I can show you this and have you doing it in 15 minutes...

[Becky]

SheFly, what you've said make a lot of sense to me, except for one part: how does tapping the front brake help you put the front wheel down? I'm trying to visualize.... Thanks!

I need to go practice this, if it stops raining anytime soon

[alpinerabbit]

Waaah - I never ever will be a MTBer

Just reading this stuff - logs, and clipped in, and all, makes my knees go all wobbly just sitting in my office chair. (I do have clipless on my MTB...)

After saturday's MTB clinic, I had nightmares, almost. Flashes of vision about not even being able to handle my road bike anymore. I was seriously turning back and forth in my bed unable to sleep and thinking I'll retract from all my tris this year.

Waaaahhhh...

[papaver]

Waaah - I never ever will be a MTBer

Just reading this stuff - logs, and clipped in, and all, makes my knees go all wobbly just sitting in my office chair. (I do have clipless on my MTB...)

After saturday's MTB clinic, I had nightmares, almost. Flashes of vision about not even being able to handle my road bike anymore. I was seriously turning back and forth in my bed unable to sleep and thinking I'll retract from all my tris this year.

Waaaahhhh...

I'm like you, i prefer the road any time.

[SheFly]

SheFly, what you've said make a lot of sense to me, except for one part: how does tapping the front brake help you put the front wheel down? I'm trying to visualize.... Thanks!

I need to go practice this, if it stops raining anytime soon

Sorry - tapping the REAR brake will lower the front wheel... DOH!

SheFly

[indigoiis]

Shefly - Races? Me? Ha!
Maybe I'll come watch, though.
And I'll bring my bike so you can show me how to do that trick.

[Becky]

Sorry - tapping the REAR brake will lower the front wheel... DOH!

SheFly

Oh ok! That makes more sense to me- thanks!

[indigoiis]

from a virtual standstill (but clipped in with both feet), give a hard push with your dominant leg (for me, I always use my right leg, starting at 12:00 and pushing hard). You can try this both sitting, and standing, but I recommend fully seated first.

Next, try to do this and complete a pedal rotation (keep those fingers over the brake lever! If you feel yourself going over backwards, a tap of the REAR brake will put the wheel back down). I can go for about three full pedal rotations doing this.

Should I be braking when I make that hard push?
Because if it is just making the push, I just go forward.

(I am feeling wickit duh right now...)

[Irulan]

Should I be braking when I make that hard push?
Because if it is just making the push, I just go forward.

(I am feeling wickit duh right now...)

quote:
If you feel yourself going over backwards, a tap of the REAR brake will put the wheel back down

[indigoiis]

But I don't feel myself going over backwards, I just go forwards, which is why I was asking... am I supposed to brake during the push? Or just push? Because if I just pedal from a dead stop, I just go forward. I don't go up in the air. ?

[crazycanuck]

Thanks for the info, much appreciated

I would like to ask one thing. How can i keep my heart from jumping out of my body when doing an uphill logover? We have tons of these here in WA & drives me nuts. I have started to slow down going uphill in order to maintain my hr because i know the log over is coming up but i'm not there quite yet...

[pinkbikes]

Ahh bugger! We have lots of log stepups too and they really freak me out. I find that as long as I keep practicing at one particular place where they have lots and lots, of all different heights, I can sort of work my way up to bigger ones.

But if I have a few weeks without doing many, I have to start again to get my confidence back and also I am doubly squeamish at any I have ever fallen over.

But I'm kind of the opposite about the HR. If I know one is coming up, I'm pedalling like hell to make sure I have enough momentum to overcome my crappy technique! So my HR will be through the roof!

The other thing that really helped was to do a session with a coach who is big enough to catch you when he spots you over them!

[sundial]

Here you go:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FUo9tzK2SY&NR=1

[Irulan]

I've seen that one before: ow ow ow!! I climb over ones that size.

Any one else notice the pink bike is a ss?

[sundial]

Yeah, and it makes me want to start scavenging yard sales.

Sigh....I really miss being on the trail.