Many qu's

[crazycanuck]

Hey mtb chicks,

No matter how much i love riding off road, i have a few confidence issues...

One is log rollovers & no clue why. Rocks, downhill, singletrack etc ok but log rollovers are still slowing me down. I know how to get over them however i am not looking ahead and over....I know speed is my friend but i know certain log overs & by the time i get to them, i'm out of ooomph...

What suggestions do ya have? Anyone in the same position?

One more thing, have you found your on road riding has helped your off road riding at all?

Curious Crazy canuck...

c

[DirtDiva]

What exactly do you mean by a log over? Hopping over a log that has fallen on the trail, or riding along a log that crosses a ditch or something? Not that I can actually help you - I suck at both.

[crazycanuck]

Ah...I'm referring to logs placed(by the trailmaker)in the middle of the trail that you ride over..They seem to pop up when i''m not paying attention..

c

[DirtDiva]

If it's about as high as a curb, I pretend it is a curb. If it's higher, I freak out, get stuck and have to get off and lift the bike over. It's something I'm working on.

[rocknrollgirl]

Well,
I can get over about.....95% of them. Here is what I do, and how I learned how to do it.
First of all, I am not bunnyhopping over. Can't, and don't know that I will ever on my current bike or at my current level. That being said.

When I approach, I shift my weight back and down, to get the weight off the front tire. Then pull up on the handle bars to get the fron wheel up. Then shift your weight forward and pedal. You have to keep spinning otherwise you will stop on top of the log. And speed is not always your friend. Too fast and you will bounce, too slow, you will ooomph out.

Two things that have helped me:
1. riding behind better rides, and just doing what they do. If I am riding hard, and not thinking about it too much, I just go...

2. My husband will actually get off his bike and spot me so I can practice with out wiping out. i just do the log, over and over until I get it.
No guy handy, anyone can spot you. Just have them stand on or by the log and grab you so that you don't crash or endo.


I am a small body on a heavy bike, so what works for others does not work for me. i had to find my own way to do logs. It ain't always pretty, but it gets the job done. And at this point...that works just fine......

Ruth

[Brandi]

I am a chicken, I get off and lift my bike over. I also think riding on the road has given me more confidence when riding the trails.

[fatbottomedgurl]

I am a chicken too. But we don't have logs here.

I spent 8 weeks riding hills on the road. Really helped with my cardio, and gets me over climbs I could never do before without dying.

[mtbdarby]

I actually do the opposite the rocknrollgirl does.

I have front suspension so I put my weight on my front wheel to compress, then lift and shift my weitght back to pop up the front wheel. Continue to pedal but you may have to shimmey the pedals to make sure they don't hit the log (now that's caused a lot of my tumbles!). Of course, easy said than done some days and depends on the size of the log. If the log is too big, I have been know to scour the landscape for a smaller log to pack in front of the fallen log to build a "ramp" to help me over. Gotta help 'em trail build sometimes!

[bouncybouncy]

start small...get comfy...go a bit bigger!

i do the compress fork then lift as well...
compress...rock back with bike while lifting the front wheel over or on the TOP of the log..then rock back forward (gently) to lift the rear wheel over the log. i cannot technically do a bunny hop (which is the above described whilst getting the wheels off the ground) but i do get enough umphf to get over most logs! the ones that get me are big enough to get the chainring so it is best i clip out for those anyways
remember to have pedals level as well so they do not hit...try to pedal as you go over the log in order to increase umphf power....i usually set up my right foot (dominant power leg) to be around 1-2 o'clock position on the front wheel lift and push on the pedal as i am going over the log.

i rode for months on a trail that had 3 logs on it...they were buried for the most part but i would imagine them as larger than they were and would use this technique until i was flying over them without touching...then i would go to the next larger logs and work on them...so now every downed branch...twig...snake...i can umphf my way over. i still walk logs that look like they have taken out a few chainrings but my bottombracket sits a wee bit lower and i always take the safe side...

now if you are talking log overs that are "built up" layers of logs forming an A-frame type pile...same technique but you must be ready with that pedal stroke to power you over the top...and yes speed is your friend ...but you do not have to bonzai thru it...just enough power to get you up and over. those do take a bit more hutzpa...just make sure they are stable and you know what is on the other side (ramp or drop)

a spotter is always a good way to start....it helps your confidence thru the first couple tries! and remember..."tuck and roll"

good luck...and rubber side down!!!

[madisongrrl]

start small...get comfy...go a bit bigger!

i do the compress fork then lift as well...
compress...rock back with bike while lifting the front wheel over or on the TOP of the log..then rock back forward (gently) to lift the rear wheel over the log. i cannot technically do a bunny hop (which is the above described whilst getting the wheels off the ground) but i do get enough umphf to get over most logs! the ones that get me are big enough to get the chainring so it is best i clip out for those anyways
remember to have pedals level as well so they do not hit...try to pedal as you go over the log in order to increase umphf power....i usually set up my right foot (dominant power leg) to be around 1-2 o'clock position on the front wheel lift and push on the pedal as i am going over the log.

Excellent....this is the text book log riding! Pre-load, power stroke and unweighting the bike as you go over the log.

Here is a nice little video.....

http://www.dirtcamp.com/video_tips.shtml

Just click on Body Control.

[mellic]

There are a couple of different ways to ride over logs, but it all comes down to its size. For small logs (say ankle height) I find it easiest to pop the front wheel over and let the rear wheel roll over the log.

For logs that are a little bit taller you will need to lift the front wheel first and then shift the weight forward to lift the rear wheel.

For really big logs, where the chain ring hits, instead of lifting the front wheel over the log you need to lift the front wheel on top of the log and then perform a quick bunny hop (lift both front and rear at the same time) to lift the front wheel off and put the back wheel on the log. Now this is really hard to do and it is something that I am still learning myself.

I honestly think log overs are the hardest thing to master in mountain biking, but the more you practice the easier it becomes. I often put bricks out on the back lawn to practice.

And C after the next state round there is a 4 week break before the next race so I am more than happy to come out for a ride with you one weekend and teach you some new tricks.

[fatbottomedgurl]

Thanks, mellic. I have put odd pieces of lumber about to try and hop over. Your words are well taken. Think I will add a log or two at the park nearby.

[crazycanuck]

Hey ladies,

Thanks for the replies...I have a lone brick outside my house waiting for me train with it.....I thought i was a bit nuts using it but now know not so...

Mel, would love to go for a ride...I just hope i can keep up.... (i'll just have to do some extra k's on the giant & the scott....)

Oh & before i forget good luck at the state race!

c

[btchance]

I've got another question. On the trail I ride on, they have one of those piles of logs with a slight ramp, but it comes up a little above my knee. When I have actually gotten up the nerve to try it, I always get stuck with my front wheel over and back wheel on the other side. To me this says I need to peddle at some point to get the back end over, but if I do that the cranks hit the log no matter where along the log pile I try it, and that doesn't end pretty. I can do logs that come up to the middle of my shin fine, I just pop my front wheel up and go over it with a weight shift, but this is just big enough I've never been able to do that.

I've tried to copy what other people have done, where they are going at a moderate speed (which I make sure I'm at when trying it), then they balance slightly on the peddles with their butt up and then just role over it.

Do you ladies have any suggestions on what to try to get that extra power?

[bouncybouncy]

go faster...hehe!

sorry couldn't resist

stay out of the granny on these....make sure you have enough speed to get you to the top (which you said you do)...have your strongest leg's pedal in the 1 or 2 o'clock position...when your pedal has cleared the top pedal as your pedal is being pushed down you & your bike will be moving forward (together hopefully) so the log will be behind you by the time the pedal is low enough to hit...

this takes alot of practice and hits (the scratches on my pedals say it all...but then again i was learning this on a rocky trail as well)....sometimes a little bit of back-pedaling is required to get your pedal in the right position...and once you have it down with one foot switch and work on putting the other foot forward so no matter what eventually you will be able to power over any log...this really helps on uphill ledges/steps when you are going so slow that when you back-pedal you risk actually going back-wards...