June 3, 201313 yr Hi guys I can make it over a single free standing drum but im not sure if the technique is right. Im trying the double blip thing, first one puts front tire on drum, second one I throw weight forward to pull back onto drum. I do try to bounce the rear wheel up just befor the second blip to help. Have I got the basics right? I am riding the bash plate over the drum and it doesnt feel graceful, more like just powering the bike over. Keep in mind im brand new to trials and have only been riding for about a month (2weeks of that has been waiting for torn ligaments in the ankle to heel).
June 3, 201313 yr Hi, first blip should put the front Tyre into the drum making the forks compress. Then as soon as they compress the second blip comes in pushing the front into the air with the baseplate completely clearing the drum. These two blips happen really quickly and close together. Remember to bend at the knees and stay loose on the bike. Hope this helps.
June 3, 201313 yr As Mr Wobble said Drive the front wheel into the drum. Rule of thumb drive the front wheel 75% up the face of the obstacle. This will load the front end and force the skid plate and bike upwards. Placing or just skimming the front wheel on the top of the barrel will do nothing for you but driving the skid pan into the obstacle. In the picture you seem to be keeping pressure on the back wheel and the back wheel is flat on the ground. That says your are not unloading the rear suspension or bending your legs/knees. Edited June 3, 201313 yr by billyt
June 3, 201313 yr For small-ish stuff like that, I like to raise the front wheel a bit higher and let it drop almost on top of the obstacle, this compresses both ends and the 2nd blip carries me over without hitting the plate (mostly...well...sometimes). I have to be moving a bit slower than with the method of driving the wheel into the obstacle, but I find it smoother when I get it right. I saw a vid of Ryan Young doing this...he was demonstrating a double-blip, but he didn't even mention the difference between what he was doing and driving the wheel into the obstacle. He made it look so cool, I thought I'd try it
June 3, 201313 yr As Mr Wobble said Rule of thumb drive the front wheel 75% up the face of the obstacle. Oh great, Now I have to do math while I ride..........I have a hard enough time remembering to breath when riding
June 4, 201313 yr Finding 74.8% on that crap is difficult and requires precise front placement. Precicion blips and unloading require near perfect timing. Might try a single blip, so just lift the front a bit before the obsticle, let it bounce off the log at the halfway point which will give you the height to clear the plate. Anticipate the rear wheel strike and unload with yoyr knees as the rear hits the log so the rear can come up under as you shut the throttle. Hopefully you will have enough revs and momentum to carry over if done right.
June 4, 201313 yr You;'ll need to carry a calculator & a tape measure when you ride now, Zippy....... Personally, I prefer the Texas Instruments Scientific series with the trig functions..... Jimmie
June 4, 201313 yr Zippy Since math does not seem to be your stong point instead of driving your front wheel into the obstacle 75% up on its face just drive into it 3/4 of the way up...... LOL There, does that help you? This way you do not have to convert 75% to fractions in your head as you ride. Or if you really want to simplfy the math aim 1/4 (or 25%) down from the top of the obstacle. Where you home schooled by any chance? LOL
June 4, 201313 yr I think it's much easier to divide the barrel in half with an imaginary horizontal line, then divide the top half with another line. You might even consider wearing goggles and scribing a line across the lense that you could line up with the right spot on the obstacle. Maybe tape a laser pointer to the side of your helmet. It's really quite simple...
June 4, 201313 yr No no no Your minder measures it all up and stands there with one of those pointers that teachers use On stuff like this size I sometimes just do what they call a roll up in bicycle terms You pretty much just hit it with the front wheel at the 3/4 point, it pops the front end high and the back just kicks up and on top Doesn't work on undercut stuff very well but on low logs etc its good
June 4, 201313 yr Zippy Since math does not seem to be your stong point instead of driving your front wheel into the obstacle 75% up on its face just drive into it 3/4 of the way up...... LOL There, does that help you? This way you do not have to convert 75% to fractions in your head as you ride. Or if you really want to simplfy the math aim 1/4 (or 25%) down from the top of the obstacle. Where you home schooled by any chance? LOL Actually I am quite good at math. (Senior year High school took Analysis and Math V at the same time. The two courses combined were the equivalent of a college pre-calculus class. Slept during both at different times during the week and finished with an A in each class. But enough bragging about something I have never used in 22 yes. Since graduating and have forgotten most of it. Anyways point is I try not to think too much when I ride. It usually makes me worry about the obstacle too much or I concentrate on one thing too Much and screw it up. Blip throttle, front tire comes up. Something that size is immaterial if it tire hits face or sits on top. The key is push down on pegs to compress rear suspension then as you give the second blip "jump" up and the rear will "bounce" on top of log. May not be pretty or smooth or "greatest" technique but gets the job done. Edited June 4, 201313 yr by zippy
June 4, 201313 yr Hey, Mokwepa!!! Mokwepa, try to heed these guys' advice about "riding loose", and keeping your knees bent slightly more than they are in the photo. Keeping my legs too straight./knees not bent is a problem I continually fight myself. It makes a huge difference in your riding....... Sometimes, on obstacles like you have in the picture, if I have enough room, I approach them with my knees flexed pretty good. I'll pick the front end up several feet before I get to the obstacle, and drop it downwards on the upper 1/3 or 3/4 (You pick your own fraction!) of the obstacle. As the front end rebounds from this, blip the throttle a small bit, and jump up as hard as you can; you have to put some effort into it. The unloading of the rear suspension as you blip your throttle/straighten your knees/jump up will usually pick the back end up high enough to help roll over the obstacle. Timing is pretty much everything in this "Zap" type of obstacle clearing, but even old Dorks like myself can manage to learn this. Sometimes...... Zippy, I try not to think when I ride, or most any other time in life, hee hee. It's worked for 57 years..... Jimmie Edited June 4, 201313 yr by mr neutron
June 5, 201313 yr Hey, Mokwepa!!! Mokwepa, try to heed these guys' advice about "riding loose", and keeping your knees bent slightly more than they are in the photo. Keeping my legs too straight./knees not bent is a problem I continually fight myself. It makes a huge difference in your riding....... Sometimes, on obstacles like you have in the picture, if I have enough room, I approach them with my knees flexed pretty good. I'll pick the front end up several feet before I get to the obstacle, and drop it downwards on the upper 1/3 or 3/4 (You pick your own fraction!) of the obstacle. As the front end rebounds from this, blip the throttle a small bit, and jump up as hard as you can; you have to put some effort into it. The unloading of the rear suspension as you blip your throttle/straighten your knees/jump up will usually pick the back end up high enough to help roll over the obstacle. Timing is pretty much everything in this "Zap" type of obstacle clearing, but even old Dorks like myself can manage to learn this. Sometimes...... Zippy, I try not to think when I ride, or most any other time in life, hee hee. It's worked for 57 years..... Jimmie yep like Neutron says (I will paraphrase) most of it is in the legs and timing. being "loose" and comfortable on the bike makes things much better.
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