January 2000
by Bill Rogers
Happy Holidays, everybody. I hope you got all the new bike toys you
asked for. I got all I wanted and more. One of my New Year’s resolutions was to learn
some of the more difficult technical maneuvers, especially the dreaded "wheelie drop
in". Well I still haven’t mastered that one yet, but I’m working on it. One
of the best presents I got this year was a book on mountain bike technique written by none
other than my hero, Ned Overend—"Mountain Bike Like a Champion". I’ve
read the whole thing already, and there are a lot of helpful things in there. I’d
like to share a couple of the most interesting tips. Better pay attention … the test
will come on the trail!
The first discussion I’ve chosen is the wheelie, mainly because I
have so much trouble doing one. One thing I didn’t know was how many different kinds
of wheelies there are. But I’ll let Ned tell you about it:
When you hear "wheelie," you probable think of showing
off—pulling up the front of the bike and pedaling along on the rear wheel. This
isn’t the kind of wheelie that’s used in trail riding, though it is a good
advanced drill for improving balance. Two other types of wheelies are much more essential.
They’re the keys to getting up and over logs, ledges, or similar obstacles.
The first is what I call the power-stoke wheelie. Normally, you use
this when approaching at a relatively slow speed. The technique is to punch down hard on
one pedal, shift your weight backward, pull back on the handlebar, and use the saddle as a
sort of lever to raise the front of the bike. It may sound kind of difficult, but it
becomes second nature with practice. What you need to work on is the tendency to overdo
the bar pull while giving insufficient emphasis to the other elements. That’s the
mistake that most riders make.
The power-stroke wheelie is actually a leverage move that requires very
little arm action. It’s more a matter of holding on to the bar and leaning back as
you apply the power stoke. The rearward lean, rather than arm action by itself, is what
pulls up the front of the bike. Remember, the pull and sharp downstroke must be
simultaneous. Make sure you’re in a gear that’s low enough to let you make the
stroke quickly and get some pop. As the front wheel clears the object, shift your weight
forward. Resume pedaling after the rear wheel makes contact, then return to your normal
centered position. It’s important to practice power-stroke wheelies with each foot so
you’ll have the option on a tricky trail.
Next is the wheelie hop. Use this when your approach speed is faster.
In this situation, you don’t need to use a power stroke to start the wheelie. Just
loft the front wheel with a rearward pull, land it on top of the obstacle, then surge your
body weight forward so you bring up the rear wheel. As the front wheel rolls off, the rear
wheel lands on top, then easily follows.
If you have trouble with these wheelies, it’s probably because you
force them. Think "leverage" instead of "power." Rather than yanking
back on the handlebar to get the font wheel up, lean backward so the bike pivots around
the crankset. These wheelies become easy when you lift the bike with a weight shift
instead of with your arm strength. You’ll know you’re using the right technique
when it seems almost effortless.
Another area I have always had trouble with, believe it or not, was in
turns. Ned has several great ideas on how to handle turns without losing speed. Since this
usually involves a great deal of speed, it’s a little more intimidating to try
anything radical, but I’m trying to make these moves as instinctive as possible.
There are two basic kinds of turns that Ned talks about.
Body-angulation turn. This basic turn is made while coasting. Hold the
crankarms horizontal and angle your upper body at the hips toward the outside of the turn.
The bike stays relatively upright unless you have a berm to angle it into. Use a
body-angulation turn when speed is fairly slow and stability and traction are not in
question. It’s also best for rough terrain when you have to be out of the saddle to
absorb shock with your legs. Also use if for banked turns or turns with good traction
where you can simply lean to strike a balance among centrifugal force, gravity, and
traction. At higher speeds, though, on a slippery surface with no berm to help hold your
wheels in, you’ll feel unstable with the crankarms horizontal. It’ll feel as
though the tires want to slide to the outside.
At this point you’ll want to use the second basic turn:
Weighted-pedal turn. This is the technique for
higher speeds or when the surface is slippery. It lets you use your body weight to
increase turning traction.
As you enter the turn, put your outside foot at the bottom of its’
pedal stroke. Press hard and hold it there. Angle your upper body toward the outside of
the turn (as in the body-angulation turn). By standing on the outside pedal, you increase
traction by concentrating your weight on each tire’s contact patch. You also lower
your center of gravity by moving your weight to the lowest possible place on the bike (the
pedal at its lowest point). In this way, you can ride tight turns at a higher speed. The
key as speed increases is to tilt your hips with the bike to the inside of the turn, but
angulate to keep your shoulders over your outside foot and your weight focused on the
pedal. Try putting slightly more weight on the front wheel by pressing down on the outside
handlebar grip. This improves front-tire traction.
Making a successful fast turn depends on finding the balance between
leaning the bike and keeping enough weight on the tires to prevent them from sliding out.
It means a lot of side-to-side weighting. Some of this is done with your hands, not just
your feet. Subtle shifts in your weight or center of gravity can help your stability.
Experience is the best teacher.
There are tons of other tips in this terrific little book, covering
just about every aspect of trail riding. We’ll cover some more in the coming months;
in the meantime, I’m going to practice.
P.S.- Don’t forget the "De-stobbing Day" at Chilhowie
in a couple of weeks.
Happy Trails
Bill
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