Getting Over Small Obstacles
I think the one thing I hear the most when out with a First Time or Beginner rider is remarks about all the stuff on the trail; rocks, branches, fallen limbs, roots etc. A lot of folks might expect all this to be cleaned up by someone, I guess. But that would be contrary to the whole idea, that is, getting out and communing with Nature, getting some physical exercise and challenge. No, don't ever expect the trail to be 'clean'. Basically what you should expect is that the trails are labeled and there isn't much overgrowth pushing into the trail. Otherwise, all that other stuff is part of the fun!
So, let's learn to get over all those small obstacles that you WILL encounter
on the trail. You'll want to be standing up, knees and elbows bent. First
off, most anything under a couple inches you can just roll over, or even
pedal over. What's important is that you DO HAVE sufficient speed to get
over the small obstacle, so don't slow down! If you aren't going to pedal
over the obstacle, approach with your pedals level with the ground (one
straight forward, one straight back). If you are going to pedal over the
obstacle, it's a good practice to time your pedal stroke so neither pedal
is near the ground as you pass over the obstacle. Another thing, if you
feel you might want to use your brakes, DO NOT use the front brake! Use
the rear only! As you hit an obstacle, a portion of your forward momentum
is lost. But it's your bicycle that loses it first. If you are leaning too
far forward, you will tend to fall over the handlebars. If you are using
your front brake when you hit an obstacle, this magnifies the effect and
you are VERY likely to go over the handlebars. Other than that, just roll
or pedal over the obstacle, do not fear whether your bicycle can handle
it, never look back!
One quick thought before we move on to bigger obstacles. Something you will
commonly run over is fallen branches and such. These types of things can
get stuck in your rear derailleur pretty easy (where the gears shift in
the back). It's a good idea to watch out for this, otherwise you may be
stopping to pull plantlife out of your chain and derailleur.
What about obstacles that are larger? The biggest we'll cover here is small
fallen trees, roots or rocks that measure around three to five inches high
off the ground. In general, you 'could' also just roll over these if you
have enough speed (and front suspension) but this is likely to cause damage
to wheels and increases the chances of going over the handlebars. Here is
an easy to learn technique that will save you on rims, spokes, and wheel
trueing (truing?). The basic idea is to get your front tire 'onto' the obstacle
without smashing into it. This not only saves wear and tear on the bicycle
and you, but also greatly reduces the amount of forward momentum typically
lost on these types of obstacles.
Here is the idea. You are going to use a combination of a single pedal stroke
and pulling up on the handlebars with your hands to lift your front wheel
into the air, just high enough and long enough for your front tire to land
ON the obstacle without hitting it smack in the face or going over. This
should be practiced at low speeds at first, and on small obstacles. In fact
a stick will do fine. All you need is something to focus on to learn the
technique. So let's say you have your stick in front of you on the ground
and you are riding towards it. As you near the stick, make sure your favorite
foot is forward. Rotate that foot backwards (higher up from the ground but
still the forward foot) about 1/8 a rotation (your standing up, right?).
Just as you come to the obstacle, kick the pedal with your forward foot
and pull up on the handlebars at the same time. The idea is for your front
tire to land ON the stick and NOT go all the way over it. This is important!
Land ON the stick. Practice this for a while and then work on something
bigger. Maybe a small fallen tree, or a curb etc. Same exact technique.
Ride up to the obstacle, more speed for a bigger obstacle. Approach with
your favorite foot forward. As you near, cock that favorite foot back, then
give the pedal a kick and pull up on the handlebars. Land ON the obstacle.
You don't have to worry about the back tire, if the front goes up and over,
the back will follow.
That's it. Practice makes perfect they say, and soon you'll be able to go
over some fairly large obstacles. As you progress the problem that comes
up is the center of your bicycle won't be high enough off the ground to
clear the obstacles and you'll start mashing your front chain rings. How
to avoid that and how to get onto and over larger obstacles (one to two
feet high) is in the Intermediate area.
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