Balance Part Two - Two Wheels #2

Once you got the knack of balancing, you tackled hopping. Now that you have got a good start on hopping, let's talk about moving around.

First, Hopping on Non level ground:
Let's take hopping to the next level. Ride towards a curb or something similar. Brake as you near it and pop your front tire up onto it. (can't get your front tire up? Shame! Practice by riding around slowly, raising your vanilla foot up for a power stroke, pushing down on the pedal and pulling up on the handlebars at the same time. You should get your front wheel off the ground a little bit. Keep riding and practicing. Practice will have you popping your front wheel off the ground with no problem). Immediately lock up your brakes and HOP! It should be no different than hopping on level ground, as it only requires a slight adjustment in your balance, remember to keep your balance vertical to gravity. If you can hop several times on the curb, find something higher, like a small fallen tree or stump or whatever is handy. Ride up to it, get your front tire onto the obstacle and HOP! (if you are having fun and want to throw in a variation, try hopping with your BACK tire elevated on the obstacle and your front tire on the ground).

Now that you have a feeling for different balance points, let's get you moving around.

To view the entire article, click here. (Requires Membership)