Various Obstacles

Now to talk about more ways of getting over obstacles, specifically larger obstacles.

As a mountain biker the idea is to stay in motion, keep up speed. With that in mind, let's talk about obstacles that could be as large as two feet high (perhaps more) such as a large fallen tree, boulder or even a sheer rise/wall. Let's break this up into obstacles that are very short in length along the trail (fallen trees) and obstacles as long as a mountain bike length (flat boulders or a sharp change in the elevation of the trail).

If the obstacle has a length less than that of a bicycle your approach will be very similar as we discussed in the previous Beginner article, which is to get your front wheel into the air with a well timed pedal stroke and upward pull on the handlebars, then planting your front tire ONTO the obstacle. With a smaller obstacle you would simply ride forward and roll over the obstacle, however with a larger obstacle this will not be possible. You are going to learn what I call a bump-jump. Essentially, at the moment your front tire hits the obstacle you will execute a bunny hop using the impact of your front tire against the obstacle. The key is to maintain your own balance while rocking your bicycle over the obstacle first with your back wheel on the ground and your front wheel in the air to land on the obstacle as you begin the bump-jump, then with your front tire moving towards the ground and your back wheel in the air to land on the obstacle. The faster you are going, the higher in the air your front wheel will probably be, and this is good. From there you simply roll forward. It's important to not use your brakes during such a maneuver. The entire maneuver should proceed quite smoothly and with practice will not cause much loss in speed.

If the obstacle has a length equal to or longer than your mountain bike,

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Advanced Gears
Balance Part Two - Two Wheels #2
Going Over Various Obstacles
Steep Inclines
Steep Declines
Tight Cornering
Balance Part 1 - Two Wheels
Target Heart Rate / Monitors
Target Heart Rate / Monitors
Staying Hydrated
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