Gap Jumps

[Mr Gearchange]

They appear to be my nemisis - how do you guys deal with jumping gaps?
Anything over 8 feet and I have a crisis of confidence - and big stuff - 15ft and larger scare the bejeezus out of me.
It's the approach speed that I struggle with - I can't seem to work out how fast I need to be going to clear the gap - too slow and I risk either not making the gap and slamming into the other side - or casing it with the front wheel and going OTB - or casing the rear wheel and getting sprung off the bike.

Conversely too fast makes me worry that I will completely clear the transition on the other side, land too far down the trail and have a heavy impact at speed.

Or is it just a case of Rule #5 and accept that I have to get hurt to learn how to do it?

[tuffer]

If you are thinking about it then you are too old.

[Dixie]

I have the same issue. Only on a smaller scale. I just freeze in the air too. I know the technique and what I should be doing but my brain just says "don't move a muscle". Weirdly I was far more confident (only on a small scale again) on a motocross bike. And I was terrible at riding them!!

I guess some people are far less frightened at the prospect of ending up in a heap on the floor than others. Those people are the ones doing epic jumps.

Basically, it's your brains fault. Vodka might temporarily make you better, at least at the take off part.

[ewenm]

Get some professional coaching maybe. Plenty of options for coaching at most of the trail centres.

[P-Jay]

The first thing of course is to accept that flying 8-15ft through the air at 30mph is unnatural and your brain is protecting you from injury by trying to stop you do it, you can of course try to MTFU, take you finger off the brake, grip the bars and give it some - which is great if you luck it the first time, not so great when you've taken off, your body goes rigid and you crash - the 'sweet spot' speed to land mid-tranny is tiny, you need to shift body weight mid-air to compensate - all those huge whips the pros do aren't just to look cool. equally if you go rigid you can land where you like, you'll still likely crash.

So you need to teach your brain that it's safe - you need to start with a combination of smaller gaps and 'safe' table-tops when you can come up short to your hearts content until you hit them right every single time.

I've been on the jumps and drops course with Neil Donaghue at Llandegla - worth every penny, I'm not a great jumper, but I'm a lot better than I was.

[trails]

this probably isn't that helpful...but if you are on a full sus (or even just bouncy forks), don't you just pedal and hold on?

[anonymous-user]

trails said:

this probably isn't that helpful...but if you are on a full sus (or even just bouncy forks), don't you just pedal and hold on?

If you do "nothing" on entry to the jump, unless you are very very lucky and the ramp/lip is the perfect parabolic shape (and some are) you will almost certainly land on your face on the far side!


Best advice is to get some professional coaching, unless you are luckily enough to have access to a series of nicely made "practice jumps" (usually tables initially). I went to see Tony at UKBikeSkills when my jumping deteriorated after i broke my wrist on a large(ish) double, and having someone to guide, encourage and even moderate, is really really useful. You could spend a long time, and with much more risk, trying to learn on your own by trial and error. (The trial bit is ok, the error bit hurts ;-)

[joema]

Generally jumps are built to the speed of the trail. So if you ride that trail at a decent pace you will be fine.

Key thing is to look at the landing and you'll find your body does the rest. Don't

There's a few vids on YouTube that may help.

[Herman Toothrot]

Better to hit them too fast than too slow, if on a DH or FR bike flat landing isn't usually too big a deal whereas ploughing into a vertical slope is.

[Twistygit]

my advice would be to go to a good trail and section it, start with some table tops, your profile doesn't say where you are but make or brake at inerleithen is a great place to learn.
i seen in one of your earlier posts you had a go on a DH bike if you've got one now, you'll be suprised at what they'll ride over, i've not made gaps and it just soaks it up

[Mr Gearchange]

So it sound some coaching might be the order of the day.
Sadly I don't have any safe tabletop jumps local to me (that I know of) to practise on. They are either small and easy - or too big and scary.

My bike isn't a FR or DH rig - but it's a fairly slack angled 170mm travel AM machine so should be up to the job.

I did try the 'man the fk up' approach on a fairly significant gap jump last year. First landing was sketchy as fk, cased the landing, but just about managed to stick it.
Figuring that more speed was required I had a another crack and broke a load of ribs, cracked my sternum and punctured my lung necessitating a 4 night hospital stay. Which is probably where my hesitancy comes from.

So get some coaching and find somewhere where mistakes aren't too harshly punished.

[trails]

Max_Torque said:

trails said:

this probably isn't that helpful...but if you are on a full sus (or even just bouncy forks), don't you just pedal and hold on?

If you do "nothing" on entry to the jump, unless you are very very lucky and the ramp/lip is the perfect parabolic shape (and some are) you will almost certainly land on your face on the far side!


Best advice is to get some professional coaching, unless you are luckily enough to have access to a series of nicely made "practice jumps" (usually tables initially). I went to see Tony at UKBikeSkills when my jumping deteriorated after i broke my wrist on a large(ish) double, and having someone to guide, encourage and even moderate, is really really useful. You could spend a long time, and with much more risk, trying to learn on your own by trial and error. (The trial bit is ok, the error bit hurts ;-)

Only ridden full sus mountain bikes a couple of times, loads of fun but that's all it really felt like I had to do, the suspension made it almost impossible to hang up in a meaningful manner...but then I ride a BMX normally which entirely a different proposition

www.wedigdeep.com

[BOBBY G]

How about buying a huge roll of Bubble wrap.
Get a friend to wrap you up as much as possible, ensuring that you can still operate the bike.

Then neck 2 cans of cider, wait 10 minutes (sweating nicely in the bubble wrap)while watching redbull rampage clips on youtube.

Then SEND IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Digga]

P-Jay said:

So you need to teach your brain that it's safe - you need to start with a combination of smaller gaps and 'safe' table-tops when you can come up short to your hearts content until you hit them right every single time.

There's a nice sequence of three, smallish gaps at Stile Cop. First is easy, second is deceptively tricky, third is big enough that I don't want to worry you or me with the injuries people teel me they've sustained/witnessed on there:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQBYPH5yQ4I

Practice, practice, practice.

P-Jay said:

I've been on the jumps and drops course with Neil Donaghue at Llandegla - worth every penny, I'm not a great jumper, but I'm a lot better than I was.

^Sound advice. As P-Jay and Ewenm say, coaching can remove a huge amount of the guesswork and injury.

[Kieranv]

I find larger stepdowns and drops easier than gap jumps, I'd say that entry speed is the hardest thing to get your head around, but a lot of it is just experience and going for it.

[BOBTEE]

I went to a BMX track this morning with a view to coming away being able to whip like a pro! Spent two hours just trying to hit a 10ft table top right! I took a vid on my phone, this was after 2.5 hours and 7 miles (you should see my trace on Garmin! ), utterly pathetic!

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/BOB.T/media/201311...

[lestershaw]

this was my answer and is my recommendation

call Tony (Jedi) to arrange

http://www.ukbikeskills.co.uk/

if you scroll down on their site coaching blog you will see
" 61 years young " and its me doing gap jumps and more
thats me on tony (jedi) skills course, couldnt have had a better teacher to instill confidence, and ive progressed further

Edited by lestershaw on Friday 29th November 11:33

[raceboy]

BOBTEE said:

I went to a BMX track this morning with a view to coming away being able to whip like a pro

Don't be too hard on yourself that's not bad for a first time, difficult to say without seeing the lip, and I'm coming from a BMX background but I'd say you're going too fast, it's all about imagining a smooth arc from lip to landing. Try a bit slower but with a lot more 'pop' off the lip, height is 90% tech, distance is 100% speed.

[thenorth]

Put your seat all the way down then

1. Practise and get used to being in the air on smaller jumps getting comfortable with the feeling

2. Find and ask someone who can do the jump if you can follow them in.

3. Follow them and hit it.

[pimpin gimp]

Mr Gearchange said:

My bike isn't a FR or DH rig - but it's a fairly slack angled 170mm travel AM machine so should be up to the job.


So get some coaching and find somewhere where mistakes aren't too harshly punished.

If you've got 170mm of travel and don't think it's enough to "hit and hope" then I think a bit of coaching is exactly what you need, the bike will be fine, you'll be fine, all you need now is to KNOW that you'll be fine, and that's what a bit of coaching will give you. Confidence.