Technical Down Hill Mountain Biking

The key to down hilling is relaxing your upper body. The steeper and rockier the hill is, the more tightly the rider tends to put a death grip on the handle bars. Most riders tend to slow down as they approach obstacles such as rocks, then apply both brakes.

If you don't apply your brakes, the rock will stop your wheel. This isn't good, as the rock can throw you off balance and completely kill any type of momentum you have.

Relaxed riders won't slow down as much. The combination of extra momentum, no front braking at crucial moments will allow the wheel to bump over the rock and continue onward with little effort.

If you are going slow, it's essential to release your brakes as much as possible when you approach an obstacle. This may entail going a bit faster, although the result is much less painful. On steep hills, going really slow will always make things much more difficult.

One exception to this is a very tight turn. If a hop is out of the question, you'll need to slow down to allow the smallest radius of turning circle. This kind of thing takes practice, although track standing isa great way to improve on your balance.

Although down hilling is one of the most extreme methods of mountain biking, it can also be one of the most dangerous. If you're new to mountain biking you shouldn't start out with down hilling, as it takes a lot of practice.

With a bit of practice and knowing the right techniques, technical down hilling is something you'll find fun. It can provide quite a rush and a lot of excitement for those who seek adventure.

The Bunny Hop

In mountain biking and even BMX riding, the bunny hop is a bike trick that involved the rider lifting the bike up and over an obstacle while remaining in motion on the bike. Experienced bikers can lift their bikes in excess of a meter or one and a half feet. The world record for the bunny hop stands at 4 feet.

The bunny hop is executed by approaching an obstacle with speed, lifting the front of the bike then leveling the pedals. If the bike has full or front suspension, pre-load the shocks by pressing down on the bike just before you reach the obstacle.

Once the shocks have been pre-loaded, the rider will spring upwards, pulling up with the hands and feet at the same time. Toe straps or clipless pedals help with this, although if plain platform pedals are used, it's still possible. As the biker lifts, the hands will roll through twisting the throttle. After the object is cleared, push down on the bike then absorb the impact with the arms and the legs.

It's often times a misconception that a bunny hop without toe clips is achieved by rotating forward on the handlebars. Lifting up on a mountain bike while standing next to it is quite difficult to hold on to the handle bars.

The bunny hop is very popular with mountain biking, as experienced riders can make it look a lot easier than it actually is. New mountain bikers should practice a lot before they actually attempt the hop, as doing it on a bigger obstacle can easily be quite dangerous.

With proper practice, the bunny hop can be achieved, even for beginners. All you have to do is give it some time and effort, and you'll be pulling off the bunny hop just like the pro's do it.

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