Beating my fear

[ncativo]

Hi guys,
I am very new doing mountain biking, and i would say i like doing a bit of everything like XC and freeride. I get curious of doing drops of 3ft+ or jumps, but i am scared to fall (i understand that even professionals fall and that's how you learn), since i tried once to do it but i didn't take enough speed so the front wheel went down and then i rolled over. I currently own a Giant AC, which might not be the best, but that's all i can afford at the moment.
So could you please give me some tips? like if going slow, should i use a soft gear to lift the front easier, or went going fast i don't know what gear to use since i haven't tried yet.
thanks!

[tskelding]

I know where you're coming from. Jumps are something I couldn't really wrap my head around but then I found some really good articles from bikeradar.com. Have a look in Mountain biking, technique and you should find some answer.

[unitec]

Hi guys,
I am very new doing mountain biking, and i would say i like doing a bit of everything like XC and freeride. I get curious of doing drops of 3ft+ or jumps, but i am scared to fall (i understand that even professionals fall and that's how you learn), since i tried once to do it but i didn't take enough speed so the front wheel went down and then i rolled over. I currently own a Giant AC, which might not be the best, but that's all i can afford at the moment.
So could you please give me some tips? like if going slow, should i use a soft gear to lift the front easier, or went going fast i don't know what gear to use since i haven't tried yet.
thanks!


fear is often what keeps us alive by stopping us doing things that are going to kill ourselves and from what you have said "that you are new to MTB" fear is doing its job.
My suggestion is that you be patient, ride with guys of a similar ability, ride often & enjoy the gradual improvements you make. Get some tips from guys you meet on the trails (instead of farkin) as they will be able to give you live demos that will be much more helpful.

[BUSHPIG]

Giant AC's are awesome mate.
Before doing anything always analyze it.
Never judge it.

e.g.
Scenario: 5 foot double- 1 meter high (up and down ramp)

Analyzing: The jump is 5 foot in length and 1 meter in hight. The last jump i did was 3 feet long and 1/2 a meter high. That is close, i think i can do this.

Judging: Aww shit! look how big that is! i don't think i could ever do that! but on a second note? maybe i could! but hang on if i fall off imagine the damadge i could do! Aww heck I'll try it anyhow!

[taibo]

sometimes i find that following someone in helps me get over the fear. Even on stuff i know i can do, following someone in to a drop/jump takes a bit of that fear away.

one important thing that i learnt...Relax! stiff knees and elbows dont help :)

[F1234K]

I remember the day when I took my first 3ft drop... aaah did I stack it bad or what?!
:)

Basically what I learned over time is that the biggest problems, that would cause a stack, are to be tense and panicky.

It's really hard to be relaxed when you are doing something new, but try and breath and chill before doing anything.

If I get too stressed out about something and I find myself skidding to a halt before the kick/jump/drop more than a couple of times, I leave it for another day. It's better to get familiar with something and see someone else do it than to just gung-ho into it, stack it, and not be able to ride the next day.

Just a small tip: from your first post it seems you might be pedalling till the end (asking about gears for lifting). Don't. Give yourself at least a bike length before the edge/kick to "get ready" for what's about to happen.

If you pedal till the last second, chances are you are going to be off balance when leaving the ground which is disastrous if you are still learning.

And yeah, following people into something is a great way to learn. Most of us do that every now and again.

[Excalibur]

What I would reacommend is start small. Start with maybe a 1 foot drop then when you feel comfortable move onto a 2 foot drop. When first started I was kinda the same but I built my confindence up like this and are now doing 5-6 drops on my hardtail. It might take a while but it's better than hitting a 5 foot drop straight away and stacking.

[Sutek]

Hey buddy we've all gone through this - and most probably still do if they're progressing.

Your Giant AC is a fine bike to progress on for starters!

Just start small and gain your confidence, then very gradually progress to something a little bigger. Really take it in small steps - it's not a race.

If you see yourself doing it in your mind, then you stand a much better chance of doing it physically.

Just keep riding trails on your AC, but look for slightly more aggro lines and hit them instead of your usual lines. It'll boost your confidence - but make sure you ride within your limits.

Wear some body armour! If you're really serious about going bigger then you will inevitably lose it and eat shit from time to time. It's far better to look like the Michelen Man pumped in armour and bounce back up after a stack than smash your self up trying to look cool with no protection, whilst doing your confidence a negative in the process.

Purposely come off the bike (in armour) and get used to falling. Once you feel more confident coming off the bike you'll gain an extra teste on the bike - I can assure you! Realise that falling off is not bad, but rather a part of the learning curve and have fun with it. Seriously practice falling - it will be one of the best things you can do.

Hone your slow skills. Get on the trails and ride some techy stuff at a really slow pace, this will increase your bike handling skills. Then do some dead fast fire roads to get used to the bike stepping out at speed.

Bottom line 'below' everything - just ride for fun, within your limits and don't be bullied to doing stuff beyond your measure by so-called mates.

Good on ya!

[jackthewolverine]

I have the same thing but i am slowly getting better,
just take it slow and i look at all the jumps and stuff to see where it has most lip and what not.

[Sutek]

I have the same thing but i am slowly getting better,
just take it slow and i look at all the jumps and stuff to see where it has most lip and what not.
How to do it in two lines! noice

[Jimass]

If its built well the lip should be consistent..

Don't go out and excedded you limits straight away... First few weeks i got my bike... Hit a 3-4 meter drop to flat....

[Big T]

Yeah going step by step always helps but when you go for things like that. You land and think "Damn that was easy after all!" Well at least that's what happens to me. I used to be shit scared of Rock gardens, my mates just told me to GO FOR IT. I went for it and now they are sinch and I feel so weird that I actually was scared of them!

Anyways you'll get there!

Trenton

[bikeguy70]

my advice is starting of small and when your confident move your way up to bigger things while perfecting your technique. thats how im learning:)

[kemmis]

I remember when i was so excited with my first 3foot drop, then i looked at a 6 foot and i was like "nah i will never do that" but i worked my way up 3,4,6,7,9,10 and now i have done a fifteen foot drop which was something i never thought i would do, as for doubles i used to watch others do it first to judge speed, but now after a bit of practice, you will get the feel for how fast you need to hit the jump. Good luck mate, just build up to it.

[Dirt n Street]

yeah im progressing quite well at the moment. but big drops and big jumps scare me i can do small ones well, but like said before when you ride with friends of similar abilities everyone has a go and we all support each other which makes you feel good after doing it. and usually after a bit of peer pressure i will attempt most things.

[stringbean]

think of the take off and landing, and nothing in between.

[Ride.Dirt.Wake.]

Visualise it, and make hand movement to replicate you and your bike clearing/sticking the obstacle smoothly, it stays in your mind, and gets you pumped. Also listening to music can get you motivated/focused, to hit a new gap or drop.

Hope this helps :)

[ncativo]

Thanks to all
I will try to take it easy with small drops. Cos i have actually tried 1ft or even 2 ft drops. When i land with the back wheel it feels good, but sometimes i land with the front wheel and then is when i get scared again

[chucka_2]

hey mate, i know how you feel. i just try to not really think about what i am about to do for ages. obviously, check it out to make sure it is possible, but then just do it. dont question yourself on weather you can do it or not, JUST DO IT! have fun and good luck:D

[joelly]

Im kinda in the same situation as yourself.I can jump about two two and a half feet comfortably,but anything higher on a ramp and i chicken out.Even though i know its not that high i have a fear that i will muck it up,iv found that if i dont do the jump straight away and think about it too much i wont do it,feels really bad,i dont like letting my fear rule what i do.These days im practiceing my tecth and not pushing for height,im not competeing with anyone so i can improve at my own speed.

One thing iv found.When im not comfortable with a jump i kind of freeze a bit between take off and landing,this makes my landing a bit stiff and i sometimes dont have my feet correctly positioned in the stirrupts,

When other people are about hit the end of the jump do they pump of ,or push down on the front end use the front shocks to raise the front of the bike,or do they just let the bike roll over under speed.

[351buzz]

you're gunna crash sooner or later? may as well crash going big.
fuck my ankle hurts ATM.

[CP]

And as for technique advice, one thing to try would be this. Don't try to jump up (or bunnyhop) as you take off. Just get your speed, stop pedalling (as said before) then let the bike roll off. As soon as the rear wheel leaves the ledge, you want to push your feet forward and down. Ie push the rear wheel to the ground. Once you get the hang of this, you'll know that you'll never go head over turkey. Even if the rear lands ridiculously early, you'll still be right!

And as much as I know this method should serve you well, I often disregard it and pay the penalty :)

[Ernie]

keep it simple, roll up to it ( with decent speed) level pedals, and pop the front wheel up slightly as you roll over the edge. provided you dont panic or anything you should land fine everytime. oh yeah and relax... its really important to relax your body.

enjoy dude.

[a.j.ing]

i got the same problem, but you just gotta go out there and not care about falling off. if you go into something without confidence then there is more of a chance you are gona get hurt. just go and do it, falling off isnt that bad anyway :p

[Tom../]

Its just like anything else, skateboarding or something else like that, you need to embrace your fear, acknogelde you have the fear (which by the sounds of it you have) Then you just need to swollow that fear and try. like you said yourself "Thats how you learn"

Tom

[Ricardo68]

Hi mate, I'm with the guys above, start small! Doing the smaller stuff will build your confidence and when you move up to bigger stuff the feeling will be more natural.

Also practice practice practice good technique. Here's an excellent guide (plus further links to more good information):

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/fitness/article/technique-how-to-freeride-part-2-drops-17074

Good luck matey :)

[STP 4 life]

Hey mate, they best way to get over your fear is to watch people of about your own ability hit it up.
also just roll through the run up a couple of times and when you feel ready get a bit extra speed,relax and lean back a fair bit for your first shot.

hope this helped

[castlo]

hey guys i have the same problem, but the thing is in kincumber there's haredly anyone to ride with that does freeride, bit gaps etc, i started small and im up to gapping 1.5metre drop and nearly 4 metres long, from a concrete path dropping down over another path and landing between two stormwater drains.

i worked on that one for 4 weeks just getting angles coming up and working out some kind of speed for it, thankfully you can roll this one down so you can get a rough speed and line going, then just go all out.

Fire trails i ride the most on kincumber mountain, flat out jumping roll overs on the trail but what i find the most daunting thing if not having someone else with the same or more skills with me so if i see a drop or a gap and look at it and go yeah that might be gapable, not having someone else to go with me you know. Most if not all of the time you're more confident with someone else riding with you..lol if anyone can find method in my madness please tell me, and anyone tht rides near kincumber/gosford wanna get in touch, i dont have transport part from my 07 kona coiler lol.

so yeah get in touch anyone who rides these areas and wants to help a fellow rider in a quest for bettering themselves =]:)


cheers guys castlo out

[A-shadow]

yeah im progressing quite well at the moment. but big drops and big jumps scare me i can do small ones well, but like said before when you ride with friends of similar abilities everyone has a go and we all support each other which makes you feel good after doing it. and usually after a bit of peer pressure i will attempt most things.

Hey ncativo, i ride with this guy ^^ and yeah like he said, We all give everything a go, so we know what its like. I am in the same situation. I got my 08 Norco 250 last Thursday, and atm, i have just been riding around my suburb looking for little drops to do. I am working my way up slowly. Hope you get there.

[opqr971]

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[droctagon]

Whats that last post on about? Replica Chanel?
Anyway
- a lot of good advice on learning to jump and do drops here,one thing i've learnt is that you build up to jumping big slowly,and it has to be practised very often-if you stop for a week or two with no riding, you have to warm up again-otherwise i find, thats when you have the worst stacks.I find that its absolutely crucial to warm-up and start small each time you go for a jump session-its just like calibrating your body and mind with your bike and the terrain.
I find Tabletop jumps the best for learning. This way your a lot safer when you dont make the distance,you can "case" the landing without hanging up on the landing.If you are unsure about a set of doubles,dont attempt them until you've tried a tabletop jump of similar size.
hope this helps a bit. just remember when you finally go for it COMMIT!

[Justin Fox]

Some good positive posts in here. That's good to see.

I've been pushing myself more and more too. Ignore the haters who already go big and laugh at you. Everyone has a different threshold and everyone has to start somewhere.

I've been working up to doing bigger jumps and drops. I hit the trails 2-3 times a week and this has helped me really get comfortable with my bike. I think that's been a huge advantage. Some days I am more daring than others, and on off days I still try to push myself to do something "silly" but I'm not sure that's asmart thing to do.

Every trail has something you can "play" on though. I like stopping at these points with mates we tend to hang out and try new things.

For example:

Loftus is an easy trail with nothing difficult or technical at all. But there are a few rock structures at one point and we like playing on that:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3242/2685399510_46699af4b7.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3074/2856150106_ab4cf19b55.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3071/3012321556_1118e53b46.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3048/3012320596_1fef1f4187.jpg

Lucas Height has a few nasty areas which we used to walk but now we're rolling down:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3232/2906874978_28a428bf89.jpg

Manly Dam has some easy jumps, small drops and steep roll-ins.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3207/2948813852_efc8ed69bb.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3179/2947958155_f4f3642e95.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3102/2649097024_e75ab05627.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3106/2691392965_6ac982fd5e.jpg

Appin has a nice roll-in but I am going to huck it the next time I'm there.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3234/3047023648_08bd56cde3.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3196/3047023906_83e25051d3.jpg

I think it's awesome fun to stop on a part of a trail not everyone in the pack can clear, and just hang there until everyone in the pack can clear it. I find that it helps to push, motivate and improve skills for everyone, and most of the time leaves everyone satisfied too.

[Moggio]

I think it's awesome fun to stop on a part of a trail not everyone in the pack can clear, and just hang there until everyone in the pack can clear it. I find that it helps to push, motivate and improve skills for everyone, and most of the time leaves everyone satisfied too.

Pics are great, really help make this last point of yours.. gives me confidence even sitting at my desk.

Its very true seeing others do things you never thought possible (and usually making it look easy) is a big help. It lets you know you can actually ride it.

[bur182]

go faster:)

[$$Noble$$]

ride with mates and when you beat your mates your on the best high. i did a 10ft huck on the old AC. i was like that is mad. then your mates come up then you got to go bigger. just roll in and lean back level your self out half way. and take some of the impact with you legs and arms.

[foets]

i have a mate who is just getting into it aswell..we were checking out a sketchy double, it was like 5m long but the lip was pretty average and it was just a plain sketchy jump

after a few roll in/over the jump my mate says he's gonna have a go, i said "dude, i'm sorry but your gonna crash"

he goes "i know" and pushes back up the trail for a run in

sure enough about 3 mins later he rolls in, too slow, nose case, over the bars, his first big crash

the thing is, i honestly don't think he even cared about the crash, once he got over it he was back to doing jumps at death speed, that awesome little speed where you get air but are going to slow to make the landing.

i just don't get it

baby steps is best i think

[rowdyflat]

as everyone has said start w small jumps + build up.
You must pedal in at the right speed not too slow + you must attack it
Stop pedalling before the jump stand up feet at 3+9o'clock
Relax keep bike straight + as you go off the lip push the bike out in front as you extend your arms to absorb the landing

[carpo]

have a cup of concerete and harden the fuck up lol
just joking u should look at then just go for it and dont look back

[stinkblot]

walk down the drop and have a look... They never look as bad as from the top. Funny how drops get smaller after you jump em.

[Industry Nine]

Hey mate.
I'm sort of in the same boat as you, I look at something and say "Shit, imagine what i would do to myself if i don't make it and my back wheel hits the down ramp". As you can imagine, I am persavered (sp?) as a pussy in the eyes of my mates who just sail of the top of them. I think that fear is a idiotic thing, so next time i go to a jump i'll just go for it, and hope for the best.
Maybe you should do the same.

[meelen dh]

A did have this fear and i still do to some extent. I have learnt though the faster the better. If you dont go fast enough then you will case and that hurts more than going to fast and having to bail. Hitting a jump fast is alot more funning than putting a piss weak effort in and screwing up. Hope this helps;)

[knoxy]

i also have major problems with fear. i would pedal at a jump, and slam the brakes on at the last moment. the sensible part of my brain would say that i was capable and that even if i did fall off it wouldn't hurt that much (which is true). the only technique that has worked for me is to constantly repeat a phrase in my head ("i can do it" for instance).

the strange thing is that when i am kayaking i do not have the same problem. i can look at a big scary waterfall or rapid, and while i am just as scared as i would be in a comparable mtb situation, once i have assessed the obstacle and decided i can do it, i can push the fear away and become calm and focused about the task at hand

[WOFTT]

A did have this fear and i still do to some extent. I have learnt though the faster the better. If you dont go fast enough then you will case and that hurts more than going to fast and having to bail. Hitting a jump fast is alot more funning than putting a piss weak effort in and screwing up. Hope this helps;)

i agree with faster is better - i look back on all my major prangs over the years and i would say 80 - 90 % have been because i did not have enough speed trying something new or was hesitant to do something at the last moment and ended up crashing.

[NASHWORTH]

You've got to know how your bike feels in the air for starters, as well as have the ability to control it.

A guy I ride with told me to try and pre-load the suspension just as I take off (bounce down) so that everything is even and level, as well as giving you a bit of "pop".

I used to be shit scared of jumping 2cm off the ground a year ago, now I'm hucking 28ft road gaps and getting quicker and quicker at riding at local tracks.

It also comes down to whether you have 'the balls' to hit it. You have to be confident and have a clear picture and plan of what you have to do. In some instances there no option to bail before the take off; that of course is if the run-in is steep and slippery.

Try and be as smooth as possible.

[LiveToRide69]

Ride with people who exceed your ability, it helps push you, of course and you can see how it's done first.
Just put yourself in their position and try and replicate their every action.

[powley]

i agree with faster is better - i look back on all my major prangs over the years and i would say 80 - 90 % have been because i did not have enough speed trying something new or was hesitant to do something at the last moment and ended up crashing.

heh. all most all off my crashes have been from trying to go fast... and wene i go slow i seem to be smoother, at least it feels that way.
i'm still shit scared of high jumps/drops i cant get my head around landing it perfectly without screwing up and hurting myself bad. there is a fine line between landing it smooth and absolutely fucking something up and breaking yourself.. i should know!
if i can get my head around that i would be fine

im fine with take offs and i know i can always get plenty of air.

meh, i will have to work on it