Jumping on a mountain bike?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Alexander M
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Alexander M

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I have a not so great mountain bike with not very good suspension and the route I take home with my friends involves a lot of curbs and jumps. I really can't jump my bike to save my life as the frame is so damn heavy

I was wondering how I could improve my pumping ability on my bike as I was on my friend's bike today and he has a brilliant bike and getting up curbs was so effortless. So how can I learn to do jumps on a heavy bike?
 
Jumps are all about velocity & weight... more weight requires more velocity. You also need to pull up more than on a lighter bike. Also, since you mention suspension, you want front and rear suspension stiff so that it isnt absorbing the jump like a bump...

Start smaller if you dont have much experience jumping as the harder you pull up the more likely you are to pull yourself off course. From there, you just need to commit. A rule I've always found helpful for jumps... If you think you're going a little too fast, you're probably going just fast enough...

If its a full sprung rig you need even more speed though, if you think you're going way too fast, you're probably going just fast enough. I've got a 39lb Stinky Supreme that feels like a tank but, get her up to speed and she'll launch just fine.

With a little practice and patience, you'll be boosting heavy bikes like nothing and flat out launching lightweight bikes.
 
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