I’m always impressed at how the same basic movement patterns seem to apply to all sports. Two of the most important dynamics for a mountain biker are 1) staying balanced on your feet and 2) driving powerfully from your hips.
Those skills are also important in the NFL. Today I had an All Pro linebacker on my pump track, and he killed it.
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Thank goodness for pump tracks, and double-extra thank goodness for the pump track in my yard. So far this winter, I’ve been trying to mix up base intervals on the trainer and radness intervals on the pump track. That’s when I’m not shoveling snow off the track.
Check out this action. It might give you some ideas for your own training.
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The pump track in my yard has seen a few hundred laps, and it’s bedding in nicely. Thanks to diligent snow shoveling, Farid and I enjoyed a nice sesh yesterday.
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In September the Devil Dash 5K ran a bunch of people through Lyons Bike Park—and the jumps were muddy—and the jumps were ruined. This week we’ve been busy rebuilding the step-ups, tables and rollers. Everything is riding well and ready for tomorrow’s snow to help pack it in.
Photos at the Lee Likes Bikes Facebook page
Adam Wasson did some great work over the past few days. Here he tests the rollers as only an expert BMX racer can. |
Phase 2 of my pump track is built and ready to pack. Today I did a little flow testing. These images are so-so, but they show how the track flows.
I am super stoked with the track. It’s fun to ride, and it accomplished its goals.
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And it is sweet.
Photos from the first post-pack ride:
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James Hall and Ted Van Orman have done a great job on my backyard pump track, and today we rolled the first test laps.
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Hi Lee,
I live in Santa Fe and we are thinking about having a clinic/intro for kids to BMX and pump track riding. What suggestions do you have for that we should cover?
Steve
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It’s becoming clear to me (apparently everyone else has known this for a while) that a mountain bike with 29-inch wheels rolls over rough terrain way easier than a bike with 26-inch wheels. So, OK, maybe a 29er is a good idea for passive trail riding. But the question is, can a 29er be ripped?
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Hi Lee,
Do you have any tips on how to ride trails that go though areas with rocks, roots, walls, or really deep ruts that can hit your pedal and effectively stop you in your tracks, due to loss of balance and needing to ride a fairly precise line?
My bike has a fairly low BB (12.5” for 110mm travel) and I ride platform pedals, but continuously riding this particular part of the trail has helped, simply by finding areas to build speed so I wouldn’t have to pedal through these areas. Any area I have to pedal through tends to get me though. There’s one area where I must weave through big boulders right and left and also make it up steps and have a gear to make it up a steep climb. Shifting doesn’t seem possible. Normally it’s not pedal strikes that get me, but simply me avoiding pedal strikes and tipping over too much and losing balance. I assume that’s the problem. I tried the look ahead and plow through approach, but pedal strikes really do throw you off to be a problem that can’t be ignored.
I read the 2nd edition of your MTB skills book cover to cover, but can’t find a section that particular covers this type of riding. Any advice would be appreciated. I think my bike would appreciate it too. I think the side to side play at the BB has become worse from all the pedal strikes.
Dan
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