I’m riding Captain America on technical trail tomorrow. Stoked! Expect a full report.
In the spirit of pinning a hardtail on natural terrain, behold this video of a hardtail being WRUNG OUT in Whistler.
Bonus: Essay writing contest.
2011 Nevada State Downhill Championships, Bootleg Canyon, Boulder City, NV:
Riding a Specialized Enduro, Michael Sylvestri takes 2nd in both pro downhill and chainless downhill.
No question Michael is a beast. But he shows what’s possible on the “little” bike. Bootleg has some serious terrain:
Lee,
Lately I’ve been focusing on tweaking my skills, reviewing your book, and your site for things I can implement.
One of the things I reassessed was my attack position. I always thought I had a pretty good one, but after reviewing it I realized I was a bit lazy with my elbow position. By getting them a bit farther out with more bend, pushing my hips a bit farther back, and getting my head a bit lower it was like opening up a whole new can of braaap on the trail. This little tweak was far better than any doodad/improvement I’ve added to my bike.
I think I was also helped by really focusing on strengthening my core, increasing my flexibility and learning to use my hips more.
Speaking of hips, I love the cornering tip about imagining there is a flashlight in your belly button. My cornering technique increased ten fold with that one. I am a huge fan of those little physical clues/triggers to get your body to execute. I think they are a really effective way to learn, as they focus less on a step by step mechanical breakdown, which can bog me down, and more on the feel of the movement. Keeping your chin up and forward is another good one at getting yourself to scan farther down the trail. Love to hear more of these “physical trigger” tips.
Thank you so much.
MAX
Hi Lee,
I have a 2010 Enduro and it’s great for carving the steeper trails but It’s a bit too much for the commute/longer rides.
I’m 6ft5 and I have a 19″ hardcore hardtail (2010 Orange p7) for a second bike but its a bit too short and I’m considering a Kona Unit 29er to replace it. It’ll be my first 29er and I’m yet to be convinced — will it be a good skills sharpener for the enduro or just a sketchy tall freak bike that I’ll grow to hate …?
Cheers for any input
Matt
Hello!
Being a happy owner of the “Mastering Mountain Bike Skills” book, I have recently bought a second edition of it. After flicking through it, I see that there generally are a lot of things that were not in the first version – like your “attack position”, dual-slalom racing cues, “avoid injures” chapter and better explanation of pumping. And that’s great!
But I’ve also noticed that there is only one gate-start method briefly described in the second edition. Why is that? In the previous edition there was a pretty detailed description of a traditional start, random start and a “slingshot” technique (I’m not sure if I translated it well). Is there something wrong with those?
Your faithfully,
Kuba
Our correspondent Russ just got back from Living the Life (capital Ls) in Sedona, AZ. Here’s his helmet cam of Hangover Trail.
Here’s a success story from one of last summer’s coaching clients. Jeff came from Kansas lookin’ for some braaap.
He found it.
My friend Jason, Specialized rep to the stars, says I get to test-ride a new carbon Epic 29er.
All I’m saying is:
Epic 29er vs Mighty Stumpjumper FSR. Timed laps. XC trails. Forget those maintain-constant-uphill-power-then-coast-the-downhills 29 v 26 tests. Both bikes will be hammered up and braaaped down.
I have two sets of fresh Eskars.
It’s on.
In a miraculous turn of events, I got a babysitter and went to spend Saturday at the Colorado Indoor BMX in Greeley, CO.
Plus: How does Captain America work for BMX?
Advertorial content
I just noticed the Fox Attack glove is on sale at JensonUSA.
MSRP: $34.95
Your Price: $18.99
That’s 46% off.
I really like this glove. It’s light and simple — much like the Specialized Enduro, another favorite — and its thinness gives you good connection with your grips.
This link will take you to JensonUSA’s sale page. Check out the Fox Attack (and other stuff) there.
After 2+ years of wrangling, we have a design and a plan for the bike park in Superior, CO. We start digging in March.
We frozen Coloradans get to rock some indoor BMX this weekend in Greeley.
Yes, there’s a mountain bike class.
– Saturday, Jan. 1 | Registration: 11am-1pm / Racing ASAP | Single Point BMX, MTB, Open racing
– Sunday, Jan. 2 | Registration: 9am-11am / Racing ASAP | Double Point ABA BMX Scholarship Race, MTB, Open racing
I plan to ride Captain America.
Dang, I’ve only raced BMX once since starting the Pro BMX Skills project. I used to have the worst gate in CO; let’s hope knowledge is power.
See y’all out there!