Send questions to lee@leelikesbikes.com

Elbows in or out?

Hi Lee and thanks for all the great info online.

Last year I got some instruction at Whistler and my instructor kept on stressing elbows out – “chicken wings.”

Then I bought the book Mastering Mountain Bike Skills 3rd Edition and learned that elbows out used to be taught but is actually wrong, hold elbows behind grips.

This week I’m riding sweep for my son’s DH camp and the instructors stress elbows out. I even spoke to one great, extremely experienced instructor after and he doubled down on elbows out.

Can you clarify the thinking behind in and out and why you changed? I haven’t been this confused since girls in high school.

Andrew

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What size Ibis Ripmo should I ride?

Today a RideLogic bike setup client reached out wondering which size Ibis Ripmo to buy. I did a fit for his Mojo HD3 a while back — and he loves it — so I have good numbers for him. 

The results:

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DH tire recommendations for my son

Lee,

I’m looking to replace my sons 26×2.3 tires. He rides mostly DH and at bootleg which is rocky. Looking for a tough tire. I see the minion dhf seems to only come in 2.5. Being fairly new to all this I was looking for some recommendations and information. How do I know if the 2.5 will fit the rim/bike ok?

Thanks,

Joe

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Lap timer for bike training?

Hello Lee i have checked out the DMC Moto Trainer lap timer on your site. Do you have it in stock and can send it to me in Sweden?

Kind regards  Emil

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RipRow: Tired lower back plus leaning in turns

Hey Lee,

I’ve done a several “big” workouts on the RipRow™ now. They usual consist of 60-90 minutes of Trainer / Rip Row — swapping 5 minutes on trainer at Threshold, then 5 minutes on Rip Row, set to 3, wash, rince, repeat. Usually 10 minutes of warm up and cool down as well.  When I do these bigger sessions I find that my lower back is pretty tight and a little sore the next day. Not to the point that I can’t function. Really just feels like I spent 4-5 hours moutainbiking the day before. I’m wondering if this is normal, or the result of bad form, or just my back trying to make up for a weak core?

The second question is with the cornering rows. I don’t feel very coordinated when I do these, and they feel super awkward. I guess my biggest question is, are you leaning the RipRow™ with your upper body? I think part of my is wanting to try and weight my outside foot, which makes the machine rock in the opposite direction of the actual corner, which makes the balancing feel awkward. Curious to hear your thoughts on it.

Thanks for making an awesome machine! It’s great to be able to do an indoor workout that makes me feel like I’ve had a big day on my mountain bike when mixed with the road bike trainer.

Really looking forward to having the trails dry out, so I can see how the bike feels after RipRowing. I haven’t ridden on dirt since I got back from New Zealand! 🙁

Gerrit

Read my reply at RipRow.com >>>

 

Pump Up the Base workout B is kicking my butt

Hi Lee,

When I do Pump Up the Base intervals, workout A is pretty straight forward sweet spot training. My power level and heart rate stay pretty stable. Workout B is a different animal. Climbing, ladders, etc. blow me out pretty quickly. My heart rate goes anaerobic fairly fast and it generally ends in a beat-down. In a good way.

So here’s the question: did you and Lester intend for “B” workouts, the drills, etc. to be aerobic capacity intervals? That’s more or less what they have become for me. I keep the power out put in range of my FTP, but damn everything else is brutal, and by the end of the workout, I’m a wreck.

I sold my Pivot 429 and am building up an Evil Following MB. Stoked.

Best,

Dave F

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Let’s build a badass pump track on a tennis court

Elsewhere in the Pump Track Nation, some cool people are doing cool things. We talk design options and how to build on a hard surface:

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Leaning back on the RipRow and the bike

Hi Lee,

I have a quick question for you.  When I’m RipRowin’ on a higher setting (9+) and am doing ShredLift sprints, the front end of the Rip Row will often lift off the ground when I extend my hips to the bar.  I’ve tried moving my feet further forward but it still happens if I really pull hard with my hips (which is the idea I think).  Any thoughts?  

I recall when we were riding together at Dakota Ridge, there was a large rock that I needed to quasi-bunny hop at speed up and over and one of my issues with smoothly transitioning over the rock was leaning too far back on the row portion and thus impacting my rear wheel with enough force to kill some momentum.  Could I be leaning too far back on the heavy Shredlifts and thus unintentionally facilitating the liftoff?  Would a short video clip be beneficial?  

Thanks for your help.  Have a great day!

Kevin

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A tire like a Maxxis Icon, but with more side knob?

Lee,

I picked up MMBS 2nd edition from the library early this spring and loved it. I have been MTBing for 25 years and have had period of good downhill flow but they were not consistently repeatable. After reading your book I understood why…because I had no idea what I was doing. When I got into those flow states it was completely by accident and I was never able to reproduce them with intention. However, you lay out some key concepts that are great mental handles on what our bodies should be doing on the descents and I am in your debt for that. I bought the Mastering Mountain Bike Skills 3rd Edition and have influenced a few friends to do the same. Thank you for systematizing this!

Question, I am running Maxxis Icon 2.35s (EXO, TR, and all the fancy stuff) front and back on a 29er XC bike and they do a pretty good job all things considered. I do live in Jeffco and ride all the front range trails and Buff Creek and Breck a lot. Can you recommend the most comparable tire in durability, weight, XC rolling speed but with some big side knobs so I can really lay my machine over with confidence in every situation?

Thanks much, John

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Interview with MTBjumper.com

Here’s an edgier-than-normal interview I did with Norman at MTBjumper.com. Among other things, we covered:

The toughest boss I’ve ever had (me).
My beginnings as a rider.
The movie that made me quit my old life to start this one.
The hows and whys of RipRow.
Understanding when you should go for a big jump or other obstacle. 

Check it out:

Tips for building the Sea Otter 2010 pro pump track


Hi,

I bought your plans for the Sea Otter 2010 pro pump trackto build it at my new home which is currently under construction.

A few questions:
I have a 5-7 degree slope where I plan to put the pump track. Are there any considerations for elevation? Should I make it as flat as possible?
Living in Northwest PA our winters are tough. Any build/maintenance advice for keeping things in good condition?
My dirt contains a lot of shale. Is this manageable to build with or should I think of supplementing with top soil?
Thanks! I look forward to breaking ground soon.

Brian B

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Love your work, but I’m a roadie


Hi Lee

Listened to your interview on the TrainerRoad podcast (How to become a faster mountain biker) – it was amazing and made me rethink what I thought I knew about riding bikes.

I’d really like to read more of your work but I’m a roadie and was wondering what you have for roadies in the way of books etc.

Cheers

James
(From Australia)

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