Critique: Kung fu loop on lower Valmont pump track


Ski skills expert Ron LeMaster and I have been exploring the commonalities of pumping on dirt and snow. He shot this video for use in his books and lectures.

I’m seeing some good moments and some lazy ones.


What do you see that works?

What do you see that can be improved?

Video by Ron LeMaster: www.ronlemaster.com

Pretty good

• Light hands, heavy feet. Very little upper body violence. Good balance and lower-body extension:

• Smooth, decently quick but sustainable pace. Perfect for Enduro™.

At this speed and radius, I’m pulling 1.7 Gs and pressing 2X my bodyweight into the bike. That’s great practice for all types of shredding.

• Cornering with the inside foot in front. I’ve been working on this habit.

• Great bike! This P3 was a rocket ship with the SRAM carbon wheels and crankset. The new Shimano wheels, cranks and cockpit are heavier, but the bike feels stiffer, more confidence inspiring and faster overall. Funny how that works.

Could be better

• On this day I was having low-back issues, and I can see myself holding back (so to speak). In the below screen shot, my hips aren’t driving as much as my shoulders. Not terrible, but not ideal. At this point in my riding life, stability, mobility and strength require constant work. Stay tuned for an off-bike training program that will help you shred.

• I love the feeling of switching feet right as I enter a turn (0:12), rather than as I leave the previous turn. Need to make that more consistent. Just starting to push into the turn (see triceps) and about to switch feet:

• Getting a bit lazy on the exits of the turns, especially as I get tired. Pulling is just as important as pushing. Sine wave of love.

What else do you see?

Thanks to
• Valmont Bike Park staff for keeping the park dialed
• Specialized for the sweet P3 frame. It’s like the train and the rails, all in one.
• FOX for this beautiful 831 fork
• Shimano for the rock-solid XT wheels, XT drivetrain, XTR brakes and PRO stem and bars
• Bill Turner for showing me this cool line.
• Sacha Halenda at FormFive for the snazzy jersey.

Braaap!

Lee


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15 replies
  1. SR says:

    For snow, you have both pumping and then for bump skiers a big premium, there, on absorption. I’d get some footage of more closely spaced rollers, preferably a little peaky, if you can for purposes of making the bike portion more visually analogous to moguls. Pumping-wise, maybe some discussion of when to double? I just had my eyes opened at a local pump by a bmxer doing laps roughly twice as fast as everyone else, in part by doubling most of the more tightly space rollers.

    Reply
  2. leelikesbikes says:

    Jakub,

    I think there are a few advantages. The most obvious one:

    • More room for your saddle. It’s under your leading thigh rather than hitting your trailing thigh. This is especially helpful with a higher seat.

    Reply
  3. Aussie Chris says:

    I like how you pedal forward to switch feet. Scott Sharples told the Aussie Jr DH team to switch by pedalling forward because it can re-rail a derailed chain. Pertinent these days for those running a guideless narrow/wide-ring set-up?

    At 0.39 I think your front tire comes off the ground when going down the back side of the roller. If you lift the tire off the ground on the front side, the tire has no choice but to stick to and press the front side.

    Reply
  4. leelikesbikes says:

    Chris!

    Funny: The Aussie DH crew, when they were training in CO, used to yell at me for backpedaling into turns. “Hey mate, if you’re gonna pedal you might as well pedal forward.”

    Makes sense, eh?

    Good catch at 0:39. That’s exactly what I meant about getting lazy.

    “If you lift the tire off the ground on the front side, the tire has no choice but to stick to and press the front side.” Nicely said!

    Reply
  5. dynamodayak says:

    I like this video cos its taken from a nice angle and distance. You can see the whole track, the rider’s body english and the speed that everything is going. For a newbie like myself, there’s so many things to pick up from here in just this one short video. The group I’m riding with had just completed building a pump track and are still in the process of altering, resurfacing, reshaping etc till everybody is happy with it and so are still experimenting. Seeing those rollers and berms and just how rounded and flowy they are makes me wanna run to our pump track now and do the same there. I’d just shared this video with them and hope it inspires them too. Thanks guru Lee.

    Reply

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