Pumping an S section
We shot this little video during a coaching session today. Super fun!
Re-posted with a new .mov file. Let’s hope this one works!
Place: The Fix pump track, Boulder, CO
Rider: Me, Lee
Bike: The Mighty P.3 with FOX F100 fork, GAMUT guide, Hayes brakes and snazzy Geax white walls. It’s all about the white walls.
Skills used: Vision, position, range of motion (lateral, vertical, longitudinal and rotational), timing, power, cornering and pump. Basically everything.
Sections like this are super fun, and they teach you a ton. Master these dynamics on a pump track, then rock them on trail!
![]() Go frame by frame for hot pump track action. |
Thanks to Jon Pool of Michigan — a good pupil and an excellent fellow — for driving the camera.
You too can rock like a hurricane: Skills clinics with Lee
I cannot see the video 🙁
Can you check it please!
The Quicktime works fine over here. Maybe you need a newer plugin?
This just struck me: If I can swing the bike like that between turns, why don’t I do that over jumps? It’s time to get on that program!
Lee, I too had a problem. An error message said, off the top of my head from this morning, it couldn’t find the llbtag.jpeg or something like that.
Yep, me too. I couldn’t open the video, neither from work nor from home. Same error message: the llbtag.jpg file is missing.
Lee, it looks good now, but now the soundtrack creeps me out…
Nice Lee, who was taping, Darth Vader?
Sorry, kids have been on a Star Wars kick.
Yeah, poor Jon just finished a fast lap.
Who is the heavy breather?! He’s getting me all excited.
You guys are killing me! File is viewable. Heavy breathing is gone. Let’s celebrate the Pump Track Love!
Sorry Lee. Good footage. Great riding. Excellent timing. Your technique in action as advertised (especailly the still shot).
If you were smokin’ it any more, I’d have to wear a nicotine patch just to watch it!
Lee I have been studying your cornering techniques quite a bit for the past month. I think your exagerated cornering techniques looks an awful lot like when guys table their bikes in the air. If you can do that on the ground/pump track with speed and precision it should’t be too hard to take it to the air off of jumps.
That is so funny. I was thinking the same thing!
Time to man up, eh?
Nice video Lee. Viewing it, I have a couple of questions about pumping that I’ve been wondering about for a while. In my own efforts to pump, I’ve been able to generate my most effective action through my arms and the front wheel. In reading about pumping, however, I’ve always got the impression that I should be gaining more power from my legs. Now in your video, it appears to me that you are pumping this section mostly through our arms, with relatively little leg motion. Could you comment on the relative importance of arm vs leg pumping? Thanks.
https://www.leelikesbikes.com/pump-technique-arms-legs-or-what.html
Hey, I was there! Just got back into electronicland after a trip to Moab for some excellent mtb and moto riding.
Lee edited out the audio part before I could hear it (thankfully!), but in my defense I was sucking wind most of that day.
Not enough oxygen at 5000 ft for someone from Michigan 🙂
By the way, watch Lee’s head. He does such an excellent job of keeping his head neutral and moving forward in the direction of his focus while his body and bike handle the cornering.
I wanna be like Lee when I grow up 🙂
JP
I was looking past Jon toward the next corner. I know I’m SUPPOSED to do this all the time, but — dude — focusing on that element had an amazing result:
When I cleared the S the first time like that, I doubled the next set of rollers for the first time. I didn’t plan to jump them — the speed was there, and it just felt right.
Easy to say, hard to remember: Look where you want to go!