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Hi, forty-something, just finished the 'Puffer, long-distance sort of chap. Grew up on BMXs but I never did "that" stuff - I was just too rubbish/scared.
BUT TOMORROW! A mate's booked us into an indoor wooden skate park session, we'll be given bikes and tuition. I really want to make the most of it - what should I do folks?? I guess we've got 1 hour...
Cheers, al.
listen to the tutor!
just ride the transitions and leave the brakes alone. rampo riding is all about inertia- the faster you go, the more air you will get. Aim on a first sesh to start your aerials about half way up the ramp transition and each time aim to go 6 inches further up the ramp before you turn. Before you know it you will get the front wheel 'out' the top of the ramp and once you are getting the front over 6inches out then your rear wheel will also be clearing when you twist. As soon as you leave the ramp to twist your bike will start to stall and drop in height, hence the front wheel will always need to clear more- to help style and rotate your airs try pushing the bars doen on one side, ie extend one arm whuilst pulling the other wrist closer to you. The effect will 'lay the bike flat' and this not only looks cool but helps the rear wheel rotate on a flatter plane, ie quicker. The rest is down to balls and fun- the more you enjoy it the faster/higher you will go. Good luck- I am also 40 but used to be on the Hutch Freestyle Team in the UK so hopefully this advice is still good 😉
What gunners said ^^ look where you want to land when rotating, your body will follow your head!
It'll be a great laugh, have fun, don't forget to pad up!
Wow, no wonder I poofed out as a younger lad... Still, might be my last chance so I'll go for it. Thanks guys.
al.
Transgression?
Buy some ibuprofen, and expect to be hobbling around work Monday.
Jeans to big,no belt,clean underwear with a name on the waist band, shout thats RAD or thats Cool every few minutes, look sullen and when people fall off and get hurt make no move to help them or even ask if theyre ok.
Thats how most BMXers i see act,
Oh and have a good time,id love to do that.
go for a foot-jam-tail-whip there pretty sick!
When you're learning to drop into ramps, don't change your mind half way through.
And wear unfeasably tight jeans and a t-shirt that isn't big enough.
I thought you wore unfeasibly loose jeans that somehow stay up? And Spiderman pants out the top? Well, that's my plan...
GW: Yeah, in Ocean Terminal. 4 stories above the docks. Weird.
And 3 stories above Marks and Spencer. Weirder.
al.
it's a fun wee park, you should have a great time,
Oh.. and I'd take a folding allen key set, a mate once hired a bike and all their hire bikes all had those shitty pinchbolt 3pc cranks that continually work loose.
"Jeans to big,no belt,clean underwear with a name on the waist band, shout thats RAD or thats Cool every few minutes, look sullen and when people fall off and get hurt make no move to help them or even ask if theyre ok.
Thats how most BMXers i see act,"
Nah mate, it's now skinny jeans hanging off yer ass, no name pants showing and a cool but no name T-shirt. Stupid haircut also helps
lol
Fab, I need a haircut. I can do a mo-hawk for the sesh then get it chopped.
Top idea! al.
DOnt foeget to great everyone with an 'eazy bro'
in Edinburgh? 😕
Just ignore the tutor as tell him you were doing this when Eddie Fiola was in nappies....
Its all about commitment. Take it at your own pace but push your boundaries.
Learn to drop in a quarter, ride out of one and most importantly (for a skill you will enjoy out on the MTB) learn to pump properly. If you can do that after an hour then good on you!
Have fun!
bushwacked how you doing,has jedi got your number ,if so is it ok if i get it,i want to get to corby soon.you got any plans of going there
lock, tuesday! 🙂
I remember trying a quarterpipe back in about 1983 at Birmingham Wheels. Oh dear. 🙁 My mates thought it very funny at least.
i rode the wheels track in 83 🙂
I'm useless on a bmx but 1 piece of advice, first time you ride into (from the top) a quarter/half pipe don't lean back! From riding mtbs your 1st instinct on steep stuff is to lean back, dont. Like the others said commit to stuff.
Lock - no worries, Tuesday is the day though - you coming?
Well, that was blimmin FANTASTIC. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys riding a bike.
The tuition was excellent, let us do our thing whilst ensuring we got some basics. There was a young lad who was clearly astoundingly good, and happy to chat and explain everything. He rode without brakes. Ooooo-o-k. Wow.
So, I had the best time riding the ultra-smooth bowls, putting together loops to cover the lower part of the park. The "pumping" thing is much harder than it looks! I got better at it, but definitely not nailed (dude!).
Then rode 30 miles home on the Pompino in the rain to remind myself what proper cycling is all about 😉
Cheers, al.
Sounds great! Was wondering how it went.
Second what Donk said too. Easy on paper but completely alien in practice . . . it's been nearly a year since 'the bowl incident' . . . I know what I gotta do . . . it'll happen . . . soon.
It is great isnt it... I have only ridden mine a handful of times, but been digging jumps all winter ready for the summer. Spent 6 hours doing it today...
Did you do much on the quarters? I was really happy as the one and only time ive ridden anywhere with a quarter, I finished off getting about a foot air out the top... Realy good feeling.
Sounds like it was great, glad you had a good time.
BMX is rad!
pumping is the foundation for every mtb technique
> pumping is the foundation for every mtb technique
Hmm. I don't recall "pumping" once during Puffer. Apart from the smelly type of pumping inevitable after living entirely on energy foods for 24 hours. I stank, to be honest.
al.
so you never made the front wheel come up off the ground? you never unweighted the back wheel?
Nope. Not in puffer. Round Glentress, sure. And today at the BMX thing, sure. But battering over natural trails has nothing to do with pumping at all.
Anyway, it's all bikes, it's all good!
Enjoy what you enjoy. And try other people's stuff.
a.
lol 🙂
i guess you did say you didnt get the hang of it.
Allan - Sounds like you had a great day.
I used to think I could pump but now I can (but not as well as I'd like) and it really adds to my riding of natural trails. Bit of free speed, especially on bermed corners or swoopy trails - one of the best feelings in the world!! 🙂 Plus it really helps with other techniques
You didnt even unweight your bike for the waterbars? or the watersplashes?
Slight hijack - Gunners, I'm intrigued... My favourite bike of that era was my Trickstar (Candy Blue before a Baby Blue p/coat).... anyway, I'm trying to remember the Hutch team of that era - Angry Brown, Lee Reynolds, Larry Bull, Efraim Catlow..... oh and Greg Guillotte - I think he was on Hutch for a while... any of these guys you?
im goner pencil this tuesday in
chicks dig scabs.
You know you're just going to wheel on out to the local towpath and hassle the local commuters don't you.
Remember to builder's butt is now trendy again...