You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Bit of a strange one.. I am right handed but left footed. When I board I am left foot forward, when I do a 180degree turn on a bmx I am left foot forward, snowboarding I am left foot forward. However when pulling a wheelie or going on a jump slowly I seem to need to be right foot forward to ensure I'm comfortable to get the front wheel high enough, if I try with my left foot forward I cant pull it up the same levels and my balance is a lot weaker, when I go off a jump I want to be left foot forward but I never seem to get much air even when pulling up quite a bit - I always get enough speed to make the jump but I seem to just cut through the lip no particular height. Does anyone else have this problem?
You shouldn't really be pulling up on jumps. Try pushing down on the bike before the jump to compress everything a bit, then unweighting (not pulling up) as you go off the lip.
I'm not quite sure what so suggest about putting your other foot forward. Just practicing with your left foot forward more?
As above, it should be a push not a pull. That should take the handedness out of the equation.
Bigger jumps
Go faster
Death grip
.
Thank me later
There is a 50/50 mix of advice on the internet as to whether you should pull on the bars or not.
Some websites say to avoid pulling and that the movement is like a manual through the hips and that lift can be gained by compressing the bike on the up ramp of the jump and then height can be gained by straightening the legs in a pushing down movement as the bike leaves the lip.
....and others say similar in that you can compress the bike and then push down/forward at the lip but they also then add that you should be lifting the bars slightly too.
??????
For old buggers like me who have long forgotten how to jump its very confusing....i can only suggest practice and do what works for you.
You need to get yourself into the air, not the bike!
Find a speed hump, roll into it, slightly crouched, pedals level at about 10mph. Then, [i]just[/i] before the front wheel hits the hump, attempt to crush the bike down "through" the hump, by standing up( in effect, you are trying to push the front wheel into the hump!). Then let your legs straighten and you should find yourself propelled into the air. Done right, you can get a huge amount of air of a tiny hump!
Certainly, start at a slow speed on a small jump and work up, you don't need to be going fast/big to learn the technique!
(usual caveats apply: i am not a vet, your cat is probably sad, no returns accepted etc etc) 😉
It's just practise / getting comfortable with the bike.
I'm regular (left foot forwards) on a snowboard, but can ride switch pretty well. I'm right foot forwards on the bike and having my left foot forwards feels very wrong. It feels like my feet are several yards apart. But I'm trying to learn to bunnyhop/manual left foot forwards and generally get more comfortable riding technical stuff like that.
I most definitely pull up when jumping. But i clearly dont know what im doing, 15 years of riding dirt jumps and bmx has clearly taught me wrong :P.
OP - there is no "right" foot forward, just what is natural. Don't think about it.
The height thing is just practise. By the sounds of it you're going to skateparks? Get someone there to help you.
Thanks for the responses, nah im doing Dirt jumps - i do have an issue though that when i pull up, sometimes i completley shift my balance and end up landing sort of sidewards.
For me it was just frustrating yesterday, i was trying to go off a 4ft drop flat to slope and there was only a small run in so needed to pop the front end up to get the back wheel off, but doing this with my left foot forward i couldnt get enough pop up and ended up ducking the wheel before the back came off 🙁
I most definitely pull up when jumping. But i clearly dont know what im doing, 15 years of riding dirt jumps and bmx has clearly taught me wrong :P.
If you teach a beginner who doesn't intuitively 'get' jumping to pull up to jump the following will happen:
1. Front wheel will briefly leave the ground.
2. As the front wheel goes back down the back end will buck.
3. The whole bike will over-rotate forwards and the rider may faceplant.
YOU pull up but you do lots more too!