Tips: Riding up a ramp
Riding down ramps is fun, but sometimes you find a ramp that you need to ride up. If you have enough speed and the ramp is not too high you can use the bunny hop that we explained in our last newsletter. If the ramp is too big or you don’t have enough speed, that does not mean that you cannot ride up. Here is how you do it: hop!
- The basics 1: As with most MTB skills, it’s all about shifting your weight (this is copy paste from the last newsletter). The average weight of a rider is more than 85% of the total weight of bike and rider so, where you shift your weight is key to conquering every obstacle on the trails.
- The basics 2: It all starts the same as a bunny hop but there is one difference: after compressing your bike and your front wheel is going up, you shift your weight more forward. The idea is that the majority of the mass (you) is already making its way up the ramp and the rest (bike) will follow.
- Motion: With the front wheel and your body on the ramp, the bike is next. Now, this is the tricky part. Your body stops moving and you transfer the energy of the movement to your bike and lift it up the ramp. This is not a natural thing to do, but it is easy to practice. When you coast on a flat surface at walking speed, just move your body backward and forward. You will see that your bike actually stops and starts moving again. This is exactly what you’re doing when you ride up a ramp.
- Move on: When your rear wheel is moving up the ramp you are automatically back in your riding position. Just start pedalling and you’re on your way again.