Bikeskills.com: Switchbacks

[Gidenkidenk]

on downhill, i just slam rear brakes and drift through, it works fine though lol

[migge85]

hehe what is this?=)

[titsmcgee026]

Uphill switchbacks look clean, but when you're riding downhill, you want to add style to it, break before turns, get some good lean action into those pockets (when applicable), and pump those legs ninja!

[jrich77100]

the trail i ride has consecutive switchbacks a little less angled than that witha little loose dirt any tips on how to maintain my speed

[MsBixy]

I took his ladies clinic. It was great. And he's cute!

[royalconcrete1]

has anyone just kept going straight?

[shockwave3895]

how about for downhill, go as fast as u can for the turn, get to the burmed section of it (if applicable) lean realtively hard, and pump.. if you begin to move away from the burm and loose traction, pump or grab the rear brake to catch the burm agian. noe of that handlebar turning crap...

[napoleontas134]

i want this bike

[TheReptilianBrain]

Step 1: Buy a bike that doesn't have grip shifters...

[ash3rr]

i've always gotten raped by switchbacks.

[gonrogn]

@ash3rr not the only one :)

[SydeshowMO]

Sure took one for the team at 3:44

[bikeskills]

@SydeshowMO We still laugh about that one. He got a lot of comments from his pro racer buddies... all in good humor though. Joe's a good one.

[leonp03]

'lets see what happens when you dont set up your lines properly'... gets eaten by a bush :O

[RawrImGonnaEatYouu]

You Could Just Drift On The Down Hill One's :/

[MayanMarsupials]

@RawrImGonnaEatYouu They say to not do that to prevent excess trail wear (Though you and I both will still do it :P, It's a lot of fun!)

[robertsularea]

ce prost nu stie lua curba :))

[tombiddles]

wow they are exactly the mistakes i make!!! thanks for the help!

[s38a5t13n]

what kind of helmet camera do you use, the picture just looks awesome!!

[bikeskills]

The helmet camera was done by a combination of strapping a small HD camcorder on a helmet (with a counterweight) and using a long boom. However, with the new HD GoPro cam out there, that's what we'd probably use these days.

[mickeywantstostab]

I like Joe Lawill. He seems like a really normal cool guy.

[downtimehunter]

This isnt bad but there is one other point that will guarantee you make the turn.

In every turn your outside foot should be leading. (LH turn your right foot leads, rh turn your left foot leads) this way your body is already angled to make the turn. Also, if you do get it wrong because your body is angled into the turn and into the hill you tend to fall into the hill and not over the edge.

Try it - you just need to put a 1/2 stroke in before the corner!

[pdubs926]

i woud seggest going with a la pierre or a specialized right now im on a treck 3400 it the 2008 model its all right but theres better out there

[123BioMan123]

i see only 0:00 lol i can't do that is very hard!!

[Gibson2471]

what style of riding do u do?

[adawe99]

i guess cornering is a lot harder than it looks

[ratisnice]

shit ya

[bloodshot16]

i always have to put my foot down to do those turns or i fall off :(

[yunushassen]

probably the specialized rockhopper

[barton203]

what sort of riding will you be doing?

[FreerideDownhillMtb]

chucker 3.0

[bikerpig2009]

thats a lot of info jst 2 b able 2 turn a corner

[mfpimp28]

Would I be able to do a few downhill trails on a hardtail (2008 kona five-o, im just starting to do mtn biking) or would i need to borrow 1 of my friend's full suspension bikes? I've been doing some street jumps in Toronto for my first few days with my bike and I'm wondering if I'm doing the right thing. Perhaps I can send some pics. Gr8 video

[kontoname]

You can do most trails with hard tails just fine. If you ride and notice major traction loss at the rear wheel you're either going too fast or, if the track requires more speed to jump rifts and such, need a full suspension bike indeed. Generally though a hard tail can make it through most of the tracks, it might just be less comfortable to ride.

[twh911005]

im a newbie.... wat bike would u recommend??

[bikeskills]

There are a lot of great bikes out there. We ride and recommend Santa Cruz's excellent products. Just make sure you first ride a lot of different makes, models, and choose the right bike for where you ride, not where others do. And make sure you get what you will need in the future, not just now. It's a lot easier to buy LESS bike than you WILL need than it is too much. Welcome to mountain biking!

[twh911005]

well. getting a santa cruz will be quite difficult... cz im from malaysia.. n there aint any real place for me to ride...

[huntingfreak901]

@bikeskills doesnt yeti have a deal with wtb i thought all the yeti cross country bikes come with a wtb seat?

[RobChappers09]

i recommend a saracen mantra 2 i am just learnin and its great i havnt seen a bike with better spec for the price (£400) it hasnt put a foot wrong and has taken all the abuse of learnin eg bad landings, big crashes its got a very good frame and forks

[livingmylifeatmach2]

@twh911005 I agree with Bikeskills reply. I think it's important to, 'identify' per se what type of biking your going to do. To be absaloutly honest, and I dont know if people will back me up, but 'Specialized' is a good, reliable and reasonable Bike Manufaturer. Dont be afraid to ask for people's opinions, but make sure you identify your own area of biking your aiming for.

[livingmylifeatmach2]

@twh911005 I dont know if other people watching this will support this view, but I reccomend 'Specialzed' to anyone. They are a reliable, all round and fairly reasonable Bike Manufacturer and I would use their bikes far more quickly then other makes.

[lexcan05]

@twh911005

Trek and specialized are the two best out there, i ride a carbon fiber trek and love it, there are so many good bikes out there though, its basically personal preference.

happy trailing:)

[huntingfreak901]

@twh911005 what ever bike you feel you are going to be able to flow over the trail better i love my yeti arc, if you have back problems a full suspion would be a better bike but you really dont need one till mabye 35+ hardtail will be easier to get up the hills (yes i know what im talking about i race mtb) some great brands are yeti, motobecane, santa cruze, orbea, and thats just a few off the top of my head! good luck on the trails wear a helmet when your on the trails thats very important

[bikeskills]

He is.

[EA0422]

Hey are you Mert's son?

[howtodostuff444]

he has grip shifters just like me!!!!

most ppl have trigger or thumb shifters lol

[mdlopze9]

do you recommend lowering your seat when going downhill on a trail? If so, why? Also, do you increase/decrease tire pressure when going uphill/downhill?

[bikeskills]

Lowering your seat when going downhill (switchback or otherwise) is usually a very good thing. Doing so lowers your center of mass (more stable), lets you (your body position) move forward and back much more easily, even "dab" with your foot (lower seat height) should you need to.

[sja167]

The rider in the video always keeps his strong foot forward, despite turn direction. In my opinion, it is better to keep your inside foot forward. This allows better weight control leading to better control of the bike and higher turning speed and accuracy. Some prefer the inside foot to be in the up position, with the outside foot all the way down. Hope that helps!

[MountainRoxGirl]

I wish I watched this sooner! At least now I understand what I've been doing wrong. These are great videos. Oh, and the backpacks are essential on real rides because they hold a bladder for hydration(Camelback). It also has space for tools, a tube, etc. I just recently learned how much easier this is to use compared to a waterbottle.

[ctiebs]

cool vids guys.. basic stuff = great place to start and become more enthusiastic about biking. :) greets from alberta

[bikeskills]

Yes He does

[Kanashot]

Excellent but why in all mtb videos the people riding are wearing back packs :p

[bikeskills]

Good question. One answer is that most of the time we ride, we have backpacks. We try to create videos that are as realistic as possible. If you watch our pump track and descending videos, those riders won't be wearing packs for those same reasons: who rides a pump track with a pack on?

[zipking]

I think a back pack is nice if you fall. It absorbs some energy. Often you also carry some material with you Water or something to eat etc.

[pdubs926]

yea i took a nice header the otherday and i have a camel back back pack and i whent over the bars and i was slideing on my bag i looked back an i was my bike comeing tard me thats the best motivation to get u up when u have a bike comeing right at u but i was slideing on my bag and it didnt hurt my back but my arms and legs r just scabbes now its part mounting bikeing

[bobbydx44]

just dont keep you cellphone in there! lol

[jasonlcurran]

Great advice and demo! These tips help quite a bit at Tamarancho in Farifax CA.

[cosmicgirlo]

Nice!

[sbjbarsenal]

what is that intro song called?? ive heard of it before but not sure what and where it is

[bikeskills]

Hieroglyphics - Soweto

[Acein8ter]

Great vid guys... *****

[ktmracing4life]

nice tips.  to bad i didnt watch this earlier

[dontknow023]

ya...

[proudbiker]

nice tip thx a lot really!