Mountain Bike Rider — March 2018

24 mbrMARCH 2018

FAST & FIT

Waiting for friends to catch up, fix a puncture

or finish their chat? Find an obstacle or

challenge and hone your skills and your

balance. Olly Wilkins shows us how

STOPPIE

DIFFICULTYQQQ

What:Rollalongonthefrontwheelonly,usuallydownahillorcomingtoastop.

How:Startoffongrippygroundlikeadryfireroadortarmac,pedalinwithabit

ofspeedandshiftyourbodyweighttowardstherearofthebike.Then,asyou

progressivelypullthefrontbrakeon,shiftyourweightforwards.Ifyoustartto

feellikeyoumightgooverthebars,letoffthefrontbrake.Ittakespracticeto

findthebalancingpoint,andtokeepthestoppiegoingforaslongaspossible,

but it has genuine trail applications so is useful to master. Mark a point to start

the stoppie, then roll as far as possible.

FLAT TURN

DIFFICULTYQQQ

What: Flat turns are easy enough to ride slow, but supremely

difficult to ride at high speed because they offer less support

and grip.

How:Practiseonasimple,imaginaryturninacarpark,or

ahairpinonafireroaddescent.Findawidearea,pedalin

andleanintotheturnasmuchasyoufeelcomfortable.Mess

about, try tightening the radius of the turn halfway around,

tryshiftingyourweightalittlefurtherbackoffthebike,try

different pedal positions and see what makes you feel more

stable. How does it feel with a foot off?

TRAIL TURN

DIFFICULTYQQQ

What:Turn on the spot without

taking your feet off the pedals.

How:Rolltoastopwithyour

weight in the centre of the bike,

andbeforeyouputafootdown,

hop the front wheel around to

keep balance. Once you feel

steady, try rocking the front wheel

off the ground to one side, and

then the rear wheel the opposite

waytobeginpivotingonthespot.

Startwithsmallerhopstostayin

control; big movements are easy

to misjudge. The idea is to turn a

full 360 degrees, comfortably and

not in a panic.

MID-RIDE

MESS

ABOUT

OLLYSAYS...

“There is more than meets the eye

tothe‘carparkshow-off’atyour

localtrails(anameIhavebeen

branded with many times). I’ve

grownupwithafairlyunpunctual

group of friends. During the

periods of time I’ve spent waiting

forthemI’veactuallylearntsome

super-valuable skills that have

come in handy time and time

againoutonthetrail.Messing

aroundisguaranteedtoimprove

your bike skills even more than

actual trail time, not to mention

improving

your core body

temperature.”