Logs can be great fun and can occur singly, in a pile, or in succession. Any combination is possible. One key is to lift up the handlebars either before or during contact with the log. Frequently, your chainring will contact the log as you pedal over. A good one will not bend or be damaged. A rock ring may be used, but I prefer just using the large chainring. Teeth can be damaged on rocks or logs, so maximum ground clearance is important. Good mountainbikers know when they will hit the log with the chainring, and when they will clear it. Use the lift and lunge technique. Water bars are intentionally placed on some trails for erosion control, and it is best not to go around them as you create a funnel for the water to follow. Hit logs as close to 90 degrees as possible, and if they are wet or slippery, be especially careful. Be prepared to put your foot down if necessary if you are not clipped in. If you are clipped in, you may be able to "hop" the logs to some degree and not even touch it. If a log looks to big to cross, either dismount or be prepared to just get the front of the bike over and then stick out your foot and push yourself across by placing your foot on the top of the log. Big logs are certainly good candidates for doing and "endo", where your front wheel is too vertical after going over the log and the bike flips over and throws you off. It is important to look ahead on the trail coming off of a log, as this will help keep your weight back at the moment when your front tire contacts the ground after coming down the log. Be prepared for this on every big log you cross. Sometimes, a front fork can aggravate this problem and "dip under" and increase the likelyhood of flipping over. To avoid this, keep your weight WAY BACK after you crest the top of the logs and are coming down the other side. On logpiles (multiple logs) remember that a nice sloping pile to the top of the log in front doesn't mean you will have the same ramp on the downside! It might be a drop off; be careful unless you have ridden it or scouted it out.. ********************************************************************************* Riding across a log lengthwise Most logs that you will encounter on a trail are placed perpendicular, or across the trail. But there are also some logs that are parallel to the trail which you can ride lengthwise. To some riding across a 20 foot log that may only have a rideable surface no more than 2 or 3 inches may seem like an impossible feat. However, it may be easier than most people may think. There are a couple of different steps to ride a log - the first is getting from the ground up onto the surface of the log. I think that this is the hardest part and if you can nail that part the rest is pretty easy. The second is actually riding across the log. And the last is riding off the log. To be able to ride across a log you have to be mentally prepared. I believe that at least 60% of riding across a log is mental. Many of the logs that you will encounter on the trail are straight and this is a good place to start off. So ask yourself, can you ride in a straight line? Because most of riding across a log is mental, mental control is key. Don’t think about falling off the log but be prepared to and have an exit plan. If you get in trouble and can't stay on the log try to wheelie off or just ride off depending on how high the log is and try again. If all you think about is falling, then you will most likely fall. Visualize yourself successfully reaching your goal. A good exercise you can practice just about anywhere is to try riding along the top of a curb for as long as you can and then wheelie off. I have found that you have to keep pedaling in order to keep good balance, so choose a good gear first and don’t stop pedaling. If you start gaining too much speed you may have to drag the brake a little to keep your speed down. Once you have mastered this you have a good chance of doing it on the trail. If you don’t make it on your first try don’t give up and just remember that it is mostly mental attitude. next tip  Surf Video Network Chainspotting Video Description Discover the hard truth behind mountain biking addiction. Featuring Britain's top two-wheeled endorphin seeking slackers, who take you beyond extreme action and off into a psychedelic soul ride from England to Southern California through mountain biking nirvana. Riding from Steve Peat, Rob Warner, Martyn Ashton, Wil Longden, Martin Hawyes, Andrew Titley, Tom Edwards, Steve Geal, Andy Bear, Robin and by Chili Video Steve Kitchen and others, plus special guest Hans Rey. With sounds from Orbital, Death in Vegas, Space Monkeys, Garbage and more. |
