I am starting to see a growing trend amongst riders who used to be pure cross country enthusiasts. As mountain bikes become more capable at a weight that used to be reserved for pure xc rigs, more riders are looking for ways to take advantage of their extra travel by riding more difficult sections of trail. With the bike’s increased abilities, the learning curve (and room for error) is much better than the days of hardtails and long stems. So…as you look at certain obstacles on your favorite trail, how can you tackle the beast and start to use that travel you are lugging around with you on every ride?
How To Start Taking Small Drops on Your Mountain Bike
The typical first place to start for any mountain biker looking to get more aggressive with their riding is to tackle small drops.
Smaller drops are incredibly convenient because most trail systems have at least one naturally and they are a stepping stone into more technical riding. I actually recommend small drops as a way for riders to get their tires off the ground for the first time if they are not used to that style of riding.
So what do you need to do to take smaller drops and improve your technical riding ability?
Choose the Right Drop – Not every drop is the same. If you are just starting out with this riding style, pick a drop that is roughly 2-3 feet (or smaller if you want to start from the bottom and build up) with a clean run in and run out. The last thing you wan to do with a new drop is have to turn right after you hit the ground. I would also pick a drop that has a slight decline to the landing. While that flat landing might look more inviting, flat landings are a lot more brutal to your body and bike. The slight declined landings are actually much easier (even though they might not appear that way from the outside) and some of them create an incredibly soft landing. With smaller drops…this is not as much of an issue but as you go up in size, having a smooth tranny makes a huge difference. Preferably…try to find one that is not around a lot of trees as well. You want to limit as much technical riding outside of the drop itself as possible.
Examine the Drop…But Not Too Much – Examine the drop and make sure that there are no loose rocks or anything in the landing and take off area, but do not sit there and stare at it. As with any technical trail feature, when you just sit there and stare at it…all you are doing is giving yourself time to talk yourself out of doing it. Even some of the best riders in the world will scope out a new TTF and then just hit it. Sometimes over thinking kills more than diligent research. Trust your abilities…trust your bike and get to work.
Follow A Rear Wheel – Have a riding buddy who has taken that exact same drop multiple times without fail? While a lot of people want to sit back and watch this rider take the feature, it is actually better to follow them and take the drop rather than be a bystander. For one…by watching on the sidelines…you really are not learning anything at all. You can’t judge the speed, you can’t see the exact line and all you are doing is procrastinating the inevitable…riding the drop. By following your friend’s rear tire (with adequate distance for safety), you are able to take 99% of your thinking out of the equation. The rider in front of you is determining your speed, your line and your approach. All you have to do is ride up and ride off.
Throw Your Bike Out and Flat – When you get to the edge of the drop, you are going to want to throw your bike out over the ledge. The idea here is to get your bike out flat instead of letting the front tire just roll straight off the ledge. To take a drop correctly, you are going to want to have a nice soft landing on both wheels and not a harsh front fork bottom out because you did not get the bike out flat. It is a weird feeling at first, but you really want to mentally picture yourself throwing the bike forward.
Keep Your Legs and Arms Bent – While approaching, flying and landing…keep your legs and arms bent to soak up any unexpected events and the landing. The absolute worst thing you can do during a drop is stiffen up. You will either dead sailor off the side or hurt yourself by not soaking up the impact. Keep your body relaxed, weight centered and try not to be nervous.
Ride Out Like a Champ – The landing is the easiest part. Just keep everything lose and bent and ride away like it was nothing. To your surprise, you are going to be a little bit embarrassed inside (don’t worry…we are even with some of the bigger stuff for the same reason)…what you just rode was not nearly as hard as you had in your head. It was really a non-event and you are now ready to tackle something bigger. 9 times out of 10, when I am getting riders to try smaller drops…the look on their face says it all after the first attempt…”that was it?!”
Taking drops and other technical trail features is largely a mental game. You have the ability, the bike is more than capable…it is just getting over the initial fear and trusting that you are going to come out the other end ok. Taking small drops will greatly improve your technical riding ability as you will be able to ride differing terrain with a lot more ease than before. It just takes getting over yourself and doing it!