Light before the corner, heavy in the corner

Get a few elite riders, build some berms at the bottom of a steep hill, remove the brakes, see who can start highest on the hill without crashing. 

DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME! But do watch the GMBN video:  Read more

Team CRC-Mavic’s riding positions

It’s been said the Sam Hill has an upright riding style, and that he doesn’t follow the “hinge low and stay low” rules.

I agree. To my eye, Sam gets his shoulders as low as he has to — and no lower. You often see this practice in top riders. It saves energy and, I think, gives riders a better view of the trail.

Be warned: You can only ride like this when you have a total command of your riding positions — and when you can get low in an instant.

The below video shows Sam and his teammates riding a variety of natural trails. They’re racing, so you’re watching their instinctual/preferred/optimal riding styles.

Read more

What size Ibis Ripmo should I ride?

Today a RideLogic bike setup client reached out wondering which size Ibis Ripmo to buy. I did a fit for his Mojo HD3 a while back — and he loves it — so I have good numbers for him. 

The results:

Read more

DH tire recommendations for my son

Lee,

I’m looking to replace my sons 26×2.3 tires. He rides mostly DH and at bootleg which is rocky. Looking for a tough tire. I see the minion dhf seems to only come in 2.5. Being fairly new to all this I was looking for some recommendations and information. How do I know if the 2.5 will fit the rim/bike ok?

Thanks,

Joe

Read more

Lap timer for bike training?

Hello Lee i have checked out the DMC Moto Trainer lap timer on your site. Do you have it in stock and can send it to me in Sweden?

Kind regards  Emil

Read more

Vision is kind of important

Yesterday I was working with a new LLB coach, Kristie Van Voorst, on the upper pump track at Valmont Bike Park.

I was riding laps, making common mistakes, and helping her identify and correct them.

At one point I wanted to ride perfectly at normal speed, but only make the mistake of staring right in front of my wheel (instead of scanning to the next corner).

As soon as I locked my eyes on the ground, I slowed way down, and my body simply wouldn’t execute proper pumping technique. The more I committed to looking down, the slower and more awkward it got.

Crazy: No matter how dialed your skills are, if you don’t give yourself good data, you can’t execute.

This is great vision. In one turn but already looking into the next one:

RipRow: Tired lower back plus leaning in turns

Hey Lee,

I’ve done a several “big” workouts on the RipRow™ now. They usual consist of 60-90 minutes of Trainer / Rip Row — swapping 5 minutes on trainer at Threshold, then 5 minutes on Rip Row, set to 3, wash, rince, repeat. Usually 10 minutes of warm up and cool down as well.  When I do these bigger sessions I find that my lower back is pretty tight and a little sore the next day. Not to the point that I can’t function. Really just feels like I spent 4-5 hours moutainbiking the day before. I’m wondering if this is normal, or the result of bad form, or just my back trying to make up for a weak core?

The second question is with the cornering rows. I don’t feel very coordinated when I do these, and they feel super awkward. I guess my biggest question is, are you leaning the RipRow™ with your upper body? I think part of my is wanting to try and weight my outside foot, which makes the machine rock in the opposite direction of the actual corner, which makes the balancing feel awkward. Curious to hear your thoughts on it.

Thanks for making an awesome machine! It’s great to be able to do an indoor workout that makes me feel like I’ve had a big day on my mountain bike when mixed with the road bike trainer.

Really looking forward to having the trails dry out, so I can see how the bike feels after RipRowing. I haven’t ridden on dirt since I got back from New Zealand! 🙁

Gerrit

Read my reply at RipRow.com >>>

 

Pump Up the Base workout B is kicking my butt

Hi Lee,

When I do Pump Up the Base intervals, workout A is pretty straight forward sweet spot training. My power level and heart rate stay pretty stable. Workout B is a different animal. Climbing, ladders, etc. blow me out pretty quickly. My heart rate goes anaerobic fairly fast and it generally ends in a beat-down. In a good way.

So here’s the question: did you and Lester intend for “B” workouts, the drills, etc. to be aerobic capacity intervals? That’s more or less what they have become for me. I keep the power out put in range of my FTP, but damn everything else is brutal, and by the end of the workout, I’m a wreck.

I sold my Pivot 429 and am building up an Evil Following MB. Stoked.

Best,

Dave F

Read more

Let’s build a badass pump track on a tennis court

Elsewhere in the Pump Track Nation, some cool people are doing cool things. We talk design options and how to build on a hard surface:

Read more

Follow Friday: XL Slopestyle at Valmont Bike Park

So fun!

Bike: Specialized S-Works Fuse. This thing is so versatile.

Truth about Emotional Control

Some wisdom from our friend Dr. Jason Richardson, who happens to be a BMX legend and world champion.

Coach Kevin’s Specialized P.Race bike

When I first saw the Specialized P.Pump concept bike, which tipped the scales at a mere 17.9lbs, I was fascinated. I knew I wanted to build something similar when I considered entering the 2018 BMX Cruiser Races.

This build is a conservative financial effort, utilizing many parts I already had and buying only what I thought held the best value, and could withstand the abuse of Racing. I knew it would come out light and fast – but it’s even lighter and faster than I imagined. 

Read more