Where should I put my foot on the pedal?
Lee,
Where is the ideal place to put the pedal under my foot? Should it be more under the ball of my foot or in the middle of my arch?
Chris
Questions, comments and criticisms
Manualing and hopping a Specialized Fuse
Lee
How well does the Fuse manual and bunny hop? I ride a Chromag 26″ Hard tail. It is a great bike to mix in some trials type moves. The down side is the 27.2 dropper seat post options. The Fuse looks like the best of both worlds with the traction it has.
Thanks
John
Pinning it on narrow, grass-lined trails
Hi Lee,
I am enjoying your advice on your website. Any advice on how to focus and go fast on narrow trails with grass growing along them (ie Colorado Roaring Judy in Crested Butte)? I feel very confident on rooty, technical trails but as soon as enter into a narrow, foliage-lined trail I get concerned on hitting the front wheel on the trail’s edge then flip. Any advice?
All the best
Daniel
Help my switchbacks! – Quickie answer
Hi Lee,
Hope all is well. As I am pinning down my XTERRA training for this upcoming season in May, I’m still at a loss with cornering going downhill on tight switchbacks. Right now, I don’t have the confidence to lay off the brakes when I’m in the apex of the turn. Granted, I don’t death-grab the brakes in the middle of the apex, but right now, I have to lightly/feather it in the middle of the apex. I know you said (at Moab and in your book) to lay off the brakes in the middle of the apex and to trust (as well as low, look, lean, turn).
Any advice and parking lot/grass field drills would be greatly appreciated. I feel that cornering is one of the things that is limiting my mountain bike skills.
By the way, XTERRA training is going well. Pump the base, F6 and strength/functional fitness (with a good coach) has been keeping my fitness sharp for the trails as well as with my road biking buddies. I will take you up on Prepare to Pin It later this season.
Thank you!
Neil
Tire upgrade for 2012 Stumpy Expert 29?
Lee
I have the same Stumpjumper Expert 2012 you have. Mine has original shocks and has carbon Roval rims Been riding a 2.3 Ground Control front and 2.1 Captain rear. I have a 2.4 Purgatory I could put on front and move the Ground Control to rear.
My friends have 27.5 Nomads etc. We ride freeride. Could get Maxxis DHR front and DHR rear. Is that a good setup for my Stumpjumper 29? Roots and freeride with dry hardpack and loose pine needles.
Riding in Hawaii. Whats the best thing to upgrade this bike in tire handling to 2016 standards? Thanks, Jason
Learning to shred in the flatland
Hi Lee, I go to school in a relatively flat area, Southern Illinois, which only has easy cross country trails around. I feel like I prefer Enduro riding style and want to ride more trails with drops and jumps. But in this area there are no places I can even practice jumping and I can’t ride jumps or drops well when I actually travel to some places occasionally. What do you think I can do to practice my jumping skill? I can’t afford buying another bike or something.
Bruce
How is this jump?
Hello Lee,
This weekend I went to Rockville in California. There was a really cool jump there, and I took a video of it (link below). Can you watch the video and tell me if there is any thing I need to work on?
Ryan P.
Suspension vs hardtail for pump/jump?
Lee,
Pick your brain? Quick question: Intense Tazer vp, or a hardtail 4x bike for pump and jump duty? I have access to two world class flow trails, and with a hanky ankle, the cush might just save me. The primary purpose of this impending purchase, however, will be skill building on the pump track. Does having a soft rear end (well, firm, but not static) muddle things and defeat the purpose?
Thanks!
Joel
Balancing strength training with base bike fitness
Hi Lee,
As my deadlift (300lbs 2×5) and squat (260lbs 5×5) loads are going more and more up (at 170lbs btw), it also gets more and more tough getting both done especially with PUTB in mind, too. Are you regularly lifting once a week or more often?
Thanks in advance + all the best,
Sven
Squats vs. deadlifts
Hi Lee,
how’s your lifting going? Hope all is well?
Whats your opinion about deadlift vs. squats? Are you squatting at all or solely focusing on deadlifts?
Thanks in advance + all the best,
Sven
Flat pedals, shoes and bike shop?
Hi Lee,
I just read over Pump Up the Base and am fired up to get going. In particular, I had been thinking of giving flat pedals a try for a while, and this is a great excuse to do so. Do you have a type of flat pedal and flat pedal shoes you’d recommend, or are they all pretty similar?
Lastly, is there a local bike shop that you’d recommend for shoes and pedals. I find most shops are real good with bikes and parts, but there’s not a lot of expertise with shoes out there. I’ve got weird feet and need more help than most. Thanks for you your help, and thanks for the REVO referral. I’ll be giving them a call soon.
Best,
Dave Farrell
PUTB and P2PI intensity and timing?
Lee,
I just bought both your programs, PUTB and PTPI. I’m doing the first week starting this January but with reading the information I’m a little unclear as to what effort I need to do the workout under Super D and Mixmaster. I do not have a power meter so I can not determine what the RPM is. Can you give me a little help in this?
Thanks,
Derrick