Next Video: • How to do drops on a t...
In the last few videos, we learned how to hop around in various ways. Today, we’ll be learning to get up stuff without even needing to hop at all. It will be another technique in your mountain bike trials toolbox.
We’ll call this popping and scooping. Popping is getting your front wheel off the ground, and scooping is when you pull your back wheel off the ground.
I think the easiest way to learn this is to start on curbs. Instead of just ramming the curb, try to pop your front wheel on to it smoothly. If you’ve mastered track standing you can even do it from a stop.
Since you probably have suspension forks, remember to preload like we’ve gone over before. By crouching down and compressing, it’ll be easier to pop up on bigger obstacles.
To lift the back of your bike, point your toes down and scoop the bike up behind you. It’s helpful to push forwards on the handlebars to assist your scooping. Many beginners slam the bike back down immediately after the scoop. This can cause a pinch flat, and it looks nasty, eww. It’s important to follow through on the scoop to stop this from occurring.
On bigger obstacles, throw all your weight forwards as you scoop so the back of your bike will be easier to lift.
On these larger elevation changes, a brain fart could mean the end of your chainring. So make sure you've mastered smaller obstacles first. And there you have it, one more way to get up something.
So, with all these techniques we’ve learned, how do you choose the right one? Well, if you’re going fast a bunnyhop is probably the way to go. If you’re going slow you can pop and scoop like we just reviewed. If you’re standing still, you may need to use some more advanced hopping techniques. Your choice could also be based on other factors like how much space you have, or what your next move will be.
So now, how do you get down off these platforms? In the next trials video, we’ll be learning some different ways you can do drops. Thanks for riding with me today, and I’ll see you next time.