Bike skillz: What do you do?

William · #1 02-28-2005, 06:08 AM

Just out of curiosity, how many of you are comfortable jumping/bunny hopping your bike over potholes or other obstacles? I've found it to be an indispensable skill at avoiding junk, ruts, potholes, and occasionally RR tracks at speed. Especially when you don't see them immediately and don't have time to take a new line, cars are passing, or when you have other riders near by and a sudden swerve is likely to cause a crash.
One route we used to take out into the country brought us to a steep hill that leveled shortly, half way down for a set of RR tracks. It was a lot easier just to keep my speed and hop over the tracks then to brake hard, slowly ride over (thump, thump) and then get back up to speed. Also, when it's wet, I'd rather jump over the tracks when possible then ride over. I found out the hard way that rails, especially running at an angle can be worse then hitting a patch of ice when it's wet out.

It's a skill I picked up in my BMX days, but I have found to be very useful for protecting my bike, my body, and those around me a many times on the road.

Just curious,

William

Any other skills you find indispensable?

#2 02-28-2005, 06:25 AM

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Any other skills you find indispensable?

Yes. A well executed right hook to the jaw of the idiot who jumps potholes on group rides instead of pointing them out to the riders behind them.

William · #3 02-28-2005, 06:32 AM

Good one Roy, Yeah, I'd point them out. I was just refering to the skill.

By the way, I prefer a straight knee followed by a vertical down elbow.

William

flydhest · #4 02-28-2005, 07:58 AM

everyone is responsible for their own riding. If you intentionally ride up to a pot hole and then swerve, you're a jerk. If there is an obstruction that you see at the last moment, by all means avoid it.

My old coach would always say, "if there's something in the road that will cause you to crash, you should have seen it a 1/4 mile up the road. If you couldn't see it a 1/4 mile up the road, you should be able to ride right over it."

Ozz · #5 02-28-2005, 08:03 AM

The only skill I wish I had is to be able to "track stand" better...I'm good for about 2 seconds...then I either fall over or have to move...I hate red lights.

mike p · #6 02-28-2005, 08:03 AM

On our trainning rides in upstate NY when we see dead deer it's an all out sprint to and bunny hop over the poor bloated thing, same goes for woodchucks skunks and other varmints(just not worth as many points). Hopping up curbs to coffee shop, no hands track stands while reading news paper while waiting for everybody to get ready for ride. Our roadbike trainning rides often venture off road for miles on trails that are tough on mtr bike.

davids · #7 02-28-2005, 08:32 AM

There's a couple of expansion strips on my 'before-work' circuit that I bunny hop regularly. It's fun to loft a racing bike!

My favorite instance of this was during a friendly stoplight sprint down a road in the Blue Hills. As you near the intersection, there's a small stretch of cobblestones spanning the travel lane, intended as a warning of the approaching stoplight. Normal protocol is to scoot into the oncoming traffic lane and ride around it. On this particular morning, one of our group barrelled full-speed ahead towards it, and then neatly leapt the cobblestones. He won.

flydhest · #8 02-28-2005, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ozz

The only skill I wish I had is to be able to "track stand" better...I'm good for about 2 seconds...then I either fall over or have to move...I hate red lights.

Ozz, you get there the same way you get to Carnegie Hall.

I commute to work everyday and so mad a point of trying to track stand at each light. After a couple weeks, I got more and more confident and didn't need to be on an uphill, just needed the groove in the road from tire tracks. Then, even that wasn't necessary. I know trackstand through the entire light rotation. It's just a matter of sticking to it. Practice a lot on a bit of an incline, that will make it easier.

dirtdigger88 · #9 02-28-2005, 08:44 AM

I can win coffee money by riding my bike backwards- you know sit on the handlebars and padal backwards- it kinda sucks with my Sidis on- it is much easier with sneakers-

Jason

Too Tall · #10 02-28-2005, 08:45 AM

Good to hear Willm'. My friends don't like me because I'm always trying to get them to do parking lot drills before the rides. Things like riding super slow circles between parking spaces, tight figure 8's, fast stops (butt behind the saddle), bumping. It is a hold over from mtn. bike days when we'd always include a 1/2 hr. of "rodeo" just to keep up skills. Too many people think that road bikes are for smooth roads only...nahhh put on a set of stout wheels and hit the dirt it is an awesome way to improve road skills. Right Bambi (wink wink)?

#11 02-28-2005, 08:48 AM

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My friends don't like me because I'm always trying to get them to do parking lot drills before the rides

I wouldn't like you either if you asked me to do that. I'd laugh really hard before I told you what I thought though.

bostondrunk · #12 02-28-2005, 08:54 AM

Running into little kiddies on walking paths is a great way to practice balance.

Too Tall · #13 02-28-2005, 09:05 AM

No problem Roy. I'd like you before you didn't like me so we'd be even

Huh? People pretty much ignore me.

#14 02-28-2005, 09:14 AM

I ride a mountain bike on technical trails (with varying success of course). The bike handling things I learn there transfer nicely to road riding. Playing "bump" with trees and rocks teaches you how to stay on the bike pretty well. Just remember, even though they don't laugh at you like your buddies do when they manage to knock you over, the trees always win. Riding trails with pizza cutter tracks in the summer helps you learn to hold your line regardless of what is under the tires...and how to deal with things when there isn't anything under your tires anymore.

I also ride my Kirk on the same trails, but I don't hop the log piles...I do a quasi-cyclocross thing instead. I used to make a point to ride my skinny tired bikes on a real trail at least once a year...with the Kirk I'm out there a bit more often (even when I have skinny tires on it...).

That dissertation is just to say that there isn't just one skill that I've learned that I use in my road riding...I use all of them while road riding...

...I've had someone ahead of me in a paceline bunny hop an obstacle without calling it instead of properly calling it and avoiding it...I rode right through it. I still think that person sucks. He should have called it.

William · #15 02-28-2005, 11:26 AM

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My friends don't like me because I'm always trying to get them to do parking lot drills before the rides. Things like riding super slow circles between parking spaces, tight figure 8's, fast stops (butt behind the saddle), bumping. It is a hold over from mtn. bike days when we'd always include a 1/2 hr. of "rodeo" just to keep up skills.

Dat's cool.

We used to do a lot of similar bike handling drills during our winter training camps. The rodeo/death bike was a personal fav. I've been known to do the same thing on my own waiting for a ride to gather.

William