31
votes
What is the purpose of whipping a bike?
Spinning wheels have gyroscopic effects. Whipping the bike can be a way to reposition the bike so that when it comes out of the whip, it is in an orientation that wouldn't be possible going over the ...
- 3,456
17
votes
What is the purpose of whipping a bike?
From the perspective of a competition where time matters, whipping does not serve any purpose, as it won't allow to clear a jump any faster. Scrubbing, on the other hand, allows the rider to take a ...
- 14.3k
9
votes
Accepted
Jumping - What happens if you pull your back/front brake in the air?
My Test
To anyone curious, I tested this tactic at the local dirt jump bike park on my BMX. My BMX has only a back brake, so I have not tried yet with the front brake.
It is true your bike will ...
- 1,077
9
votes
Jumping - What happens if you pull your back/front brake in the air?
If your wheel is spinning hard in the air, and you apply a brake hard, the rotational momentum has to go somewhere.
However your wheel is rotating forward, and stopping it will make your bike rotate ...
- 129k
8
votes
Left crank keeps coming loose
I’m assuming you have a square taper bottom bracket + crank arms?
See this answer: Square taper crankset develops play after changing bottom bracket
If you’ve been repeatedly riding with a loose ...
- 28.8k
7
votes
Do half link chains work on any bike and what is their purpose?
As mentioned in another answer, the main purpose of half link chains is to have more control over the chain length and hence the wheelbase of your bike (assuming you have rear facing or slideable drop-...
- 71
7
votes
Accepted
Do half link chains work on any bike and what is their purpose?
From the internet:
"Half Link BMX chains were designed to help dial in the chain length on frames with short dropouts and small gearing, making sure your rear wheel is exactly where you want it. Dan'...
- 1,411
7
votes
When should I move onto double jumps from tabletops?
Such fear is completely normal. Eventually you'll get over it, and even though it's different for different people there are some things you can try to help you cope with that first time. Here are ...
- 1,494
6
votes
Does wearing a backpack weaken your jumping technique?
Indeed, the longer the ride, the better prepared you must be. The further away from help your ride takes you, the more situations you must prepare for.
As a mountain bike rider who does XC (kind of), ...
- 12.8k
6
votes
How to avoid hand strain when landing with a road bike?
I used to experience this when I switched from doing a lot of mountain biking to BMX - you really have to learn precisely how to absorb the impact. I thought I was doing it right until I no longer had ...
- 61
6
votes
When should I move onto double jumps from tabletops?
Once you can clear a tabletop, you can clear the same size and space double. It's all about removing the mental block that says it's a different jump. It's the same jump, with a hollow middle. That'...
- 2,795
6
votes
Accepted
Does wearing a backpack weaken your jumping technique?
Its a perennial debate if you should MTB with a hydration bladder or carry everything on the bike. The single and undebatable answer is to do what works for you. Try the other way (for long enough to ...
- 52.3k
6
votes
Does wearing a backpack weaken your jumping technique?
You have more control over weight on you than on the bike, so long as the pack is fitted nicely and doesn't bounce around too much. This doesn't just apply to jumps but all the time, as your ...
- 61.2k
5
votes
Accepted
What tool do I need to press fit a "Spanish" bottom bracket?
The rather trivial answer is look at the documentation for various bottom bracket presses and see if a bushing set for the BMX Spanish type is available.
For example the Park Tool BBP-1 documentation ...
- 75.9k
4
votes
Does wearing a backpack weaken your jumping technique?
You tagged “dirt jumping” in the question. At a jump park, I would definitely remove the backpack. At the very least, you won’t risk blowing up the water bag or breaking a tool in the (inevitable) ...
- 16.9k
4
votes
Which type of frame for slopestyle?
There is no perfect all-rounder. Slopestyle bikes are basically dirt jump bikes with the suspension designed to soak the harshest of impacts. This suspension design was never thought to behave like a ...
- 1,793
3
votes
How to perform a long-distance bunny-hop?
Answer: Watch a few Ballet videos on youtube, and duplicate the Grand Jette manoever.
Bear with me on this...
Watch this
at around 15 seconds. Notice the dancer ...
- 129k
3
votes
Accepted
Building a Dirt Jump Bike - Spanish Bottom Bracket?
I'd heard of English and French threaded BB shells. My first thought was that it is a mistake, but there is such a thing as 'Spanish' BBs. They are press fit direct into the frame and seem to be ...
- 75.9k
2
votes
Accepted
Left crank keeps coming loose
Is the crank arm made of aluminium?
A few years ago, I had a similar problem which turned out to be completely worn / stripped threads in the arm itself, resulting in the crank actually falling off ...
- 94
2
votes
Accepted
Bike saddle position for mountain biking/jumping?
The fore and aft position of the saddle is a highly personal position. You're going to have to experiment with it to find where the saddle should be for your style of riding, terrain, your proportions ...
- 46.4k
2
votes
How to avoid hand strain when landing with a road bike?
Two things:
Learn to absorb the impact. Just before the bike hits the ground need to start retracting your hands and feet. Google "youtube street bmx" and see what they do with their bodies when they ...
- 6,607
2
votes
How to avoid hand strain when landing with a road bike?
Sounds like your wrists are taking too much impact.
Try placing the bike on the ground rather than slamming it down. Reducing the violence of the landing will help all round.
Gloves are a great ...
- 129k
2
votes
Can a non-cylindrical grip be better for jumping?
With good grips, your hands should stay pretty much planted in place. Since grips are relatively cheap (you can get a decent pair of lock-ons for $7). It is not recommended to "death grip" ...
- 235
1
vote
Accepted
Beginner MTB ramp
For training purposes a club mate built something portable just out of a sheet of sturdy weather-resistent ply and a length of 4"/100mm fence post (horizontally) under the downstream end. I seem ...
- 61.2k
1
vote
What is the purpose of whipping a bike?
Its just a trick. It so common because 1, it does not require a ton of skill (like a flip, superman, nac nac, etc.) and 2, it doesn't require a whole bunch of air time. Its just a way to show off your ...
- 341
1
vote
Bike saddle position for mountain biking/jumping?
Depends how you personally make your power. When climbing a long steady grade, either road or offroad, you recruit different muscles depending on your angles.
Sliding forward on your saddle uses ...
- 129k
1
vote
Why do riders swing the bike out sideways when jumping?
This is called a whip, a tabletop is a type of jump design referring to the shape of the jump.
2.It is not just a trick. This is a technique to make the bike stay lower and jump out farther.
This is ...
- 11
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible