Video: Downhill Elementary - How to Survive Obstacles

Oct 22, 2014
by GASPI  


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Member since Nov 17, 2009
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74 Comments
  • 83 3
 This video may seem lame to most of us who have been riding for years (many since early childhood like myself) but I reckon this is a pretty good place to post this vid actually.
Why? Well before the neg props come flying in....consider this - I've tried to get people into mtb before as riding alone every time can get a little tired. I find that most of these people often tend to give up pretty easily, especially after the first inevitable fall they experience. Questions just like the one addressed in this vid i.e. "what would you do if there was a log in front of you and there's no way round it - would you just come off?" tend to crop up.
Trails can be pretty intimidating to people who can barely ride a bike in a straight line on a road, let alone off road. These videos are a great, easy to follow resource I can use to show friends/family that this sport isn't as difficult to pick up as they might have initially imagined. They probably won't find tutorials this good on their own and I wouldn't know they existed were it not posted on here Smile
  • 20 2
 I've been riding for almost 19 year and I still watch these videos to help my brain program muscle memory. These videos are also great for the beginner, and posting them here means I can direct new riders to PB who don't even know about PB. So far I've got 5 friends to join in the PDX area.
  • 9 1
 One of the clearest ones I've seen. It's quick and to the point. Still has a lot of good pointers.
  • 2 1
 Well said.
  • 8 26
flag OFF2theGYM (Oct 23, 2014 at 12:55) (Below Threshold)
 You're not being realistic in the slightest. No one is going to see this video and go "OH! So that's how you bunny/J hop!" you know? The steps aren't even clear, transitioning your weight to the back tire doesn't magically make the front wheel come off the ground. You have to load the front of the bike first, as most people know.
  • 3 0
 Ok vidéo, but i think you're begining in the sport do yourself a favor and get "mastering mountain bike skills" by lee mcCormac and Brian Lopes. Or better get some coaching from an mtb coach.
  • 2 1
 Got that book! Great book and has helped me out quite a bit when I first started out. Best thing to do is a read a couple of the topics and then go out and ride. With videos like this, it helped me develop some of the required skills. Sure there are few faults here and there but what instructional video doesn't? I'll keep this one on my list. I usually direct people to some of the videos as it shows it better than I can explaining it.
  • 3 1
 Not everyone wants to pay for a book or coach,especially when just starting in the sport. I think these videos are a great idea
  • 3 1
 @Stephen101 I agree online videos are a great why to learn new techniques but unfortunately this one is rubbish. If you go to youtube and type how to do a bunny hop you will get a much better result.
  • 1 0
 Great book!!!
  • 36 0
 Insert generic "Instructions not clear enough, got my dick stuck in a toaster meme"
  • 62 0
 The joke's on you! I didn't even have to use the instructions to get my dick stuck in a toaster...
  • 15 1
 My dick never gets stuck in the toaster... Thank goodness for the bagel slots
  • 4 1
 I hate all the memes about getting your dick stuck. The real deal is knowing how to get it out...
  • 29 7
 Goodness, a downhill elementary video filmed with a guy on a 29er xc bike. Just to be that guy to point that out... :-P
  • 24 1
 Well it proves to newcomers that you don't need to go out and buy a 8" travel dh bike to learn the basics....that's a good thing right? That bike is far more familiar to the people that are likely to benefit from this vid than some high end, multi linkage dh rig. Perception of accessibility to the sport is important to newbies!
  • 4 0
 Can't argue with that, tbh we never stop learning anyway and sometimes these snippets are dead useful in terms of getting back to basics and refreshing skill sets :-). Besides, for most of our uk riding, 120 - 140mm is more than enough travel :-)
  • 4 0
 Ya - I ride a 140mm prophet (still!) and I love it. I've toyed with the idea of changing it for a 160mm bike countless times and I've just never made it actually happen. In fact, the closest I came to changing was when I fell in love with the 130mm Transition Bandit.

Still - each to their own. Full on DH rigs, XC rigs, AM, DJ, whatever. It's all good fun Smile
  • 4 0
 Actually - tell a lie. Reading that review of the Cannondale Jekyll 27.5 Carbon the other day nearly set my trousers on fire.
  • 1 22
flag XCMark (Oct 23, 2014 at 10:08) (Below Threshold)
 In the US, 150mm to 170mm of rear travel is for the fat kids. If you weigh under 180lbs there is almost no reason to get a 160mm travel bike as your weight most likely wont use all of the travel.
  • 10 0
 @XCMark I hope you realize how stupid that is to say a 150 to 170mm bike is for fat kids. Not only is that a dick thing to say, but also it's completely not true. The amount of suspension you need is determined more by how you ride than by your weight. While weight might play a role in how much suspension you go for, it's more going to determine how you set your sag. A guy over 180 lbs, which lets be honest isn't hard to find in the U.S., can make a four inch bike or an even smaller amount of suspension work for them. The amount of suspension you need is determined in large part by what style of rider you are and what you want to do on the bike.
  • 3 1
 29ers go down hills too
  • 2 0
 @arna86 prophets are awesome! Call it what you want, but I think there's more skill in making a short travel bike (100-140mm) work the terrain than simply blitzing it on a longer travel more sagged-out trail machine. I personally ride a rather battered looking gt avalanche frame from 2009 done up with a fox 32 120mm rl an a load of rugged componentry from sram, sun rims, superstar, Shimano etc. Its proven bombproof and all I've needed so far. Though am considering a Stanton slackline 831 with a 1 x 9 drivetrain :-)
  • 2 0
 +1 for the Prophet tup
  • 17 2
 "to protect my wheels" ?
my 26" x 2.4" tires with 40mm rim, 36 spoke, tru axle wheel set would probably cut that branch in half... hehe Smile
  • 7 0
 A 29er would just roll over it like nothing was there.
  • 13 0
 And then barrel off the trail at the next switchback because it couldn't turn fast enough Wink
  • 20 5
 I'm just going to go out on a limb and say that Pinkbike punters have already managed to successfully roll over a stick on a trail without this video...
  • 11 8
 Yeah, just push down on the pedals and your rear wheel Easily comes up...
  • 18 3
 You mean you think there are others that can do a so called 'Bunny Hop'? I doubt it, pretty advanced stuff.
  • 4 0
 Not only that but they don't explain it right - you are never going to get enough height by just transitioning your weight backwards. You need to load the front of the bike and then transition the weight backwards. The video shows it but they don't include it in the commentary.
  • 12 0
 How to deal with obstacles... Hit them head on at speed. If you go over the bars, either you need more travel or you weren't going fast enough.
  • 7 1
 From a teaching (and therefore learning) point of view, these videos are just plain horrible. Definitely points for trying and something is better than nothing, but this really isn't the quality of material that Pinkbike should be posting. It's shot well, but that's not what's important with videos like this.
  • 9 0
 Fuck taking your pedals off every time you put your bike in a car.
  • 2 0
 thats exactly what I thought!
  • 6 0
 Because if you roll into a log will most definitely not survive.
  • 6 0
 What the f*ck!! Is this a piss take??
  • 1 0
 @xcmark I really feel that the, " in the us 150-170mm of travel is for fat kids" comment was misplaced. Not to mention, being over 180 lbs is not "fat". I'm over 195 and I'm still under the bmi quotient for obesity. Not to mention I saw someone much heavier than I shredding at the local bike park last weekend. Mm of travel does nothing to specify whether or not the bike is designated for those you may deem "fat". Using personal opinion to sustantiate what you consider fact isn't a great plan for conversation or commenting on public forum.
  • 1 0
 Was that not a J-hop as opposed to a bunny hop ? Weird having such a video on pinkbike but if that's what people want then fair enough. Its still useful for dialling in technique
  • 1 0
 Now I'm pro. Big Grin
Seriously, when you start riding bikes, there's someone who is better than you.(I think nearly everyone have start like that) Thies someone will learn you hops!
  • 3 0
 surprised no one else has noticed this is just a bullshit advert for skoda!
  • 1 0
 Americans don't even know what you are talking about.
  • 2 1
 Bollox I am no where near ready to jump trees like that I'll stick to sticks and play it safe.............crazy man I'd never attempt that on my v-10!!!!!!!!! FPMSL
  • 3 0
 Well that was a quick and dirty!
  • 2 1
 Huh, that's not how I learned to bunnyhop at all... Pretty sure a bunnyhop is both wheels at the same time. What he's doing looks like a j-hop to me.
  • 3 0
 I thought putting triangles in was pretty interesting.
  • 1 0
 It'd be cool if they could do some more advanced technical tutorials such as how to ride steeps, whips, wheelies, drifts/cutties.
  • 1 0
 I just learned a bunny hop! Without even touching my bike! it's a big thumbs up from me!
  • 1 0
 I can't manage to lift the back wheel, no matter what I try to do. I don't understand...
  • 9 6
 That was so lame...
  • 8 1
 Maybe for you, but there are new riders buying into the sport every day. If PB has videos like this for the beginner we can draw them into the website to help pay for the PB website in advert dollars, help expand PB beyond any other MTB related sites. When I wear my Pinkbike T, people ask me about it all the time, they think it's a riders club, until I direct them to the site. Were I also encourage them to create an account and send friends request to me so I can guide them around the site.
  • 2 0
 If someone is expecting to learn, essentially, how to bunny hop off a 58 second video... I think we both know where this is going.
  • 2 0
 Can't wait for part 4 ffs..
  • 2 0
 My issues is these videos are way too vague
  • 2 1
 Isn't that actually a J-hop not a bunny hop btw?
  • 1 0
 correct...
  • 7 6
 wow, you can learn all that in a minute! #amazeballs
  • 4 0
 If you take out the intro and teaser for next episode, it is about 40 sec...
  • 3 3
 Do you really think your viewers are this incompetent???
  • 1 1
 Meh, we can probably get by without the car ads.
  • 1 1
 that wasn't a dh bike. or a dh skill. that was just a biking skill
  • 1 1
 What the f*ck did i just watch? This is so lame.
  • 2 3
 drivetrain is on the wrong side, rider's left?!?!???
  • 1 0
 if you pause the video you can see the drivetrain is not on the left. So its on the correct side if you look closely.
  • 2 0
 just showed it to my 6 year old son. we are going for a ride now.
  • 1 0
 it just looks like it is, in the still the appears before you press play.
  • 1 0
 oh that is odd, I see what you are talking about.
  • 1 0
 not the wrong side of you are a bmxer (or street/park whatever) who grinds on their right
  • 1 3
 I hop way bigger logs than that on my norco
  • 10 0
 Congratulations
  • 1 5
flag norcodudeman (Oct 23, 2014 at 13:39) (Below Threshold)
 sarcasm?
  • 9 0
 no man, that's sick
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