How to stop bucking on jumps

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How to stop bucking on jumps
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flag Tchai8
Posted: Sep 11, 2023 at 10:21 Quote
Just started DH.
Almost go OTB on many jumps, especially with larger lip.. if I preload it is not as bad..
Any thoughts or techniques to better approach this?
flag SPSuspension
Posted: Sep 11, 2023 at 12:08 Quote
Tchai8 wrote:
Just started DH.
Almost go OTB on many jumps, especially with larger lip.. if I preload it is not as bad..
Any thoughts or techniques to better approach this?

What percentage of sag are you running? First place to look when getting "bucked" is too make sure sag is correct. If it is, then we look at compression settings (if you have them), then rebound. Also, A shock that requires service can get funky. If it was fine before, and you made no changes, and now it is bucking- could be service time.
flag Tchai8
Posted: Sep 11, 2023 at 14:29 Quote
SPSuspension wrote:
Tchai8 wrote:
Just started DH.
Almost go OTB on many jumps, especially with larger lip.. if I preload it is not as bad..
Any thoughts or techniques to better approach this?

What percentage of sag are you running? First place to look when getting "bucked" is too make sure sag is correct. If it is, then we look at compression settings (if you have them), then rebound. Also, A shock that requires service can get funky. If it was fine before, and you made no changes, and now it is bucking- could be service time.

Thanks - it is set at approx 20%. It is my technique. I can;t tell if I have had this issue before as this is the first year doing this.. Smile
flag Gravelben
O+
Posted: Sep 11, 2023 at 18:33 Quote
I think its much more commonly caused by technique than bike tuning.

Hard to tell without seeing it, but a common cause of bucking (that I struggle with sometimes too) is having your weight too far back.

It can be a vicious cycle because once you start getting bucked you get scared (on some level even if not consciously) and that makes you instinctively back away, which makes it worse...

When your weight is back you compress/preload the rear more than the front, which means more energy is put into the rear than the front, so when the energy is released the rear has more to give back...

Try to bring your knees/hips forward a bit as you compress into the ramp to preload more evenly.

The timing can be a factor too, it took me a while to adjust to bigger jumps and when I changed from a short travel to longer travel bike. I had to learn to slow down and spread my preloading movement over a longer time - I was in the habit of a short sharp preload and pop on small kicker jumps, but that habit on bigger jumps meant my preloading was done and rebounding too early so I didn't get the boost off the lip of the jump.

There are lots of youtube videos about jumping technique that should give you more things to work on.
flag Tchai8
Posted: Sep 15, 2023 at 4:53 Quote
Gravelben wrote:
I think its much more commonly caused by technique than bike tuning.

Hard to tell without seeing it, but a common cause of bucking (that I struggle with sometimes too) is having your weight too far back.

It can be a vicious cycle because once you start getting bucked you get scared (on some level even if not consciously) and that makes you instinctively back away, which makes it worse...

When your weight is back you compress/preload the rear more than the front, which means more energy is put into the rear than the front, so when the energy is released the rear has more to give back...

Try to bring your knees/hips forward a bit as you compress into the ramp to preload more evenly.

The timing can be a factor too, it took me a while to adjust to bigger jumps and when I changed from a short travel to longer travel bike. I had to learn to slow down and spread my preloading movement over a longer time - I was in the habit of a short sharp preload and pop on small kicker jumps, but that habit on bigger jumps meant my preloading was done and rebounding too early so I didn't get the boost off the lip of the jump.

There are lots of youtube videos about jumping technique that should give you more things to work on.

Good points mate, thanks
flag skierdud89
O+
Posted: Sep 16, 2023 at 7:57 Quote
When I was coaching I would tell people to think about riding their rear tire all the way up the lip. This DOES NOT mean you're leaning back and would agree with Gravelben's comment about preloading more evenly. Try riding smaller jumps at a slower speed to practice "popping" more and getting the timing dialed as the rear tire is coming up the lip. Hope that makes sense.
flag Chief2slo
O+ FL
Posted: Sep 20, 2023 at 15:49 Quote
What helped me was lessons. 100% the best money you can spend on biking,, especially if your looking at going bigger or faster. Once you learn to hit the jump instead of the jump hitting you it unlocks so much fun and progression. Sounds like your most likely still in the trying to control the jump with speed vs technique stage. Get lessons and Learn the technique, you’ll be sending it in no time!
flag MT36
Posted: Sep 20, 2023 at 16:54 Quote
If your technique is sound and you are in the middle of the bike during a takeoff, too much rebound on the shock will buck the bike forward as the rear wheel pushes off the lip. This is a pretty common issue. Along those lines, it's important the fork and shock are balanced together.

There are a lot of good videos out there on jump technique as well. Without knowing more about the shape of the jump, you want to "pop"(through preload or compression) your bike/body vertically as the lip is pushing you upwards, so you are balanced once you are in the air, neither too far forward are back. Be cautious and progress slowly until you have figured it out though, because front wheel heavy landings can result in mega carnage.

Technique trumps your suspension setup but the setup will defeat you if it isn't within an appropriate range for getting air.
flag SPSuspension
Posted: Sep 21, 2023 at 13:18 Quote
MT36 wrote:
If your technique is sound and you are in the middle of the bike during a takeoff, too much rebound on the shock will buck the bike forward as the rear wheel pushes off the lip. This is a pretty common issue. Along those lines, it's important the fork and shock are balanced together.

There are a lot of good videos out there on jump technique as well. Without knowing more about the shape of the jump, you want to "pop"(through preload or compression) your bike/body vertically as the lip is pushing you upwards, so you are balanced once you are in the air, neither too far forward are back. Be cautious and progress slowly until you have figured it out though, because front wheel heavy landings can result in mega carnage.

Technique trumps your suspension setup but the setup will defeat you if it isn't within an appropriate range for getting air.

Actually, rebound is the second thing you should look at. First is proper sag, second is a proper functioning damper, and third is technique. If you are dropping to far into the stroke while preloading for the jump, and using rebound to try to control that return energy- you will likely end up with a rebound that is too slow. If all the three above are good, then a rebound setting will control the rest.
flag ShawMac
O+ FL
Posted: Oct 11, 2023 at 9:55 Quote
As a professional dead-sailor on a bike, I can attest that it is most commonly technique. I get bucked way more on my DH bike than my trail bike, my theory being that it takes more of a conscious effort on the DH bike to make sure my weight isn't too far back during the compression sequence. It is worse if I am not trying to actively pre-load and pop. The nice thing is when it happens, I just seem to keep it on the limit before going out the front door

I had a surprise beaut the other day that was caught on film complete with the mid air scream. No record of saving the landing though.

All that said, if you are on a DH bike, 20mm does not sound like much sag.
flag MT36
Posted: Oct 11, 2023 at 13:41 Quote
With respect, for the sake of discussion, technique is the most important thing. Every time I take my 11yo kid and his hommies to the bike park they are sending 15x15ft stepdowns and 30ft tabletops... they are definitely not giving two you know what's about setup. I know for a fact my kid runs his rebound almost completely open, like a trampoline, so he can bounce off of every feature. So the setup can defeat you, but MTB is predominantly a game of skill in my experience, despite what the industry is trying to sell us.
flag The111
Posted: Oct 11, 2023 at 22:23 Quote
You should learn to bunnyhop any bike before you take it over jumps. Once you know how to bunnyhop, hit small jumps and bunnyhop at the top to go higher. As you hit bigger and bigger jumps, you'll realize it's the same body mechanics, just a lot slower (in proportion with how big the jump is).

If you learn in this sequence (how I naturally learned as a kid building tiny stupid jumps in the woods), you will never ever end up in a position where you are confused as to why a big jump bucked you.
flag MT36
Posted: Oct 15, 2023 at 9:31 Quote
Second bunny hop. If you can master that technique on flat ground, it automatically translates to any shape of drop or jump.
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