Do you have a mental block when it comes to rock rolls? Or maybe you just need a refresher on proper technique? From body position to tire pressure, Christina breaks down the best practices for riding rock rolls.
You know your at the steepest point on the drop when your rear tire kisses your ass. Need to hit those Squamish slabs soon. BTW riding slabs in the wet is far more demanding for concentration and skill set.
Christina is making these look easy.
@christinachappetta: bike setup tips for long wet slabs: Sram level brakes or Hope X2 with 140rotors. They’re so weak You won’t need to worry about locking up the wheels
@JXN1: Thanks! During some of the slow-mo you can see I do a "push" movement with the bike forward. This was at the little dip/step in the rock and that's how I'd approach a wheelie drop or steep g-out as well. Keeping enough suspension in your arms so you can thrust the bike forward when needed.
Good vid - This was killing me this weekend... a big, armored, steep rock slide, in the middle of a steep hillside with a right hander at the bottom, and just could not get myself to commit to the entry - my natural instinct is to get way behind the saddle right on the lip, kinda ease into it and hold on for dear life (since people have been telling me to do that for 25 years), and the thought of a more forward body position with bent arms freaks me out. Hard to get past that feeling. I think I need to find something steep, but shorter, and with a better runout to practice on.
BOOM! Great acknowledgement of different rocks there! The longer the rock and more techy entrance/exit, the slower I enter knowing things are going to get weird at some point. Keep practicing!
Well done Christina! Worth mentioning rock / slabs are not created equal. Traction will vary big time. Nice course granite in Cheakamus there but the bike park is metamorphic volcanics! Way more slippy. Squamish, super grippy coarse granite, pemby.. back to the volcanics. Sandstone of Utah .. amazing! .. limestone in Ontario... scary stuff!
For sure! Considering I learned to mtb on sandstone in Utah you'd think I love it! NOPE! I love me some GRIPPY granite hahah makes me feel like a hero sometimes.
I'm usually one of those "Yea, whatever...f*ck it, I'll ride it" kinda guys. Sometimes it's awesome. Sometimes it really hurts. Rock rolls/slabs have my number though. I think it's the absolute zero forgiveness of the ground in the event I crash?
Rock rolls: 100% more terrifying in person than on video. Remember the first time traveling to this area we were all AMPED to hit some video lines. Finally standing at the top looking down we looked at each other like "uhhh...wait, whaaat?"
Nice video, never really got the elbows forward position, you dont bench press or pressup there. Elbows back slightly for me (I am 6ft 1 with narrow shoulders though) just like in the Shore section of follow me.
To be fair, that video is from when folks ran 700mm bars or narrower haha so yeah their elbows were "in" a bit more. However, in the really techy stuff you can see they go nearly full push-up/90 degrees. Anyhow... I see what you're saying by referring to that more "neutral/relaxed" body position but when teaching or practicing we try to exaggerate those movements to get ourselves out of the usual stoodup/stiff position. Thanks for the compliments on the video :-)
@christinachappetta: your videos are really good. Keep them coming. We ran 750mm Funn full on bars way back then. Sam made that sweep and rise popular, so many riders have done well with those bars (Gwinn too).
Solid vid, tx. I have been eyeing up a rock roll in VA that is a bit different: maybe 6ft high but very steep, more like rolling over a cliff, with a couple of stones at the bottom as transition. I am worried about going OTB. I have been wondering if I should firm up my fork, to make sure I don't dive in and go OTB during transition. Thoughts @christinachappetta ?
Personally, I like a really soft and forgiving fork but with fast rebound so it doesn't pack down when riding lots of techy terrain. I put a few spacers in there specifically for those big holes/g-out moments to make sure I don't fully blow through the travel. Always looks where you WANT to go, not directly at the rocks in the transition or run out. And good luck!
I had that exact same nightmare scenario on the clip from In and Out Burger. But instead of stopping myself at those two trees like you did I got spooked and pulled up thinking I'd air it out. I only aired my body onto that pile of rocks and lumber that is scattered around the run out. Double flatted both tires on impact and was lucky to walk away with just some bad bruising but otherwise fine. Wish I had watched your attempt prior so I knew where to try and stop.
Good video that demystified a couple of simple points (for me anyway). - stay in the middle of the bike so you can have room to get back if needed - pick a commitment point so you don't grab a handful on the steep part - have good tires. Also I like the way she railed that right hander on the first roll. Nice turn. Thanks and keep up the good videos. I am going to make my 9 year old watch this too.
My technique has been pull and pray, give'r hell and hang on. Rocks are fun, bikes are fun, I've never put so much thought into it. Everyone is different il like the perspective of being cautious. Don't hit the front brake, don't look at the tree and you'll be ok!
Super video!....the difference is huge if you ride a bike on wet limestone or granite ... wet limestone is like an ice rink ..on granite rock there is almost no difference wet dry.
From what I gather, they are heavier and simpler than the fox elite and factory forks with the current Grip2 damper. The rail damper has a trimmed down rebound circuit and slightly different shim stack. From reviews that I have read, they seem to work 90-95% as well as the fox forks, but lack the adjustability to take them that last couple of percent. For a large percentage of the population, even a lot of pros, they work great and are far more affordable than top of the line fox kit.
@rbarbier12: I would agree with that for sure! They feel super nice and plush me for me and takes a beating when needed in smashy and holey terrain (technical terms of course). There is just rebound and compression to fiddle with so it keeps it super simple for me. I have a few spacers in there for when times get really wild but it still feels soft on my delicate hands :-) And I never lock it out...
I run around 19/20 with a 2.5 DHF / 2.3 DHR combo (exo currently) on my Sentinel and I weigh 170lbs. Clearly I'm not shredding as hard as @christinachappetta.
@PacificNorthWes: Wowza! Good on you for going low on the PSI haha I run SuperGravity Schwalbe tires (Magic Mary front and Hans Damph rear) Ultra Soft compound preferably. I checked the other day and I had 16psi haha woops!
@christinachappetta: I'm embarrassed to say I ride that trail all the time and didn't even recognize it as I always do the chicken lines. You make it look easy even in the rain!
LOL, everyone tells you not to put most of the weight to the rear wheel but there are some pretty good shots of her ass kissing the rear tire on those rocks! I think most people have probably gone through a few tumbles trying to use a neutral position down a steep incline before they figure out to move the ass low and back, like what you see in the slow-mo in that video.
Christina does a pretty nice job of rolling the rocks and the slow motion on those are pretty nice. Good job!
I think the idea is not necessarily moving your ass back or not, but keeping you Center of mass centered on the bike. Her hips might be moving back, but her chin is still over the stem and her elbow bent which allows for more control on the front wheels and more adaptability if the ride doesn’t go as planned.
@Elbeciko: Exactly. If one tries to ride down the slabs around here (In N Out Burger for example that was shown right at the end of the video I think....) in a 90's style.....ass back with straight arms you'll be front wheel skidding immediately. It's not so much thinking about one's ass position(!), but more concentrating on almost crouching over the bike with bent arms that feels unnatural, because your brain is telling you to move back and away from the scary rock. Moving your face down and closer to the rock with bent arms gives you soooo much more front end grip.
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THIS is actually everything you need to know about being RockRolled
youtu.be/oHg5SJYRHA0
youtu.be/pQO-sbIzyxU
I'm usually one of those "Yea, whatever...f*ck it, I'll ride it" kinda guys. Sometimes it's awesome. Sometimes it really hurts. Rock rolls/slabs have my number though. I think it's the absolute zero forgiveness of the ground in the event I crash?
Remember the first time traveling to this area we were all AMPED to hit some video lines. Finally standing at the top looking down we looked at each other like "uhhh...wait, whaaat?"
Thanks for some of these pointers and reminders. I need to hire you for some one-on-ones!
Great videos!
Elbows back slightly for me (I am 6ft 1 with narrow shoulders though) just like in the Shore section of follow me.
youtu.be/KmvOwYbugag?t=116
We ran 750mm Funn full on bars way back then. Sam made that sweep and rise popular, so many riders have done well with those bars (Gwinn too).
- stay in the middle of the bike so you can have room to get back if needed
- pick a commitment point so you don't grab a handful on the steep part
- have good tires.
Also I like the way she railed that right hander on the first roll. Nice turn.
Thanks and keep up the good videos. I am going to make my 9 year old watch this too.
We thank you for the great content...!
(and we can't send to same thumpsup & hearts here in " 90's pinkbike "...!
Thx
what bottle and cage setup are you using?
Also me: just sends it down and has never crashed on one
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