Watch ALL the How To Bike episodes below! Ep 1: How To Actually Learn New Skills On Your Bike - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BGsNvd9EhvQ.html Ep 2: Pro Mountain Bike Setup Guide - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PfUyN6znF3c.html Ep 3: Decoding The Best Mountain Biking Body Position: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iVLJIuYwW_g.html Ep 4: Absorbing Trail Features & Maintaining Speed: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Iu4plluUVtA.html Ep 5: How To Use Your Brakes To Actually Ride Faster: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aFcj7078gtA.html Ep 6: How To Get More Speed From Trails With Pumping: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-04e_s9_LpVA.html Ep 7: Line Choice Is Easier Than You Think With These Rules - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-82T0m_uja4g.html Ep 8: How To Corner Properly - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZOqFywGllFw.html Ep 9: Stop Crashing On Drops - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uJJAW0iNhUY.html Ep 10: Make Jumping Easier - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IB5GmIL0slg.html
To any newbies, I broke my neck 6 months ago while dropping off a 3ft drop and going too slow. I held on and my front tire just dropped off while my back tire hung up and I slammed myself headfirst into the ground. I crushed my C5, and had hairline fractures to my C4 and C6. Lost all feeling in my hands for a few minutes, and got super lucky as I was alone in the woods of BC, and I am finally back on the hill. Bottom line, this video is gold, and don't be like me. ;)
I hope you are fully recovered. I am at min 8 of this video- scared as hell. After reading your comment, I am even more scared now. Well, I'll keep riding the fire roads I guess
I did something very similar a few years ago but luckily just suffered muscle damage and a broken helmet. When I landed I thought that i would be in a wheelchair the rest of my life, I've never experienced pain like it before or since. It was nothing too, not some big send or anything crazy, just inexperience and lack of knowledge. Glad to hear you're doing well.
I personnaly think Ben has the way to let me understand it all clear ! It's amazing, but now I've to copy all this together and practice... fun's coming :) Thank's Ben Cathro
I went to the bike park. A guy riding the exact same bike started up a conversation. We chatted a bit, then we dropped in. After the ride, he gave me some tips. I did just as he said. My ride was SO MUCH BETTER! He also gave me other tips and asked if I have ever seen Ben's videos on the topic. I had not. He told me he's a downhill racer and Ben's videos has helped him tremendously. Now I'm going to watch all of Ben's videos. Ben, you rock dude!
OMG, this is incredible! Until now I was using the hop technique. Not being comfortable with the manual technique, I settled with the hop. But when I tried the push technique my landings were so smooth, I couldn't believe it. So I tried a few more times and it seemed as if the drop I was practicing it was suddenly half the height 😲 . I used a drop that is about 50 cm high (not rollable) with a level landing, so with the hop technique the landing was not nice. When I tried the push technique the landing was so smooth it seemed as if I, somehow, did a much smaller drop. The part about going so low and so close with your face to the handle bar is somewhat counter-intuitive, but it works.
Ben once again goes over every technique and myth out there, debunks them and shows us the clearly best option backed by some physics in a very well explained manner
Honestly the best video on this topic in the whole Internet. Too much Trainers explain the "push" as "manual light". A manual comes from the legs, a push from the arms. I learned this the hard way.
Very good video, with lots of fine pointers. The most important is "the principles are the same" that is key to helping learn the basics and then how to apply the techniques as needed. I'm an old guy - 73- and love having added riding single track after years of road riding. Thanks, now a new subscriber!
11:19!! That’s it! I can do drops unless they get too scary and I never felt that I was doing the pushing away part. To me, it felt more like I was riding down a roller ‘in the air’. And that’s the reason! You push parallel to the incline of the run-out! Brilliant. This is a case where a video made me understand why I was doing something right - like I said, for manageable drops that do not get absurd. Thank you!
Great video as always. The pushing the bike off a drop is something that I do work on but the pushing the bike at the same angle as the slope is a new one to add and will be really helpful.
This mans a legend, I’ve been riding for years and this is the first time I’ve watched technique videos. I’ve never been the best at drops can’t wait to try the push technique always used the front wheel lift can’t wait to watch the rest of the series 5 stars
Dude, I've been riding longer than you've been alive lol! Very well done. I learned something and I was entertained I can't wait to get out tomorrow for a practice! :)
This series by far is the best how to mtb series on youtube; way better than previous pinkbike editions and GMBN. Only other that's decent is Kyle&April, but this really knocks it out of the park!
Late to this but fantastic advice from a guy with a style that just makes you want to listen. I used to drop by lifting the front wheel thinking is was cool - and it was, until one day it wasn't.
Nice work, Well described this is a difficult thing to describe but once you done it you can use it anywhere. I rode motocross for about 20 years and we used the technique as a habit on all jumps because it mitigates any kickers or irregularities in the face / take-off of the jump and allows you to control the bike and not get thrown off your line. One of the most useful skills you can develop as a rider 🙂.
More to include in future.- Bike fit for taller riders 29er vs 27.5 taller riders Things like bike set up so stack height spacers on steerer tube, chain stay lengths, handle bar rise, rear sag 25% vs 30% pop support or all round trail, bottom bracket height, cause all this plays a huge part on how a bike will handle drops and jump and body positions required when hitting bigger drops and lips ect Sitting in the bike rather than on top
There are a couple of other YT channels that do good skills videos but this series has been the best I've seen. Ben explains everything so well and I like the examples of the other techniques. It's definitely going to help me "level up" my riding skills. Could this be the end of Friday fails?
He's a good rider too. I raced for a few years and just shake my head at most of these types of videos on YT. Ben is a good, skilled rider indeed! I learned to ride mostly from watching videos of other riders and racers. The last technique is one that BMX riders use a lot - along with the "pump" - and you will see them using it all throughout a race - on small type mounds - it is an easy skill to absorb from watching. I used it on a massive long and steep drop on Mammoth Mtn. - smooth as glass... I was so stoked cus I was sure I was gonna biff it. Just watching Ben's videos and how he explains it, for myself and for others... is just good fuel to hammer it into one's head.
Very cool. These same techniques have been applied in downhill and Super-G ski racing basically forever. Pre-jumping drops and rollers, up-unweighting and down-unweighting, etc. It's interesting how the same physics apply in both sports.
Great tutorial, as they all are. The only minor differences vs. what I've learned are the push is more via feet than hands (just think of shifting hips back - the motion will take care of itself), and the velocity, duration, and distance of the push are matched to the time between the front wheel leaving the drop to the back wheel leaving. Once off the drop your hands will automatically apply pressure back on the bars, bringing the bike back underneath you. Pretty minor tweaks, not really necessary. Glad Ben addresses the "pre-load/jump" unweighting approach that a lot of sites show. You really do land a lot harder that way.
I don't jump, I preload and let the bike spring up. It helps when I roll slower into a drop as it gives more time for the back wheel. The pushing one works best for me if I'm going faster. But it's similar to shifting your weight back and getting close to the back wheel, for me.
Sweet! The "push" is what I've naturally arrived at as a drop technique. I kind of think of it as sliding my bike forward to touch down level with the ground. It works on short notice drops too...
I learned the "push" method some time ago on some other video and it does really work well. Please note that if you are going fast you push less, slower you pusher faster. If you push too fast when going fast you will likely pull up the front wheel (like a manual), so be aware. So your push should match your speed and it does take some practice on different sized drops and different speeds before you feel truly comfortable.
@@oliverchalkley1187 Because you're pushing with both your hands & feet. So if you push too much, your feet will push the bike further than your hands can push so it will be the same as pulling up on the bars. It's more or less the same way you would do a manual.
For me is crucial to be in the mood ... so I don´t start the ride with drops etc, I start easy and if you are in the right mood and enjoing the ride ... all comes, you feel that you can do it and feel the terrain and the reactions of the bicycle and the strenth of your body.
In the end it's all about timing . If you screw that up the better at knowing how much to recover is key and why I like how you incorporated that into your teachings
Ben, thanks for the excellent video. There are many confusing drop videos out there and, following one, I have been bunny hopping off the edge of the drop wit inconsistent results. I feel out of control and way too high. Every time, it scares me. Now I know what I was doing wrong and will fix it. Great job!
Great video as always. Only thing missing that a Trail Boss video covers is the front wheel preload/unload when there is a bump/rock/obstacle at the edge of a drop to minimize its effect. Looking forward to next one
My friend shared this technique with me which he learnt from this video. I've been practising it and it's really cool! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing skill!
Great video on a complicated subject... I've had 2 hard crashes on 4-5' drops recently, this video really helped me understand what I'm doing wrong on specifically the landing component... cheers Ben, thanks for the breakdown!
Thank you. Good vid! But as a single father/63-year old/solo cyclist (nobody to aid of injured) who loves to shred & climb my best technique to drops is to stop, get off the bike, and walk down the drop!
Noooo! 😂 They really are super easy to at least 5’ drops. You should give them a go. You’ll get very comfortable. As always the key is start small and gradually step it up. And follow Ben’s great instruction. You can start building technique on 12” drops.
Very good drop vid - right up there with the Kyle & April drop vid that really unlocked it for me. Kyle arrives at the exact same technique, but I appreciate you getting us there by explaining the other techniques and at what point they fall apart.
Cool to see another detailed explanation of dropping. Especially how to land at the angle of the slope! Im not the pro like Ben Cathro is, but as a trainer I explain dropping with the difference in speed and timing. The faster you ride the more precise your timing needs to be. So for that reason I explain the push skill. At slow speed and lower drops, I recommend using the pop skill. Main reason is pressuring your pedals and use all the space in your arms & legs when landing.
And Ben explains at 7:20 that the pop skill only has 1 situation where it could be useful, but the push should be the default. Mixing push and pop in lessons would be difficult and confusing for students, as push needs to be learned as second nature first. I would follow Ben and advise push technique only. Just like Jeff Lenosky also states as most common mistakes: using pops, item 3 at 3min49 in ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ala_3hHE_tU.html
Another great vid with Ben. I appreciate these really detailed explanations. A lot of “how to”s on YT be like “Just do the Right thingy at the Right time. Easy”
I'd define a drop as a feature where you get airtime naturally off of a flat takeoff, which is either level or pitched downwards. Your elevation in the air only decreases. Jumps generally have curved lips, but can have flat take-offs if they are pitched upwards (e.g boner logs). The major differentiator between a step-down and a drop is gaining elevation in the air before you lose it. You could also differentiate on the technique needed, e.g if preloading is required to get air safely.
even simpeler, just from what you said, a obstacle where you decrease in hight and at no moment after living the gound gain elevation. cuz u can still have drops that are just angled upwards but not really canons yet.
How did you know I told my partner Sunday that I needed to work on this? This is not the first time I've said I needed to work on a skill and the following week the relevant video was out. You are a gem of a human!
Good video, I have never had the case of the nosedives. I have the opposite problem. Every once in awhile I land too much back wheel first and SLAM the front down and have wadded it up good.
Thanks Ben! All these tips were so helpful. I have been working on drops for years, always doing one of these three techniques without really having enough knowledge about which one was best, so drops always felt awkward. The day after I watched this video, on that next ride, it finally clicked. This video has put my biking to a slightly higher level, since I finally have a knowledge framework for this approach to drops, if that makes sense. Looking forward to your next video!!
An amazing channel I have learned so much from these guys and girls love them! They helped me pick out my bike as well the Giant Trance X1 and I love it!!
Thanks for your time bro, not downhill guy but i allways enjoy some drops and feels good to have something to practice well and we never know when the downhill bike its coming 😂😂
I am occasionaly teaching bikeskills and I cannot give you enough credit for best summary of cornering outhere. I would point out mainly your atitude about importance of individual steps and not messing too much with "fancy stuff" ❤
When you were explaining the proper technique I was thinking "Oh, so it's like pumping a roller, but instead of pushing down you push forward" Then you went right on to say exactly that. I'm proud of myself for understanding something from one of your vids
I just started doing drops, and my technique so far is just to keep up speed, and do a very slight pull up on the handlebars, just enough to keep the bike level. Your push technique sounds interesting, but also confusing, because before I figured out the speed/pull-up technique, I was just going over (small) drops slowly, and the problem of course was that the front wheel just goes straight down, which is how you get into trouble. So "pushing" forward/slightly down seems like it's going back to that bad form...
The pushing forward gets the backwheel off the edge faster so the front wheel doesn't have time to drop significantly below the back wheel, causing you to rotate forward. Try it on a curb and you'll be amazed that you can the back wheel clear of the curb by the time the front wheel hits the ground at even relatively slow speeds
Thank you Ben, for this very clear instructional video. My wife and I watched it together as we love Friday Fails. She is not a rider, but we do Walk-Rides together in the Oregon Mountains. She's a fast walker but I usually am riding all around her - showing off of course. She loves to critique me and the Friday Fails riders. OKAY - one thing I would appreciate - please watch your language. I cringed at 6:37 and certainly would not want the nearby children (who also love Friday Fails) to hear such sexual derogatory language. Language on the trails is one thing, but not on an instructional video. Thank you again Ben for this helpful video.