Skills and Drills

[bm1981]

Work has gotten in the way of my mid week rides so I figured I'd make the most of my weekend rides by working on some of the basic techniques during the week. I'm not new to riding, but looking to add a bit more technique to some of the technical areas so its not all bomb down and hope for the best.

Based on where I've been riding there are 2 skills I'm trying hard to master, the manual and the bunny hop (a real one not my SPD bike lift ). I threw on a set of platforms and did a few laps around the backyard after a quick search on the youtubes and GMBN. After struggling to maintain any front end lift noticed that in the video they have their seats all slammed down for the manual and bunny hop. So I drop my seat down and was able to get the front wheel up much easier on the "pump".

So is that the trade off w/ seat height, maneuverability vs pedal efficiency? I have my seat set pretty close to the top of my hip when standing and its comfortable to pedal. However, am I giving up the ability to jump well because of it? Or do i just need more practice to get the feel and the timing.

 

[avc8130]

Enter the dropper seat post....

 

[Jeb]

A higher seat post will both hinder your ability to drop your center of mass and limit your body's range of motion - two essentials for balance and stability. Specifically for manuals - once you've got your front wheel off the ground and hips extended low over your rear axle, an extended seatpost will limit how far forward you can pendulum your hips under your shoulders to balance your bike.

 

[Santapez]

I think the one major improvement to my riding over the past was lowering my seatpost. For too long I had it in an XC race mode and was definitely hindering my ability to move the bike properly.

I'm pretty sure there's some body geometry issues that may determine how much this affects people. I noticed @MissJR can run her seatpost pretty high and get back behind the saddle and move around without issue while I need to run my seatpost pretty low to do the same.

Doing a manual, especially when learning really needs a seatpost out of the way so you can move around.