Hi guys (and girls), I have a little problem. There is a hill near my house that is set up a heck of a lot like a table top. Until about 2 weeks ago, I'd never considered trying to clear it. Well, I put in about a half an hour of practice and cleared it. Now it's not that big (about 25 feet from lip to landing), but this was the first real jump I've ever cleared.
Now for the problem. I don't have any finesse when I clear it. I do the whole deal where I get the bike almost vertical, and that's not good in anybody's book. Let me describe the jump. First, it has more than enough take off. I could get into 5th if I wanted to before I got to the face. The face is probably 15 feet long at a 65 degree angle, but there is no lip whatsoever. The landing is a little thougher. It's steep, probably about 15 feet long also, but it's really rough terrain (from water drainage), and I have to be stopped by the time the landing touches the flat ground (because of a fence that's a little ways away and such). My tendancy is to hit the jump in middle 4th gear, preload, and slam on my rear brake about half the way across. So my question to you is how can I clear this? How do I keep enough speed, but still be able to stop, while flying with the bike not pointing at the sun? Hope this is enough information. Thanks a lot
-Stephen
Now for the problem. I don't have any finesse when I clear it. I do the whole deal where I get the bike almost vertical, and that's not good in anybody's book. Let me describe the jump. First, it has more than enough take off. I could get into 5th if I wanted to before I got to the face. The face is probably 15 feet long at a 65 degree angle, but there is no lip whatsoever. The landing is a little thougher. It's steep, probably about 15 feet long also, but it's really rough terrain (from water drainage), and I have to be stopped by the time the landing touches the flat ground (because of a fence that's a little ways away and such). My tendancy is to hit the jump in middle 4th gear, preload, and slam on my rear brake about half the way across. So my question to you is how can I clear this? How do I keep enough speed, but still be able to stop, while flying with the bike not pointing at the sun? Hope this is enough information. Thanks a lot
-Stephen