critique pic please- stem size, pedalkick position

[mikesnow]

hi guys, someone sent me a pic today of me riding here in london, and was wondering if any of you could offer any suggestions on my technique. i learned how to pedalkick onto things about 3 rides ago (japslap?) so now i'm trying to be careful to not develop too many bad habits early......can you guys see any obvious problems in the way i'm standing? now that i look at the pic my frame looks even more ridicuously small for me than i thought, i would love to get alot more reach/wheelbase.....anyways all criticism appreciated... any comments on stem size, frame size? thanks

http://www.observedtrials.net/album/showphoto.php?photo=3129&size=big&sort=1&cat=500

[netto]

it almost looks like you're moving up but the bike isnt
maybe this is a bad picture?
i think maybe if you keep you're body lower to the ground and the bar closer to your chest it might be better

[manimal]

holy crap.. I know that park

mikesnow, we need to ride.. you live in the same city as me.. crazy...

[manimal]

but back on track...

similar thread a few days/weeks ago.. http://www.observedtrials.net/vb/showthread.php?t=12765

might offer some help.

[lucky13]

Well, just from looking at your bike I'd say you need to get rid of your current stem. Find a 100mm 5deg stem to get that front end down a little and out away from you. Then you won't feel so cramped, and your ups will have a little more leverage.

Otherwise, I can't tell by still photos whether or not you have "bad habits"

Where in Canada are you? is that the port moody skate park or ..? Do all skate parks look alike?

Joel

[my.ark.4@gmail.com]

Its in London, a few hours north of Toronto.

[rideitlikeyoustoleit]

try and flow with your riding as you look all stiff and try out a longer stem

[TooSicKs]

A longer stem would help, you look like i feel on most bikes, cramped and confined. Zebdis are short, they work real nice if you ride 'em with some street influence.

Try this, ride at an up with your body high, arms extended and standign on your toes on the pedals, heels higher than the pedals at jogging speed, then about 2 bikelengths out drop your ankles and shift your weight back, then just JLAMF (Jump like a mother,,,). If you don't jump you will loop out if you're doing it right. When I was on a Zebdi i found it favors aggression and works well with silly long stems. I was running a 135mmx10deg and it wasn't so unreasonable on that bike. It is an easy bike to get up stuff on, and a few sidehop records from the zebdi sessions still stand today.

[mikesnow]

hahah good advice, yeah that's totally how i feel though, one thing i've been noticing was that i was scared to lean the whole thing back a few degrees more due to mental block of not totally trusting my brakes. i'm getting over that real quick with the kool stops though. yeah i dunno i just feel sometimes like i'm doing a crazy ammount of work with my arms and pulling and heaving when i should be able to just tuck my rear tire up under my ass and the work would be done. perhaps i'm not using my legs enough.....but yeah that stem is pretty big 125 by 20 or something like that but yeah tonight i found rotating the bars a tiny bit made a huge difference. one thing i notice about all the tra videos is how nice and at rest he looks on his frame. it's like it's a perfect size (xtp not vinco) i would love to try a long frame at this point and would know immediately if it would loosen up my back and let me stand a little more naturally.......yeah though will try that stuff for sure tommorow and see....

[TooSicKs]

Remember to bounce with your ankles. Try moving your feet back on the pedals more so you can use your ankles as springs. Stand on the forward part of tyhe ball of your foot and your toes, you should be able to raise up like you're tiptoeing on your pedals. Try that, feel it? it feels like you have lots more spring huh? Hop around like that and get used to it, then try upping. It'll change your whole perspective on shit, man.

[rush]

yeah i dunno i just feel sometimes like i'm doing a crazy ammount of work with my arms and pulling and heaving when i should be able to just tuck my rear tire up under my ass and the work would be done.....
From what you say here, I can almost definitely say that you need to lean back a little further, pull the bars into your body a bit, and try to trust your brakes.

[TooSicKs]

You'll fall on your ass a few times, don't fear it, just shake it off and jump sooner next time. The koolstop pads i had sucked, the posts came loose and they got all bent and mangled every session. Spanish flys are the way to go.

[Faction Bike]

take off your sunglasses


sunglasses=bad pedal kicks

[mikesnow]

depth perception versus covertly checking out every chick in the park?

[Ross W.]

depth perception versus covertly checking out every chick in the park?
sunglasses versus not having a constant boner?