Gap question

[cbosley]

When gapping, my rear wheel tends to drop a few inches while I am in the air. I don't notice so much on higher obstacles but when gapping from one pallet to another, my rear wheel often bounces off the ground. Has anyone else experienced this? Any advice on how do I correct it?

[KeepRollin]

Think about jumping up and not as much forward. The pedal pick will push you forward, jumping up will help this problem and it will allow you to gap just as big from skinnies.

[Cryo-Cube]

yes, i always tell myself to jump up as much as i can when i want to do a big gap. On normal stuff you dont do it that much. So when i do bigger gaps i often dont make it on the first tries because i simply forget to jump up properly.

[cbosley]

Thanks. Good advice. I'll try it out.

[epock7]

I practice on flat ground occasionally, just so I don't do that. I don't know if that's a good way to practice, but oh well.

[aka Mr Floyd]

This may not be something you need to fix.... Gapping is not meant to be done on flat ground or really even in between two pallets. It's meant to be used to jump between two objects up off the ground. If you do it correctly gapping from close to the edge of the object, your tire will usually drop below the height of the object even if your body is jumping up.

A good example (I'd find it if I had more time) was one of the TRA videos from a year or two ago. He gaps accross a fountain (it's a big gap... 8 feet?) over water with the takeoff and landing both are concrete ledges that are about 4 inches over the top of the water. When he gaps it you see his rear wheel hit the top of the water but he easily makes the gap.

So, in short, stop practacing gaps on flat ground and just stack up two pallets instead of one and your problem is fixed.

Todd

[Ross W.]

yeah, I would say pretty much the same thing. Having the wheel go down isn't necessarily bad. Also, the closer your wheel is to the edge, the more likely it is you'll hit the ground.

If its pissing you off, try pulling back more on the bars and really pushing out on the pedals, so that you land almost vertical on the rear wheel. Works for me.

[AgrAde]

i think it's fairly normal. TRA does it, vince does it, and i do it. however, i don't touch the ground when i gap between two pallets. maybe don't gap so close to the edge? if you're right on the edge, then lower the bars when you're aboout to gap you'll effectively roll the wheel forward a bit. you could also try relying less on your kick and more on your jump to get you across.

edit: what gear are you using?

[Youngr51]

I kinda have the same problem but its a issue when gapping from a rail or skinny, I just drop straight to the ground and not up or forward. When im on flat ground iv never noticed. A lot of the pro seem to do everything right off the edge. Im confused how they do it so welll. I think Ill practice that shit today.

[ronan_zj]

so, we should jump upward instead of forward?

[Anon.]

I think the main reason for going from the edge is that when you compress down on the tyre to launch, you can get a bit more preload out of it because it gets forced away harder by the edge. IF you think of it like how front touches boost you, it's a broadly similar concept of how the tyre fires you away.

However, because you're going from the edge and you're effectively being pushed off it by your tyre, you really need to preload and move your body upwards as well as just throwing yourself towards your bars.

[Youngr51]

Youre a very constructive poster.

[Bryan]

Your wheel should not roll very much, and you should try to minimize the amount that your rear wheel drops off the edge.

If you watch vincent, (look at the rail gap in andrewTvincentHtwo) what he does is he lets himself fall forwards until he gets to a good angle and then does a sidehop motion. In a way he is jumping up, but up is now the direction between his and the bike's center of mass and the rail.

[cbosley]

Thanks for the help. I'm going to work on this tomorrow (I've been sick).

To answer a few questions:

I'm running a 22-18 gearing.
I am gapping from the edge rather than using a little rolling. I want to learn that way for skinny stuff and natural.
I have been concentrating on using my body more than my pedal kick.

Since I just started riding my new BT I have had more control than on my Zebdi (partially due to the stability of the bike but also due to the longer frame that lets me stand up straighter). I have been slowing the gap movements down a bit to focus on technique and really getting out infront of the ledge before I gap.