junkyarddogg

Ive seen the pro and expert riders get the most out of a rear to rear gap by going at it sideways. Almost like a 45 degree angle. Is this something I can use to get more out of my gaps? Ive been landing 6 to 7 feet no problem but cant get any further. Will this help?

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Ben Tanner

Maverick_ZOO!

Your tire is less likely to spin that way. And your body is allowed to move differently, which makes you able to jump further.

cwtrials

Yes you should. Think of a gap as a standing long jump. In a normal riding position gapping straight forward you're jumping with your feet in a staggered position. Which is awkward and ineffective, just try it on your feet.

By rotating so your rear foot is facing the gap your feet will no longer be staggered in comparison to the gap, which will allow you a more natural jump and use of your legs. Your arms/back will not be straight on, but it really isn't strange feeling.

Does that make sense? I feel like I explained it poorly

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junkyarddogg

Makes sense to me craig. Never thought of it like that.

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cwtrials

Good. At some point it becomes helpful to think about your body position almost independent of the bike, or at least it does for me. The bike is just a hunk of material attached to your feet and hands, all the power and motion comes from your body.

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bunta

^
Good posts Craig


I find I go at an angle one way to go to front(good foot in) and one way to go to rear(good foot out)
Prob not good technique but thats how i"ve picked it up,
Check this

junkyarddogg

^ Very well put. I bet my sidehops would be alot better if I would just get comfortable going up to the right "left foot forward". I dont know why but I am left side dominant.

Hopefully I can break my self of this habit. I tried the sideways stuff, the wrong way, and it just didnt get me any further. This thread really flipped the little lightswitch lol. Atleast I have progressed a good bit doing it the more difficult way.

When the time comes to preload for the move, is it beneficial to lean over the ledge? I've been told that leaning while preloading before sidehops kills tire rebound. Is it the same with gapping on angle?

Thanks for the great advice guys,

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Ben Tanner

chiao

A trick that Kevin Liu told me is to turn the handlebars the other way slightly when you preload, both for gaps and sidehops. You can see it in this sidehop at 3:34 - https://vimeo.com/4034548 - and in a gap here at 1:15 - .

chiao

And lean the bike away from the wall for sidehops. Don't know if it's the same for gaps.

RampartRanger

I think this might have something to do with it:

^ taken from the Beginner sticky thread:
http://www.observedtrials.net/vb/f21/how-pedal-up-sidehop-gap-up-front-wheel-wheelswap-18382/
...specifically for wheel-swaps, though I think it's a similar concept.
This is just a shot in the dark but it seems to have some parallels with what cwtrials made mention of...basically getting your feet and body positioned closest to an actually off-bike jumping motion where both of your feet are close to the ledge your trying to jump on.

RampartRanger

Forgive for discussing hypotheticals but I think I may get somewhere somewhat interesting to some people

I think this may be a decent way to think about this topic, too:
Anytime you turn your bike away from being perfectly perpendicular to a ledge, you're bringing your rear wheel closer to that ledge. That is, assuming your bike was facing forward towards the ledge to begin with. That's basically what the point of that picture is in regards to wheelswap technique and it makes sense for gaps too I reckon.

And consider this:
From any point behind a ledge, draw a line to the ledge that is perfectly perpendicular to that ledge (straight from the point to the ledge). Now draw a line diagonally from that same point to the ledge. Both lines start equally far from/close to the ledge, yet the diagonal line is of course longer (basic triangle geometry). So for the same distance from the ledge, you get more area to take-off from/more area for your tire to grip as it hangs partially off the ledge either way.

This would also imply that you can get the same amount of take-off area at a diagonal as you would perfectly perpendicular yet closer to the edge, i.e. taking off from a diagonal allows you to get closer to edge. And as Maverick_ZOO! stated, your tire is less likely to quickly roll off (down) the ledge (resulting in a bad take-off or even a crash) when not 100% perpendicular.

So, it would seem that...

A) Diagonal take-offs for gapping give you more room closer to the ledge.

B) Diagonal take-offs minimize the distance required for the rear wheel to travel especially if accompanied by a diagonal landing (bringing the rear wheel closer to the landing ledge)

C) The same principles likely make for more secure landings as well for similar if not the same reasons (more room on the edge at X distance from the ledge, tire less likely to roll back/off the ledge when not 100% perpendicular, etc.) and probably apply to landings on either tire.

That's all assuming you understand this:

^ from Trashzen
http://www.trashzen.com/pedal-kick-gap-jump.php

-Alex2-

Think of hopping on the rear with your brake locked: which way can you hop farther, forward or sideways? It's just adding that sideways motion to your normal pedal kick. It got me an extra 6" at least.

You also mentioned that you naturally want to go towards your forward foot side, right? In my experience, all riders start out that way. It's easier to push with your back foot than to pull. The only reason I would try to learn it both ways is that for big lunges in particular, you want your forward foot to be away from the wall, otherwise it might get caught.

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Stock

It's also much nicer on your chain to face your forward foot away. Plus, for a beginner, gapping this way will force you to use proper body language instead of just mashing your pedal to get across.

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CoppellStereo

Good thread! I've missed this.

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junkyarddogg

So its been a few months since I started this thread. It has to be the most informative thread ever. It has really pushed my gaps to a whole new level just by keep this info in my head while on the bike. Im so glad I finally learned the importance of tire preload and the whole angled positioning stuff. Here is where my gaps are these days..... any tips comments good or bad are welcome

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Ben Tanner

roadflasj

Just an observation concening body position, specifically at 1:17 on your vid. Your hips seem really high and at times your knees don't tuck up to gain the required height. I've noticed on my own videos that I don't pull up at all (knee tuck) but can't figure out how. My gaps are maxed at 6'6" so it's just something to consider from a fellow rider below your skill and riding level. At work now so pinkbike videos only but at 0:46 you can see how low the rider is before lunging forward. Also 2:26 shows his upward tuck is really high to gain height/distance. Exagerated TGS stuff but you get the idea.

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/26872/

junkyarddogg

Yeah, I noticed last night that I have to drop my body over the rear more during preload and "jump" more forward. Thanks for the tip

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dk2

thanks for the info...Back to the lab...(you always need more distance)

giannib

You don´t need to tuck too much, it will only make you gap shorter. Dan´t waste your energy on going high instead of going forward.

Chewbacca

gianni posted this is in the media section...the video repeats multiple gaps in slow-mo with 2:12 being the one you probably want to study. he starts from ~ 6" from the ledge then does a small (but bigger than correction) hop to the very edge then tucks like crazy before the kick off the ledge. also notice how far over the ledge he is just before the kick.

http://vimeo.com/65292691#

Picowatt

Another thing I need to work on. And landing and staying on rear tire

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