le site en Français the site in English TrashZen T-shirts



menu-trailerjpg
Biketrials pedal hopBanging the front wheel
Even for low obstacles, bouncing the front wheel really lifts the bike upwards and makes the climbing much easier and effortless compared to pulling a bunny hop or a simple pedal hop. It is a pedal hop technique, but with the extra complication of hitting the wall edge with the front wheel (loose) during the acceleration of the pedal kick.

This technique can be used for very high stuff, bouncing-rolling the front wheel even below the full height of the obstacle. It requires much less run-up distance than a bunny hop (about a crank turn minimum) and offers much more control. This technique is a good alternative to the rollover if you want to climb on a sharp edge with nothing behind.


Like for the roll-over, start at least one crank turn away from the obstacle

mountain biking and biketrial skills
1° In the last crank turn, lift the front wheel when pushing on the goofy pedal (left if you are right-foot forward) to get the wheel up towards the edge of the obstacle.

mountain biking and biketrial skills
2° Stay focused, and aim your front wheel right at the top edge or one inch below, finish the crank turn with a good kick on the right pedal to bang the front wheel upwards.

mountain biking and biketrial skills
3° Resist the impact by firming up your arms, to achieve maximum tire compression while the front wheel hits the edge. Both tires get compressed.

mountain biking and biketrial skills
4° During compression, give the maximum jump extension from the highest position on the pedals. The front wheel will roll up against the edge.

mountain biking and biketrial skills
5° The front wheel stays loose, pull up the bike with you while you tuck just after the jump extension. That is what brings the rear wheel up.

mountain biking and biketrial skills
6° Tuck as much as you can to get the rear wheel onto the edge that you just hit with the front wheel. Block the rear brakes to secure your grip.


It looks like riding up a virtual steep slope that starts on the ground where the rear wheel touches and passes-by the edge where the front wheel bangs.
See this move in a video


trials bike video
See the front tire bounce

trials bike video
Wing taps just any wall nowadays

Sounds complicated?
Well, it is really difficult to get everything right at the same time. This move requires very good timing and very good positioning of the bike before take off, so adjust your marks before you start, count your pedal strokes to reach the wall with your good foot forward. Ideally, the front wheel just hits and roll off the edge (no braking on the front wheel). The trick is to synchronise the extension and jump impulsion on the pedal with the wheel bang. When the front wheel hits the edge or below, both tires are compressed, and during a fraction of a second, you can really give the maximum jump extension onto the pedal kick with good support from the ground. The instant after this compression, the tires spring back and boost the move upwards, while you pull the bike up with you.


trials bike video
slow-motion zoom

Kind of a risky business
It is best to practice on round edges at the beginning. Some pros like Kenny use this technique to climb up walls that are too high to rollover, or when there is just enough room to run a couple of good pedal strokes. But it is fun to use even on low round edges, as it makes the climbing much easier and effortless than pulling a simple pedal hop (where you need to take your jump impulsion while balancing on the rear wheel. With practise, you can also fine tune or adjust the power-up of this technique by modulating the tension in your arms (softer reaction if you damp the impact, or more dynamic and powerful move up if you straighten or firm up your arms).

trials bike video
Hit it hard right on the edge or below.

Focus on aiming your front wheel at the edge is key. If the edge is too sharp, the hit too frontal, or the pressure in the tire too low, you can pinch your front tire flat. The front wheel tapping or banging technique will definitely bring another form of abuse to your bike. Even when fairly well mastered, this technique will eventually break any fork, and has an excellent potential to buckle many wheels.
Biketrial video  All the clips in one video  VTT trial
(or right-click to download the .wmv file)


At a Pro level: pushing the move further
Experienced riders are able to hit the front wheel on the most awkward corners or narrow edges, even tapping completely below the edge if there is some flat surface to hit and the obstacle is too high. This technique also becomes more difficult as you have less run-up distance. This requires power and precision at the same time.

trials bike video
Ben Savage hitting the edge of a huge reel

trials bike video
Andrei Burton with minimal run-up distance