Peter did a series of mountain bike skills videos with Canadian Cycling Magazine. This video is on one of the most commonly coached skills, roll downs. Riding down rollins, steep rollable drops or down steps is a super important one for any mountain biker because it helps develop and test your ability to stay in position and to move the bike over terrain effectively.
Ride Drop Offs with Confidence
It’s not as scary as it looks but does have some risk so start with smaller ditches or slopes. It can really help to try a drop you are comfortable on and use video to check how your position looks before and after the drop. If you can be in a good position before and after then often the drop will take care of itself!
With your video, check that you are able to stay centered (nose over stem approximately) with your arms and legs bent as you approach the drop and as you roll away. If you see your arms going straight or your hips being way back for an extended period of time that is a good sign you could be lower and wider (centered), and using the extension for just a brief moment as the bike rolls down the steep section to help keep your head (and body) upright.
Step by Step for Rolling down steep sections of Trail
- Assume your centered, low and wide, ‘ready position’. Resist the urge to get way back.
- Approach with a little less speed, anticipating you will speed up as you go down the drop
- When you get to the edge of the drop, forcefully push the front wheel down the slope, put the front wheel where you want it, while keeping your head up and focused on where you want to go.
- As you approach the bottom use your body suspension to absorb the impact and re-gain your centered ready position.
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