# 1st time dirt jumping



## alex923 (Sep 25, 2005)

Went dirt jumping for the first time and it was very fun. The dirt jump place is at the end of the trail, and today I got the courage to hit some of them. Its just that all of them are gaps, so they were a bit intimidating to me. Anyway, I had a great time, and now i want to go again tomorrow! Just wanted to know if there are any good tips for beginners. 

Also, I was wondering if Rockshox Psylo's are decent forks for trails and light dirt jumping.

Thanks


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## revmonkey (Jun 5, 2005)

def.not, psylo's are XC forks!

anyways, i recently (like last week) started DJ'ng, it's great fun! a bit of a steep learning curve, but very very satisfying


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## Hardtails Are Better (May 4, 2005)

Nah, you ought to be fine with the Psylo if you aren't going too big, which I'd assume you aren't (yet).


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## alex923 (Sep 25, 2005)

Thanks for telling me about the psylos! Also, I was also thinking of getting something like Drop Off IV's, or if I can wait and save up my money, Pikes. 

BTW, I have maxxis holy rollers, and i love them. Just wanted to let ppl know that.

Thanks for your responses.


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## standard235 (Jul 23, 2005)

Pike 426 Coil U Turn. Go to your LBS. I scored mine for $410 brand new.


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## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

nice to hear... it def. is addicting for sure!
just keep your knees off the stem, your balls off the tt, and your pedal pins out of your shins... haha, not to scare though.... just remember, speed is your friend (to a point), try to avoid the lock-up or "dead sailor" in the air. Most riders naturally whip or table to one side better than the other, and learning to do this unconciously can help you from becoming a dead sailor by moving your bike in the air and maintaining your flow and balance. just aim your front tire for the top of the landing tranny, and you shouldn't have much to worry about coming up short on the gaps (although I have no idea what these jumps you are hitting look like).
and I think the psylos will be just fine, a lot of people used to race mtx on those, not to mention it's way better than what I see a lot of people learning to dj on!


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

Go for a marz dj3 for a budget dirt jumper fork.


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

If you get a DJ3 get a 2003. The 2004/2005 is SUPER heavy. It's rediculous. The 2002 had cracking problems. The 2003 was less problematic. I still managed to break a 2003 DJII. I'm not a big fan of Marzocchi, 3 broken forks, no warranty or any real service.

The Pike is awesome.

The Drop-Off is probably too tall for DJ.

Get a Sherman and permanently reduce the travel.

Hell, if you're good enough, go full rigid.


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## rafg (Apr 29, 2006)

I just started to really get into jumping this year. 
Important thing I try to remember is to not try to rush to the landing. Don't lean forward too much (or too early) and try to put your weight on your feet as your going up the frontside of a jump, then explode off the lip. 

When I started doubles always got to me, but usually when you go for a jump your front wheel will clear the landing and you might case the rear, which is fine cause the next time you won't and rear casing on a mountain bike aint too bad


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## Hardtails Are Better (May 4, 2005)

Will, what's the deal with the '02 DJs cracking?


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

There were some issues with the cryofit crowns if I remember correctly.


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## Hardtails Are Better (May 4, 2005)

Sooo... the crowns cracked? That's not good. :nonod:


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

I believe that was the main problem with them. I've also hear of some lowers snapping at the drop-outs. I'm not sure on which model year though.


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## Hardtails Are Better (May 4, 2005)

Damn. I have one, and have really liked so far.....


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## Mesomorph rider (Jun 20, 2006)

rafg is the only one posting tips for DJing. Are there any more tips? I hit a tiny double and cased it going pretty fast on my hardtail Trek. The one time I made it, I landed back first and bottomed the forks hard. I'm used to a 300lb dirtbike. What should I do? any tecniques to practice.


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## Hardtails Are Better (May 4, 2005)

Three things:
1. You'll crash when you half ass something. You need to commit, and hit it. Don't wimp out at the last second. That's how you get hurt.
2. Speed is your friend (this kind of goes along with the first point). Obviously, going really freakin' fast isn't so hot, but you need to be moving when you hit jumps.
3. Experiment with which foot you feel comfortable leading with. This can help a lot. I had a friend who didn't feel comfortabel jumping at all, but once he tried to lead with his opposite foot, he way better. Once you get better, it's good to learn to lead with either foot, but to start off, pick one and stick with it.


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## Mesomorph rider (Jun 20, 2006)

If the front end is too high, do I just tap the rear brake? or will body positioning correct this?


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

Body positioning fixes all.


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## alex923 (Sep 25, 2005)

well, all the jumps at my trail are gaps, so theyre a bit intimidating. But i got the gut to do it, and after less than a week i can do a line (i think thats what you call it) where you go off one jump then another one after another. cant do any tricks yet though. Anyway, on saturday my friend fell off a dirt jump (landed funny) and got winded and eventually got a concussion, which kinda scared me a bit. (its also his fault he didnt wear a helmet. 

But I heard this kid say to his friend that when you go off, you pull up and you "arc"so that you kinda try to land on both of your wheels at the same time on the landing. Right?

Thanks, your responses have helped me a lot


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## mack-a-nator (Apr 26, 2006)

landing with both wheels is nice 
but sum times that doesnt happen 
so just be careful with your arching and dont focus on it to much and it will come naturally


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

If you have a tranny, definitely do try to land both wheels at the same time, it is more stable to have more rubber touching the ground during the landing, usually.


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## B100 (Dec 14, 2005)

the one skill you need to develop before jumping is a good bunnyhop done the right way - there are dozens of threads on this already; just use search

look at the video(s) at bikeskills.com about going into a jump in a neutral attack position with both elbows out

start small and get comfortable, it takes about 300 jumps to get to where the good body position and right corrective actions are unconscious (as with anything that requires skillz)

lots of balance work (track stands) and manuals 

and always wear your friggin helmet!

oh, Psylos are fine for park and jumping... guys like Kyle Ebbett did some sick tricks on 'em; a good new fork is the Manitou Gold Label Jump Series for $350; Aaron Chase and Darren Bearclaw go off the hook on 'em. I have one and it's way more solid than my '02 Psylo w/thru axle


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## rafg (Apr 29, 2006)

My girlfriends doesnt know how to bunny hop but is mad smooth off of doubles. Everyone has there own thing that clicks to them when learning to jump. Like a few weeks ago I was trign to figure out why I was casing a jump all the time, then a 11 year old kid told me to loft it instead of speed jumping it. Somthign clicked with what he said and no more casing.

another thing if you feel that you are straining too much to make a jump is, relax your shoulders. TIght shoulders make you dead-sailor (when your front end just drops).

Ride what you got, don't believe the hype, fall, get-up and learn.


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## Hardtails Are Better (May 4, 2005)

rafg said:


> My girlfriends


   

:lol:


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

It's just a typo calm down. Psylo's are okay to throw down on if you don't get a lemon, otherwise I wouldn't bother. Proper bunny hops help a lot with boosting off a jump. I can usually get 5 feet of air(from ground to rear wheel) with a 1 foot high kicker. That + speed = lots of air time.


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## Mesomorph rider (Jun 20, 2006)

alex923 said:


> well, all the jumps at my trail are gaps, so theyre a bit intimidating. But i got the gut to do it, *and after less than a week i can do a line *(i think thats what you call it) where you go off one jump then another one after another. cant do any tricks yet though. Anyway, on saturday my friend fell off a dirt jump (landed funny) and got winded and eventually got a concussion, which kinda scared me a bit. (its also his fault he didnt wear a helmet.
> 
> But I heard this kid say to his friend that when you go off, you pull up and you "arc"so that you kinda try to land on both of your wheels at the same time on the landing. Right?
> 
> Thanks, your responses have helped me a lot


Don't tell anyone about this. :lol: I call it a rhythm section.:thumbsup:


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