manual63
11-04-2004, 02:58 PM
Someone asked how to 360 in the other thread.
I don't know if they were serious, but I might as well write about it anyway.
First of all, do we all agree on the name.....or should we call it something else..... :p :p .
A 360 is not an easy trick and certainly not easy on a mountain bike. I have never done a 360 on a mountain bike, but I have done them on my BMX bike. I can do both flat ground 360's and air 360's off of a jump.
I can do a 180 on a mountain bike on flat ground and off a jump. I don't do them much because derailleurs don't like to spin backwards when I have to roll backwards out of 180's.
I suggest learning 180's first, then 360's. I learned these on a loading dock with side ramps in some industrial area in St. Louis Park. I think that's probably the best place unless you know of a good dirt jump that has a good lip to a flat landing with no downside.
Most of the rotation of a 180 or 360 is in the upper body. Approach the jump at a medium speed and make sure your going fast enough to get some decent air, but you don't want to be haulin' @ss. As you approach the launch, do your normal pump motions as if you are going to do a normal air, you should know what I am talking about or don't bother doing this trick in the first place. At the very top of the lip just before your front wheel goes off, you want to already start twisting your upper body in the direction you are going to spin. You want to lead with your head and then your shoulders and arms. The rest of you body will naturally spin with your bike under it. This has to be a fairly aggressive twist and at the same time you are twisting, you still need to pull the bars up and then your legs as you would during a normal launch off a jump. If you don't do both the twisting and the lifting of the bike, you will not make it. If you start twisting too soon, you rear wheel might catch the lip of the jump as the bike spins, so make sure have wait until you are just about to launch.
Keep your head turning ahead of your body and bike. You want to be looking where you are going. One you get to the desired rotation 180 or 360, you will hopefully still be in the air. You then want to bring the rear wheel down first and then let the front complete it's rotation as it comes down to the ground. Remember that is you are doing the air correctly, you legs should be compressed and allowing the back of the bike to come up higher off the ground. So to drop the back end first, you push down on the back end with your legs by straightening your knees.
A few tips:
- You can always land short of your 180 or 360 if you land the rear wheel first and push your forward foot down really hard. Yes, you always jump with your pedals level and one foot forward. By pushing down on this pedal as your rear wheel lands, it will help keep the front end up longer and you will actually be able to complete the spin with your rear wheel on the ground.
- Stand in place without a bike and prectice jumping up and doing a 360. Learn to lead with your head and see where your going.
- Try not to land hard while still spinning. This will bend your rims. It's best to have enough air to complete the spin. If you are not that good at pulling up and getting good air, learn that before you learn to spin.
- Once you can complete a full 360 without landing your rear wheel first and pivoting on it, you can jump a jump with a downside.
This is an aggresive move and requires a certain degree of commitment and effort. You can't just slightly twist or get just a little bit of air. You have to be downright aggresive when you huck this move. If you don't fully commit, that is when you fall or ruin a bike by landing 90 or 270 really hard.
Don't be a fool like me, wear a helmet when you do this stuff.
Hey John......you need some helmet smilies..... :beer_yum: But beer works.
I don't know if they were serious, but I might as well write about it anyway.
First of all, do we all agree on the name.....or should we call it something else..... :p :p .
A 360 is not an easy trick and certainly not easy on a mountain bike. I have never done a 360 on a mountain bike, but I have done them on my BMX bike. I can do both flat ground 360's and air 360's off of a jump.
I can do a 180 on a mountain bike on flat ground and off a jump. I don't do them much because derailleurs don't like to spin backwards when I have to roll backwards out of 180's.
I suggest learning 180's first, then 360's. I learned these on a loading dock with side ramps in some industrial area in St. Louis Park. I think that's probably the best place unless you know of a good dirt jump that has a good lip to a flat landing with no downside.
Most of the rotation of a 180 or 360 is in the upper body. Approach the jump at a medium speed and make sure your going fast enough to get some decent air, but you don't want to be haulin' @ss. As you approach the launch, do your normal pump motions as if you are going to do a normal air, you should know what I am talking about or don't bother doing this trick in the first place. At the very top of the lip just before your front wheel goes off, you want to already start twisting your upper body in the direction you are going to spin. You want to lead with your head and then your shoulders and arms. The rest of you body will naturally spin with your bike under it. This has to be a fairly aggressive twist and at the same time you are twisting, you still need to pull the bars up and then your legs as you would during a normal launch off a jump. If you don't do both the twisting and the lifting of the bike, you will not make it. If you start twisting too soon, you rear wheel might catch the lip of the jump as the bike spins, so make sure have wait until you are just about to launch.
Keep your head turning ahead of your body and bike. You want to be looking where you are going. One you get to the desired rotation 180 or 360, you will hopefully still be in the air. You then want to bring the rear wheel down first and then let the front complete it's rotation as it comes down to the ground. Remember that is you are doing the air correctly, you legs should be compressed and allowing the back of the bike to come up higher off the ground. So to drop the back end first, you push down on the back end with your legs by straightening your knees.
A few tips:
- You can always land short of your 180 or 360 if you land the rear wheel first and push your forward foot down really hard. Yes, you always jump with your pedals level and one foot forward. By pushing down on this pedal as your rear wheel lands, it will help keep the front end up longer and you will actually be able to complete the spin with your rear wheel on the ground.
- Stand in place without a bike and prectice jumping up and doing a 360. Learn to lead with your head and see where your going.
- Try not to land hard while still spinning. This will bend your rims. It's best to have enough air to complete the spin. If you are not that good at pulling up and getting good air, learn that before you learn to spin.
- Once you can complete a full 360 without landing your rear wheel first and pivoting on it, you can jump a jump with a downside.
This is an aggresive move and requires a certain degree of commitment and effort. You can't just slightly twist or get just a little bit of air. You have to be downright aggresive when you huck this move. If you don't fully commit, that is when you fall or ruin a bike by landing 90 or 270 really hard.
Don't be a fool like me, wear a helmet when you do this stuff.
Hey John......you need some helmet smilies..... :beer_yum: But beer works.