Back wheel first or both at the same time is usually preferable
singelingtracks on
Oh God never land front first. Great way to die.
Back wheel first if it’s a big drop, watch how trials riders do drops to flat / street riders .
or both at the same time for ramped landings / smaller hits.
9ermtb2014 on
Both at the same time or the rear by only a fraction of a second. It should be bang bang.
minnesotajersey on
Flat or back first.
Though I just watched Wibmer do a ski slope run and he landed a LONG jump front-first on groomed ski snow. Insane.
YT_MOB on
Back wheel first typically. It allows your legs to be another form of suspension
WY228 on
Gonna go against the grain with the other commenters here. In general you always want front wheel down slightly before back wheel. Lets your suspension cycle more naturally and fork takes the initial hit before the main compression force transitions to the rear. Gets the front tire down and tracking first for best traction. Push the bars out as you roll the drop then compress your arms back in as the front wheel hits to keep your center of gravity centered as the force rolls into the rear, then let your legs absorb the rest. Don’t just lean back and leave it all to your legs. You’ll throw off your CG.
Landing both at same time (or even worse rear wheel first) slams the fork down harder and throws your weight forward causing instability on roll out. Plus the fork isn’t at the right angle to cycle naturally. Sudden forward weight shift to an uncompressed fork with reduced traction = bad time.
CarlosLeDanger69 on
Never front wheel first
kitnerboyredoubt on
Hitting front wheel first is a bad habit to get into. Things can go sideways real fast. That being said if you’re just doing it screwing around to learn a new skill it can be useful from a bike handling standpoint just to learn how the bike reacts. Or if you’re trying to dial in your bonky jibby skills ala 50/01.
Chance_Society_6927 on
Sloped landing = front wheel first slightly.
Flat drop = both same times or rear wheel first to soften the blow
ductapegirl on
You can land on your front wheel. However, there are consequences.
timscarey on
Is that the Seattle Asian Art Museum?
Zerocoolx1 on
Both wheels
boki9001 on
That’s how I almost broke my neck as a kid.
Sea-Seaweed1701 on
It is sooooo much softer landing both wheels at the same time. I can’t believe this is not universally accepted!
14 Comments
Back wheel first or both at the same time is usually preferable
Oh God never land front first. Great way to die.
Back wheel first if it’s a big drop, watch how trials riders do drops to flat / street riders .
or both at the same time for ramped landings / smaller hits.
Both at the same time or the rear by only a fraction of a second. It should be bang bang.
Flat or back first.
Though I just watched Wibmer do a ski slope run and he landed a LONG jump front-first on groomed ski snow. Insane.
Back wheel first typically. It allows your legs to be another form of suspension
Gonna go against the grain with the other commenters here. In general you always want front wheel down slightly before back wheel. Lets your suspension cycle more naturally and fork takes the initial hit before the main compression force transitions to the rear. Gets the front tire down and tracking first for best traction. Push the bars out as you roll the drop then compress your arms back in as the front wheel hits to keep your center of gravity centered as the force rolls into the rear, then let your legs absorb the rest. Don’t just lean back and leave it all to your legs. You’ll throw off your CG.
Landing both at same time (or even worse rear wheel first) slams the fork down harder and throws your weight forward causing instability on roll out. Plus the fork isn’t at the right angle to cycle naturally. Sudden forward weight shift to an uncompressed fork with reduced traction = bad time.
Never front wheel first
Hitting front wheel first is a bad habit to get into. Things can go sideways real fast. That being said if you’re just doing it screwing around to learn a new skill it can be useful from a bike handling standpoint just to learn how the bike reacts. Or if you’re trying to dial in your bonky jibby skills ala 50/01.
Sloped landing = front wheel first slightly.
Flat drop = both same times or rear wheel first to soften the blow
You can land on your front wheel. However, there are consequences.
Is that the Seattle Asian Art Museum?
Both wheels
That’s how I almost broke my neck as a kid.
It is sooooo much softer landing both wheels at the same time. I can’t believe this is not universally accepted!