Mountain Biking - some "trick" questions

could you please answer the following for me.

what is a track stand?

what is a front wheel hop? (do you have to hop up or over things or do you just bounce around?)

what is a back wheel hop? (do you have to hop up or over things or do you just bounce around?)


what is a wheelie drop(or is it wheel drop?)


what the HECK is a J hop?


what are some of the other common names for "tricks" that people do on mnt bikes?

thannks, sorry for the stupid questions....

what is a track stand?
balancing the bike while at a standstill with the feet still in the pedals and not touching the ground or anything else for support-- the name originates from track racing (oval tracks with bank corners) 2-man sprints where the rider who could track stand the longest could ride in the wind shadow of the competitor which is a HUGE advantage. you do this by turning the front wheel slightly and applying slight pressure to the pedals -- it's mostly balance and good riders can track stand for 10 minutes or more (i usually have no problem with 1-2 minutes)


what is a front wheel hop? (do you have to hop up or over things or do you just bounce around?)
basically an endo where you then hold it and bounce (i can't do this one)


what is a back wheel hop? (do you have to hop up or over things or do you just bounce around?) i very close can't quite do this one, but you basically lean back and/or do a wheelie with the back brake on and hold the bike balanced almost vertical and hop on the rear tire. talented trails riders can hop up stairs, logs or combine with other tricks to climb up picnic tables for example


what is a wheelie drop(or is it wheel drop?)
a technique for going down large drops where you basically pull the front end up like in a wheelie as you go down a drop so that you land on the rear tire -- this enables you to do large drops (like 2-5') that are difficult or impossible to do in the traditional way which is front tire down first b/c you will flip over the handlebars -- also looks cool --- some guys can do huge wheelie drops like off the roof of a house -- i can do small ones like 2-3' but i somehow wuss on big ones and don't usually do them well...


what are some of the other common names for "tricks" that people do on mnt bikes?
something not really very useful but looks cool is the "statue of liberty" -- this is where you do a standing wheelie and then balance on the rear wheel and the put your foot on top of the rear tire and climb up on top of the bike and stand up straight so your head is like 8' off the ground and lift your arms straight up...

generally "hopping" is good for tight corners where traditonal riding is not possible

there are tons of new tricks coming out of Trials and BMX... neither of which are my major areas (XC, technical singletrack and a little Freeride)

thanks!

i'm not real concerned w/ the names of the bmx tricks.

i just wanted to know what some of the folks where talking about in other threads.


i still don't know what a J hop is....

A J hop is when you bring up the front wheel first, then the rear wheel. I use a J hop to get my mtn bike into my truck bed, or up small (under two feet) drop off's.

It is a variation of a bunny hop. If you can j-hop you bashgaurd to 20" or so you will find getting over obstacles easy.

I find rear pivot and front pivot to be of use as well as manuals. Manuals in and of themselves are useless but the skill and balance is important.

www.bike-trials.com has a great tutorial on all of these 'tricks' and more.

Originally posted by Maelstrom
Manuals in and of themselves are useless but the skill and balance is important.



great,
thanks again for the info.

i do have to disagree about manuals though.

i seem to spend most of my time on my back wheel, just coasting....

useless?

could be, but they are one of my favorite things to do on a bike.

I had the site wrong

http://www.biketrials.com/

If I tried doing a manul in the areas I bike for longer than a few feet I would fall. For mountain biking the balance itself is useful. The move is all show no go.

But it sure is impressive :D

yea, manuals don't do much good in the woods.

but i ride 99% of the time in the city.

curbs, stairs, walls, sidewalk cracks, bums, ledges, and banks are what i'm riding most of the time.

Ahh Urban riding. Nice. I could never get past the fact that conrete hurts more than the woods. I would much rather slide down a small cliff than screw up a big drop in the city. :D