Mountain Biking - riding up stairs

Okay, how the he** do you ride upstairs ?

I saw a couple of bike cops doing it when they were chasing some guy but I can't get it right.

Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks,

Justen

Try chasing someone?

Honestly, I dunno.

I've never tried going up more that 2 or 3 steps, then it's just a momentum thingy.

L8R

Originally posted by a2psyklnut
Try chasing someone?

Honestly, I dunno.

I've never tried going up more that 2 or 3 steps, then it's just a momentum thingy.

L8R

There must be some kind of technique involved. I am sure it is a momentum thing but everytime I try it, I can't get up more than 2-3 stairs at once either.

I guess I need to watch more bike chases :-) the guy they were chasing was on foot. I was just surprised to see them suddenly go up the stairs behind him but I couldn't really see their position over the bike.

Justen

Hey there...I ride up stairs all the time. You can view a small and very lame video here (I am the rider in blue), but you can see up stairs riding:

Please do a right-click, save Target as:
http://www.mtbkanata.com/realplayer/Urban_Assault_250K.wmv

Basically stairs are really easy. There are a few things to remember though...

1.) Make sure your tires are pumped up... stairs can flat you real fast.
2.) Lunge into the stairs... that way you're already up a few before you loose momentum
3.) Hit the stair perpendicular. This makes the journey the shortest ....

Hope that helps!!

Joe

You can actually jump the stairs if you start getting good enough. I pull the front wheel up right as I'm hitting the stairs, and when the front wheel hits the stairs, it pops the front up. And then as my rear wheel comes to the stairs and hits at the same time, it pops me up in the air. Pretty cool.. just learned to do it. Just takes some trust.

Very cool vids MTBKanata! Looks like a helluvalotta fun!

Momentum is your friend. A fast walking pace is a good place to start.

Originally posted by bikeCOLORADO
Momentum is your friend. A fast walking pace is a good place to start.

Okay...so I should position myself more forward on the bike on my approach and ascent ? I must be too far forward now as that is what is causing me to get stuck on the stairs.

Justen

If anything I'd say you should lean back as you pull the front wheel up, then transfer the weigh further forward as you come up the stairs.

Originally posted by Jim311
If anything I'd say you should lean back as you pull the front wheel up, then transfer the weigh further forward as you come up the stairs.

Yes..sort of like going up a curb ..you let the front wheel come up but then to gain momentum, I lean forward a little more to get up the stairs.

I will try again today and see how it goes.
Not that this is going to be a major life
achievement when I figure it out but I love new challenges :-)

Thanks for the tips !

Justen

this gives me a new idea when approaching stairs, b4 i never can't climb up more than 2 steps.

i wonder if it is possible to do this with my hard tail bike

Originally posted by mer
this gives me a new idea when approaching stairs, b4 i never can't climb up more than 2 steps.

i wonder if it is possible to do this with my hard tail bike

I wouldn't think it would make a difference what kind of bike you're using right ?

Most of the cops here have hard tail bikes and they have no problem doing it.

Justen

On a dually it might be easier because you don't have to 'work' as much. When I go up stairs I REALLY have to focus on absorbing with my legs. If my legs are too dstiff I get stuck. Guys on dually just slam into them with as much momentum as possible and fly up them. It is possible on a ht but the technique is a little tighter :)

Weight more towards the rear...keeping the front end on the light side. Don't pick too low a gear...try to keep up the "fast walking" pace or u r toast.

I've ascended a 12 stair fairly steep set like this. If the stairs are more gradual - you can keep it up all day.

Justen,

I'm glad you asked this. I used to try and could only do a few at a time. With these tips, i'll try it again.

The most stairs I have ridden up is about 12.. I was with a friend riding downtown St. Louis.. was only attempting 3-6 stairs all day. We came to a resting point on our ride. He looked over and laughed "try riding those". I said I was never able to. So I tried and the first time made it up them.. I didn't try again after that. I wanted to keep the glory.. lol


-Joe

Hmmm, this kinda goes along with the thread on bikecops, except these cops sound like they knew how to ride. Good to know.

Great tips guys, I'm gonna have to try this stuff.

I hop up. Three flights is my max.

Three flights or 3 stairs??

A flight is usually 1 floor isnt it?

The cops around here couldn't ride up a CURB much less a flight of stairs. And especially not chase you down in a sprint.

Three floors, after that my upper body is cooked. I think it is a great trials workout. However based on my trials wins maybe not.

Rev wasn't there a guy who went up the eifel tower? I remember hearing something about that :)

I don't know. At my last comp I fell down a flight of spiral stairs.

I think this is the same guy. Not sure though

[from ezine]
Javier Zapata of Colombia broke his own world record by hopping up 943 steps on a bike without touching the ground on May 20 last year.

Wouldn't he have to touch the ground while hopping.. or do they mean with his feet?

-Joe

They mean his feet, no dabs.

I was practicing rocking up and down some stairs the other day at the highschool. It was hours after the school had been let out. My old math teacher comes out of the adjacent building and shouts. I don't remember what she shouted, but it couldn't have been, "Hi Ryan, how are you!" because that wouldn't have caused me to panic and tumble down the stairs like I did. Nothing boosts your pride quite like an observed duck-and-tumble down a flight of stairs.