Mountain Biking - bicycling down a flight of stairs

Years ago, I attended a brief demo in which a bicycle cop was demonstrating his police bicycle. Assuming that the rider was skilled enough to handle it, the bicycle was supposed to be able to be cycled down a flight of stairs. I'm therefore assuming that the bike had mountain bike sensibility built into it. While I have no plans to bicycle down a flight of stairs anytime in the foreseeable future, I'm left wondering: what bicycle traits make a bike workable for navigating down a staircase?

Short answer: The rider

A set of fat tires helps too, so you don't damage your rims. But really, it's not a big deal to do and actually quite fun. Mountain bikes work best, but are by no means necessary.

XMan is correct I have done stairs on a BMX bike as well. Although a MTB seems to be more fun on stairs.

Am I right in assuming that one doesn't want to go down the stairs too slowly? It seems like if one resisted the downward/forward momentum on a surface as uneven as stairs, one might be likely to just fall over. It seems like bicycling down the stairs would have a lot in common with getting flipped onto the mat in judo -- if you resist, you're more likely to get injured.

Maaaann, I gonna have to go find a flight of stairs and see how fun it is...

Originally posted by ViciousCycle
...if you resist, you're more likely to get injured.

Very true, keep your speed up, butt back, and light grip on the bar.

I once had a bicycle campus cop try to stop me for riding down the bell tower stairs (a set of 80+ very vast stairs). I was going to stop for the bike cop, as soon as i got down the next set of stairs, this time, only a half dozen or so steps, most riders would just bunny hop over the stairs, its a 4' drop at best. I decided not to stop, when i saw the bike cop get off his mountain bike, and walk it down the last set of stairs... I had a class to goto and didnt want to wait for the guy to give me a ticket :)

That is pretty cool Joe...80+ stairs huh? Does it help to have full sus.? I have been on the verge of doing stairs before but my mind always filled with terrible pictures of my neck being broken. But I guess if you butt is back on a hardtail then it allows the backend to bounce around so you almost have full sus., just in a different manner.

I've ridden down the steps of the Art Museum in Philadelphia before, You now the ones in the Rocky movie. I thought that was cool until I watched a rollerblader go down those stairs backwards.

actually, riding down stairs isn't very difficult, just keep your weight back and your momentum up and You'll be fine. Now riding up stairs, that's a challenge.

Since no one mentioned it, I thought I'd add that you should approach and descend the stairs perpendicular to the actual steps (i.e. straight down).

Just find a place where there is a gradual hill where the stairs gradually merge into the ground so that at one end there are 1-2 steps and the number of steps increases from there. This way you can gradually work your way up.

I was intimidated by stairs intially, but was surprised how easy they were to descend. I have never fallen on stairs BTW.
Of course the more gradual the pitch (less rise vs. run) the easier.

Steep, long stairways are still out of my league, however :(

Keep your seet a little bit lower, so that it doesnt restrict your movement at all. Depending on how many stairs you're doin, you might want your but right over the rear tire. thats where mine usually is, and yes stairs are very fun.

You know what???
I like the feeling of gettin up the stairs first, then goin down them, now thats an accomplishment! Although I know there are some very long sets of stairs, but if you try hard enough and practice lots... Well it took me a couple days to beable to go up an easy set of stairs every time.

Riding down stairs is one of the easiest "tricks" on a bike. Just approach at a little more than walking speed, get back behind the seat a little, and roll off. Keep your arms and legs relaxed and let the bike bounce around under you. Do not even think about touching the front brake, feather the rear to scrub speed. It really is really easy, kids and people who have never tried it are really impressed by it.
If stairs are less than 10 or 12 steps long I usually just huck them. The ones longer than that I will bunny hop into them, land about 6 steps or so in and ride the rest down.
There arent any trails in New Orleans, but there are a lot of stairs. So we make the best of what we have.

I've gone down a flight of 8-step flight of stairs with no problem. I enjoyed it quite a bit, and would like to do staircases more, but I have one concern holding me back. Specifically, if my front inner tube were to pop while going down the stairs, it would get pretty ugly.

Now if I wanted something completely risk free, I never would have started going down staircases in the first place. However, I'm trying to calculate my risks. On a staircase with no broken glass, nails, sharp objects, etc. on it, have you or anyone you know got a flat front tire while going down a staircase?

I haven't gotten a flat...But I put a heavy duty innder tube on my front rim to help prevent from blowouts.

If you want to add style to riding stairs, you should really launch the bike from the top and land your back wheel at the bottom

Ofcourse, this technique gets trickier the more stairs you attempt, but I've cleared a set of 7 stairs no problems.

Rich :)

Try this one for size you guys,..find some steps/stairs start off on only a few.. at the bottom ride paralell slowly(walking pace) then lift the front wheel up onto the first step as soon as the front touches down lift up the rear wheel onto the first step !! all the time moving forward slowly continue this untill the steps come to an end, then just ride off down them.... go try it..:p

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Rich
[B]If you want to add style to riding stairs, you should really launch the bike from the top and land your back wheel at the bottom. Of course, this technique gets trickier the more stairs you attempt, but I've cleared a set of 7 stairs no problems.

For variety might I suggest an elevator? Maybe you could clear 7 stories on your back wheel....once!:p

Eddie

I ride 13, 15 stairs, its not too hard, even when its just wider than your handlebars, but i usually dont do it for fun. Most of the time its like riding down a set of stairs so I dont have to go two blocks around, or carry my bike down. This might happen when I'm riding a bridge

since im the financial equivalent of broke, (though i wont say that i am), i just ride down the stairs at my junior high with watever my cheeks are planted on, and my legs wrapped around. i fly down 5 step incriments and goin up isnt too hard either, but i ride up the nearby grass hill. my administrator got, well, peeved the first time i did it, so being the good boy that i am,i make sure she isnt looking.



"He who laughs last, thinks slowest"
-Bumper Sticker

Originally posted by bentrox!

For variety might I suggest an elevator? Maybe you could clear 7 stories on your back wheel....once!:p

Eddie

:roflmao:

First of all I'm 36 years young. I do ride down steps when there in my path. I like the stairs that are less than 8 steps. Now I want to try more but I am just unsure of doing so. But after reading this thread I now have the balls to go for it. I would run out and do it right now but I have already done my ride for the day. So tomorrow morning I am going right for the steps and do my thing, my way if you know what I mean!! Thanks for the encoragement guys...

Scott

As soon as my bike is fixed I'm gonna be a stair riding fool!!! You guys probably won't see me around for a few days after I get my bike fixed. I am so close to getting it all put back together I could wet my pants!!

As long as you don't get any pee on your bike!

To get properly psyched for stair riding, I might suggest renting Double Down or one of the North Shore Extreme videos. There is some shots of guys launching sets of 10-12 stairs and landing on another set of 10-12 stairs.

big travel bikes do have their perks.

Originally posted by a2psyklnut
As long as you don't get any pee on your bike!

I'll try!!

Where I live in a small town there isn't any good set off stairs to jump off. But there are tons of very long wooden stairs which are very fun.