How to take the plunge without Really Trying?

Did you notice how easy it seems when other Mounties are doing Drop-Offs ?

Truly one of the most intimidating features a mountain biker must confront is the Drop-Off ! This may seem very scary, especially when it is on top of a hill. The reason for this fear is that the front of the bike literally drops away, and consequently makes the upper body pitch forward so that you eventually will go flying over your handle bar. Though this is an understandable fear it is somewhat irrational. The bike will naturally follow the contour of the terrain you are riding without the rear of the bike coming up and over. All that is necessary is for the rider to control his or her body and apply the proper braking techniques.

The most important thing to remember is that your bike's tires have a long "footprint" (the circumference of the wheel times one full revolution). So you may think your tire is dropping away, but in actual fact the footprint allows the tire to roll over and through the drop >>> provided that you don't panic and slam on your front brake...That may be very OUCH!!!

It must be a really steep hill or severe drop-off that will override your bikes footprint and even then you may be able to handle it once you learned to conquer smaller drop-offs. 90% of the time it is the rider that don't get his or her weight far enough to the rear, or not bending enough at your waist or you get this urge to apply brakes in the middle of the drop-off, or sometimes even a combination of all three that send you flying like a bird over your handlebars. Nice for site seeing but oh,...mother earth is not always gentle on such landing occasions!

You get Two types of drop-offs

The first is on a fairly flat terrain that suddenly just drop away (like Stairs). The second is on the other side of a hill. Once you get on top you have to go down the other side which may be a drop-off.
Both these drop-offs require the "crouch" position. The secret is to keep your pedals level, butt raised up off the saddle with your thighs pinching the rear of the saddle. Keep your waist bent and your arms firm but relaxed. The faster you are going the more you should bend your waist and get your upper body towards the top tube of your bike.
REMEMBER: Do not push your upper body to the rear by extending your arms, because this will restrict your arms from steering and acting as shock absorbers.

Remember to keep your butt off the saddle by extending your legs, bending your waist and pinching the wings of the saddle with your thighs.
Keeping your butt on the saddle will prevent the bike to roll smoothly over the rough terrain with serious consequences.

Remember the golden rule is to keep your bike rolling. If you stop at the edge or lip of the drop-off you may loose your balance or throw yourself offline. Just stay cool bend down and enjoy the thrill.

Start with small drop-offs to build your confidence. Once you master this you may go to bigger challenges until you rock. Then you can impress your buddies by going down a steep flight of stairs or even a 2 meter drop-off on the trail.

Good luck and happy riding.