How to Jump Off a Mountain Bike

Video Transcript

"If you're riding above your skill level down a hill or even on flat ground and you know you're going to not be able to ride on the section, there's multiple ways to get off your bike and sort of ditch it. What I'm going to show you right now is how to jump off the back of your bike. Just take my pedals, clip out, push myself back, grab the seat, arrest the bike so it doesn't go down the trail and do damage or hit your friend in the face. That's one way of getting off if you have to ditch the bike. Other things to remember is if you're climbing and you're about to lose yourself, say on a log like this log right over here. I'm climbing up the hill and I’m about to lose myself because I hit this log. You want to move your weight uphill when you're getting off the bike. If I step off the backside of the bike right now this way, I'm way more likely to fall down the hill because I can safely rest all of my weight and everything on this uphill foot. It makes it easier to grab the bike, move it over the obstacle, and start going again. Other things to remember when you seem to be in a situation that is over your head, riding skills wise. A; try to avoid the situations because they can lead to injury. B; just slow down. Asset the situation and figure out how to get out of it in the less stressful, least risky manner. I showed you how to get off the back of your bike on a descent. You can also get off to the side. Just swing your leg around the back. If you don't have the time and the kinetic energy to really hop off the back. That can really help you a lot too. Especially, if you're riding on a narrow trail with exposure on one side, just remembering that if you just maintain contact with the bike in at least one or two places, you're not going to lose your bike, and you can even use it to help make yourself more stable. I'm resting pretty firmly here on my bike. If this was steep shale hill, I'd be able to use this front brake and the mass of th wheel to rest myself from sliding down. Just remember the bike is the intersection of the rider and the bike. You can use the bike as a tool even when you're not riding it."