Learn how to ride trials and street trials with TrashZen: this will also improve your general MTB riding skills.
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Landing Smooth


Most beginners jump and just wait for gravity to take over. Instead, a smooth reception should engage your body into a firm but progressive transition.

Landing smooth is essential to make the most of your bike and your bones. It requires a lot of practice but it is very useful to avoid pinch flats when landing on sharp edges.

It is important to set yourself an objective, a target landing zone for each wheel. By identifying your landing spots for both wheels, you'll be prepared to either stop completely over the rear wheel or at least decellerate enough to control your next transition, or you may choose to use extra damping with a firm push-up on your arms as the front wheel hits the ground or the nearest obstacle.

trials riding tutorials Kenny Belaey crouches and stays over the rear wheel.

trials riding tutorials Jack Carthy is fully stretched upon touch-down.

The smoother you are, the less pressure you need in the tyres without pinching flat on every jump, and you'll have more grip with low pressure (see that in most landings the rear tyre goes nearly flat).

How much of the impact you can damp depends a lot of your position in the air, and the surface of reception. For round blunt obstacles like wood logs, less pressure gives extra gripping because the tyre can litteraly grab the edges and shapes. Less pressure makes tyre rebounds smoother for landing, and ensures a more comfortable ride.

It is important to target your landing zone with precision. Once in the air, adapt your posture to match your objective and guide your wheels to the targets you have identified.





Avoid landing flat

trials riding tutorials Hannes Herrmann finishes with a firm push-up on the arms.

trials riding tutorials Kenny Belaey fully stretched, about to flex upon landing.

In most cases in biketrials, you must land on slanted grounds (each wheel on a different rock or bump, at different heights).

If you land on a flat, always try to land on the rear first, to absorb most of the impact with your legs before the front wheel touches down, then you can absorb the reminder of the impact with your arms.

If you drop off sideways, make sure you land aligned with the bike, else you can fall sideways upon impact. During the jump, adapt your posture and guide the bike towards its target.


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