Spring is Enduro season!

Spring is here, which means it's the perfect time to do some trailriding before everything become overgrown in the summer. In that vein, lets talk about a key skill that maybe you haven't picked up yet.

Log hopping.

plugbike.com

You're cruising the trail and over the winter a small tree has come down in your path. You could try to push through the brush to get around, but it's much simpler and easier just to hop it. Here's what you do.

Approach at a walking pace in first gear, while standing in a neutral position on your pegs. As you get a few feet from the log, crack the throttle and lean back while still weighting the pegs to lift the front tire. You should not sit down while doing this though! The idea is you want the front tire to hit the log while a few inches off the ground, or at least while it is unweighed. This will get the front over the log.

Now, on your first time hopping a log, you're gonna be scared and want to chop the throttle at this point. Don't do it. That will drop the front, throwing you forward and maybe stopping the rear against the log, launching you over the handlebars.

latimes.com

 Instead, keep your weight back and let the rear tire drive itself against and over the log. Once you've felt the tire roll over the log you can return to a neutral standing position and ride away clean.

As you learn this, you'll probably have the front tire hit the ground while your rear is still in the air. This is ok, but means your body position or throttle control was off. Ideally, you will be treating that log like a jump, and can literally launch off of it with practice.

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