Switchbacks

TIGHT SWITCHBACK

1.APPROACH

Make sure you approach the corner at a slow enough speed to be in control. Look ahead to spot the best line of approach – try to find somewhere to place your front wheel where there are not wet or loose rocks, so that the tyre doesn’t slide when you brake.

2.INITIATION

Ride to the apex of the turn to give your back wheel enough space to swing around. Bend your legs and arms to compress your fork and shock. The rebound will help you create the forward movement needed to unweight your rear wheel when you pull on the front brake.

master the basics

We recommend practising endos – and endo turns – on flat, smooth ground before attempting them off-road. Trail centre car parks or wide fireroads are good places to do this. It’s beneficial to learn the basics both on and off tarmac, so you get used to stopping the front wheel on looser ground.

LIFT THE BACK WHEEL

First up, you want to try and get the back wheel off the ground without help from your front brake. Riding along at a walking pace, lower your hips. From this low position, push off your pedals to drive your hips up and forwards. This momentum should lift your back wheel. Once your legs are fully extended, you can aid the lift by sweeping your feet in a back-and- upward direction.

ADD THE FRONT BRAKE

Once you’re confident lifting the back wheel, you can add some front brake to help give the wheel more height. This will help you find your balance point on the front wheel and give you more time to swing the back end around in the next step. At walking pace, use the same technique as before. This time squeeze the front brake just as you extend your legs. If you feel you’ve gone too far, release the front brake and push your hips backward. If you haven’t felt much change, try using more front brake. This takes plenty of practice to become confident, so keep at it.

SWING THE BACK WHEEL

To endo around a turn, you need to swing your back wheel to the side. This involves steering your handlebar in the direction you want to turn and twisting your head and hips in the same direction. The timing is important. Turn the bar just before you apply the front brake. Lift your hips and apply the front brake, twist them and look in the direction you want to end up facing, to get the rear wheel to swing. Try to build up slowly until you can turn the bike 90 degrees in one endo. As always, if you feel like you’re going over the bars, release the front brake and lean back.