Technique : Switching

[zoo]

I'm practising this too,but i've found this way best for me:

hop to front wheel,then do a hop on the front wheel,but when i feel the wheel come back down,let the brake go,and push the back end into the ledge with me legs HARD!,i can't quite keep to backwheel yet though,anybody got any tips on how to gap to front wheel,as i truggle with it lol

zoo x x x

[Joel]

I am trying to learn wheel swops aswell, the way i am trying to do at the mo' is by getting my wheel on the object. Then from standing stright, i crouch down a little bit, then jump up throwing my arm's in the air (which is the part i am stuck on). Then land the back wheel on the edge of the object.

Hope this helps.

Joel

[tomturd]

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[Ducko]

try and make the bike flow in the move,

confidence plays a big part in this move, if your not confident you wont make it.

just practice lots

[Greetings]

relax. it works best on this move. dont keep your arms tense, operate your bike in an easy manner, use more body weight shifting than force in getting the bike where it should be. i find this move much better on low walls when i ease out

EDIT: Imo it wouldnt make a great difference if you replaced your parts with ligher ones

Edited January 16, 2006 by Inur

[Shez.sheridan]

I've been trying to static wheel-swap from front wheel resting on a wall, to backwheel whenever I've rode recently..I could manage about 10 inches once just before Christmas - I tried it again last night & I managed to backwheel to just over rear wheel height (20") many times (however I seem to pull to one side still), and higher to both wheels.

I ride a 20" bike, and eventually I want to be able to hop to front wheel & swap like on all of the vids - but how the hell do you put that into it...knowing my luck I'll get the wheel stuck on the edge & propell my self over into the imminent faceplant..

Is it easier/same technique on a 26", or is there no difference..and would it help to be learn to hop on the front wheel first - I imagine so, but I can't even manage one yet...

[TomN]

Try it at an angle aswell as it's a bit easier since you are closer to the wall or rail.

[Shez.sheridan]

Try it at an angle aswell as it's a bit easier since you are closer to the wall or rail.

I found that, as the lower the angle, the more you physically have to throw the bike forwards...which I was putting too much emphasis on at first - i was trying to use my forearms to launch the bike forwards.

I just found leaning as far as possible over the front wheel; as soon as you jump up, the bike kind of wants to travel forwards under your shoulders anyway...

[mat hudson]

when mark was teaching me, he said basically, the line your feet makeon the peadals should be paralell to the wall, pallet etc you are hopping up. seams to work well to be honest

[Mark W]

That's 'cos my technique pwns, Mat

Like Mat said, to begin with, just lift the front wheel up. Hop about a bit to just get your composure back, and turn the bike so your back pedal is as close to the wall as the front is, e.g.:

It means you've got to move the bike less distance forward, so you can concentrate more on the up-ness.

Anyway, get yourself into that position on your bike. Just relax, and calm down. The less hopping around you're doing, the more preload you can get on the go.

Next, scrunch your body down directly over the back tyre/main part of the bike, as it is on the wall. After doing this, explode UPWARDS, not forwards. As you do this, suck the back end of the bike up as hard as you can. Throw your arms forwards, and that'll get the front end over and keep the weight over it, so you'll have balanced out your body weight being over the back. Either way, you end up nicely on the back wheel.

I'll get a vid tomorrow to show you better. One thing I found was that to some extent, learning it on slightly higher stuff rather than slightly lower was better, 'cos you learn the correct throwing technique, 'cos it's fairly different doing it on lower stuff, almost like a different technique.

[craigjames]

the whole throwing the bike upwards bit is the part i find the hardest, i have a tendancy to be able to lift the rear wheel upwards but push the front forwards so i never land on the rear and keep the front up. i set up the way everyone has said by keeping the line feet make paralell to the wall and crouching down and throwing up but the only way i can get the rear wheel up is to throw the bike up and forwards. i just dont seem to be able to keep the front wheel up and get the rear high enough, im trying on a 18" high wall if thats make any difference.

[Shez.sheridan]

I usually run my tyres quite hard when I ride as I find it easier to control the bike gapping on the thin walls etc - however, I found the switching technique so much easier when I reduced the pressures as it gave me a bit of extra bounce .

The usual problem I have riding is that I'm too stiff through my arms/shoulders, this goes for every move, even when bunny hopping etc; it's harder as your making the bike do all the work - the other night I just practiced hoping up & down on the spot with my front wheel on a wall (rear wheel on the ground) - I found practicing this alone very useful as I feel I finally got the hang of loosening my arms/shoulders & jumping the bike as a unit - then I tried static wheel swaps from front wheel (resting on the wall) to backwheel, and it worked far better.

Derv

[TomN]

Am lost what switch are we on about?

[PaRtZ]

PIGEON!!!

[TomN]

Ah bum. Thought he meant gapping ones like since he said rails

[Mark W]

Here's the video I said about earlier. IF you don't have an eengoedidee account, let me know.

Anyway, there's a random subtitle on there, 'cos I was gonna put up subtitles, but they looked shit

Anyways, there's a bit of distortion too, 'cos Mat took the clip portrait so I had to rotate it, and it sorta raped the quality.

Clip-age

I'm not the best wheel-swapper out there, but you can at least see the technique. I didn't even realise that's how I did it, but there we go When you look at the slow-mo bit, you can see how you get the front to stay up. You're effectively just moving yourself into the 'backwheeling' position, so it's just a case of practise, practise, and more practise to get it into your head the position you've gotta move yourself to.

[The Dude]

I might do better with a stronger and lighter front set up, currently Onza Tuf guys with a maggie on a smooth rim.

Would this make much of a difference if i swapped for alighter set-up such as Echo urbans and an avid bb7.

doesnt make too much of a difference for the price, just put some more effort in.

its good to go for this trick on a wall you can easily backwheel. (your not going to be able to learn it on a 55" wall)

when the frontwheel is on, keep your legs straight, get yor chest down to 6-8" over your bars.

remember that most of the hop comes from your chest and pulling up with your arms, so basicly launch them high as thell go from here, and remember to bring the bike up with you.

now stop, max payne style, in mid air and just push your backwheel that 1" that has to go to land on the wall.