Crank Flips

[tom tom]

how do you crank flip, where do your feet start (normal position or slightly further round, etc?

tom tom

[Luke Drewery]

I start with my cranks just about level, then push back and up on the pedal with my lead foot, and down with my back foot to spin the cranks, then to land you just keep your eye on them when they are spinning and catch the pedals.

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When I was learning them I used to kick hard and stick my front foot in the way. This helps if you start doing them on the back or front wheel where you may find it hard to spot the cranks coming around.

[Ali C]

I am weird when it comes to crank flips, I can do them, but only left footed, this is strange as I am right foot forward I am pretty comfotable doing them though, dont need to watch them or anything and can just about do them on either my front or back wheel.

I recken I do them left footed as that foot is used to scooping the pedal up from bunnyhoips and so on, I just do the same movment with my foot except kinda upward, hey presto a crank flip.

[Dan Jones]

It might help learning them if you keep one foot on the floor and use your forward foot to practice.

The positions are as if you are looking at the drive side of the bike.

I think to have the cranks just above horizontal level would make it easiest (probably near the 1 - 2 o' clock position.

Point your toes towards the ground enough to get a hold on the pedal to spin the cranks.

Then practice bringing the pedal up then remove your foot i think at about just before the 12 o' clock position and see if you can get the rotation. After you remove your foot put it back in the place you started at so you can not miss the cranks if they spin enough (your foot can obviously be flat now).

Then maybe try it with both feet on the pedals, just ride along slowly. Lightly jump but before your feet leave the pedals apply the technique with your front foot. I think with your back foot it will be pretty natural what to do.

If you start with the cranks completely horizontal as you are lightly jumping move them backwards so the front crank goes to about the 1 - 2 o' clock position then you can use what you have practised from that place. I think all of this is done in one fluid motion.

You can use your arms to give more time in the air to allow the cranks time to spin, I think if you lean to far over the bars it wont look right though. As you get better at it you will probably not need to do this so much.

I found you can spin the cranks much quicker if you just slide the front foot off of the side of the pedal but it wears out your shoes pretty fast!

It might be worth wearing some leg protection I remember cutting my legs loads of time trying to nail a crank.

I really have no idea if that makes any sense?

Don't blame me if by reading this you got worse at them .

Edited February 12, 2006 by trialsy

[tom tom]

It might help learning them if you keep one foot on the floor and use your forward foot to practice.

The positions are as if you are looking at the drive side of the bike.

I think to have the cranks just above horizontal level would make it easiest (probably near the 1 - 2 o' clock position.

Point your toes towards the ground enough to get a hold on the pedal to spin the cranks.

Then practice bringing the pedal up then remove your foot i think at about just before the 12 o' clock position and see if you can get the rotation. After you remove your foot put it back in the place you started at so you can not miss the cranks if they spin enough (your foot can obviously be flat now).

Then maybe try it with both feet on the pedals, just ride along slowly. Lightly jump but before your feet leave the pedals apply the technique with your front foot. I think with your back foot it will be pretty natural what to do.

If you start with the cranks completely horizontal as you are lightly jumping move them backwards so the front crank goes to about the 1 - 2 o' clock position then you can use what you have practised from that place. I think all of this is done in one fluid motion.

You can use your arms to give more time in the air to allow the cranks time to spin, I think if you lean to far over the bars it wont look right though. As you get better at it you will probably not need to do this so much.

I found you can spin the cranks much quicker if you just slide the front foot off of the side of the pedal but it wears out your shoes pretty fast!

It might be worth wearing some leg protection I remember cutting my legs loads of time trying to nail a crank.

I really have no idea if that makes any sense?

Don't blame me if by reading this you got worse at them .

cheers

[Tomm]

I found that starting with your front foot DOWN a bit helps. You start off with the pedal at say 5 o'clock (looking from the drive side), and then sorta do a quarter stroke back until your front foot is at 2 o'clock. At that point, and all as a smooth motion, jump and flick the pedals. I just found that the extra bit of momentum on the pedals at the start helps loads

[street trials rider]

the way i try to teach people is to get your front foot out of the way then kick down and away with your back foot then get your front foot back in place to stop the rotation (found this method easier than pulling up with front foot)

After a while you get used to how long it takes to rotate and you can just ride along talking to someone and crankflip without looking where the pedals are and land it perfectly.