Log grinds and hopping big logs at an angle are great ways to
get over oblique logs without losing speed.
Logs at angle can be very tricky,
even for top riders like Tim Coleman if they are wet and at an extreme angle.
For us normal riders, they can be very difficult.
We have already covered the basics of crossing small logs at an angle
in this existing training vid on Youtube.
You first need to master the bunny hop,
a very useful skill for not only angled logs but jumping over gaps and other obstacles too.
We covered this in our Youtube video, how to jump gaps.
Remember the bunny hop and log grind are the fast ways to get over logs at an angle.
The pivot turn technique is usually safer if you aren't in a hurry.
And as Ruben Chadwick shows, you can use it to get over some quite large logs too.
Typically you want to ride over a log just straight across it.
But sometimes you're forced to go across it at an angle.
So when I'm doing that, I always try and just keep the back as light as possible.
A always trying to 'bunny hop' it and skim over the log.
The bunny hop is simply a normal wheelie,
but cutting the throttle and deweighting the pegs make the rear of the bike very light.
You can see here there is no weight on the footpegs at all.
This allows the rear wheel to roll over instead of slide along the log.
And make sure you cut that throttle.
If you keep the power on the rear wheel will definitely spin then slide along the log.
If the rear wheel does slide, let the bike move and don't try to control it too much.
You can lean your body and let momentum pull the bike over.
Make sure your front wheel either clears or just lightly touches the log.
Hitting it can make the front wheel slide along and ensure a crash.
Enough with the gumby rider, let's see how a top rider uses the bunny hop.
Ruben is tackling a much larger obstacle here, and also at a more severe angle.
And now over to Ruben for the log grind.
The log grind is more just a 'show off' trick that I do.
As Ruben says, the log grind is more of a trick than a practical technique.
There's a fair bit of risk involved so only very
experienced highly skilled riders should attempt this.
You try to get your bashplate to slide along the log as long as possible.
So when I'm doing the grind, I tend to hit this little knot here.
But you can just let out the clutch and the rear wheel should grip and just pull you over.
You still cut the throttle after the wheelie,
but instead of deweighting the rear, you intentionally hit the skidplate and slide.
Lean in toward the log to reduce the risk of high siding.
Keep your body position centred, relax your legs and let the bike's rear swing around.
As long as you have enough momentum, the rear wheel will stop sliding and roll over.
This is a risky technique so always make sure there are no rocks or other nasties to fall on to.