- The humble curb.
The street side wedge.
Might look simple.
Could look boring, but, you know what?
This should never be underestimated.
I swear, I learned to be a professional
mountain bike rider using this obstacle.
It's an unlimited playground of roots, rocks, and drops,
and every street scenario you can think of.
You can learn it all on this simple toy.
It's amazing.
So let me convince you how to use the curb
to become a much better mountain bike rider.
(upbeat orchestral music)
(Martyn laughing)
So we've gotten the perfect curb
but I've got to be honest
I'm not the perfect guy to show you.
But, I have got the perfect guy to show you.
I didn't mess around.
I've got Blake Samson.
- Hey! Hi.
- Dude, are you ready to show everyone out there
how great and useful a curb can be?
- Yes I am.
- Well, this one is not the traditional curb
because it's got a drop that side
but it's very picturesque.
So we're gonna use it and we're gonna start over there.
- Right. - Let's do it.
- Do it. - Come on.
(upbeat orchestral music)
Okay, let's start with the absolute basics.
We're looking at hitting the curb head on
and you're learning a few things here.
Firstly, and obviously, you're learning
to lift the front wheel
and once the front wheel's gone on
you'll unzip the back wheel but I think crucially
you're learning the geometry of your bike.
You're learning its length and what it feels like
to use it on an obstacle.
So, it looks simple, but it's actually
a really critical technique.
See it in action.
Go Blake!
(upbeat orchestral music)
Simple.
(upbeat orchestral music)
- Right, it might not seem much to the old naked eye
but the trusty old curb...
You've got to use your imagination.
- Yeah, absolutely.
You might be a beginner to mountain biking
but you can still use this.
You can just bump up the curb
front wheel, then back wheel.
As yours skills advance you'll be
hopping the front, then hopping the back.
Then the trusty bunny hop.
You can hit it fast.
You can hit it slow.
Don't look at this as just one thing.
There's lots there.
You've just got to find it and use it.
You can bump up it.
A bit more skill needed to lift the front
and then the back.
Moving on, lift the front, bump the back.
Or you can be a total dingbat
and bump the front and lift the back
but that doesn't make any sense.
Now for the important skill.
The bunny hop.
(upbeat orchestral music)
And, what about a bit of play time.
Don't just stop there.
Maybe a hop to manual.
(upbeat orchestral music)
That was good.
(Martyn laughing)
It wasn't that good.
(Blake laughing)
And let's not stop there.
Let's try a little bit of a combo.
Let's lift the front wheel.
Let the back wheel hop into endo.
Come on Blake, you've got it.
Hop. Bang.
Nice.
(upbeat orchestra music)
So we've done going up the step
but what about dropping off it.
The curb is perfect for learning the timing.
Doesn't matter about the height.
The movement of lifting the front and the back
just like Blake just did
is the same no matter how big it is.
(upbeat orchestral music)
Dude.
- That's pretty basic.
- Do you reckon you could go up it backwards?
- Backwards?
- Backwards. That would be pretty funny.
Try it. - Backwards.
- See if you can, like, hop in
and then go up it backwards.
Let's go on.
- Better stand back, because this might go wrong.
- Attempt number one.
- [Blake] This might go, yeah.
- Yes.
- And go!
Aww, nearly.
- [Blake] I gotta lift that front more.
- I knew you would.
Hop. Jump.
- [Blake] I got stopped on...
- You've gotta stop the endo sooner.
- [Blake] I can't actually
- Go. Go.
Oh wait, can you not roll backwards?
- [Blake] No I can't. Not yet, though
- Blakey can't fakie.
Blakey can't fakie.
Oh! You was close there!
Blakey. Blakey.
My god that was bad.
Don't be so scared.
You're scared.
- [Blake] That's a big seagull
- Honestly seagull, we're trying to film here, come on.
Use that speed.
In. Roll. Go.
No.
Failure.
- What's going on?
Dropping in for the first time.
- Dropping in, first go.
Blake Samson. - Let's go.
The Blakey fakie.
- It's quite hard.
- I'm losing faith in you.
- Oh no, no. I am as well. - I'm losing faith in you.
Yes. Roll it, roll.
You literally can't fakie.
- No.
Mountain bike's supposed to go forward, right?
- You can flip whip but you can't fakie.
You're kidding me.
Okay, we've worked out
you can't go up curbs backwards.
- I can't.
You probably could.
- Let's get back to the serious action.
Okay, we've been going up and down
but now we're gonna start using the length of the curb.
This is the time to make your bunny hop really work for you.
Doing the side hop up the curb
means you're going to learn an important skill
that you can use out on the trail.
It's really useful, and you can do it both ways.
So, you're coming along, and you're hopping up to the right
but then we challenge Blake more by bringing him in
and hopping up to the left.
Right. Left.
The more you practice the better you're gonna get.
(orchestral music)
Come on Blake.
Up. Down.
No. No, no, no. - No? No?
- You're not working hard enough.
This is a really important technique.
You've got to do the snakie.
You've got to go up, down, up, down, up, down.
You could get it in 30 times along there.
- 30 ups and downs?
- Come on!
This should be a cardiovascular workout.
- Didn't know it was gonna be the gym.
- Let's do it.
I want to see some action.
- [Blake] Okay. Alright.
- You've got to push Blakey.
30.
I think we should think of these in individuals
as how many times you can get up and down.
- One, two, three, four, five - Come on.
- Six, seven, eight, nine, ten
- [Martyn] Up, down, up, down.
- So each square is for each wheel?
- [Martyn] Up, down, up, down, go.
We have a bit of speed.
More speed. You're gonna hit speed.
Go. Down
and up
and down
and up
and down
Up
Down
Up
Down
Up
Down
Up
Down
You've got another one in you!
Yeah! Wooh!
- [Blake] That's hard work.
That is hard work.
- Now the other way.
Go.
Up.
Down.
Up.
You've got to start linking them together, man.
- [Blake] I'm trying to leave...
- Down up.
It's got to be one movement.
Down up.
Down.
Up.
That's it.
You see it?
Down. There's a new one.
Down.
Up.
Down. Rhythm.
Up.
Down. There's another one!
One! Yeah!
- What!
- Tired yet?
- Yeah, tired.
- Curbs are sick, man.
- That one's nice.
- Curbs are sick. - Hurt me.
Next.
- So if you've found yourself the perfect curb
just like this one, then don't miss out
on the chance to the obligatory tire slide.
(romantic orchestral music)
Let's spice things up a little bit.
Add in some stunts.
Let's try a 180.
Not bad.
Can we use the one that you didn't do?
Or is that gonna make you look bad?
- I don't mind looking bad.
- That was nowhere near.
- I'm only joking. Watch this.
- Wow. To back flip.
- That's a 180, right?
Oh, did you want me to go out of frame?
- But you can't, Blakey can't fakie.
- I just can't do...
- Kind of.
- I can't go backwards.
- That was crap!
(clapping)
Come on.
Oh you (beep) headsly.
I tell you what.
- [Blake] I've got it.
- It felt like you meant it that time.
- [Blake] I did, I mean it now. Watch this.
- Let's go.
- So there you go, the curb.
You can have so much fun on her.
Getting on and getting off
and you can transfer all those skills
that you learn on the curb out on the trail.
- Absolutely. Give it a go.
It's really worth it
and it'll bring your bike skills on no end.
Thanks for watching.
We've had a great time out
on the streets doing some stunts.
- Been out here for a few hours, five, six.
- Yeah, enjoying ourselves.
Stay with us, though.
Why don't you click up there
to see my video all about restarting mountain biking.
Getting you fired up.
- Epic video, and after watching that
click down here, on how to get off your bike
in a few different ways.
- Just a few.
Click on the old globe to subscribe
and don't forget to give us a thumbs up Like.
- See ya! - Bye.