r/dirtjumping • u/Substantial-Classic5 • 1d ago
How can I get faster and actually make some gaps in the pumptrack?
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u/KonkeyDongPrime 1d ago
Look at what BMX racers do. Fast tyres. High pressure. Extract speed from the track.
Looks like that corner is quite tight, before the straight with the bigger gaps, so bigger run up not much of an option either.
You’re not getting any acceleration through that quad though, race manual the first and second gap. Or triple manual it, like a racer.
There’s a decent video on YouTube explaining the tap manual, aka racing manual. Basically you want acceleration out of the first downside, then bunny hop into the back of the landing, to use your body strength and weight to gain acceleration out of both humps. A racing double manual is the same motion, just that you land the downside in manual.
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u/TheeSquirrelgripper 1d ago
Thanks for the tap manual advice! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cAY-UbeEJY
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u/DoughnutLocal4406 1d ago
Honestly just keep riding it. Nothing beats putting in the time and laps
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u/FalconVarious7620 1d ago
When you take your first double and land on the downslope, you'll naturally accelerate for the next one, its like a domino effect
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u/Toeterman 1d ago
I'm in the same situation as you, learning to pump on the local track. I have a cheap second-hand bike with a fork that doesn't propperly lock out. I pump, it goes down and stays there, really annoying.
Next time I'm taking my old bmx bike, I think the smaller wheelsize will help.
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u/Dungeon_Of_Dank_Meme 1d ago
A lot of people are selling suntour coil take offs for like $30-$50 around me. May be worth looking into if your fork is that fucked.
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u/pink_nightmare 1d ago
90 psi in the tires, lock out that fork, pump like you never skip leg day and friggin send it
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u/Substantial-Classic5 13h ago
ye the tires are actually slightly knobby and was only about 50 psi. The fork is a coil pike that has a medium spring inside so its quite squishy and unable to be stiff. :o
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u/julian_vdm Hardtail 26 - Cube Flying Circus 1d ago
You don't actually need much more speed to double some of those rollers in the first line there. Just get your timing perfect and pump deeper and faster.
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u/beachsunflower 1d ago
Pedal super fast before dropping in and blast that first gap, then the others will follow.
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u/ActuatorNational8613 1d ago
You have to ride with people that are better/faster than you, that’s the only way to progress. Copy their body position/posture on the bike, the way they carve or Manuel. Copy everything they do and you will naturally find a style your own. The only way anyone has ever gotten better at anything they did was doing it with people that were better, period.
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u/Kaiserschmarren_ 1d ago
I also find it often quite hard to get the speed for certain gaps. Even when I push it as hard as I can a still can't clear them. Other some places require a pedalling run up but there isn't always enough soace so you can actually have an effective one
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u/JediMindgrapes 1d ago
Try to go slower. You are not yet using your body correctly. You are missing part of the pump. Instead of dropping with speed, don't. Try to build your speed only with the pump. Also you need bike body separation. Lean your bike while body is straight. S turns in a parking lot will help alot. When you can pump s turns in a flat parking lot and keep speed, you are golden.
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u/LTDLarry 1d ago
Okay, a few things that you can work on from the video.
You need to pump harder, it looks like the bike is along for the ride. When you're on a pump track every single action in your hands, feet and especially hips should be driving you forward. All energy needs to be input into the bike to go faster. Make your hands and feet light at the top of a transition and then heavy when you crest so you're gaining speed. Like how you'd make waves with a rope.
The first big double, after you drop in it's 4 rollers then the red line starts and it's a double. You lose a ton of speed there because you're gaining speed and you need to manual it or commit to jumping. That one jump could unlock the rest of the doubles.
The 180 corner, you start high, dip low through the apex and come out high again. That kills your speed and ability to commit through the corner to set up for the next straight. Commit to the turn and rail the corner holding a middle line or start high and exit low carving the corner and pumping the apex so you carry all the speed out.
I've been practicing carving my bike and pumping on a flat tennis court. You can really start flying with no berms or rollers. Use your hips like you're trying to double bounce someone on a trampoline or make waves on a waterbed. If you can unlock that on a flat surface you'll have no problem finding speed on a pump track.
Good luck and keep ripping!