[skydve76]

It tries to send me over my bars. My front tire hits it pretty hard, I have to pull way up b ut then my back tire hits it and it sends my front tire down. It feels more like a bump jump then a ramp. Is it just too short?

 

[whoda*huck]

Extremely, for any size wheels. Your ramp should be at minimum a bike length. That's why it's bucking you.

 

[EABiker]

You need shocks and pegs to take it off of sweet jumps.

 

[ocnLogan]

You can jump a kicker just fine as an FYI. It just takes different technique. It’s basically the same technique you use when bunnyhopping.

That said, the ramp is quite short, steep, and relatively tall. I’m not great at jumping, and that jump would be hard for me personally. Taming it down my making it longer, would make it much easier to jump correctly.

Looks like fun though .

 

[slapheadmofo]

You can jump a kicker just fine as an FYI. It just takes different technique. It's basically the same technique you use when bunnyhopping.

That said, the ramp is quite short, steep, and relatively tall. I'm not great at jumping, and that jump would be hard for me personally. Taming it down my making it longer, would make it much easier to jump correctly.

Looks like fun though .

This.

For learning, it'll be a lot easier if the ramp was twice as long or so.

 

[skydve76]

I tried to build this ramp, but messed up and had to make it about 5" shorter.
I knew something was off.
His original ramp is 40" but I assume even then its a bit short?

Thanks for the responses. While this does work somewhat, its not what I wanted. I want the ramp to throw me in the air, not me have to jump off it or do something technical to keep from dying.

Im going to build again this weekend and make it about much longer but the same height!

 

[Shartist]

You can jump a kicker just fine as an FYI. It just takes different technique. It's basically the same technique you use when bunnyhopping.

.......

Looks like fun though .

^This. We've got some local trails with big logs and dirt "ramps" leading up to them them that are really short, steep, and about 6 inches short of the top of the log. Best technique I've found to air them out without having the back tire hit and send the nose down is to compress as your front tire is coming into the short "ramp" and initiate a bunny hop as the front tire is coming off of the top of the jump (or somewhere thereabouts, I kind of do it by feel and time it based on speed, that's just what I think is happening). I use this for boosting off other smaller rocks and features too that aren't particularly long and rise quickly with success.

I'm not an expert jumper so YMMV, but this has worked for me.

 

[.WestCoastHucker.]

your ramp should be at least the full length of a piece of plywood. (edit: a mini kicker is for someone who already possesses jumping skills...)

 

[skydve76]

they sell 8x4 and 4x2 so 96" or 48"?

 

[.WestCoastHucker.]

8 feet

 

[.WestCoastHucker.]

actually maybe like 6 feet. here is an old one i made with 8 feet, but it's too tall for you. so i guess lopping off the top 2 feet would be about what you really need...

 

[skydve76]

actually maybe like 6 feet. here is an old one i made with 8 feet, but it's too tall for you. so i guess lopping off the top 2 feet would be about what you really need...

View attachment 1269041

Thanks for the info, and great picture!

For a ramp like that, do you just stay centered on the bike then push the bars forward once airborne?

Or do you do a bunny hop like motion bringing the bars to your waist then flattening out?

 

[Boulder Pilot]

As stated previously, when you are learning to jump, you want both wheels on the take-off ramp. You should be compressing into the face of the take-off ramp. As you leave the lip, you will want to bring your bike up towards with your legs, not grabbing the handlebars in a death grip and pulling hard or you will end up as a candidate for a "Friday Fails video".

Make sure to build your landing ramp 2x-4x wider than your take-off ramp. I see in your picture you do not show a landing ramp. Many people spend a lot of time building a take-off ramp. Building a ramp that gets you in the air is great, but as your rear wheel leaves the lip is not the time to realize you forgot you will be returning to Earth. I suggest you build a landing ramp with a much flatter and longer section. 8' wide. You will be amazed how far off course one can find themselves taking off a 2' tall jump.

 

[skydve76]

Quick question, when you say to bring the bike up with your legs, is the similar to pushing on the bars. I assume you mean to flatten the bike out after leaving the ramp? I do use my feet bring the back of the biek up but I tend to focus on pushing on the bars to level out.

I look into a landing, for now I am jumping onto a hill.