The BMX Race thread.

Norco Maniac

Norco Maniac

Is back!
sounds like you're doing well, Hayden :) good on you :) it's always difficult coming straight from work, then to race pro is awesome!

the 16.8 kg bike is my Norco Manik hardtail.....my Kuwi race cruiser comes in at about 9kg with Alumlite forks and low bars, tho the vintage 20" i rode at Macarthur weighs in at 15kg!!!
 
Norco Maniac

Norco Maniac

Is back!
talk about baptism of fire....

i missed my planned racing wed night at Cross Keys due to not one, but two! plane fails. yes, Virgin bumped me back to Qantas because their plane broke down then the Qantas one also did so i was four hours late and missed racing at Cross Keys. luckily they had a skills clinic run by two extremely talented and sought after riders on the Thursday so i got to ride (and crash, of course!) the Cross Keys track after all. Friday night at Happy Valley was subsumed by chasing parts for my cruiser, Saturday was the Radelaide meet where i got to shoot the breeze with three incredibly humble living legends of SA BMX and perve on some legendary bmx bikes from the 80's, Sunday was rolling the race track gating with the 40+ cruisers at The Cove, and afterwards a good roll at Happy Valley with a couple of very talented 30+ riders.

BennyMac is coming to my home town for the Christmas break, and from there it looks like Violet is spending six months in SA taking a punt at qualifying to ride the Mt Gambier Nats. *if* i survive these scary SA tracks in the meantime...
 
A

anth69

Likes Dirt
Mid April for nats ? You better get pedaling .... I just had my first gauge at the Vic titles :) ... I'm %80 sold on doing the worlds next year just for the adventure
 
haydenw

haydenw

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Race season is over... :(

On a lighter note, been doing a fair amount of gate practice recently.. got Burrito to take a video while I was there tonight.. thought I would share

[video]http://www.pinkbike.com/video/230580/[/video]

Snap is good, could be a little better though, power is the main thing I need to work on...

Any ideas / suggestions?
 
RB 24

RB 24

Likes Dirt
hey hayden.

in what position do you have your wrists?

in essence your wrists should be knuckle down with the top of your hand facing to the track. Your snap looks ok.. maybe if anything in that try and straighten your legs a smidge and keep a straight back. ( imo how I got taught and how my kids were taught)

Can you do a video with all of you in the vid not just the bottom part.. be interesting to see head/shoulders and back during snap and first and second and third crank.

which is your power crank to get it going? I found my third crank was when I got most power down to the bike...
 
haydenw

haydenw

Likes Bikes and Dirt
RB 24 said:
hey hayden.

in what position do you have your wrists?

in essence your wrists should be knuckle down with the top of your hand facing to the track. Your snap looks ok.. maybe if anything in that try and straighten your legs a smidge and keep a straight back. ( imo how I got taught and how my kids were taught)

Can you do a video with all of you in the vid not just the bottom part.. be interesting to see head/shoulders and back during snap and first and second and third crank.

which is your power crank to get it going? I found my third crank was when I got most power down to the bike...
Click to expand...
Will try and get another vid, but basically its like first third and fifth crank are power cranks, first is deafinetly the biggest though. I have been trying alot of different techniques recently, and i am finding that wrists rolled down, standing up really high on the bike is working best
 
hach_bee

hach_bee

Likes Bikes and Dirt
haydenw said:
Race season is over... :(

On a lighter note, been doing a fair amount of gate practice recently.. got Burrito to take a video while I was there tonight.. thought I would share

[video]http://www.pinkbike.com/video/230580/[/video]

Snap is good, could be a little better though, power is the main thing I need to work on...

Any ideas / suggestions?
Click to expand...
Wrists nice and flat, the movement looks good. Try getting your butt back over the seat a tiny bit more, you're a little twitchy considering you're on an mtb but that's a personal thing. Also you're slingshotting, wasting energy going back instead of forward, also a bad habit of mine. Puts your timing out as well. Get a mate (BB maybe) to stick their foot behind your back wheel if they're game and keep practising till they don't feel pressure back on their foot. Looks quick though good work :)
 
Burrito_Boy

Burrito_Boy

Likes Bikes and Dirt
...Bad habit of everyone who learned to gate on the old non random countdown (aka rollback snap of death).
From the video heydiggy took of me at gates the other night i've gone back into doing it terribly. Practice will have to be done.

Hayden's gate has progressed alot in the last six months though, and his power is getting up there finally also.
 
A

anth69

Likes Dirt
hach_bee said:
Wrists nice and flat, the movement looks good. Try getting your butt back over the seat a tiny bit more, you're a little twitchy considering you're on an mtb but that's a personal thing. Also you're slingshotting, wasting energy going back instead of forward, also a bad habit of mine. Puts your timing out as well. Get a mate (BB maybe) to stick their foot behind your back wheel if they're game and keep practising till they don't feel pressure back on their foot. Looks quick though good work :)
Click to expand...
A bit of slingshot is ok on the very first beep as long as the front wheel is closely following the gate down ... I see a lot of riders wasting energy lifting the wheel and nowhere near following the gate down , I've found a good balance of body rearwards , slight slingshot from getting my bodyweight moving before the gate drops and the wheel touching the gate all the way down , if my gearing for that gate allows that first then I'll let the front lift , I'm an old fart and I only want to spin enough to out - accererate the field on the day ... It's nothing for me to tune a tooth or half a tooth on the front and my 10m times are usually at the pointy end of the field
 
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haydenw

haydenw

Likes Bikes and Dirt
mmm I've also gotten into this funny habbit of during the first two recorded calls i like open up my hands, then clench them and pull up a bit, its like doing the upper body snap movement if that makes sense... but eh my gates are probs twice as fast as they were this time last year..... still a long way to go though
 
hach_bee

hach_bee

Likes Bikes and Dirt
haydenw said:
mmm I've also gotten into this funny habbit of during the first two recorded calls i like open up my hands, then clench them and pull up a bit,
Click to expand...

I do that too.... I use it to sorta focus and check my grip (I think) but damn it's been a while since I've been on a gate... think like august? Life is too crazy right now :(
 
haydenw

haydenw

Likes Bikes and Dirt
hach_bee said:
I do that too.... I use it to sorta focus and check my grip (I think) but damn it's been a while since I've been on a gate... think like august? Life is too crazy right now :(
Click to expand...
i think i would start crying if i didnt do a gate in that long
 
hach_bee

hach_bee

Likes Bikes and Dirt
*sniffs* stayin strong man.... hahah trying. Staying well distracted anyway I don't think I'll be sleeping in the next week and a half
 
haydenw

haydenw

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Picking up a practice gate for home some time next week (assuming it fits my 4X bike)...

Whatup gates practice in the comfort of my own driveway :D
 
hach_bee

hach_bee

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Okay boys and girls, we've been a little quiet of late- let's get some talk going!

1. Who's going to Nerang Nats?

2. Let's get some opinions on this one: the pro straight at the Nats event is compulsory for the AA pro class (fair go) but OPTIONAL for A. Discuss!

Personally, I think it should stay optional for A's but there are quite a few who feel differently...
 
R

racebmx

Likes Dirt
i know a pro isnt junior elite but watch the junior elite final from the sleeman track. this is why we should be encouraging those that want to step up to jump prosections. only the first two jumped the whole straight. it is called a prosection for a reason. if you think you are pro i think you should be using the prostraight.
 
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