Drops, a crowd puller, a right of passage for some and certainly a classic test move! Big drops are easy to do but hard to land, so today I'll take you through the steps needed to do them as safely as possible, from total beginner to advanced.

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:28 The basics
4:57 Lower the front wheel
8:55 Drop and stay on the back wheel
10:36 Medium drops
12:36 Big drops + smooth landings
15:07 Massive drop technique

This was harder to explain than I ever thought! It's one of those things that I've been doing for over twenty years now, so it can be difficult to really break down what I do and explain it in a meaningful way. I really hope my explanation makes sense and helps you, but I'm sure I may have missed some points, so don't be shy about sharing tips you've picked up on your own personal journey.

As I said in the video, falls are dangerous, so stay safe, cover if you want, and practice on a slightly soft surface (but not too soft, you still want to be able to roll away) if you think it will help.

Drops can be done on any bike, but this trial style is best suited for hardtail. The suspension kickback on a full suspension can cause the cranks to want to spin backwards when landing with a locked brake, making a hard landing even harder. It's not impossible, but don't automatically expect a smooth landing just because you have rear suspension. The front suspension is fine and can make it a softer landing for your wrists, but if done right, falls on a stiff bike like mine aren't particularly bad for the body as you build up. I have been riding for 24 years and have ridden large drops thousands of times and I have yet to have any joint problems, building up to the larger drops is the key to both getting a smoother technique and conditioning your body.

My bike setup is an Inspired Hex street trials bike that is completely rigid. I ride 40 psi front and rear and use Light Bicycle carbon rims, I have Sram GX cranks and Inspired pedals, my handlebars are also Inspired models and I use Shigura brakes (MT7 rear, MT6 front with M810 Saint levers). As I mentioned in the video, you want to make sure your bike is in good condition and that you are using parts that are appropriate for the job. All my parts are chosen for their great strength-to-weight ratio. I wouldn't consider doing these drops if I was using super light components.

The trackstand and Backhop videos are here, don't rush and try to run before you can walk… run these as best you can and you'll get better results with the drops:

Track position: https://youtu.be/1tZsy_lIF34
Backhops: https://youtu.be/kyKA6HBaeDs

Thanks for looking!

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