Dirt Jumping

One style of mountain bike riding is dirt jumping. This style requires specific trails and bikes.

The trails
Dirt jumping trails are very specific trails. Usually located on flat areas, These trails encorperate jumps, berms, and flowy sections. The dirt is filtered usually, meaning that it can be compacted into smooth, hard shapes.

The trails pictured above are in New Zealand. Trails like this require lots of dirt, water, compacting, hard work, and skill. Shaping dirt is an art form, and it takes many weeks to get the dirt to feel like concrete. With good dirt, its possible to make pretty crazy trails. Most places have a "no dig no ride" policy meaning if you do not help build the trails, you can't ride them. This makes sense because there is so much time and effort put in to making the dirt nice.

The berm above looks freshly packed and ready to ride.

The bikes

For ultimate flow and maneuverabiltiy, the bikes used for these dirt jumps are small, light, and stiff. Smooth tires are used and inflated anywhere from 50-95 PSI, making them very stiff and smooth. The bikes are usually simple and strong, which is helpful when you are riding hard and need a solid bike for a budget. You can pick one of these bikes for anywhere from 600 to 2000 bucks

This bike is small, stiff, and maneuverable

Because these jumps are so large and smooth, it allows the rider lots of air time and to do tricks. There are a lot of tricks a rider can do, from backflips to 360's, the options and combos possible seem limitless. Some riders choose to ride the jumps without brakes so they can spin their handlebars without the cables tangling. Some ride with multiple gears while others ride with a single speed. 

A rider does a corked 720 on some local trails in Aptos CA

Brakes

In the world of bikes, brakes are one of the most  needed part to ride well. There are many different types of brakes for different riding styles and bikes.

Clamp brakes
The most common brakes seen on bikes are clamp brakes, these brakes are attatched to the frame and clamp down on the side of the rim of the wheel, thus causing your wheel to stop. When you pull on the brake, it pulls a cable that clenches two arms, bringing the brake pads in to touch the rim. There are different arm configurations, but this one is the most common-

Mechanical Disc brakes

These brakes are becoming more and more common on bikes and are replacing clamp brakes. This brake technology works a little better then clamp brakes. When you pull the brake, it pulls a cable causing two pads to clench on a rotor, which is attached to the middle of your wheel. When the rotor stops, the wheel stops. This technology is better then clamp brakes because it preforms better in wet conditions, and has less problems. If your wheel is not in true, then it can mess up your allignment on clamp brakes, but this problem does not occur with disc brakes.

Hydraulic Disc brakes

Hydraulic disc brakes are the same as mechanical disc brakes except for one thing. Instead of using a wire to  move the brake pads, hydraulic brakes use a cable housing with brake fluid inside. when pulling the brake, the pressure pushes hydraulic fluid against the brake pistons, causing the pads to move in, stopping the bike.

Coaster brakes

Commonly found on cruiser bikes and BMX bikes, Coaster brakes are the most simple of brakes. Technology is built into the rear hub so that when you pedal in the reverse motion, it stops the rear tire. You can only have one coaster brake, in the back. For people who have never ridden a coaster, it can be a weird expiereince. 

Hydraulic Clamp brakes

These are more uncommon brakes, but they are around. These brakes are basically regular clamp brakes with a hydraulic function. Its basically a more powerful clamp brake. Since road bikes dont use disc brakes, this is an option for people who want really powerful brakes on the road. They are found on road bikes, trials bikes, and street bikes.

Brakeless

Finally, some people ride brakeless, This causes people to learn how to control their speed without the aid of something stopping them. Its simple and carefree. For most of us though, brakes are a must on the bike.

No brakes? no problem

Redbull Rampage

Every year, Redbull hosts a mountain bike comptetition in the hills of Virgin Utah. Virgin holds some of the most gnarly, steep, and rough terrain there is to ride on a bike. Every year bikes get destoryed and so do the riders, from broken bones to the 100+ degree temperature, Rampage is one of the gnarliest bike comps there is.

The Rules
The rules of the competition are pretty simple. 30 or so selected riders show up to Virgin Utah and build their own trails down the sides of the cliffs, each with a unique trail route down the mountain. Some riders choose to share trail sections, others don't. 4 or so judges watch the riders and judge them on style, fluidity on the bike, how technical the trail they ride is, and how much air time they can get off the jumps. The riders have to build their trails, practice, and compete in the finals within a matter of a week. Seems like a long time but in reality it's very hard to build a whole trail in a few days in the blazing hot dessert conditions. You can run into problems such as breaking your bike, yourself, or dealing with inconsistent weather.

Brett Rheeder backflips off of a canyon jump in practice.

The bikes
The bikes that are used for this competition have to be built for extreme abuse and big hits. Such bikes have 8 inches of suspension travel, in the front, and in the back. As tough as these bikes may be, Many bikes are destroyed in the process of riding. Broken wheels are among the most common.

Cam Zink's bike

The finalsThe finals are when things get really extreme. Riders push the limits of what can be done on a bike to try and achieve the top spot. A lot of riders crash in the process of pushing themselves, but few reach their goals and prevail. Every year, the jumps get bigger, the trails get gnarlier, and the level of progression boosts as riders improve and push the sport.

Tom Vansteenbergen Attempts a front flip on the canyon gap

The sport has been elevated a lot because of Redbull rampage, and every year people push the limits of what can be ridden on a bike. Can't wait to see what comes up next year.