We hope everyone enjoys this video! There are many way to get up and over ledges out on the trail and in this video we focused on the punch technique. In my experience using the punch method is really efficient and consistent at walking / jogging speed on small to medium sized ledges. Whereas I will use Bunnyhops on high speed medium to large sized ledges. Bunnyhops are but definitely require another level up in terms of bike handling prowess and strength. In my experience a punch can be done much slower than a bunnyhop as well for those really technical climbs. If you are interested we would be happy to do a follow up video of when to use the punch vs bunnyhop methods. Just let us know! We have a video coming out next week that touches on pedaling power stroke, seat height, & gear selection so stay tuned for that one and let us know if you have any other questions or anything in the meantime!
Hey Kyle and April, this video was brilliant, there's a few things I do without thinking about, and it's nice to know 'what I'm actually doing', but there's also definitely a few take home points for me - thanks :) Also I think we can all learn a lot from the brilliant example of determination that April showed! I would really love to see a video on steps on steeper climbs if you get the chance, a situation where you can't really 'stop pedalling' Thanks Team :)
The left up hill was hard, power pedal on the uphill then uphill left turn front wheel lift then rear lift too much for the leg but April did make it. I watch OKP a japanese trials video he has detailed step by step videos to conquer obstacles.
Great video, it's on a skill I've been working on and the hints are great, and reinforce a couple things I've figured out. I find I can do pretty large ledges/rocks (eg wheel height) when I'm on flat ground or gradual uphills, but when the climb gets more steep I really struggle. Sometimes it's a stall out, where I don't have enough speed once the front wheel is up. Sometimes if the hill is reasonably steep I don't have enough room between me and the front of the bike to get the front wheel lift up high enough, and leaning back to create more room makes looping out a fear. Any hints on executing this on steeper inclines would be appreciated.
Watching April learn is so instructive to me. As she said, technique, not just strength is key. It has kept me improving my riding on trails like Gooseberry’s, Moab’s, and various other black diamonds. And I am a 72 year old woman. Thank you Kyle and April and TH-cam!
The barefoot section with the rigid bike was very revealing. Excellent demonstration. One fine point that I've noticed: While we don't 'scoop' to lift the rear wheel, we do perform some little pressure move on the pedals that keep the feet connected to the pedals even when we unweight. We do this so our feet don't become disconnected from the pedals for fear of shinners.
It is SOOOO much fun watching April conquer a new skill ! I think your approach of showing her learn a skill from the beginning and what is going wrong and how to correct it what makes your vids the best I’ve seen. As soon as you said keep your chest over the bars, I realized why I can’t get over anything more than a few inches tall, I’m staying too far back and not unweighting. Thank you bot( for another great lesson !
The training videos are great, but what impresses me most is how supportive and complementing you are to each other. It is refreshing to see the kindness you have towards each other!
This was broken down so well. Kyle makes it look so easy. April does such a great job taking feedback and trying again; I was cheering for her when she finally got it! This is a skill I definitely need to work on and I really appreciate this tutorial. Great job you two!
I really love how you two teach. Just like "in real life." It's so helpful to see the real struggles and the gradual "getting it." You guys are so encouraging and honest. Thank you!
MTB is such a complex thing in general. There are soooo many elements to it. You would think April could do something like this with her eyes closed after watching her doing jumps over gaps, but technical bits of MTB is different from being comfortable above the ground. Great video and I love that you address all aspects of being MTB rider.
Thanks Sergej! Yeah its so varied and can always throw a new challenge at you! April loves jumping and we spent a ton of time working through how to do it safely with her and this year we really want to focus on some of the more technical trials style skills and climbing!
I suck, and I still don’t know if I’ll be able to do this, but it’s the best explanation I’ve seen-particularly “jumping” out of the way of the rear tire being thrown forward.
I honestly had very low expectations going into this for what I could accomplish and cannot believe I made the ledge at the end! Hope you will give it a try and it will help. Going to a curb and stairs is the best place to start and gain some confidence. -April
I'm really enjoying watching these technique videos. I've been riding for 30 years plus and I'm always looking for ways to improve. One of the things that my brother taught me about riding up steps like this, was this: Once you get your front wheel over the step or ledge and unweight the bike, immediately lunge the bike forward by sort of twisting the hand grips forward. You don't literally twist the grips. But, the description of the motion or movement helps to make the bike lunge forward while it's unweighted. The lunge movement happens naturally when doing this. This description really helped me a lot. Of course, positioning over the handle bars is also key, as describe in the video. My brother was a phenomenal technical rider! Sadly he's passed now. But I never forget all of the tips that he taught me. They made me a better rider. I hope this little tip helps! R.I.P Daren, my brother.
I never comment on your video's (or anyone else's), but I had to here. There is always a down home, humble attitude that comes through from both of you in your video's. This one was extremely helpful to my riding (I'm in my late 60's), and it was filmed in a place I called home in the 70's and 80's. It so great to see a local succeed and share his beautiful playground with others. I have also seen April's "playground" in your video's and seen her progress. You both rock and thank you for being who you are and sharing it!
You are such an excellent, thorough and patient instructor Kyle - this is a great breakdown. I agree that seeing April work the instruction is VERY helpful too. My girlfriend has learned alot from watching you guys over the last 3 years - thank you!
This is crucial information if you're climbing where there are steps or roots. It can make the difference between a miserable frustrating experience into one of confidence and gratification. My sister and her boyfriend took me on a trail which had small climbs with roots it was my first experience into MB and I'm fairly athletic so I thought I could manage. Nope. I was so exhausted and frustrated I threw in the towel and turned back. I was thinking never again. This video has given me new insight and hope. I am in my late 50's but could pass for late 30's(I've been told) which is why I could easily give in so quickly - oldish and tired but thanks to your video it makes me want to try again. Love you guys.
Glad to hear this video gave you hope! The best part is you can practice in town to get your confidence up with curbs and stairs. And just like what happened in this video, if the first ledge you try gets too frustrating, try another one with less elements to it. Hope you have success!
Will do. A lot of times you see these people in videos making everything look so easy which it may be but one can easily create false expectations if you don't have proper technique. Looking forward to your next video on climbing to help prevent any unnecessary frustration. Cheers.
It really is the small details that make a difference. I'm trying to hit small jumps before as a practice but couldn't clear it no matter my efforts but when I watched your vid on how to hit jumps, dude, your "pop" method worked so well that I'm hitting jumps effortlessly. Still can't hit the big ones but at least I'm having more fun riding the blues with some tasty jumps in it. Thank you for doing what you do!
simply the best teacher around (most knowledgeable, patient, and encouraging) and such a quick learner and realistic example of those who are good athletic riders but aren't full on beast mode Kyles just quite yet. Love Love Love your vids so great to see you back at it full on.
I finally have a relevant tip despite being a beginner MTBer! When I was trying to learn the timing for the punch, I'd roll both wheels over small bumps in the dirt to get a tactile sense of how much time would pass between the front wheel encountering an obstacle and the rear wheel encountering the obstacle! Really helped me time my punch over a half-foot root of doom! Thank you for this tutorial! I wasn't aware of the unweighting bit, and I think I can improve that a bit to keep more stable upon landing up on a ledge!
What gets me is feet position. I have to be super aware of where my feet will be because my gut wants to pedal while going over the ledge, but that generally means I get a pedal strike and get stopped dead. Once I started focusing on not just speed and unweighting my rear wheel but making sure feet are level, I had better success. This really is a fantastic video, I love these and can't wait to see more.
Yeah the feet thing is so hard to break mentally! April had the same thing happening but she really started to figure it out using the curb to learn at a coasting speed!
The amazing thing you two have going on with having a great teacher on the one hand, and a relatable learner on the other hand (albeit a much faster one than myself..) makes this so much more fun to watch and attempt than dozens of other professionally ridden "just do this" instructionals. Keep 'm coming, please!
This technique is super-cool. When I learned this kind of stuff 30 years ago the theory was you lift the front, then jam the front brake like a mini stoppie to get the back wheel up. Can't wait to try this out 👍
This is a very nice, practical video but I think you left off the need to perform a "pedal grab" by pointing down the toes and pressing back on the pedals as you perform the punch. I understand that the punch technique does not rely on scooping back the pedals but on pushing forward the handlebar but, as far as I can tell, you still need some pressure back on the pedals to keep your feet on the pedals and to provide a platform fron which to punch the bar. Am I correct? if so, I think the tutorial would benefit from mentioning this point. Thank you very much for the clear tutorial and keep up the great work
Good video, one that I'll recomend to my wife as she struggles over small logs 200-400mm Dia and small ledges. There is one thing that is important and that is keeping above a threshold speed. If you're too slow the bike will stall and over you will go. Travel above that speed and you and the bike will continue as one. So learning and adjusting for that speed for different situations is a handy skill.
Thank you so much for showing the REALITY of trying to learn some of these technical maneuvers! Most videos show people getting it right the first time and I get so so frustrated because I take a long time to learn new techniques. Thanks April! You made my day!
This is the video I have been waiting for. I have struggled with this since I started riding a year ago. Can't seem to make it up these ledges. Thanks for the great video. Can't wait to try out the technique.
It's funny how this thing I thought everyone has been doing for ages seems to be a "technique" and even have a name to it. Awesome video, I think I'll go practice this tomorrow if the weather cooperates and see how rusty I am at it.
What amazing tips. It was great to see April go from disheartened to delighted. The doggo made me smile, thanks for the work both of you put into this video.
I really like that you show April's progression. I know that can be a vulnerable thing to show, but it makes it feel more real. Thanks for the great video! I have a goal to conquer a techy climb this year on a local trail (since I'm not very skilled at techy climbs) and this is just what I needed. Now to get out there and practice!
Your videos are just ridiculously helpful, and April, THANK YOU for showing us your struggles. It's massively helpful to those of us who are also learning.
Thanks again for your excellent instructional videos. Ledges are impossible for me. Pushing foreword and lifting the rear wheel never seems to work. This video is the best I've seen. You and April have re- inspired me to work on this valuable skill until I get it.
I am sitting here watching very closely with my repaired/healing Right Shoulder Rotator Cuff Tear! Watching this and your other improve your peddling shows exactly how I fell sideways on a ledge. My dropper was full suspension and I had just finished a climb and I stopped and stopped and fell sideways over a ridge and landed on my shoulder. I finished the single-track, but knew I was in trouble. Each time I come to a ledge is an opportunity to fall over sideways (watching April closely as she demonstrates this). Keeping the dropper seat low is important so one can reach the ground. Of course it is difficult, when climbing steep switchbacks, to keep the momentum. It is 6 to 12 more weeks before getting back on my Commencal, but watching your demonstrations are a real encouragement. Thank you!
The best free MTB instructional videos on TH-cam! All techniques are very well explained and demonstrated and easy to understand and follow. These videos have made me a much better rider. Thank you, Kyle and April.
Great tutorial. Something I've somehow figured out how to do over the years of riding. One thing I noticed with April's failed attempts was the timing of the the pedal stroke and position. Certainly being in the right gear, having the right amount of momentum with the front wheel up on to the ledge and then having the pedal stroke at the right timing helps a lot.
Oh. And Congrats April. Well done. I know when I first tried mountain biking I realized I couldn't just twist a throttle and have power. And how the power was put down and being able to ratchet my pedals became very important.
Thanks Rich! Yeah we try our best to cut as much as possible while maintaining context haha. This video was 2 hours and 41 minutes when i started cutting it down on Sunday 😂
@@AprilRideMTB Wow good job. I kinda know what its like trying to trim down a video with a lot of content. These vids are well done. My girlfried watched Aprils overcoming fear vid and it helped her out. You two are awesome.
i am a skills coach in moab and i really love your videos! It's so helpful to actually make a video teaching the skill to someone, instead of showing viewers that the coach can do the skill they already know how to do. thanks so much for all the content :)
I’m a beginner mountain biker and this channel is my fave hands down. I like how the instructions are broken down, but what is most helpful for me is hearing along the way the things that April is focusing on and her big take aways. Watching her start the beginning of the day with little to no grasp on a skill, then see her accomplish them in just a day or two is so inspiring. 0:03 This video is my favorite so far! I was cheering for you out loud April and so proud of you when you crushed it! It gives me inspiration and hope that I’ll get there someday too. Thanks so much to both of you for the fantastic content!😊
Thanks for watching! When I was younger i made a little facebook group for monday night urban rides and got a really fun crew of people from that, i know its a little different nowadays but it would be fun to organize a progression session ride once a month or something at a local shop!
In 2016 I became sick. I couldn’t ocean kayak due to Lyme disease affecting my neck. I had an old Huffy that I rode through technical trails for a year. I just powered my way through or walked through. Then I got a Scott Scale and my skills skyrocketed but I couldn’t do what I just saw April do. Two weeks ago I bought a new Scott Spark ( my neck thanks me). I watch a lot of TH-cam and have learned so much in so many areas but you two are my go to videos when it comes being on the pedals more than being on the ground.
HAHAH April" I can't believe I just made that!" Me "I can totally believe you made that"! You have Kyle as a teacher, and you are a very talented rider, that ledge did not know what it was in for.
That is cool to see you succeed over this obstacle. I didn´t ever trained this specific. But when i had something to hop over like a step or a tree i learned it this way. The problem for me is that i rarely struggle on something like this. I´m really motivated now to get into a proper practice lap!
I do love your videos and I love to see how April learns and how you support her and how she grows in confidence and overcomes her fears. I'm not riding a mountain bike, I'm on my BMX so I really appreciate that you showed it with the Wutang Clan bike in the beginning.
Yo thanks! Highlighting the chest over bars position made a huge difference for me - I was always trying to "manual" up my front end then jump myself forward, and it was always.. rough.
I’m new to mountain biking and this channel has been such a valuable tool to me. Kyle, you do a great job at breaking things down and demonstrating them. Being good at something and being able to teach that thing are definitely two separate skills, and you’re really good at teaching this stuff. April, watching you grasp and overcome all these challenges is very inspiring to me and gets me so excited to not only go ride but to actually work on these skills. Thanks for all you two do with you videos.
Nice instruction, I chuckle at people saying you need clips or suspension to get up ledges. I learned to hop curbs on my bike in the late sixties. I got into aggressive trail riding on a full suspensions about 8 years ago, my technique could use improvement but it still works.
Thank you guys for the videos! This style teaching and watching April learn helps me a lot. I cheered out loud when she hit that ledge, LOL. Looking forward to the steep climb on loose trails video.
Thanks for that video. I've been mountain biking for almost thirty years now. And I've tried to teach people some of the things I do. But I've never really understood the mechanics. I just did what I did. Having you break it down into little pieces will help me teach and get better at the technique myself. This was great!
You guys are just amazing. April- I hope to be and learn half as well as you have. You’re so lucky to have such a patient and fantastic teacher. Bravo to both of you and thank you for sharing!
Great commitment to overcoming those obstacles! Persistence and practice paid off. Way to stick with it..........Proper GEAR SELECTION is very important to master, as well.
Another great video. I’ve improved my climbing a lot last year using the same basic technique. Nice to know I’m doing things right and to see all the mechanics behind it. Still a work in progress, but I’ll get there. Thanks again guys for another fun and educational video. You Rock!!
Fun vid! It's always interesting listening to a good teacher explain what I've been doing for years but have no clue what's actually happening. I'm a good rider, but when it comes to explain what I'm actually doing...I really don't know. It's really cool sitting here nodding my head thinking, holy shit, that is what I'm doing. LOL! Great job to the both of you.
Congratulations April on successfully defeating your nemesis! Thank you both for the educational video. It was most helpful, with plenty of learning points. Take care and be well. Namaste.
I love the combination of you both. Most videos are just an expert showing you. I like the combo of experience of Kyle and April learning. Keep up your awesome video tutorials! 👏🙌
BEAUTIFUL video - you two just work amazingly together ... a great combination of teacher/pupil/flow/building/learning/feeling/togetherness/growth/success/progession: everything people wanting to learn will want and need to experience!!
We hope everyone enjoys this video! There are many way to get up and over ledges out on the trail and in this video we focused on the punch technique. In my experience using the punch method is really efficient and consistent at walking / jogging speed on small to medium sized ledges. Whereas I will use Bunnyhops on high speed medium to large sized ledges. Bunnyhops are but definitely require another level up in terms of bike handling prowess and strength. In my experience a punch can be done much slower than a bunnyhop as well for those really technical climbs. If you are interested we would be happy to do a follow up video of when to use the punch vs bunnyhop methods. Just let us know! We have a video coming out next week that touches on pedaling power stroke, seat height, & gear selection so stay tuned for that one and let us know if you have any other questions or anything in the meantime!
Hey Kyle and April, this video was brilliant, there's a few things I do without thinking about, and it's nice to know 'what I'm actually doing', but there's also definitely a few take home points for me - thanks :)
Also I think we can all learn a lot from the brilliant example of determination that April showed!
I would really love to see a video on steps on steeper climbs if you get the chance, a situation where you can't really 'stop pedalling'
Thanks Team :)
The left up hill was hard, power pedal on the uphill then uphill left turn front wheel lift then rear lift too much for the leg but April did make it. I watch OKP a japanese trials video he has detailed step by step videos to conquer obstacles.
Great video thanks!
What about uphill and downhill switchbacks?
Can you make a video about it?
Great video, it's on a skill I've been working on and the hints are great, and reinforce a couple things I've figured out.
I find I can do pretty large ledges/rocks (eg wheel height) when I'm on flat ground or gradual uphills, but when the climb gets more steep I really struggle. Sometimes it's a stall out, where I don't have enough speed once the front wheel is up. Sometimes if the hill is reasonably steep I don't have enough room between me and the front of the bike to get the front wheel lift up high enough, and leaning back to create more room makes looping out a fear. Any hints on executing this on steeper inclines would be appreciated.
Great video, and I would love to see a follow-up vs. the bunny hop.
Watching April learn is so instructive to me. As she said, technique, not just strength is key. It has kept me improving my riding on trails like Gooseberry’s, Moab’s, and various other black diamonds. And I am a 72 year old woman. Thank you Kyle and April and TH-cam!
The barefoot section with the rigid bike was very revealing. Excellent demonstration. One fine point that I've noticed: While we don't 'scoop' to lift the rear wheel, we do perform some little pressure move on the pedals that keep the feet connected to the pedals even when we unweight. We do this so our feet don't become disconnected from the pedals for fear of shinners.
Glad the rigid bike section helped! We will have a video next week on our other channel talking more about the pedaling, seat and gear selection!
It is SOOOO much fun watching April conquer a new skill ! I think your approach of showing her learn a skill from the beginning and what is going wrong and how to correct it what makes your vids the best I’ve seen. As soon as you said keep your chest over the bars, I realized why I can’t get over anything more than a few inches tall, I’m staying too far back and not unweighting.
Thank you bot( for another great lesson !
Thank you so much Dave!
The training videos are great, but what impresses me most is how supportive and complementing you are to each other. It is refreshing to see the kindness you have towards each other!
Thank you!
This was broken down so well. Kyle makes it look so easy. April does such a great job taking feedback and trying again; I was cheering for her when she finally got it! This is a skill I definitely need to work on and I really appreciate this tutorial. Great job you two!
Yeah he's a great teacher and she listens and understands his instructions so well. Great team for sure.
I really love how you two teach. Just like "in real life." It's so helpful to see the real struggles and the gradual "getting it." You guys are so encouraging and honest. Thank you!
Thank you!
MTB is such a complex thing in general. There are soooo many elements to it. You would think April could do something like this with her eyes closed after watching her doing jumps over gaps, but technical bits of MTB is different from being comfortable above the ground. Great video and I love that you address all aspects of being MTB rider.
Thanks Sergej! Yeah its so varied and can always throw a new challenge at you! April loves jumping and we spent a ton of time working through how to do it safely with her and this year we really want to focus on some of the more technical trials style skills and climbing!
I suck, and I still don’t know if I’ll be able to do this, but it’s the best explanation I’ve seen-particularly “jumping” out of the way of the rear tire being thrown forward.
I honestly had very low expectations going into this for what I could accomplish and cannot believe I made the ledge at the end! Hope you will give it a try and it will help. Going to a curb and stairs is the best place to start and gain some confidence.
-April
I'm really enjoying watching these technique videos. I've been riding for 30 years plus and I'm always looking for ways to improve.
One of the things that my brother taught me about riding up steps like this, was this:
Once you get your front wheel over the step or ledge and unweight the bike, immediately lunge the bike forward by sort of twisting the hand grips forward. You don't literally twist the grips. But, the description of the motion or movement helps to make the bike lunge forward while it's unweighted. The lunge movement happens naturally when doing this. This description really helped me a lot. Of course, positioning over the handle bars is also key, as describe in the video.
My brother was a phenomenal technical rider! Sadly he's passed now. But I never forget all of the tips that he taught me. They made me a better rider.
I hope this little tip helps! R.I.P Daren, my brother.
I never comment on your video's (or anyone else's), but I had to here. There is always a down home, humble attitude that comes through from both of you in your video's. This one was extremely helpful to my riding (I'm in my late 60's), and it was filmed in a place I called home in the 70's and 80's. It so great to see a local succeed and share his beautiful playground with others. I have also seen April's "playground" in your video's and seen her progress. You both rock and thank you for being who you are and sharing it!
Thank you so much for the kind words Dave! Chico holds such a special place in my heart, its fun to get to share it with April too!
Another killer video! Y’all’s channel has changed the mtb game for me. All of my skills come from religiously watching your videos.
Thank you and that’s awesome to hear! 😊
I love how you explain this stuff. Showing it barefoot without suspension really drives home what it is and isn't about.
Awesome, glad that part was helpful!
And now that I'm done watching the whole thing, great job April! You made it look so smooth.
You are such an excellent, thorough and patient instructor Kyle - this is a great breakdown. I agree that seeing April work the instruction is VERY helpful too. My girlfriend has learned alot from watching you guys over the last 3 years - thank you!
This is crucial information if you're climbing where there are steps or roots. It can make the difference between a miserable frustrating experience into one of confidence and gratification. My sister and her boyfriend took me on a trail which had small climbs with roots it was my first experience into MB and I'm fairly athletic so I thought I could manage. Nope. I was so exhausted and frustrated I threw in the towel and turned back. I was thinking never again. This video has given me new insight and hope. I am in my late 50's but could pass for late 30's(I've been told) which is why I could easily give in so quickly - oldish and tired but thanks to your video it makes me want to try again. Love you guys.
Glad to hear this video gave you hope! The best part is you can practice in town to get your confidence up with curbs and stairs. And just like what happened in this video, if the first ledge you try gets too frustrating, try another one with less elements to it. Hope you have success!
Will do. A lot of times you see these people in videos making everything look so easy which it may be but one can easily create false expectations if you don't have proper technique. Looking forward to your next video on climbing to help prevent any unnecessary frustration. Cheers.
It really is the small details that make a difference.
I'm trying to hit small jumps before as a practice but couldn't clear it no matter my efforts but when I watched your vid on how to hit jumps, dude, your "pop" method worked so well that I'm hitting jumps effortlessly. Still can't hit the big ones but at least I'm having more fun riding the blues with some tasty jumps in it.
Thank you for doing what you do!
It really is! Glad to hear your jumping has improved 😊
Love your instructional videos and how you break things down to keep the learning process simple and easy to progress with. Keep 'em comin' - thanks!
Thank you, glad our videos are helpful!
I watched this video and went to my local trail and it worked perfectly . Thank you .
Thats awesome!! We love getting feedback like that!
simply the best teacher around (most knowledgeable, patient, and encouraging) and such a quick learner and realistic example of those who are good athletic riders but aren't full on beast mode Kyles just quite yet. Love Love Love your vids so great to see you back at it full on.
I finally have a relevant tip despite being a beginner MTBer! When I was trying to learn the timing for the punch, I'd roll both wheels over small bumps in the dirt to get a tactile sense of how much time would pass between the front wheel encountering an obstacle and the rear wheel encountering the obstacle! Really helped me time my punch over a half-foot root of doom!
Thank you for this tutorial! I wasn't aware of the unweighting bit, and I think I can improve that a bit to keep more stable upon landing up on a ledge!
What gets me is feet position. I have to be super aware of where my feet will be because my gut wants to pedal while going over the ledge, but that generally means I get a pedal strike and get stopped dead. Once I started focusing on not just speed and unweighting my rear wheel but making sure feet are level, I had better success. This really is a fantastic video, I love these and can't wait to see more.
Yeah the feet thing is so hard to break mentally! April had the same thing happening but she really started to figure it out using the curb to learn at a coasting speed!
Kyle has helped me more than any other instructor. Missing him big time!
The amazing thing you two have going on with having a great teacher on the one hand, and a relatable learner on the other hand (albeit a much faster one than myself..) makes this so much more fun to watch and attempt than dozens of other professionally ridden "just do this" instructionals.
Keep 'm coming, please!
Thank you so much!
I'm a complete newb, and this is my instant nemesis. so far I'm way better at technical downhill sections than uphill
From Montreal Canada! Hello April and Kyle, I've been a fan for a while. I like the pro tips!
Hi Alain, hope the tips will help you!
You’re making me miss Chico. I was out there visiting my sister for a month in 2021 and got in a lot of rides on Upper Bidwell.
Glad we got to spend a few weeks there, the park was so lush after all the winter rain!
-April
This technique is super-cool. When I learned this kind of stuff 30 years ago the theory was you lift the front, then jam the front brake like a mini stoppie to get the back wheel up. Can't wait to try this out 👍
its fun to hear how all the different techniques evolve!
Always learn from you 2 and myself at 73 it's cool and inspiring ✨️
Thats so awesome! Thanks for the kind words William!
Great video as always. Here in Noth Carolina we call this the old man's bunny hop.
Haha I like that!
Does anyone else watch these videos for the enjoyment of what loving patience looks like in a relationship 😅
Awww thank you! 😊
@@AprilRideMTB then I actually took the skill out to the trail and nailed it! Thank you! Lightening the rear end was a game changer.
This is a very nice, practical video but I think you left off the need to perform a "pedal grab" by pointing down the toes and pressing back on the pedals as you perform the punch. I understand that the punch technique does not rely on scooping back the pedals but on pushing forward the handlebar but, as far as I can tell, you still need some pressure back on the pedals to keep your feet on the pedals and to provide a platform fron which to punch the bar. Am I correct? if so, I think the tutorial would benefit from mentioning this point. Thank you very much for the clear tutorial and keep up the great work
Good video, one that I'll recomend to my wife as she struggles over small logs 200-400mm Dia and small ledges. There is one thing that is important and that is keeping above a threshold speed. If you're too slow the bike will stall and over you will go. Travel above that speed and you and the bike will continue as one. So learning and adjusting for that speed for different situations is a handy skill.
Thanks Richard! Also great point!
👍🏼❤Great tutorial. This is my biggest weakness. 😂.
Hope it will help!
I really struggle with this guys, thank you so much for the video, nice to see April’s progress
Thanks Iago! Hope this helps a bit!
So exited too see tutorials coming coincidentally this is the exact one I was hoping for next! Love the videos so keep up the good work! 😁🤙
Thanks so much Thomas! Hopefully it is helpful!!
Way to go, April...awesome!
Thanks Greg!
Thank you so much for showing the REALITY of trying to learn some of these technical maneuvers! Most videos show people getting it right the first time and I get so so frustrated because I take a long time to learn new techniques. Thanks April! You made my day!
This is the video I have been waiting for. I have struggled with this since I started riding a year ago. Can't seem to make it up these ledges. Thanks for the great video. Can't wait to try out the technique.
We really hope it helps! I know it gave April a lot of confidence!
It's funny how this thing I thought everyone has been doing for ages seems to be a "technique" and even have a name to it.
Awesome video, I think I'll go practice this tomorrow if the weather cooperates and see how rusty I am at it.
Hope you pick it up again quickly! 😊
What amazing tips. It was great to see April go from disheartened to delighted. The doggo made me smile, thanks for the work both of you put into this video.
I really like that you show April's progression. I know that can be a vulnerable thing to show, but it makes it feel more real. Thanks for the great video! I have a goal to conquer a techy climb this year on a local trail (since I'm not very skilled at techy climbs) and this is just what I needed. Now to get out there and practice!
Thank you and good luck with your practice 😊
Ha! Great job. This is something I really need work on too. I keep wanting to pedal, and you know that doesn't work too often.
Glad it’s helpful! Pedaling and more speed seemed to be the go to before Kyle helped me with this haha
Your videos are just ridiculously helpful, and April, THANK YOU for showing us your struggles. It's massively helpful to those of us who are also learning.
Love these! I just started riding and I'm learning so much from you guys 😊❤
Thanks again for your excellent instructional videos. Ledges are impossible for me. Pushing foreword and lifting the rear wheel never seems to work. This video is the best I've seen. You and April have re- inspired me to work on this valuable skill until I get it.
Thats so cool to hear bruce! we hope this helps a ton!
I'm intimidated on technical trails for this reason. Thanks for the tip and happy mother's day to all you mothers.
I am sitting here watching very closely with my repaired/healing Right Shoulder Rotator Cuff Tear! Watching this and your other improve your peddling shows exactly how I fell sideways on a ledge. My dropper was full suspension and I had just finished a climb and I stopped and stopped and fell sideways over a ridge and landed on my shoulder. I finished the single-track, but knew I was in trouble.
Each time I come to a ledge is an opportunity to fall over sideways (watching April closely as she demonstrates this). Keeping the dropper seat low is important so one can reach the ground. Of course it is difficult, when climbing steep switchbacks, to keep the momentum.
It is 6 to 12 more weeks before getting back on my Commencal, but watching your demonstrations are a real encouragement. Thank you!
You two are the best!
Thanks so much Dan!
The best free MTB instructional videos on TH-cam! All techniques are very well explained and demonstrated and easy to understand and follow. These videos have made me a much better rider. Thank you, Kyle and April.
Thanks!
Thank you so much Donald!
Super helpful! I love that you take the time to step back, show the fails, analyse. Ready to try this on the trail.
Great tutorial. Something I've somehow figured out how to do over the years of riding.
One thing I noticed with April's failed attempts was the timing of the the pedal stroke and position. Certainly being in the right gear, having the right amount of momentum with the front wheel up on to the ledge and then having the pedal stroke at the right timing helps a lot.
Oh. And Congrats April. Well done. I know when I first tried mountain biking I realized I couldn't just twist a throttle and have power. And how the power was put down and being able to ratchet my pedals became very important.
Yes good eye, I kept trying to pedal my way through on the failed attempts and timing is always off when I’m trying new things!
Always enjoy a good Chico video. Climbing the top parts of maidu always gets me on the steps.
It’s tricky!
April, I was cheering you on! Kyle, you’re a great teacher!
Thanks so much!!
Great vid. Very helpful. As always straight to the point with no blabbering! Thanks!
Thanks Rich! Yeah we try our best to cut as much as possible while maintaining context haha. This video was 2 hours and 41 minutes when i started cutting it down on Sunday 😂
@@AprilRideMTB Wow good job. I kinda know what its like trying to trim down a video with a lot of content. These vids are well done. My girlfried watched Aprils overcoming fear vid and it helped her out. You two are awesome.
i am a skills coach in moab and i really love your videos! It's so helpful to actually make a video teaching the skill to someone, instead of showing viewers that the coach can do the skill they already know how to do. thanks so much for all the content :)
I’m a beginner mountain biker and this channel is my fave hands down. I like how the instructions are broken down, but what is most helpful for me is hearing along the way the things that April is focusing on and her big take aways. Watching her start the beginning of the day with little to no grasp on a skill, then see her accomplish them in just a day or two is so inspiring. 0:03 This video is my favorite so far! I was cheering for you out loud April and so proud of you when you crushed it! It gives me inspiration and hope that I’ll get there someday too. Thanks so much to both of you for the fantastic content!😊
Glad you enjoy our channel! Thanks for the kind comment 😊
I wish I had an experienced riding buddy like you whom I could session with. Thanks for the tutorial videos.
Thanks for watching! When I was younger i made a little facebook group for monday night urban rides and got a really fun crew of people from that, i know its a little different nowadays but it would be fun to organize a progression session ride once a month or something at a local shop!
Every time I watch your videos it makes me wish I was riding.
Bodacious job, April! What a great teacher you are, Kyle!
Kyle your ability to teach is awesome, and April your a great student showing us how to apply it.
Thank you Scott!
mr Kyle has some serious skills in making himself understood, the boss of fundamental details :)
In 2016 I became sick. I couldn’t ocean kayak due to Lyme disease affecting my neck. I had an old Huffy that I rode through technical trails for a year. I just powered my way through or walked through. Then I got a Scott Scale and my skills skyrocketed but I couldn’t do what I just saw April do. Two weeks ago I bought a new Scott Spark ( my neck thanks me). I watch a lot of TH-cam and have learned so much in so many areas but you two are my go to videos when it comes being on the pedals more than being on the ground.
Glad our videos are helpful. Sorry to hear about your lymes, but glad you can still ride!
I like to see that its not as easy as the expert makes it look. it encourages me to keep trying. Thanks April!
Glad it’s encouraging!
HAHAH April" I can't believe I just made that!"
Me "I can totally believe you made that"! You have Kyle as a teacher, and you are a very talented rider, that ledge did not know what it was in for.
Haha I still can’t believe it!
Congratulations April. Another technique mastered. You’re a great teacher Kyle. You guys work together as a great team. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much!
I watch it almost purely for the love and respect you guys share 🤗
Thank you!
April rode with her girl squad and she did awesome Kyle
That is cool to see you succeed over this obstacle. I didn´t ever trained this specific. But when i had something to hop over like a step or a tree i learned it this way. The problem for me is that i rarely struggle on something like this. I´m really motivated now to get into a proper practice lap!
Thanks so much Lucio!
April has the patience of a saint. I would of been swearing and supper frustrated lol
Great video as usual
I do love your videos and I love to see how April learns and how you support her and how she grows in confidence and overcomes her fears. I'm not riding a mountain bike, I'm on my BMX so I really appreciate that you showed it with the Wutang Clan bike in the beginning.
Yo thanks! Highlighting the chest over bars position made a huge difference for me - I was always trying to "manual" up my front end then jump myself forward, and it was always.. rough.
No worries at all! Glad this can help!
There's an uphill ledge just past a corner at my local park that always gets me. I'm definitely going to go back and session it after this one.
Rad vid. I don’t even try these multiple ledges (I’m 65 of age) but now I’ll give it a gander.
That was one of your best videos ever. Super helpful!
Glad to hear! We were hoping this one would be a really helpful one.
I’m new to mountain biking and this channel has been such a valuable tool to me. Kyle, you do a great job at breaking things down and demonstrating them. Being good at something and being able to teach that thing are definitely two separate skills, and you’re really good at teaching this stuff. April, watching you grasp and overcome all these challenges is very inspiring to me and gets me so excited to not only go ride but to actually work on these skills. Thanks for all you two do with you videos.
Thank you so much and welcome to biking and out channel!
Way to go! Thanks for the tips...
Thanks so much Ryan!
Thank you, this one of the problems I have on the trail.
Hope it will help!
@@AprilRideMTB hope so to, thanks for your tutorials!
Nice instruction, I chuckle at people saying you need clips or suspension to get up ledges. I learned to hop curbs on my bike in the late sixties. I got into aggressive trail riding on a full suspensions about 8 years ago, my technique could use improvement but it still works.
Watching foot position is very good and you guys are great instructors. Same kind of concept as horse jumping. 😊
Thank you guys for the videos! This style teaching and watching April learn helps me a lot. I cheered out loud when she hit that ledge, LOL. Looking forward to the steep climb on loose trails video.
Thanks for that video. I've been mountain biking for almost thirty years now. And I've tried to teach people some of the things I do. But I've never really understood the mechanics. I just did what I did. Having you break it down into little pieces will help me teach and get better at the technique myself. This was great!
Great to hear!
Out of all the videos i watched this one was the most useful and effective
Great to hear!
Yes, I did learn something. These kinds of ledges have been my nemesis for a long time. Going out to practise now.
Great to hear!
You guys are just amazing. April- I hope to be and learn half as well as you have. You’re so lucky to have such a patient and fantastic teacher. Bravo to both of you and thank you for sharing!
Thank you!
Love these long videos! So much extra help and entertainment.
Very well explained the way to do.
April is a very good student and Kyle a good teacher!
Great commitment to overcoming those obstacles! Persistence and practice paid off. Way to stick with it..........Proper GEAR SELECTION is very important to master, as well.
I love these instructional videos of theirs. So beginner friendly 😃
I love how patient and encouraging you are!
Another great video. I’ve improved my climbing a lot last year using the same basic technique. Nice to know I’m doing things right and to see all the mechanics behind it. Still a work in progress, but I’ll get there. Thanks again guys for another fun and educational video. You Rock!!
Thanks Steve! Glad to hear it’s reassuring to you 😊
This was so useful. Thanks guys 🎉❤
Thank you!!
Fun vid! It's always interesting listening to a good teacher explain what I've been doing for years but have no clue what's actually happening. I'm a good rider, but when it comes to explain what I'm actually doing...I really don't know. It's really cool sitting here nodding my head thinking, holy shit, that is what I'm doing. LOL! Great job to the both of you.
Thank you!
So happy to see you back together ❤ great achievement April. Good for you.
Thank you so much 😊
You guys are awesome. I’ve shown your videos to my daughters to let them know that they can do things they think that only their dad can do. :-)
Love to hear that!
Congratulations April on successfully defeating your nemesis! Thank you both for the educational video. It was most helpful, with plenty of learning points. Take care and be well. Namaste.
Thank you!
Excellent instruction! The "pop" up of the rear wheel is easier when pedals are level ..... I've learned the hard way!! 🙂
I love the combination of you both. Most videos are just an expert showing you. I like the combo of
experience of Kyle and April learning. Keep up your awesome video tutorials! 👏🙌
Glad you like them!
BEAUTIFUL video - you two just work amazingly together ... a great combination of teacher/pupil/flow/building/learning/feeling/togetherness/growth/success/progession: everything people wanting to learn will want and need to experience!!
Thank you!
So helpful, I love how you teach and break the elements down!! Thank you!!