Wheelie Drops

When riding along North Shore trails you’ll eventually need to drop off the end of an obstacle – the most effective technique to use is the wheelie drop…

The narrow, uneven nature of most North Shore trails means that it’s often difficult to get up enough speed to jump off the end of an obstacle. The easiest way around the problem is to use a wheelie drop. The move is also useful in normal riding situations when you need to loft the front of your bike into the air. We’re demonstrating the wheelie drop on a North Shore ledge that’s difficult to approach at speed because of a tight corner moments before the end of the obstacle. It’s hard to just roll off the ledge because the chainrings on most bikes don’t provide enough clearance, so the wheelie drop is just about the only way down.

Step 1: Stay central, watch the landing
Make your run-up line as central as possible. You need to ensure that you’re heading towards the central part of the landing area – North Shore obstacles can be several feet from the floor, and the last thing you want to do is plunge off the side of the ledge and miss the landing. The obstacle that we’re using runs slightly downhill, so there’s no need to pedal until you’ve dropped off the end. As you approach the end of the obstacle, you should make sure that your favoured foot is placed forwards and that you’re ready for the drop. At the same time, you need to be watching the landing to make sure you touch down in the correct place. Some landings are longer than others and you need to adjust your speed accordingly. The landing at the end of our North Shore obstacle is quite short, so it can be approached slowly, allowing you to simply ‘plop’ off the edge of the platform.

Step 2: Pull up on the bars and kick forwards
Once you get to the edge of the obstacle, it’s time to perform the wheelie drop. Pull upwards on your handlebar and, at the same time, kick forwards on the pedals as though you were doing a trials pedal kick. This move should lift your bike’s front wheel sufficiently for you to land safely. If you’re not confident about using the pedal kick technique, you should use a low gear and get half a pedal stroke in while pulling up on the bar – just like doing a wheelie. Again, this technique will raise your wheel, although you’ll be forced to land with your less favoured foot forwards.

Step 3: Land smoothly on both wheels
As you ride off the obstacle with your front wheel in the air, you should keep your weight central so that you land with your front and rear wheels touching down on the landing simultaneously. At the same time, try to make sure that you land as straight as possible. Most of the time, you’ll be landing on a transition where you’ll pick up speed quickly, so riding straight is important for maintaining your balance and staying in control of your bike. You should also use your arms and legs to absorb some of the landing impact. You need to touch down as lightly as you can, especially on landing ramps made from wood or other breakable materials. Once you’ve landed safely and smoothly, ride away and prepare for the next obstacle.

Expert advice
Always check that there’s enough clearance between your chainring and the obstacle you want to ride off. If there’s sufficient chainring clearance, you’ll be able to roll off the ledge and, if the run-up is long enough, you might be able to jump off the trail. However, the wheelie drop is the best option to use on most North Shore obstacles. It’s important to practise the wheelie drop on small, low-down obstacles first, especially if you’re using the more risky variation of the move where you have to land with your less favoured foot forwards.