How to Ride Skinnies on a Mountain Bike
Riding Narrow Structures Above Ground – the Mental Game
Jun 4, 2009
Take the rider who propels herself calmly on that foot-wide board lying on the ground: can she keep her forward momentum and balance just as well when that same board is 40 inches off the ground? How about when it's 10 feet off the ground? That's what makes skinnies a mental game.
Skinnies are often built into low areas of a trail that are prone to mud much of the year. Depending on their shape and width, skinnies may be logs, boards, ladders – anything that raises the trail and the bike rider above the ground.
Follow a Progression Path to Riding Skinnies
- Start with a line on the ground, such as a white painted line on a road. Raise the line to a foot-wide board a few inches off the ground. Then raise it some more.
- Narrow the line. Start with a wide board. Then progress to thinner boards.
- Alternate narrowing the board and raising the board. The narrow board requires better skill and balance. The higher board requires better mental confidence and better dismounting skills.
- Add curves, uphills, and downhills to the wooden bridge or ladder.
- As the structures get more challenging, try walking them, with your bike, first.
How to Ride Skinnies
- Use neutral stance, usually standing but possibly sitting when riding slowly
- Lower air pressure in the tires a little
- Look ahead to the destination, the skinny's exit spot
- Keep speed up to keep momentum and balance
- While it generally helps to keep moving, track stands can also be a useful skill for tight curves and skinnier sections.
- On very narrow skinnies, say, under three inches wide, balance is maintained by small movements of arms, legs, and the rider's weight, not by steering the front wheel.
The rider in this video changes his body position and speed depending on the width of the skinny, whether it's straight or curved, and whether it's flat or not.
How to Bail or Dismount
Inevitably, there will be times when a premature dismount is in order before the end of the skinny is reached. If it's less than 15 inches off the ground, you can safely roll off the skinny onto the ground.
A trickier way to bail, one that requires practice but is safer from higher altitudes, is to jump off the bike, feet first. For example if to jump off to the left of the skinny, place weight on the handlebars while simultaneously leaping up from the pedals, bring right leg and foot around back of the bike to left side, and jump off the structure to the ground. The "first attempt" in this video demonstrates this dismount method.
Remember, look ahead. And this one really is a mental game.
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