Learning the spine..

[nicklambo]

O.K.....Got to learn the spine...Has anyone ridden the one at Harrow...Is it a good spine to learn on..It looks pretty high to me but I like the idea that it is quite wide and you could carve across it....any one know of any others in Bucks or Oxford that would be better to learn on?

Ta!!

P.S.....Going on 44 but want to get this done..!!

[evamedia]

Honestly, spines are a tough one.

My advice would be just jump straight over it, pretty much to flat, once you've actually got over it like that, then you just need to slow it down and point the front in.

That's how I jumped my first one (leigh-on-sea about 92-93, landed so heavy my bars slipped forward) and then had to do the same in 2007 (in front of some very good riders, proper intimidating)

[pickle]

Harrows is a big fooker mate                                                           

[Peter J]

I was learning to spine transfer  



Right up to the point I snapped three sets of ligaments in my shoulder Oh and damaged two beyond repair so they need replacing, mashed the cartilage in my shoulder socket which I'm waiting for the hospital to grow some replacement (stem cell) for me.

And I’ve not slept in a bed for three months because when I lay down the pain is horrendous even though I’m on slow release morphine patches and whack tramadol down my neck like there smarties

Also I've signed off work now for the past three months

Still could be worse.............I could have took up golf  

To be fair mine was a freak accident and the fact I'm 17 stone doesn’t help  

The worse bit for me was getting enough speed up   as I said 17 fat fooookin stone  



Oh yer and my Clavicle bone is sticking up because the bit it needs to join on to is hanging down by about 1 inch   

[Spen69]

Pete, you forgot to mention the horrific facial inuries you got.

Or have you always looked like that?

;-D

[Peter J]

Pete, you forgot to mention the horrific facial inuries you got.

Or have you always looked like that?

;-D

Could be worse.............I could look like this  love ya honey bunny 

[theRuler]

Spines can be scary.
One approach is to get to the top, put your foot on and step / fumble over.
This will get you used to the sensation of the 2 ramps.

Aside from that, keep the nose down when you come over the top.  Have a finger or 2 on the back brake ready to hit it, as if you get into wheelie you will be destroying your tailbone.

[lodge]

My advice is to find a small one first, you can find them as small as a few feet if you look around, not sure where your from but Blackpool has a tiny one. Corby has a fairly small one also, you can learn the tecnique on the small ones dipping the front wheel and kicking the rear out to one side, must admit if you can popout onto one foot and go over this way it can help mentally.
The mistake most make first time is going far too fast.
On a slightly different note a mate of mine many years ago hit the spine at speed at rehab skatepark thinking it was the jumpbox which had a flat top and mellow sloped landing he must of been 10 feet up to nosedive on flat to mashed knackers, we could see him tonking at this thing thinking wtf is he doing. laugh every time I think about it.

[Peter J]

Blackpool has a tiny one.

Thats the one I fell off 

[Betty]

Jump to flat to get over the fear of it... 

Then find the right speed and work on the technique, the small one at Blackpool is ideal for learning

There's a smaller one at the arc in Preston with a flat top and no coping, more of a speed bump than a spine.... 

On the right of this crap fone pic....



It's good fun to ride, small quarter at one side of it and a mellow flatbank at the other side, gonna stick me front brake on and try to endo over it.... 

[ED209]

O.K.....Got to learn the spine...Has anyone ridden the one at Harrow...Is it a good spine to learn on..It looks pretty high to me but I like the idea that it is quite wide and you could carve across it....any one know of any others in Bucks or Oxford that would be better to learn on?

Ta!!

P.S.....Going on 44 but want to get this done..!!

DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!!!

I stay well away from them - plenty of lovely terrain to ride... leave the spines to the 'girls pants' crew.

[QUADROPHENIA]

theres a small one in oxford but cant remember the name of the bloody road, mr leech will know

[nicklambo]

Wow...Thanks for all the advice.....I can now get over the one at Amersham but it's pretty small....wish there was somewhere that had a load next to each other one foot higher etc..

I like the idea of the Harrow one because it's so wide I could carve over it instead of jump over it...

This isn't me but the spine is the same height...

[Betty]

Wow...Thanks for all the advice.....I can now get over the one at Amersham but it's pretty small...

That was quick, you only put the thread up at teatime.... 

[griff]

nick mate get yourself to a Rad lock-in, plenty there to keep you amused  

[76]

Jump to flat to get over the fear of it... 

Then find the right speed and work on the technique, the small one at Blackpool is ideal for learning

There's a smaller one at the arc in Preston with a flat top and no coping, more of a speed bump than a spine.... 

On the right of this crap fone pic....



It's good fun to ride, small quarter at one side of it and a mellow flatbank at the other side, gonna stick me front brake on and try to endo over it.... 

Whats it like at "The Arc"?  We generally ride Halton but once the cold and wet come it will be lethal there. So we're looking at "Arc" to get our winter fix and fix our BMX Blues

[Betty]

Jump to flat to get over the fear of it... 

Then find the right speed and work on the technique, the small one at Blackpool is ideal for learning

There's a smaller one at the arc in Preston with a flat top and no coping, more of a speed bump than a spine.... 

On the right of this crap fone pic....



It's good fun to ride, small quarter at one side of it and a mellow flatbank at the other side, gonna stick me front brake on and try to endo over it.... 

Whats it like at "The Arc"?  We generally ride Halton but once the cold and wet come it will be lethal there. So we're looking at "Arc" to get our winter fix and fix our BMX Blues

We were gonna go Halton yesterday but it was pissing down ere (Darwen) but didn't wanna drive up there to look at a wet park... 

The arcs ok, everythings either huge or small with nowt inbetween, prefer ramp city myself but my lad and mates prefer the arc

But i'm an old fart.... 

There's a comp at the arc 15th/16th oct.... 

[ukoldschool]

theres a small spine on the metal mini at rom, and a quite large one slapped in the middle of the resevoir (taking up all the space and ruining the lines of the skatepark fuking shit c unt ramps grrr.....)

[76]

Jump to flat to get over the fear of it... 

Then find the right speed and work on the technique, the small one at Blackpool is ideal for learning

There's a smaller one at the arc in Preston with a flat top and no coping, more of a speed bump than a spine.... 

On the right of this crap fone pic....



It's good fun to ride, small quarter at one side of it and a mellow flatbank at the other side, gonna stick me front brake on and try to endo over it.... 

Whats it like at "The Arc"?  We generally ride Halton but once the cold and wet come it will be lethal there. So we're looking at "Arc" to get our winter fix and fix our BMX Blues

We were gonna go Halton yesterday but it was pissing down ere (Darwen) but didn't wanna drive up there to look at a wet park... 

The arcs ok, everythings either huge or small with nowt inbetween, prefer ramp city myself but my lad and mates prefer the arc

But i'm an old fart.... 

There's a comp at the arc 15th/16th oct.... 

Yeah, going to give the arc a go......Soon, never done Ramp City.

Haltons great, but avoid in the rain, its really really slippy when wet!  And makes us 'older' riders extremely twitchy!

[scott250]

eye, find a small one first, and I think jumping it to flats not a good idea tbh.  best way to try is to cut it a little side on - as it takes away the steepness a little and if you overshoot (most do frist try) it gives you a little distance- more like a volcano.  You dont have to jump high, but enough to get you in the air and over - without banging you back wheel (i'll get to why in a min).  Now heres the scary part - you have to come in front wheel first (thats why to flat aint gonna teach you how to jump a spine right).  You can try lowering you front wheel on any pipe with a good flyout (dont go to far, ha, or you'll just go over the bars...) Might be best on an short jump box,just emphasis landing on the front wheel a little.  Just relax, keep loose and try it one time after a few warm ups on the flyout or jump box.

Be aware coming in badly on a spine can really hurt, I was riding a 6 foot spine for about 2 hours and was a little tired - i did a lazzy jump over the spine and caught the coping a little - over the bars and dislocated my leg + cracked the bit of my hip the leg poped out of.  It hurt a bit and I didnt ride for 4 months  - not trying to put you off, but you got to ride spines right, ie nose in.

[HUTCHMAN]

theres a small one in oxford but cant remember the name of the bloody road, mr leech will know

is it the one off of Iffley Road?

[nicklambo]

Wow.....I'm more scared than before now.   Don't like the sound of breaking anything at my age..!!...Think I'll have to think about it some more....

Looked up those skateparks but they are too far North of me...(They look great though....will have to plan a road trip up to session them!!)

Thanks for the advice....will post more if/when I have tried one higher....

[griff]

nick

leicester boardroom is great for starting off - not too intimidating overall and the jumpbox is a good size without giving you the fear
T1 has plenty for everyone but bit more extreme I'd say (worth it for the foam pit alone though  )
corby and brum are a probably a bit more suited for the more experienced riders - I had some fun wobbling about at the bottom of the big vert in brum but spent most of my time in corby on the nursery ramps - admittedly that was my very first visit to any skatepark

if you're near amersham they're probably a bit more convenient - I'm near wokingham and usually takes me about an hour and a half if it's clear
would love to try blackpool but it's a very long way from here (about time we had an indoor park in berkshire methinks)

wherever you go you can be sure of a good bunch if it's a rad lock-in - pretty much everyone I've met off here has been sound and you get a lot of positive 'encouragement' if you want to gently progress on the ramps n that

[nicklambo]

Thanks for the great info.....Looks like a Rad lock in is the way to go..(need to keep an eye out for the next one?...!!)....Leicester boardroom is a bit of a trek but might be worth a drive over to (though spine looks a bit narrow for learning..)...need one just like that but a bit wider..!...I know I know..I want it all..!!)...

[scott250]

If you can find a volcano jump before you try a spine too, might be easyer to learn on - and you can do a slow footplant on a volcano just get used to it too.