How to…
Nail scrubs and whips
Perfect these moves to add some steeze to your jump sessions
What could be more stylish than getting your bike fully sideways over a jump? With whip-off contests featuring regularly at events such as Crankworx, this move is one of the best ways to show your steeze without having to resort to uber-technical tricks. And what about scrubs? If you’re more into speed than amplitude, the ability to keep your bike as low as possible (pioneered by MX racer James Stewart) is a great way to gain vital tenths on the racetrack. Here, BikePark Wales team rider Leon Rosser explains how to pull off these tricks…
WHIPS
The aim is to get your bike sideways in the air and straighten up before landing. They look amazing on everything from a dirt jump bike to a full downhill rig.
1 When rolling in towards the lip of the jump, relax your arms and legs, but keep both slightly bent and your pedals level. This is often called the attack/ready position.
2 Carve up the take-off of the jump in an arc (turn towards the left if you’re planning to whip the back of the bike out to the right, and vice-versa); a slight turn helps.
3 Once in the air, start using your legs to slowly push the back wheel out, continuing in the direction of the whip.
4 Turn the front wheel back straight in-line with your direction of travel and use your legs to straighten the bike back out.
5 Landing slightly front wheel first can allow you extra time to straighten the whip back out.
TOP TIP
Get comfortable with straight airs on the jump first, before pushing your bike sideways. Start with small angles to practise, and concentrate on bringing the wheel back straight before landing, to avoid crashing and buckling your wheels. I use a small turn of the bar and a twist of my hips to help push the back end of the bike out. This movement will become more natural with plenty of practice. Remember to start small – big whips will come with time!
SCRUBS
Scrubs are a low, fast evolution of a whip. Keeping the bike as low as possible is good for racers because you spend less time in the air and can get back on the pedals quickly. They also look super-stylish!
1 APPROACH
Start in the attack position. Do a large carve up the take-off of the jump.
2 GET SIDEWAYS
Start to lay the bike on its side and absorb it into you as the back wheel nears the top of the lip. Be careful not to clip the lip with your pedal. Slide/scrub the back wheel on the top of the lip as you take off.
3 BAR TURN
As the front wheel goes over the top of the lip, do an exaggerated bar turn at the earliest point.
4 WHIP IT
Once you’re in the air, push the back end of the bike out into a whip; this will help keep you level and begin straightening you back up.
5 STRAIGHTEN UP
Move your weight forward and push on the handlebar to straighten up the front wheel before you hit the landing.
6 SPEED OFF
Absorb the landing with your arms and legs, then get on the pedals and set yourself up for the next jump!
TOP TIP
Get whips dialled first, because once you can pull a good one, the scrub will become easier to learn. Over time you’ll become a master of both! Again, start small. With time, you’ll be able to scrub with your wheels lower to the ground and with more speed, as your skill builds.
PRO-FILE
LEON ROSSER
JOB Plasterer & BPW team rider
CREDENTIALS Hailing from Wales’s Rhondda Valley, Leon isn’t only an MMA fighter, motocrosser and 4X, DH and enduro racer, but also a father of four boys! He somehow manages to combine all these activities with running a plastering company and going on great-looking riding holidays. Showing no sign of slowing down, he recently won the Veteran (40+) category at the British Downhill Series round at Caersws.