When getting air off of a jump on a mountain bike there is a lot to consider before attempting it. Whenever I look at a jump that seems appealing to me I use a method to make sure I can do it as safe a possible called the rule of three's. The first part of it is I look at the jump. If the jump doens't look too high and has a good lead up section, I definetly take it into consideration. The second part of this process is looking at the landing. Something important to understand about getting air on your bike is that you gain a lot of speed very quickly. If the landing is smooth, not to steep, and has room for you to ride it out that's something to look for. On the other hand, if the jump has lots of rocks, roots, and other obsticals on the landing, that might not be what you want to try. The final part of this method is starting small. If the jump looks good and safe to attempt start by getting a small amount of air before going all in.
The second part of this post is how to catch air? When trying to get air on your mountain bike there is a series of events to consider. Once you get enough speed to go up to the jump you will typically hit something at the top called the lip. The lip of the jump is a little curl at the top of the jump allowing you bike to get air time. When your front tire gets to the lip you want to first: stand up on your bike. The second thing you want to do is have your pedals even like in I do in the photo above. The third thing you want to do is pull up on the handle bars of your bike. Once you do all of these things you will most likely catch some air. The final and most important thing you can do is prepare for the landing. When you are in the air try to shift your bike to match with the way the ground is. The way you can do this is by moving your weight. For example lets say the landing is flat, I would want to stay in the center of my bike so my tires land even, but if the landing is steeper then I should shift my weight slightly forward so I can have a smooth and safe landing as well.
The final thing to do after you hit the jump is slow down. Slowing down is very important, but has to be done safely and correct. After you hit the ground you don't want to break immediately which is a mistake most people make which can lead to skidding out, or even having your bike flip. When you hit the ground wait at least half a second before you press on the breaks. When you break it is very important that you use both breaks so you don't hurt yourslef. When you start to break initally apply small amounts of pressure and then gradually squeeze harder which will help you slow down nicely. These are the ways to catch air on your mountain bike while being safe, and still having fun!
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