Forwarded message:
>
> Hi, I’ve just been out cycling, and joy of joy! I can go down a kerb… well,
> that is to say - I did it a few times (5) and only fell off once
>
> But, I also tried to go up a small kerb (say, about 5-10 cm), and just
> don’t seem to manage it: I nearly did it a couple of times, but lost my
> balance… what is the best way to do this? It seems to me that riding
> straight at it will work, but would tend to damage the tyre or rim… is
> there a special knack? (I notice for Level 2, you have to ride over a
> 15x15cm obstacle!)
For level two you have to go down a 15cm drop, and for level 3 you have to go
over a 10x10cm obstacle. I have just recently learned how to go up a 4" curb
after thinking it would be impossible. Now, I did cheat slightly. I lined the
wheel up against the curb with the front pedal slightly above horizontal and
then rolled it back far enough to give me a good approach. You want to go at a
good speed, lean back slightly at the last minute, then push the wheel up the
curb when you hit it. The question then is what to do if the pedals are in a bad
position when you reach the curb? The answer I got from a level 7 rider was that
you turn around and try again. I think you are supposed to get a sense to where
you can adjust the wheel to line the pedals up properly for the hit.
One of the new list members recently sent me a description of how he learned to
ride up the curb and it helped me learn what I describe above. He is rewriting
it for general publication and I will include it in the skill document in the
FTP archive.
Other methods may be more flexible, like the parallel hop that Terry mentioned,
or making a flying leap as you approach the curb. I can’t do these, though. You
will find them in the FTP archive.
Beirne