Author Topic: I cant seem to be able to learn the spinning into the fork glide!!!  (Read 5977 times)

Offline GraveMT91

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alright so just as the title states..I CANT FREAKIN LEARN IT!! i am getting frustrated. everytime i go to spin off the pegs, i either squeeze the brake too hard and dont spin at all, or i get worried i will fall over and stop halfway though.
i have posted a topic on this a while back, and i know everyine says "just do it".
how did you learn it? any step by steo process i can learn to guide me through all the way. the vids on youtube dont help at all.

thanks guys

-Jimmy

Offline kchez

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Re: I cant seem to be able to learn the spinning into the fork glide!!!
« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2013, 11:42:29 PM »
Are you meaning rolling in like a fire hydrant? If so, you shouldn't be using your brake at all. Assuming that your starting on the left side of the bike, what will stop the spin is if you lean the bike more than perpendicular to the left. If you lean the bike to the right while riding and let go of the bars, they will want to spin clockwise-you want this to happen, but with you on the peg. Remember to keep your body centered over the head tube and concentrate on getting around in one fluid motion. Hope this helps!

Offline Norbon2wheels

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Re: I cant seem to be able to learn the spinning into the fork glide!!!
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2013, 11:57:58 PM »
Hello GraveMT91.

If i recall the way i learnt getting into a Fork Glide, it was this way:
1. Learn the basic Track Stand trick. Was the first trick to me that i learnt (good thing is you can if you want practice it at home haha). Basicly it will help in improving your balance, and it is similar to when you get halfway of a fork glide. If you have Track Stand balancing pretty well, you should start doing a Track Stand from rolling by you having 1 foot on the front peg, other foot on the same side back peg (same side as for balancing a Track Stand)
2. After "mastering" Track Stand, i would suggest you go and start off with the Fork Glide by stepping into the rolling backward part. Can give a few kicks back on the front tire if you feel confident, keeping your momentum up.
3. If you have both the 1. and 2. points down, the only thing left to do, is linking them together with the exception that you don't stop in the Track Stand balance position! You have to rotate another 90 degrees. Thats about it. Am not trying to discuss the rideout yet :) all in small steps.
Hope i could give some insight on the things you need to get down! I wish you luck in adding this trick to your arsenal! Don't give up!
Peace from Hungary!
« Last Edit: January 09, 2013, 12:03:13 AM by Norbon2wheels »

Offline melon lover

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Re: I cant seem to be able to learn the spinning into the fork glide!!!
« Reply #3 on: January 09, 2013, 08:30:59 AM »
Hey bro I've been teaching my kiddies and the one thing I kept on at them was "THE BRAKE" ;D

You only touch it on for "1 millie second" when the front wheel gets to just past 90 degrees  (prolly bout 105deg) that was the hardest thing for them both to get  :wacko:

If you hit it too early the wheel won't spin, too late face plant or hold it for too long and you just flip the rear

I still remember learning this one (oct 2010-jan 2011) I met lee musslewhite in a car park and he helped me get out of it after months of torment


Hope this helps
« Last Edit: January 09, 2013, 08:33:45 AM by melon lover »

Offline K.Wong

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Re: I cant seem to be able to learn the spinning into the fork glide!!!
« Reply #4 on: January 09, 2013, 08:36:10 AM »
are we talking about spastic fork wheelie (mc circle) or turbining mc circle?

others have given you tips on techniques, let me help with the bike setup:

1) change brake pads - i use old harden pads that slows the wheel down but don't/ can't stop the momentum unless i use my foot or am really slow.

2) adjust the "pull" of the levers by the barrel adjustor or by letting more cable out - so you have to pull more of the lever's blade for the pads to touch the rims.

3) the feet on the peg - i find that it helps by keeping it at an 30~45 degree angle while standing on the peg and pushing/ butting it against the fork arm.

and don't worry - i heard from a friend that micheal steingrabber can't/ won't do mc circles too; we riders sometime have "blind tricks" like some drivers have blind spots.   

Offline Jesse Vetrone

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Re: I cant seem to be able to learn the spinning into the fork glide!!!
« Reply #5 on: January 09, 2013, 09:10:26 AM »
I did not use brakes when learning the ride into the fork glide. I'm not saying that this is what you should do, but I'm just saying that its worth a try.


as mentioned, (if you haven't learned this part already) it is best to learn to step into and ride in the fork glide position first! if you are very comfortable in this position, it will be many times easier to ride in. you will have a good frame of reference for where your weight needs to be and how to balance.


from there, the best thing to focus on, is really snapping around to your fork glide position QUICK. that way, you spend minimal time in the transition (the longer it takes to snap into a balance point/riding position, the longer you have to lose your balance and fall! the key here is KEEPING MOMENTUM)


I did this by keeping most of my weight on the rear peg thru out the ride in.


so basically, keep weight on rear foot. use that foot (and your arms, and your shoulders and upper body) to snap around quickly, and propel you around and arrive in the fork glide position (that you should already be comfortable in!)


this way, there is almost no time for you to lose your balance!


I would almost call it a "hop"


especially when i was learning, i would even have my front wheel coming off the ground a bit! (like in a barspin)


once you get cozy, you won't have to "hop" so much... and you can just do it smooth.


hope this helps... and remember, this is just my account of how i learned. won't work for everyone, key is to keep trying! and use your problem solving skills! every time you "fail" , think about what went wrong! and realize that each time you "fail", you learn something!


happy riding dood, I look forward to hearing about you sticking this trick!

Offline metalbmxer

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Re: I cant seem to be able to learn the spinning into the fork glide!!!
« Reply #6 on: January 09, 2013, 12:41:37 PM »
Wow incredible amount of help! Stick with it Grave, almost there...
Dax (now in LAS VEGAS as of July 2022)

Offline Jesse Vetrone

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Re: I cant seem to be able to learn the spinning into the fork glide!!!
« Reply #7 on: January 09, 2013, 10:49:50 PM »
Want to add this: lead with your shoulder an head when you spin around. This will really help you get around quickly. Ill try and post a video if I have some time

Offline 2flat2furious

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Re: I cant seem to be able to learn the spinning into the fork glide!!!
« Reply #8 on: January 09, 2013, 10:59:07 PM »
Why are you using a brake to do a spinning fork glide at all? How long have you been trying it?

Offline K.Wong

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Re: I cant seem to be able to learn the spinning into the fork glide!!!
« Reply #9 on: January 10, 2013, 08:39:24 AM »
it's mostly foot control and momentum...
brakes? because the ground is never ever perfectly flat and if you start off with the spin going towards a downwards slope you might have pick up too much speed/ momentum to hold the position without going spastic and need to scrub it off, thus the brakes.
just learn how to feather the brakes; imho clear brake pads are too "sticky" for a rider to use smoothly, especially on rolling and turbining tricks.

Offline Gearhead

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Re: I cant seem to be able to learn the spinning into the fork glide!!!
« Reply #10 on: January 10, 2013, 09:32:00 AM »
y     Ultimately, no brakes, but if you must it's only for the previously mentioned millisecond as you swing around that 90 degree point. I find it's all about where you butt is going. Deliberately throw your ass out to the left as your spinning to the right (or vice versa) to use it as a counter balance and you'll follow through into the trick naturally.
     Alternately, I like to do a half boomerang into it. Starting w/ the right foot on the left peg, jump around the front of the bike into it and land with the bike facing slightly down and to your left to keep the circle going. This entirely avoids the awkward moment at the 90 degree point because the whole front end is completely unweighted when you jump around. Do this brakeless at an extremely slow speed to learn it. Practice jumping around and landing w/ one foot on the ground and one on the peg.
     Even if you don't use the half boomerang method, practicing it will teach you how to boost yourself into the correct position. You need to PUSH off that back peg while unweighting the front end and landing into the forkglide position.
     Don't worry. If you put in the time, learning it is inevitable.
"So much to do, so little time." - Mr. X

Offline 2flat2furious

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Re: I cant seem to be able to learn the spinning into the fork glide!!!
« Reply #11 on: January 10, 2013, 07:15:34 PM »
it's mostly foot control and momentum...
brakes? because the ground is never ever perfectly flat and if you start off with the spin going towards a downwards slope you might have pick up too much speed/ momentum to hold the position without going spastic and need to scrub it off, thus the brakes.
just learn how to feather the brakes; imho clear brake pads are too "sticky" for a rider to use smoothly, especially on rolling and turbining tricks.

Even with a slant you shouldn't need brakes. I learned spinning fork glides in the street a block or so away from the house I grew up in and it wasn't flat at all. It was slanted three ways. You shouldn't touch your brake when you swing out into them because it messes up your momentum. Even then, you can still use your foot as a way to slow down the tire by pulling down at various speeds.

edit: contrary to what gearhead said, I don't think you should be pushing off the back peg. I used to try that and it never gave me a proper spin.
« Last Edit: January 10, 2013, 07:17:05 PM by 2flat2furious »

Offline Gearhead

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Re: I cant seem to be able to learn the spinning into the fork glide!!!
« Reply #12 on: January 12, 2013, 10:51:40 PM »
2flat, I thought about it while riding last night and you are totally right. It's all leg swing and staying centered. The "push" I described is only really helpful when doing the half-boomerang in.
"So much to do, so little time." - Mr. X

Offline mad.scientist

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Re: I cant seem to be able to learn the spinning into the fork glide!!!
« Reply #13 on: January 14, 2013, 02:32:17 AM »
putting into steps could be hard but let me try give you some tips on how i learned to spin into it


1. learn to ride in the position, that as everyone says helps a ton cause you get the feeling of how your weight should be distributed and that
2. no brakes, i learned this without the breaks, its a personal preference but i feel that using the breaks just like... stopped the flow of it and i actually never could do it using the brake cause the bike just stopped rolling if i did.
3. try to place your hands a little bit in on the handlebars, my grips have this like ring at the inside end i put my hands as far as i could when i was learning it, why? well your hands closer together make a smaller circle when you spin and that makes you spin a little bit faster im not sure on the physics of it but it worked for me, you could try it.
4. try not to push too much with your other foot and more to spin with your head, hands and shoulders, when you turn your head the whole body follows.
5. when you put your foot on the front peg try to place it where it feels solid i find it for that trick best to put the ball of my foot right on the peg, a bit forward feels safe too but having it a bit behind feels sketchy and obviously having the tip of my foot on the pegs just wont work.
6. when you push right after you push and begin to spin i tend to kick back a bit to keep the momentum going, its not a hard kick, its like letting your leg go, that helped me when i was going a bit fast, that way my leg is used as counterweight for my body which is over the bars (to keep the back wheel down mainly)
7. try to keep your foot parallel to the ground, to far down and the bike will slip away from you, to far up you'll feel weird and to far over the bars. (this is actually how i've been progressing on hang 5s still haven't got them but that small detail helped me a lot)
8. if you are going in circles when you spin get the bike straight and try to tilt it out of the circle a bit, so when you spin your weight will bring it back straight up... i always fall when im going in circles cause the bike is tilting into the circle and not out of it, sometimes i manage to save it but its really hard.
9. dont spin too fast or you will over spin and fall, its smooth turn.
10.  another thing i did at first was to put my back foot on the tire as soon as i turned and give it a kick to keep balance
11. they say it's easier to do it in a straight line at first which is true, a lot, but the way you keep balance straight is a bit different when you go in circles.


so yeah i still cant ride out of that thing and well 4 1/2 months into it im not good but patience is key for this.... i think and hope i pointed out a few small details that experienced riders forget about overtime since they dont think about them anymore cause its memorized... but well thats how i learned this trick, if i have some time i'll try to do a video showing some of the things i said and the things i didn't find words to say :P keep going and lets us know how it goes, and if you can put a video up, i did that with my tailwhips it helped everyone else see what i was doing and how and that made it easier for everyone to help me out btw i still haven't landed those but im getting close :D
keep riding

Offline GraveMT91

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Re: I cant seem to be able to learn the spinning into the fork glide!!!
« Reply #14 on: January 15, 2013, 08:51:05 PM »
thanks everyone for your detailed responses! i have read ALL of the posts slowly and multiple times, taking everything in. imma try out some of those suggestions and see if i get anywhere. i'll post back up here with my results haha