I have no scientific method yet. However, I am beginning to develop a theory with relationship of backpack/water pack size to jumping skill level. Seems the larger the pack, the further reduced the skill set is. Much more investigation and research is needed. Stay tuned.....
hahaha. this hits a little too close to home. i didn't start riding until my late 20s and as such, have almost no jump skills at all. i'm not doing any favors to those would would refute your statement
Very funny but a lot of the dudes at mountain creek used to call me whistler dude or backpack boy cause I was the only dude shredding all the big hits and drops with a backpack on - always carrying tools and gear!!
@AutumnMedia: Backpacks are practical. Unlike big jumps. The remaining question is: how many big pack senders wear socks to their sandals and what does it say about their mothers.
If you need a data point, I can't ride park anymore because of concussions (and age), but when I did I was the pack carrier of our group. Hydration, tools, and beers. And I'm a terrible jumper (but improving). I frequently crushed full beer cans in my pack in my Whistler bike park wrecks. -- Mr. High Centre of Gravity!
My big pack is a result of years of "experiments" in cushioning my spine upon impact and also allows me to turn to my back and flip off the gods who've cursed me before I land.
Jokes aside if you jump with a backpack, you are more likely to crash. Thinking about it as a spine protector is like putting safety net on the windshield of your car because you don’t want to fasten the seat belts. I can’t remember how many times my light and small camelback has hit me mid air in the back of my head despite having it tightened. Rather freely moving 2lbs on your back is a great way for a fk up. So is hitting dirt jumps in a loose Full face. Whqtever you do around jumps, make sure it is in place. And buy a real back protector for fks sake. There are kids jumping without helmets in tight jeans and there are geared up safety first blokes with back packs. The first kind crashes rarely but properly, second type crashes all the time a bit. The best insurance is learn to jump in a controlled environment and don’t be a cry boy when it is time to step it up. If you think you have a big back pack and all sorts of guards and it will save you from consequences of overshooting a stupid tabletop, or getting take off balance off, you are damn wrong. No protection replaces skill and “ sht happens to everybody” is just a dumb excuse.
And it isn’t an effective bike protector either. I spoke to a sales rep of POC and he said backpack is better than nothing but defo worse than a dedicated protector because backpack is much more likely to slide to the side due to its big size.
So do yourselves a favor guys... no sending in backpacks. Dress up to the occasion
@WAKIdesigns: Maybe you shouldn't have put the joke aside...you're right the risk is real but hitting small doubles is BFD with a pack...and I might be saving your ass with an actual first aid kit in my pack instead of some gauze, tweezers, and tape for your mouth.
The protection for my back was also a joke BUT I have had a few branch stabs deflected by the pack straps.
@Heydre: if you hit jumps like those in the videos with back pack on, you are just silly. Take it off, or at least empty it. I was speaking about jumping. I too ride with a pack from time to time when I need lots of water, I just don’t send jumps in it. I wasn’t writing about back packs being a source of evil. Don’t send sht with them filled up. that’s all. But folks riding in bike parks with loaded packs is a common sight.
Fullface/goggles/gloves/elbowforearm&kneeshin pads/small-med pack with 1ltr water in it...few tools...phone. FULL SEND.....always....for consistency. Yes...it's kind of annoying on DJ's...but I do more senders/drops/step-downs than DJ anyways. Rider skillz yo. Pack stays on. Makes slide outs and rollin around easier to take. The one time I stacked it hard and wrapped my back around a tree...a real back protector would have been waaaay better for sure....but that was once in 20+ yrs...I'm not wearing an annoying back protector against those odds. Yes...I'm an irresponsible risk taker thank you very much
Not only does he get to have his crash immortalized on film, but then gets to get run over by db who likes to ride right up his @ss. Been there, done that and I can't stand when someone is right on my tail on a fast downhill section.
@samjobson: @nvranka: @VT2wheeledlife: But there's also the point of don't follow closer than your skill allows you to stop in, just like driving...The dude got completely WRECKED, body slammed tree, then got run over.
small launch off the damp wood feature, rear wheel slips out and everything goes to shit. with all the woodwork around here in coastal BC..... my worst nightmare on video!
Whats with all of the helmets flying off on impact? I had to do a double take on a few where they crashed, and I was like "oh man, and they didn't even have a helmet on", only to rewind, and watch it fly off on impact.
Is this a design thing? Or are people actually just not buckling them? If its the latter... this should be a good reminder to spend the extra 3 seconds to buckle the thing properly before you send it.
Crap. Guess that means I'm the "uncool, but also un-concussed" group then . I guess no surprise there.
Now that I think about it though, I had a buddy who rode with his half lid unbuckled all the time for similar reasons (wasn't "cool"). While trying to learn to wheelie, he looped out (rookie mistake, no finger on the rear brake), helmet flew off before his head hit the pavement. Its how he earned his first concussion :/.
Crashing is best done with the buddy-system. If you're the lead crasher, you are absolutely entitled (correction, you are REQUIRED) to take out everyone else who's following you! Or maybe that's just how my group rides...
Love it when words fail to describe your pain other than f*ck, groans, or an appeal to God...a couple crashers here have earned the nickname Treeface...all these failed backflips remind me of my flailing gainers off of ledges into water...and my favorite was the eject > cliffhanger > face plowing scorpion > dirt burps. Summer IS coming...
Can someone help me understand what happened in the wall ride that starts at 1:05? I just cannot figure out why his body and bike get bumped around like that. Thanks.
Thank you for your contribution to weekly fails.
And it isn’t an effective bike protector either. I spoke to a sales rep of POC and he said backpack is better than nothing but defo worse than a dedicated protector because backpack is much more likely to slide to the side due to its big size.
So do yourselves a favor guys... no sending in backpacks. Dress up to the occasion
The protection for my back was also a joke BUT I have had a few branch stabs deflected by the pack straps.
TLDR calm down Wacky.
PS "Jumps like those in the video with back pack on"... the 20 foot booter and the weenie whoops are decidedly different kinds of "jumps".
Is this a design thing? Or are people actually just not buckling them? If its the latter... this should be a good reminder to spend the extra 3 seconds to buckle the thing properly before you send it.
Crap. Guess that means I'm the "uncool, but also un-concussed" group then
Now that I think about it though, I had a buddy who rode with his half lid unbuckled all the time for similar reasons (wasn't "cool"). While trying to learn to wheelie, he looped out (rookie mistake, no finger on the rear brake), helmet flew off before his head hit the pavement. Its how he earned his first concussion :/.