MTB tips and techniques: common errors on roll downs (video)

Rolling down an obstacle such as a rock or a step is a great skill to master, for several reasons:

1. It covers a lot of the basics - good body position, balance, using your sight and range of motion.

2. It is relatively easy to learn - as long as you start small.

3. It's a super useful skill for flow, confidence, and safety on any technical descent.

For those reasons, we love coaching the roll-down - and we often see a few common mistakes that are important to avoid:

1. Progression: Start small, make sure you can maintain absolute stability, and only then progress to larger or higher roll downs. Remember that consistency is how we create confidence, and lack of confidence induces stress and mistakes, so take your time and progress gradually.

2. The Setup Stage: One of the common errors we often see is not setting up in a low and centered position. By setting up low, you prepare the range of motion needed to let the bike move freely while maintaining a balanced body. Failing to set up correctly will almost always cause an imbalance on the roll down.

3. Leaning back for the roll down: You might be making this mistake because of some bad advice you've heard. Leaning back too early will usually cause your arms to extend, again leaving you without a usable range of motion for the roll-down itself. With your arms extended you will get pulled forward and off balance as soon as the front wheel starts to roll down. Again, make sure to set up correctly.

4. Freezing up: You might be setting up correctly and still feel unstable on the roll down. That usually means you have prepared the range of motion needed by setting up in a low position, but haven't actually used that range of motion. The main cause for not moving freely, or freezing up - is stress. Which brings us back to the progression issue. Make sure you're comfortable enough to allow free movement to your bike and body.

5. Forced Timing: Some riders think they need to push the handlebar into the roll down and are actively trying to create that motion, which often causes a timing issue. We like to think about the roll down as a move that you allow to happen, rather than create. Gravity is a very reliable source of power, so just stay loose and let it move the bike for you at the correct time. No need to push the handlebar too aggressively or try to force the correct timing for this move. A quick note on this: If you're riding very fast and wish to avoid airtime, you might then need to push the bike slightly into the roll-down so keep it "glued" to the ground.

To conclude: Roll-downs are fun and useful, the main feeling you're looking for on the roll-down is stability and balance. If you feel like you're unstable on a roll down - stay safe first of all and make sure you practice on something small. Then you can check this blog post and video to try and catch your errors, or join our coaching programs to get a full step-by-step course on how to roll down and on many other topics and techniques.

Check our video for the demonstrations of the errors mentioned above: