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Sidehops to your non-choco side are different in geometry than they are while hopping to your choco-side. How? It has to do with your pedal position.
Your pedal position when in your choco-foot stance has an effect on how sidehops are done. The crankarm and pedal clearances determine how close you can get to an obstcale. In this example I used a metal bench for the illustration of the geometry that applies. Basically the position of the pedals and crankarm and the direction of roataion of any pedal kicks to be done determine how close to the obstcale you can position yourself.
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Choco-side hop position, notice the pedal position in reference to the bench
With the pedal on a collision course with the bench if a pedal kick or repositioning is initiated, as well as the wider distance necessary for the rear wheel to travel to clear the obstcale, more sideways effort is requred for success. |
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Choco side hops
As shown in the photo on the left, the bike is placed in a front wheel up position on the choco-side. The choco foot facing the obstcale close to the plane where the front tire crosses the edge creates a greater angle to the obstcale by the clearance issue of the inside foot being forward. While hops to this side may be easier and feel more natural, the rear wheel has to swing through a wide arc and slightly more rotational force needs to be imaprted to bring the bike parallel with the obstacle. There is also a greater chance of hanging your foot or pedal on the edge due to it's close proximity and confined area. This also makes pedal kicks from this position limited because the doenstroke has the potential to contact the obstacle. It's easy to plant a pedal and come up from this position.
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Now we'll look at approaching from the non-choco side.
In this example I used the same side of approach to the obstacle but changed the positionig of the cranks. This is to show the reduced angle that the bike needs to be and the subsequetly shorter arc that the rear wheel needs to travel to sucessfully mount the obstacle in question. Another advantage to this position is that any pedal kick performed is free of obstruction on the choco side, and the foot on the non-choco side will be moving up and away from the obstacle, reducing the chances of hanging up. The disadvantages to hopping up on the non-choco side is that natural feeling.
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Hops to your non-choco side present less of a risk of hanging a foot, a shorter distance for the rear wheel to travel, and a less obstructed path to a pedal kick.
The crank and pedal being located back along the chainstay allows the angle of the bike to be reduced and the center of weight to be positioned skightly farther over the obstcale, and less sideways motion is needed. |
Well, that's the explanation of the geometry of the approach on both choco and non-choco. There are many other factors that can affect the geometry on certain size and shape obstcales and technique applied also will affect how his move is performed, but as far as the clearance and angle vs. position relative to obstcale, this is what is happening. Now go grab your bike and ride!
Peace |
