How-To Barspin With Mike Ardelean

DanielKusenda

• March 01 2000
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By Mike Ardelean

Barspins are pretty easy to learn when you’re doing fly-outs on top of ramps, but it’s one of those tricks you can learn on anything. You can get the feel by just doing them on flat ground. As far as doing more than one barspin in a trick, or doing a barspin in a lip trick, it’s easier to throw the bars around than to “drive” them around with your hand.

Step one: If you’re flying out on a mini ramp or box jump, just go fast enough to get a couple feet high. Over doubles, go the same speed you normally would go to clear them.

Step two: Once you’re in the air and just before you hit your peak, push your bars forward to level the bike out, and pinch your seat with your knees. Pinching the seat keeps the front end from dropping when you let go of the bars.

Step three: When you have the seat pinched, let go of the bars with one hand and spin them with the other. You should be pretty comfortable doing this from trying barspins on flat ground.

Step four: As soon as you throw the bars, have your other hand ready to catch them. Throw them at a medium speed and stay relaxed. It’s important to stay calm, especially right after you throw the bars, because a lot of people panic and land with their hands off the bars.

Step five: Catch the bars with the hand that is waiting for them, and then grab on with the hand you spun them with. Keep your bike parallel with the surface your landing on. If you’re jumping doubles, you need to be nosed in a little. If it’s a fly-out, you need to be level.

Step six: I let go of the seat with my knees right before I land. Then just land and ride away.