Gerators, Junkyards, and Dump
Trucks... If you are building a routine for doing tricks on the back wheel then these
three are the tricks to know. Once you learn the basics of these three then you can learn
all the variations that go along with them. On the pedal, on the opposite side, switch
footed, and variations into and out of them. Of course coasting tricks like Time Machines and Rope-a-Ronis
are important things to learn on the back wheel as well.
There are probably 30 different ways to ride into Gerators but described below is the
what I consider to be one of the easiest ways to ride in. As with other scuffing tricks
you can learn how to scuff and control Gerators before you actually learn to ride in and
out.
Prerequisites for this trick are the Half Lash- this is the first half of a smoothie- or half of a whiplash. You
will be doing this one CROSS-FOOTED... style!
- Start by rolling at a medium speed with your feet on the rear pegs and your pedals
level, right pedal forward, just a little bit up.
- Put your right foot on the front left peg and push the frame around with your left foot,
as you would do for a whiplash or a Forward Rope-a-Roni.
- When the rear tire hits the ground reach for the right rear peg with your left foot and
put it on the peg. This is a trick in itself... Actually this is called an Ashtray. You
can roll with the bike in this position until you run out of speed. Spend some time
getting comfortable with this because you will be doing it a lot.
- To actually ride in to the Gerator, take your right hand of the right grip and put it on
the left grip- take your left hand off and put it out for balance. You will have to turn
the bars so that the front wheel is in line with the bike frame.
- Lunge your body out over the back wheel taking your right foot off the front peg. This
is kind of weird to learn but in the end is REALLY easy to do. The bike will go up on the
back wheel and actually start to spin in a circle to the right (clockwise).
- To help get the bike up on the back wheel where you want it and to get full control over
the bike you will probably DRAG your foot on the rear tire so that the frame is forced
upward.
- Holding the handlebars close to your right hip begin to scuff the rear tire. It is
definitely awkward the first few (hundred) times you attempt this. The bike will want to
fall away from you. Make sure that you keep the bars close to your body though. You can
actually pull the bars upwards a little bit to get the bike closer to your body.
- When you are comfortable with scuffing then you are ready to ride out. What you will do
is spin the handlebars 180 degrees. Do this by pulling the bars real close to your body
and grabbing the left grip (that your right hand is currently holding) with your left hand
and quickly reach over with your right hand and grab the other grip. Pull up with your
right hand and let go with your left hand. Now the bars are facing forward and you are
holding the grip that has the back brakes on it!
- When you are under control again scuff a few more times and the grab the back brakes
hard. Twist your body around and grab the left grip with your left hand.
- Put your right foot on the pedal that is right where we set it up to be at the beginning
of the trick. Put your left foot on the left pedal and ride away.
Another easy variation on riding out is to leave the handlebars backwards and get the
trick spinning very quickly in circles. When you are spinning quickly reach behind you
with your left hand and grab the left grip (that your right hand is currently holding)
then put your right hand on the right grip and grab the brakes immediately. Your body
should be centered over the seat and the bike should pivot around and the front wheel
should drop to the ground. Let go of the rear brakes and you are riding backwards with the handlebars backward. Follow the
instructions for riding out of riding backwards to finish this trick up!
Gerators are critical to becoming a well-adapted rider to both front and back wheel
tricks. Scuffing them is not very difficult but the combinations on how to ride in and out
of the trick are unbelievable. A popular variation is to do a body varial in the middle of
the trick (spin your body 360 degrees on the peg and continue to scuff). Don't get
frustrated if you haven't been riding for long and the trick isn't easy to do. Practice
all the different parts individually- Learn to scuff Gerators, learn to do the half lash
to ashtray- learn to ride out. If you come up with your own way to ride out then do it. If
you know the trick then you don't have to listen to what anyone else says on how to ride
in or out if you have a different way.