The classic cutty. The what now? Sliding the rear wheel, without using the rear brake. This is one of the most enjoyable skills to master.

Words from the one and only Olly Wilkins

How to do a cutty

The right location is important, ideally find a bit of relatively loose ground that has some kind of a “catch”, like a flat car park with a bank at the side.

The idea is to pedal in and turn just before the bank, but then use your weight to press the rear wheel into the ground to lose grip and start sliding towards the bank.

Judge it right and you can get a good slide going, but before the rear wheel completely washes out from underneath you it should catch the bank and grip again!

It can really help if there is a slight downslope or off camber before the catch; this makes it easier for the rear wheel to break traction and slide.

Four other things you can try while you wait for your mates to stop faffing

We all have that friend who is “nearly there” when they have yet to leave the house, and that rider in the group who always needs to adjust this and tighten that, not to mention the one who believes a days riding isn’t complete without a puncture.

>>> What to do when your riding mates are faffing

Whatever the ride, there always seems to be time to kill waiting for some thing, some one. There’s no need to let it kill the ride though, look at what’s around you, invent a challenge, try to tick something off, and the time will fly by, you’ll stay warm, and the stoke will be maintained whilst honing those core skills of balance, weight transfer and judgement which feature across all aspects of riding.

1. Back wheel perch

What: Place your rear wheel only up onto an object.

How: To do this, you first need to be comfortable pulling an endo, then start small and pull an endo near a curb, swinging the back of the bike up over the kerb, placing it on top. Find higher objects, and ones with smaller “landing” areas to test your skill and judgement! This is actually a great skill for teaching you where exactly the rear end of the bike is, so when you’re out razzing and jumping down a trail, you can confidently place your wheel with inch perfect precision!

2. Bench hop

What: End up with both wheels up on a bench.

How: This move is much more of a genuine trials manoeuvre and as such, precision and finesse will help you out here. Roll up to a bench at a slight angle, lean back and hop the front wheel up onto the bench and stop, you can use a little trials trick here and hop about until you can rest your forward pedal on the bench. Once you’re settled and ready, hop the rear wheel up too taking care to not misjudge it and land with your disc or rear mech on the edge of the bench! Finish off by side hopping off, or pull a pedal wheelie off the end.

3. Wheelie loop

What: Ride in a circle, while pulling a wheelie.

How: If you can wheelie confidently, the next step is to try and complete a full circle all on the rear wheel. It’s actually a lot harder than it at first seems! Give yourself the best chance of success by finding the flattest, smoothest area to give it a go, oh and out of the wind! Pull up into a wheelie, and decide which way you’re going to turn, lean in slightly, and then try to keep the turn going until you end up roughly whee you started. Larger circles are easier, but it means spending longer on the rear wheel.

4. 360 roll around

What: Ride in one direction, endo and turn to roll backwards, turn, and ride out forwards.

How: From a rolling start, pull a slow stoppie or endo while turning in one direction, and allow the rear of the bike to swing around behind you as close as possible to 180 degrees, set it down and use your momentum or a slight slope to roll backwards while turning to one side, bring the front wheel back around to end up facing the original direction of travel. It sounds easy enough, but getting it right takes practice but it’s worth it; you feel like a hero when you get it good and can perform it at speed!