ive just started to learn hops, biggest drop ive hopped off so far was about 18 inches. trouble is, after landing it a couple of times, i found that i had bent my axle pretty badly. the uni is still rideable but only just! is there a technique to avoiding bent axles when you land or is it just a case of "buy a new hub"???
-- domesticated ape - against the grain, we shall remain
Firstly, different hubs have different strengths and therefore are design to handle different amounts of force/abuse. Likely, you were riding a cheapo freestyle uni with a cheap hub. If you want to do drops, you'll certainly want to upgrade to a better wheelset (that's hub and cranks).
Secondly, yes, there are ways to minimize the force you put on the axle when landing drops. Kris Holm gives examples in one of his tutorials that is available in the gallery somewhere (someone else please provide the link). They include riding out of drops or landing on downslopes, so that the force is transferred laterally; or you can absorb the force by bending at the waist when you land or by bending your knees.
Do you keep you seat underneath you, or do you hold it out front when you land because if you squat while your landing instead having your ass underneath the seat you won't bend them as fast😄 it works for me
