Logs can be great fun and can occur singly, in a pile, or in succession. Any combination is possible. One key is to lift up the handlebars either before or during contact with the log. Frequently, your chainring will contact the log as you pedal over. A good one will not bend or be damaged. A rock ring may be used, but I prefer just using the large chainring. Teeth can be damaged on rocks or logs, so maximum ground clearance is important. Good mountainbikers know when they will hit the log with the chainring, and when they will clear it. Use the lift and lunge technique.

Water bars are intentionally placed on some trails for erosion control, and it is best not to go around them as you create a funnel for the water to follow. Hit logs as close to 90 degrees as possible, and if they are wet or slippery, be especially careful. Be prepared to put your foot down if necessary if you are not clipped in. If you are clipped in, you may be able to "hop" the logs to some degree and not even touch it. If a log looks too big to cross, either dismount or be prepared to just get the front of the bike over and then stick out your foot and push yourself across by placing your foot on the top of the log.

Big logs are certainly good candidates for doing and "endo", where your front wheel is too vertical after going over the log and the bike flips over and throws you off. It is important to look ahead on the trail coming off of a log, as this will help keep your weight back at the moment when your front tire contacts the ground after coming down the log. Be prepared for this on every big log you cross. Sometimes, a front shock can aggravate this problem and "dip under" and increase the likelyhood of flipping over. To avoid this, keep your weight WAY BACK after you crest the top of the logs and are coming down the other side. On logpiles (multiple logs) remember that a nice sloping pile to the top of the log in front doesn't mean you will have the same ramp on the downside! It might be a drop off; be careful unless you have ridden it or scouted it out..