Many of the City & Road tips will apply to Mountain Biking, however what we will cover here will be Off Road specific.
- When riding steep downhill terrain
- Through rough terrain
- Climbing
- Stopping on a climb
- Foot position
- Downhill and cornering
- When riding in muddy conditions
- Drive train
- Log hopping
- Getting off
- Courtesy
1. When riding steep downhill terrain or applying a lot of front brake your cranks should be horizontal and you should be standing up off your seat with your weight towards the back wheel. The more aggressive the terrain or obstacle the further back your bum should be over your back wheel. The cranks are level to ensure when you hit an obstacle you body stays back without pushing on the handle bars which could cause the bike to flip forward. When riding an obstacle with your weight back your elbows should be slightly bent and pointing to downwards (not outwards) and your arms should be jelly like to allow the bike to move freely underneath you. This way your cranks push your bike over the obstacle. Do not sit on the seat while riding over obstacles, otherwise as the back wheel hits the obstacle your weight will be thrown forwards causing the bike to be unstable.
When riding steep descents you may also find it easier to get your weight back if you lower the seat. The seat may come right up and rub your belly, but the bike will handle sweet compared to a normal position.
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2. Through rough terrain pick your line ahead of where you’re riding keeping your front wheel in your peripheral vision. Steer the front wheel through the obstacle and your back wheel will trail with ease if your body position is correct. The faster you ride, the further ahead you need to plan.
The trail on your right shows many different path choices however the second picture shows that some of the obvious choices are not always the best. The red path to the left shows a tight squeeze through rocks which could present danger (A), then a turn immediately after which is off camber. The obstacle near (B) blocks a good line to the end which would mean a few snaky turns.
The red line on the right does not have a clean entry with a few sharp rocks that could cause flats before going into a very narrow ridge along a gutter with very little room for error (C). The exit gives no joy for a clean line.
The green line offers fairly smooth track without hazards provided you can keep to the planned path, very few turns, no off camber and a good set up for the lower corners, a much faster and safer line but very few take it.
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This example shows the hazards of off camber corners, hard dusty slippery surfaces that would be hard to change direction. The green line shows use of the embankment (berms). Although the entry takes you over loose rocks, it is flat and you are not changing direction on them. Most take their chances in a big arc corner and deal with the obstacles the best they can. The line is not obvious but a very clean safe way through.
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3. Climbing. When climbing it is ideal to keep your chest low to the bars, elbows bent downwards and your weight evenly distributed between the wheels which may mean you need to change your seat position toward the front of the seat. If your front wheel lifts move your weight towards the front wheel, if the back wheel spins move more weight towards the back wheel. If you can apply a very smooth rotational power avoiding sudden surges with the balancing act of your body position you should be able to climb like a Billy goat.
4. Stopping on a climb. If you stop don’t let the mountain beat you by walking, position the bike with a clear path in front, apply both the front and rear brakes to stop the bike rolling backwards, position your strong foot at the top of the pedal stroke (1 o’clock), look directly ahead (not down at your tyre) as this will help your balance, bring your head close to the handlebars, sit right on the front of the seat (just as Molly likes like) prepare yourself mentally prepare yourself to bring your other foot onto the pedal quickly to continue the pedal stroke without looking down. If you practice this technique you will be an uphill champion in no time.
5. Foot position. It is essential when riding a MTB off road that you ride with the ball of your foot on the centre of the pedal. The movement of your ankle and knee provide natural suspension which will avoid your foot rolling off the pedal. If this occurs, you will cause your bum to hit the seat as the back tyre rolls the obstacle which will throw your weight forward to an unstable position and can cause you to fall off.
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6. Downhill and cornering. On downhill and cornering modulate the use of the front and rear brake. If you pull too much front brake while cornering or on loose surfaces you may cause your front wheel to skid or slide throwing you from the bike
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Click to enlarge
7.When riding in muddy conditions try to avoid bogs or mud puddles to protect our forests from erosion and look after your equipment. This also applies to skidding on dirt tracks, the more damage we cause the less places we will be able to ride in the future.
8. Drive train seizure noise or lockup of any sort, stop pedalling and come to a stop as soon as possible. You may be causing costly damage to your bike. Some small problems like chain suck can be solved by a short pedal backwards before returning to drive to free up the chain. In the event of frequent recurrence bring your bike into us at bikeNOW so we can identify the problem and provide a solution.
9. Log hopping. If a log is in your path, approach the log at a fast walking speed, simply lift your front wheel onto the top of the log, as the front wheel makes contact with the top of the log, lift your back wheel on top of the log. If there is a big drop after the log you’ll need to have your weight back and lay off the front brake. There are some advances techniques that can be acquired with more education and experience on our weekend MTB tours.
10. Getting off. If you are riding down a steep descent and you decide enough is enough an attempt to dismount as you normally would is virtual suicide. Your feet will touch the ground and the back wheel may lift because of the severity of the descent the handle bars head in front of your knees. You can’t walk but fear not, your face will brake your fall.
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Never try to get off normally on a steep descent. Either jump off the back of the bike, stop while back behind the seat and fall sideways or steer sideways into the bushes (uphill if possible)
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11.Courtesy. Riding our wonderful trails is a privilege not a right, to keep paths open leave no trace, be courteous to other trail uses and do not ride non permitted trails.
If you are interested in learning how to apply the above tips, or would like to hone those skills why not come along on one bikeNOW’s MTB Tours for an awesome experience. You can see more information on our weekend rides here or inquire about personal or group training here.
Warning: Always have a thumb below the handlebar, if you hit a bump and your hand slips off, it will be "all over rover"! Make sure you grip in a fashion that if your grip slips, it will not slip off the bar and you will still have control over the bike.
