Mountain Bike Technique
Discussion
I've been in need of a new hobby for years, so yesterday I went upto the forest of Dean and hired a hard tail mountain bike for the day and spent the day riding around the tracks up there, just to test the water before shelling out a load of money on something I "might" enjoy. We'll i thoroughly enjoyed it and feel its something I could really get into, the crap weather added and made the experience even more fun, I got covered head to toe in mud and loved it.
So whilst I'm not going to go out and buy a bike yet I'm still happy to go and hire one for the day. In terms of fitness I did struggle quite a bit especially towards the end of the day, getting off the bike and walking up some on the inclines because my legs just couldn't manage it. I mainly did the blue tracks and had a go at a red one, which was probably just a little too much too soon but still enjoyable.
Obviously technique will get better the more I ride, but are there any good websites I can read about it?
So whilst I'm not going to go out and buy a bike yet I'm still happy to go and hire one for the day. In terms of fitness I did struggle quite a bit especially towards the end of the day, getting off the bike and walking up some on the inclines because my legs just couldn't manage it. I mainly did the blue tracks and had a go at a red one, which was probably just a little too much too soon but still enjoyable.
Obviously technique will get better the more I ride, but are there any good websites I can read about it?
Yeah GMBN has got loads of technique videos, start with cornering as that's one of the hardest things to get your head around, leaning the bike beneath you on flat turns, outside pedal down, weight over the bars. And then bermed corners are different. After that a lot of it comes down to moving your body and weight around on the bike, you'd be amazed how far back/forward you can go without upsetting the stability of the bike.
Top tip: if anyone ever says "let's go back up for one more run" that's the time to go home. I ignored this yesterday and ended up with a pringled front wheel, nearly lost my prescription specs, huge gravel rash up my arm and a huge bruise on my thigh from the stem. Had to jump on the wheel to get it straight enough to turn in the forks. Don't go back up ;-)
It sounds like your biggest drawback was fitness - and that will improve enormously quickly just by getting out there and riding.
If after that it's something you want to pursue I would recommend a coaching session - its the best money you can spend.
I've looked at a lot of the content on the web, in magazines and the like and frankly a lot of it isn't great advice - but they need stuff to fill magazines and e-content.
To my mind only need three skills to be able to ride pretty much anything.
1) Bike positioning - b
ks above bottom bracket, arms bent, knees bent, heels down, pedals level when not putting strokes in.
2) Cornering - pedal positioning, lean the bike not the body, twist your hips towards where you want to go.
3) Pop - the ability to have the bike lift up underneath you by first compressing your knees and elbows and then releasing it so the bike move up underneath you. Mastering this will take some time but is the cornerstone of jumps and drops and makes everything easier, the amount of 'pop' you need depends on how fast you are travelling and how high you need to be in the air. Its the same technique for a 2 foot drop or a 40ft gap jump - you just adjust the speed of approach and the amount of pop depending on the trail feature.
The problem is that '3 things' doesn't sell magazines, books or drive internet traffic. I've seen some hilariously bad advice in the past - telling people to manual off drops is my number one bugbear - terrible advice IMO which is just going to cause people to have accidents.
If after that it's something you want to pursue I would recommend a coaching session - its the best money you can spend.
I've looked at a lot of the content on the web, in magazines and the like and frankly a lot of it isn't great advice - but they need stuff to fill magazines and e-content.
To my mind only need three skills to be able to ride pretty much anything.
1) Bike positioning - b
ks above bottom bracket, arms bent, knees bent, heels down, pedals level when not putting strokes in.2) Cornering - pedal positioning, lean the bike not the body, twist your hips towards where you want to go.
3) Pop - the ability to have the bike lift up underneath you by first compressing your knees and elbows and then releasing it so the bike move up underneath you. Mastering this will take some time but is the cornerstone of jumps and drops and makes everything easier, the amount of 'pop' you need depends on how fast you are travelling and how high you need to be in the air. Its the same technique for a 2 foot drop or a 40ft gap jump - you just adjust the speed of approach and the amount of pop depending on the trail feature.
The problem is that '3 things' doesn't sell magazines, books or drive internet traffic. I've seen some hilariously bad advice in the past - telling people to manual off drops is my number one bugbear - terrible advice IMO which is just going to cause people to have accidents.
All good advice above, I would how add that watching videos is no replacement for good, old fashioned saddle time.
In the very early days, you'll learn a lot naturally as your body will adapt to increase efficiency and as you get more comfortable on an MTB you'll learn to shift your weight to maximise grip / power.
I'd personally get 3/4 good riders under your belt before you start trying to follow videos, because without a basic level of understanding it'll be very hard to apply anything you've learned.
Equally, avoid the trap I and a lot of riders fall into by spending the next few years 'cocking about in the woods' and THEN try to relearn your technique when you realise you're not as good as you think you are.
In the very early days, you'll learn a lot naturally as your body will adapt to increase efficiency and as you get more comfortable on an MTB you'll learn to shift your weight to maximise grip / power.
I'd personally get 3/4 good riders under your belt before you start trying to follow videos, because without a basic level of understanding it'll be very hard to apply anything you've learned.
Equally, avoid the trap I and a lot of riders fall into by spending the next few years 'cocking about in the woods' and THEN try to relearn your technique when you realise you're not as good as you think you are.
Get out to your local trail centre and start with the blue routes, this will gently break you into the fitness and skills required to ride the more technical routes. Like mentioned already, you can't beat time in the saddle. If you understand the basics of weight distribution, you'll do just fine.
lufbramatt said:
Top tip: if anyone ever says "let's go back up for one more run" that's the time to go home. I ignored this yesterday and ended up with a pringled front wheel, nearly lost my prescription specs, huge gravel rash up my arm and a huge bruise on my thigh from the stem. Had to jump on the wheel to get it straight enough to turn in the forks. Don't go back up ;-)
This is good advice. Every time I’ve ignored it I’ve had an accident. Most recent about 2 months ago learning dirt jumps got offered a last uplift to hit everything one last time, ended up face planting, dislocated thumb etc.Thanks for the help everyone. Was out again yesterday and had an awesome time after a few pointers from the GMBN website.
So much so I've now bought a pretty much brand new Voodoo Canzo full suspension bike for the bargain sum of £500 with a few extras from a guy that paid £1k for it in June.
So much so I've now bought a pretty much brand new Voodoo Canzo full suspension bike for the bargain sum of £500 with a few extras from a guy that paid £1k for it in June.
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff