Mountain riding is both thrilling and dangerous. Every time you get on that bike, you’ll be faced with a new obstacle and a new high. However, with a sport as hard as mountain biking, you must first learn the fundamentals before tackling the incredible downhill routes. In this post, we will give some useful tips for beginner mountain bikers to have a good foundation on how to start building your bike handling skills and feel more comfortable in the saddle.
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Tips For Beginner Mountain Bikers
Keep your body loose
Your bike will be lot easier to handle if you keep your body relaxed, especially your arms and shoulders. Because your loose joints provide as extra suspension, trail obstacles will feel smoother. Keep these two things in mind as you begin:
- Lower your chest to the handlebars to keep your elbows and shoulders free. This allows you to steer more easily and lowers your center of gravity.
- Move your body without relying on the bike. Mountain bikers careening around a corner with their hips way off to the side of their saddle are undoubtedly well-known. This is something you should aspire to. The handlebars and pedals will always be attached to your hands and feet, but your hips, arms, and legs should be able to move independently of the bike. This will allow you to more confidently maneuver around turns, boost your speed, and hit larger features.
Look where you want to go
It’s all too easy to fixate on the item you’re trying to avoid directly in front of your tyre, but this is a terrible habit to get into. Because your body follows your eyes, if you’re staring at a hazard, you’re likely to collide with it. You’ll need to scope out your line and get ready for what’s to come. To do so, move your sight along the pathway, concentrating on the path you want to travel — the one that avoids the threat.
This not only prepares you for upcoming areas, but it also allows you to avoid being fixated on the danger directly front of you because you’ve previously passed them in your mind. This broadens your view of the entire environment around you and helps you to ride more actively.
As a beginner mountain biker, you’ll notice that as you develop and gain speed, your vision continues to focus more and further ahead.
Don’t sit down
Stand up when you’re tackling a downward section. For starters, your buttocks will appreciate you, and you’ll have far more control.
Standing allows your body to react to and absorb obstacles while allowing the bike to freely move under you. This is one of the tips for beginner mountain bikers.
Shift early and shift often
Downshift shortly before the hill begins if you sense a hill coming ahead. You don’t want to shift during the climb since it will cause the drivetrain to crush and maybe result in a chain drop. You’ll have a lot easier and more comfortable ride to the summit if you shift shortly before the climb begins.
On descents, the same is true. When you arrive to the bottom of the hill, shift into a higher gear so your legs aren’t churning a mile a minute.
Heel down
When you’re standing up and hurtling down a hill, your greatest concern is falling over the handlebars?
Keep your heels low to avoid this. When tackling difficult terrain, this move will help keep your feet from slipping forward off the pedals. As a result, your body will be urged to shift its weight to the back tyre, which is a huge advantage when descending on a mountain bike.
Set your seat height correctly
If you’re wondering why pedaling hurts your lower back or knees, or why it feels like you’re climbing Everest, it’s probably because your seat height is off. If it’s too high, it strains your lower back; if it’s too low, it’s bad for your knees and makes cycling so much harder.
When the pedal is closest to the ground, a correct seat height means your knee is slightly bent. This may imply that when you’re seated on the seat, you can’t stretch both feet to the ground, but that’s normal.
Ride with people who are better than you
Riding alongside people who are better than you will help you improve as a rider.
Don’t be concerned about “holding them up” or walking the technical areas. Most mountain bikers are simply excited to get out on the trails and ride with a good group of people.
Also, pay attention to how better riders move their bodies and their bikes. Simply watching other riders can teach you a lot.
