Beginner Mountain Bike Skills
For anyone who knows how to ride a bike, mountain biking is an exciting sport. It does have some danger associated with it compared to the average bike ride. Therefore, you should master these basic skills before you hit the trails or the dirt. You can practice these beginning skills at a local park, school, bike path, or simply around your house. If you can, try to find a location with a steep hill.
Get a feel for your pedals
Practice moving your foot away from the pedal, first while sitting on your bike with one foot on the ground. Next up, release and replace your foot placement when pedaling around for a while. Those with toe clip and clipless type foot pedals will want to spend a bit more time practicing. Just remember that this is not a bike racing competition.
Sit and spin for position
Simply sit on your bike and pedal around. You should keep your arms slightly bent. Also make necessary changes to the height of the seat for your leg is 70 - 90% extended at every rotation of the pedal. Keep your body relaxed, as there will never be a position where you should have either your knees or your elbows locked.
Shifting gears
Get a feel for shifting gears with your touring bicycle. The higher gears are harder to pedal and will go faster while the lower gears are easier to pedal and will help you ascend hills. As you get to steeper hills, its best to shift before you get to the hill rather than while you are on it.
Coasting
You should spend a bit of time coasting while standing on your pedals, without actually sitting on the seat. Keep your arms bent but don't lock your knees. Now attempt to shift your body towards the rear of the bike.
Pedal while standing
You should get as comfortable as you can with pedaling while standing on your bike. Try lifting yourself off the seat while standing on the pedals, then crank them around. Try this on lower gears while on a hill, and higher gears on flat ground.
Dropping down a curb
Try finding a curb where you can easily get to the upper portion of it. Practice at a moderate speed, standing and coasting right off the curb from the upper level to the lower level. Try this at different speeds until it becomes second nature.
Once you practice these techniques and get the hang of them, you'll be able to hit the trails feeling comfortable on your mountain bike. Even though it may take some getting used to, it'll become second nature before you know it.
Tags: bicycle riding, bike race, bike races, bike racing, cycling bikes, road bike, touring bicycle
December 7th, 2008 at 12:41 am
If you really want to learn off-road biking, find someone who’s good that’ll spend a few hours showing you the ropes - you’ll save yourself a whole lot of time (and a few bruises) along the way.
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