Mountain Biking - Beginner Tips?

Question

I just got into road biking last year, and I love it! I'm expanding my horizons and am going to attempt mountain biking on some MTB trails (with a mountain bike of course). I know that MTB isn't much like road biking, so any suggestions for a new beginner on how to best handle the hills and trails? Thank you in advance!

Answer 1

i haven't read any of the other answers so this may be repetitive but here it  goes.

-Definitely wear a helmet when MTBing, it is important as well as tradition

-lower your tire pressure so it is around the middle of the range recommended by the tire, and then experiment from that point to what feels best (you're probably at 110 psi on your road bike where a MTB is more like 40)

-Get gloves, i have full finger gloves with carbon bash guards to keep my hands safe, they are a very important part of biking

-When going down hill, use your back brake to modulate your speed

you should experiment with the front and rear braking ratios on different types of terrain.(this is because it's easier to recover from a rear skid while almost impossible for a front wheel skid)

-Learn how to shift to maintain the max efficiency possible with your bike. This takes time, you have to become one with your derailleur and find the best gear to get you up the hill.

-when doing drops, jumps, going over big roots and such, remember to shift your weight to the back of the bike (especially during drops, jumps) so you will land well. I usually try to land with my back wheel slightly ahead of my front wheel, or at the same time.(there are some exceptions, but unless you're downhilling it doesn't matter)

-When going downhill, i like to lower my seat down as far as it goes to allow me to shift my weight very quickly

Answer 2

A few basics come to mind:

All mountain bikers wear helments.

Check your brakes and tire air pressure before each ride.

Full-fingered gloves work best;  better grip on the bars and they offer some protection from tree branches, etc. that you'll inevitablly scrape past from time to time.  

Stay active in the cockpit.  Unload the front tire as you go over a bump (this means to move your weight to the back of the bike so you dont slam into stuff with all your weight on the front tire), then shift your weight forward as your rear wheel hits the bump.

Lower your seat; going down a steep hill requires that you move your hips back, sometimes behind the seat.

Experiement with tire pressure.  You want lower pressure in your tires than on a road bike.  This gives you a larger contact area between the rubber and the trail, which gives you more braking power as well as more grip.  If you are riding leisurely on level trails, you can pump up the pressure for a more efficient roll.  If you are going to be going over rough terrain, then you want lower psi.   Try different tires if the ones you have dont give you the ride you like; tires are a cheap part of a bike.  I love my WTB Velociraptors, but there are many other great tires out there.

Get a good mountain bike book to learn some skills and continue to improve on them.  I have "Mastering Mountain Bike Skills" by Brian Lopes and highly recommend it.   Some of the basic skills you should know are wheelies, bunnyhops, and leaning into turns.   More advance skills include rear wheel hops and drops.  Proper technique greatly improves the enjoyment of a ride.

Anticipate shifts;  try to avoid grabbing a gear while you are going up a steep climb as that puts a lot of strain on the chain and drivetrain.

Watch out for others on the trails.  Where I ride, the trails are shared by hikers (often walking dogs) and horses.  Give them ample warning when approaching them and slow down as you pass.

Mountain biking is a great sport; you'll love it as many of us do.

Answer 3

Mountain biker here!

The best sport!

Basically, once you have a bike, get going straight away.

For the hills

Just remember to go to the lowest gear(1,2 or 3). This allows less work as it is easier to peddle. You must also use the whole of your foot on steep climbs. Put your heel on the peddle and push with the hips, not the calfs(strain on the calfs leads to tiredness). Try to remain sitting down aswell, standing up hurts the back and is not as streamline as sitting down and t herefore will not go as fast due to friction. And also, when you know there is a hill approaching, change gear in ADVANCE not as you start climbing. Get to hear 7 in advance, then when climbing change to either 1,2 or 3. And when you see one coming, take t he flat route easy to save energy for the hills.

That is pretty much it for the hills. Oh yeah, remember to breathe normally and not hold your breath, whilst looking at your line of path.

For the flat trail

Just get on a gear your comfortble with. Bikers are always changing gears, just find one you are strongest on( i find 12 is a good one). When roots appear on the trail which happens alot, remember to jump over them, not ride over them, this does the suspension no good or the tyres.

If you get into the situation where there is a downhill stretch but a sharp turn, get into a low gear and at the corner, push all your body weight to the opposite direction the corner is (i.e if the corner is a right handed one, push weight to the left) but keep your head looking at the corner and handlebars at about 30% turn, with your leading foot at the top ready for a strong pushout from the corner down the hill(Note also: this is exactly the same for an uphill sharp turn). And remember to brake when necessary at all times on a mountain bike trail.

That is pretty much it, try to do stunts when it is safe to and ride safely. If you want to know more, i've been doing mountain biking for a few years so add either email me [e-mail] or add me on MSN [e-mail]

Have fun on the best sport in the world

Hope i helped!

Answer 4

Find a local ride group that goes on regular weekly rides and ride with the beginner group. There's always someone there with tons of experience to help guide you and make the most out of your rides. Most groups have a very advanced leader to give you all kinds of tips and lead the way on trails that you're not familiar with. Most local bike shops can give you info on when and  where these group rides take place and host them as well. you can also check out the bikeskills.com section on youtube as well as more tips. I'm a beginner myself and cant wait to further improve my skills and have lots more fun.