Riding Tips

From MORC Wiki

This area is for riding tips. Feel free to add to tips or create your own. Please do not edit someone else's suggestion on how to do something, unless it is very obvious it doesn't belong.

To start I want to talk basics. There are four basic skills a mountain biker should have before attacking the trail and trying to advance their off-road ability. The first is obvious. You need to be able to ride a bicycle in the first place. Not only that, but you should be able to balance fairly well while doing so and be in good control of the bicycle. Second, you should know how to comfortably stand and pedal the bike. Third, you need to have good steering control over the bicycle. Riding off-road means you have to navigate tight turns sometimes and be able to steer to maintain balance. And the fourth and final thing, you should have a good understanding how to operate your bicycle. If it has gears, you should know how to shift them and which way is up a gear or down a gear. Also, you need to know which is the front brake and which is the rear brake. A traditional bicycle setup always has the rear brake on the right and the front brake on the left. Some people switch them the other way sometimes, but those who do this usually do it for these two reasons. They are a motorcyclist and on a motorcycle your front brake is on the right. Or they are cyclocross racers and like their rear brake on the left because that is the side they dismount their bicycle since the chain is not on that side. Anyway.....it's important to know which brake is which.

Before you go mountain biking it is important to have a few basic things with you. You should have a helmet on. Make sure it has plenty of ventilation. The skate style helmets look cool, but do not have a lot of ventilation and the last thing you want is your head to overheat. Make sure you bring plenty of water for the trail you will be riding. Sometimes a water bottle is not enough. Many riders like to use a 70 or 100 oz hydration pack that you wear like a backpack. Have a few simple tools with you too. A bicycle multi-tool is always a good one to bring. Patches and even a spare tube in case you get a flat. A pump or CO2 inflation device should be carried along too. That way, you don't risk getting stranded on the trail somewhere. I also recommend some sort of energy food. Either GU packets, gel blocks, or an energy bar of some type. They are usually small so bringing a couple along during a ride isn't adding a lot of weight. These things can be carried in a hydration pack or in a small seat bag that hangs under your seat.

If you are new to mountain biking I suggest that you ride with someone that is more experienced. You could not ask for a better place to be a new rider. If you don't know anyone who rides, post up on the MORC forums and just flat out tell people you are new and you would like someone to show you some trails. I have seen many people do this and it is amazing how many respond and offer to take people places. Chances are, you will make some friends along the way.

Most important is to have fun. To do that, take it easy when you go out there. Whether you are experienced and learning something new, or a total newbie to the sport, don't push yourself beyond what you can handle. Learn things step by step and make sure you have it down before you move on the the next level. I try to do my best to let people know what skill level they should be at when I write a riding tip. If you get hurt, biking suddenly becomes no fun at all. Check out obstacles before you ride them. Make sure it is something you can do or try safely before riding it.

On to the tips. I will add them when I can. So check back often!

Shad

• How To Avoid Pedal Strike
• It's all about being relaxed!
• Riding Rock Gardens
• Popping up the front wheel
• Lifting your rear wheel
• How to bunnyhop
• Dirt jumping
• Clearing Stepups