Track stand, balance, braking, pumping are the essential skills I think on the trail.
If you are comfortable at slow speed then leaning to slow down quickly would get you going fast in no time. Once you nailed those skills I'd go with manual next, not the one that you can just ride on the rear wheel but the mechanic of popping your front wheel up on or over things. It's such a good skill to have.
Track stand, balance, braking, pumping are the essential skills I think on the trail.
If you are comfortable at slow speed then leaning to slow down quickly would get you going fast in no time. Once you nailed those skills I'd go with manual next, not the one that you can just ride on the rear wheel but the mechanic of popping your front wheel up on or over things. It's such a good skill to have.
1) Keep your feet on the pedals at all times. The feet and hands are primary control link to the bike. Not the seat.
2) When it gets bumpy and you don't need pedal stand and let the bike move around under you rather than tossing you around.
3) Don't go too slow. Going very slow over rough ground will toss you off the bike. However moving at a little bit of speed will help keep the bike up right.
4) Don't let the front wheel stop rolling. This is how you crash by going over the handle bars.
5) Mountain biking is an active sport. This means body position on the bike is critical for just about everything. If you just sit there on the seat and never move your body weight you will never be able to ride. Some times you shift the body weight forward (climbing) and back (descending) or side to side for cornering. As you read the books you will understand how to move the body weight, but up front you need to expect to do it. A good rider is constantly moving the bike under them and shifting weight around. They are always in the saddle and out of the saddle depending on the needs of the trail.
I think the most important thing to learn is to have fun. If it's fun, you'll keep coming back for more and find yourself learning all sorts of things. Don't work too much about "required" or "most valuable" skills. When you find yourself wanting to do something better, then study up on it or ask/observe others who you want to imitate.
Sessioning is a good way to learn new technical skills. It means repeatedly trying to do something while on the trail. Can't clear that section of a climb? Try it a few times each time you ride that trail, go at it different ways until you get it. Soon you'll ride that section routinely and remember how difficult it used to be.
And finally, keep your challenges reasonable - and safe. Go for what's just a bit beyond your current skill level. You'll learn faster, have more fun and stay in one piece.
Also, at the top of this forum there is a sticky labeled "biking skills videos"
Each page has videos. In total it's over six hours worth of information to take in AND apply on the trail. It hasn't been update as of lately because there hasn't been any good instructional videos of lately but it has everything.
the first thing you should learn: the more you ride, the better you will be. No other factor is more important than this including bike selection, low end vs high end, tires, pedals, handlebars, colors, etc.
I agree, poor advice. One of the dangers of trying to use the rear brake only is that you can get confused and use the front brake only, which is probably the only thing worse that using the rear brake only.
Assuming you have a bike that will work for you...
-Learn to get out of the seat for rough terrain. This is something that you don't often think of when riding on pavement, but its key for mtb.
-Work on shifting at the right time. This was a HUGE thing for me when I started. I swear it took a year to start to get so that I would hit the right gear coming into a climb. Working on this is definitely a big issue.
-Work on your vision - what you're looking at. Don't focus right in front of you - work to keep an eye out a little further so that you can prepare you & your bike for the next bit of terrain.
As you spend more time on the trail you'll see where different techniques can be applied, and you'll start to develop the skills needed to use these techniques - like hanging your butt off the back of the bike on steep downhills, pedal ratcheting to avoid rock strikes, bunny hops, front end/back end tire hops, pedaling while standing to get over tech sections.
But remember, time on the bike is what makes you better. Watching videos and reading tips can prepare you for the advancement, but only saddle time improves your skills.
so you guys constantly shift gears on the trail? I have been staying pretty much in the same gear on hills and straights / flats. I have found out that shifting down while climbing sucks and sounds harsh on the gear set.
I do ride single speed that I never have to shift but on my gear bikes I try to shift as often as I could to maintain momentum and speed. In general, more shifting is a good thing.
I often try to maintain 85-95 rpm on the climb sometime lower, unless it's a technical climb then I push a little harder gear. Then I just shift as often as I need to maintain that rpm. I find that it's the best way to spend my energy on the trail.
Work on staying loose, breathing, budgeting your energy, relaxing your upper body on climbs, keeping momentum (not dragging your breaks all the time) and do lots of slow figure 8's to get comfortable with balance and slow speed handling.
No. It takes too much energy and should be saved for when you need it. And there's degrees of "attack position". Less demanding trail ahead means a more relaxed position will do fine. Gnarly stuff coming - get ready.
I try to stay in attack position as long and as often as I can, but like Gasp said, it takes a lot of effort to stay in that position. I'd say I do that about 70% on the descend, and sit up and rest when it's smoother then back on attack position. Like everything else, the more you do it the easier it becomes and it would appear effortless.
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