Your Top 5 Mountain Biking Tips
Comments
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1. HAVE FUN!!!!!!
2. Try to do something on each ride that challenges your abilities, mentally, physically, or both.
3. For the love of baby Jeebus, wear a bIoody helmet
4. Try a race, any race, even if you know you can't seriously compete. You'll be surprised at how much fun it is.
5. Always carry more spares than you think you could possibly need.0 -
1. Think 'why not' instead of 'why' (scary bits/events/whatever!)
2. Ride with a group/club at least occasionally, it's sociable and you'll learn new stuff.
3. Find someone who you can call up to go for a ride now at any time.
4. Always try to make better riders than you feel in danger of being overtaken.
5. Get better, overtake them!Rock Lobster 853, Trek 1200 and a very old, tired and loved Apollo Javelin.0 -
1. if in doubt, more speed
2. any obstacle can be traversed
3. carry enough spares to bodge a single speed conversion
4. more fluids, always more fluids
5. Race everything that moves, if nothing is moving race your own best times0 -
1: Get a helmet that fits well
2: When buying helmets, do not read reviews, just get one that fits
3: really make sure it fits
4: if ignoring 1,2,3 make sure you know CPR and can read a map in under 10 seconds to give grid reference to air amubulance.
5: You will cycle where you look, if you can't take your eyes off that big tree/rock plan how to ride it. You wil be surprised what a bike will go over.
6a: When you have taken off your 500g summer tyres and fitted a 1kg+ tyre back and front, the place to test if you can still bunny hop 2' is not while heading towards a fallen tree at 25mph.
6b: heavy tyres can knock 18" off your bunny hop height.
6c: cycling into the side of a fallen tree at 25mph is really really fun if you know how to judo roll and are wearing body armour =-)Why would I care about 150g of bike weight, I just ate 400g of cookies while reading this?0 -
1. Get a decent helmet - make sure it fits properly and do it up right, or it just falls off and you turn into a jellyhead when you need it, which you will.
2. Its surprising how much more fun a ride can be with decent clothing so you dont either boil or freeze
3. If you think your going to fall off there are 2 options. Brake and you will fall off, or leave the brakes alone and you probably wont. This doesnt work when going up hill.
4. Learn how to fix / build your bike yourself. Its much cheaper, generally better and you can make your bike yours.
5. If buying something new and shiny makes you get out on your bike then its always worth it, however much it costs...0 -
1: don't ride into a tree
2 :don't ride into a tree
3: don't ride into a tree
4 :don't ride into a tree
5 : don't ride into a tree without wearing a helmet . Helmet saved my head but not shoulder which broke, ouch.
I am soooooooooo bored.Orange 5
Orange P7 ..... I think
Psycle Werks Wild Hare
Scott Genius 10......For the misses0 -
1. If theres a section that you're too scared to ride and one day you don't stop on time and find yourself in the middle of it, just concentrate on not tensing up and let the bike do what it wants. Most of the time the bike will find its own way and you'll be surprised how much less skill it needed than you thought.
2. Learn some basic maintenance like tube repair/change and take a multitool and spare tube/patches.
3. Ignore any garbage people tell you about what pidgeon hole your bike fits into. As a beginner don't get one too big and you will find it can cope with a bit of any style of riding - just experiment with seat height, bars etc.. over time until you know what you like.
By the time you're good enough to take advantage of a higher end or more specific style of bike you will know what you want to suit your style of riding without anyone telling you. It's just a matter of finding the kit that does what you want, regardless of any label anyone else puts on it.
4. Keep an open mind and welcome attitude, whether it's roadies, ramblers or that slow fat guy on the megabucks bike. You never know what their story is, or what yours will be in future. At least they are getting themselves outside and it might surprise you who will stop and help when you're miles from anywhere and in trouble.
5. Don't take it all to seriously - it's supposed to be fun!!0 -
"that slow fat guy on the megabucks bike"
Yeah if you meet me be nice =-)Why would I care about 150g of bike weight, I just ate 400g of cookies while reading this?0 -
3. Ignore any garbage people tell you about what pidgeon hole your bike fits into. As a beginner don't get one too big and you will find it can cope with a bit of any style of riding - just experiment with seat height, bars etc.. over time until you know what you like.
By the time you're good enough to take advantage of a higher end or more specific style of bike you will know what you want to suit your style of riding without anyone telling you. It's just a matter of finding the kit that does what you want, regardless of any label anyone else puts on it.
4. Keep an open mind and welcome attitude, whether it's roadies, ramblers or that slow fat guy on the megabucks bike. You never know what their story is, or what yours will be in future. At least they are getting themselves outside and it might surprise you who will stop and help when you're miles from anywhere and in trouble.
Well said0 -
1. Buy what you want
2. ride how you want
3. ride how fast you want to
4. Have fun
and most importanlty...
5. Have fun!0 -
What a great thread. Just stumbled across it and I have learnt so much! Thanks!0
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My best tip would be get your body position right - When you start first start off, its easy to get into the habit of riding defensively with your weight too far back, thighs clenching the saddle and arms almost locked. I wish someone had explained the importance of body position earlier.0
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Wise words...
Uncompromising extremist0 -
1. Trust the bike, it's usually better than you
2. Try something that scares you every now and then - preferrably every ride!
3. Get good lights and go out in the pitch dark, its superb fun.
4. Ride sometimes with people more experienced than you, and sometimes with people less experienced - you will learn, and you can teach - both make you think and improve what you do.
5. Get wet, get muddy, it's great fun.
:P "Encyclopaedia is a fetish for very small bicycles"0 -
1. Ride because you like it, don't take riding too seriously.
2. Take and give advice (be it skills, fitness, repairs) from other disciplines (bmx, road) riders and mechanics as everyone can learn.
3. Try to push your own boundaries as it'll keep you fresh and stop boredom.
4. Respect the trail and others using the trail.
5. Look after what you've got: bike, kit and body.For professional MTB & BMX coaching, training & guiding!
www.pedaltoprogression.com0 -
1) Have fun and smile at people
2) Ride something that scares you every now and again - but not so often you forget point 1, ride with people better and worse than you and on your own
3)Make sure your suspension is set up properly - it's not as obvious as it seems, try higher and lower pressures than you think you ll need and try extremes of rebound/compression damping so you know what they do - it took me nearly 1.5yrs to realise I have too little rebound damping and too much pressure
4)If you re riding lots of trail centres, try some natural stuff and vice versa
5) Body position and looking where you want to go are more important to get right than any bit of kit...Don't be afraid to try coaching
(am I cheating?)We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
1. Helmets are you your friend. White vans aren't.
2. When you're so knackered you feel sick, stop and pretend you're admiring the view.
3. No matter how shitty the weather is - get out and ride.
4. Laugh when you fall off, no matter how much it hurts.
5. Scars are cool.0 -
Wallace1492 wrote:3. Get good lights and go out in the pitch dark, its superb fun.
My night riding tip:
The best lights you can buy won't stop you hitting your head on a low hanging tree 0 -
kaytronika wrote:Wallace1492 wrote:3. Get good lights and go out in the pitch dark, its superb fun.
My night riding tip:
The best lights you can buy won't stop you hitting your head on a low hanging tree
6. Watch out for low hanging branches."Encyclopaedia is a fetish for very small bicycles"0 -
Quality thread
1 - Saving 3 grams on a new stem/seatpost/chain is pointless if you are going to eat a Ginsters on the way to the trail centre.
2 - Spend more time riding your bike than cleaning it.
3 - Try to ride with someone who is just a little bit better than you and accept that they are better than you. You will never get better if you think your the best.
4 - Knowledge is no substitute for experience, actually riding will teach you far more than any magazine or forum.
5 - Don't gob off in the car park before an event, your story about how you "nearly " bought a 5k bike or how you "tamed" the Scottish highlands will bite you when that quiet bloke with the basic bike owns you on the first climb."Didn't hurt"0 -
based on my total experience of one off road excursion
20 miles off road = 40 on it
Have something to change into after the ride or have a muddy car
its easy to get lost in the quantocks
Wear a helmet (this is obvious to even the most inexperienced person)
This could be an expensive hobby0 -
1 - forget worrying about weight - build a strong bike and just get fitter
2 - helmet gloves pads - sooner or later you WILL regret not wearing at least one of these
3 - look where you want to go - hit it hard (commit) - stand up and use the 2 foot of travel your legs give you
4 - spend whatever you can afford on making your bike work and look how you want it to and then ride it to its limits - confidence and pride in your ride is worth way more than you can afford in shiny kit
5 - have fun for fcuks sake !
slainte rob 0 -
I think the OP should have added - don't repeat anything...
My 1) addition...
Always be a gentleman and allow females to climb a hill in front of you.0 -
1) Learn how to set you fork up and experiment with settings - it makes a huge difference to feel.
2) Upgrades should be planned carefully. Look at your budget and what you want to achieve.
3) If getting a new bike, try and test it. Just because it has a fancy name on it does not mean it will suit you.
4) If getting lighter weight kit, think about strength and stiffness.
5) And enjoy riding ;-)0 -
Tim.s wrote:Quality thread
5 - Don't gob off in the car park before an event, your story about how you "nearly " bought a 5k bike or how you "tamed" the Scottish highlands will bite you when that quiet bloke with the basic bike owns you on the first climb.
is that from experience? 0 -
not read it all so sorry for repeats:
1) don't hit sheep and please pleae please where a helmet. I would be seriously dead without one.
2) Carry fizzy cola bottles-the one at Cannock are great.
3) Leave trails and ride open country sometime. MInton Batch on the long Mynd is just sooo good!!!
4)Carry a thermal sheet thingy- not just for you but for others you find who have had a misfourtune.
5) Your bike will do anything, just have confidence in it.
+ Don't mention to strangers you meet at LLandegla that the Kona girls are cute. Escpecially if one of them is a father to one of them.
Have fun and laugh-whatever your speed and ability..............0 -
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1: Hydration. always have some.
2: spare tubes.
3: quick check that things work before heading out. (brakes etc)
4: Dont ever lose site of the fun factor.
5: never do one last run.
quick story about No3, My brother when staying at ferndale in CYB a few years back forgot to reconnect his V brakes after putting his bike together after getting out of the car. The nice smooth road down the mountain is lovely way to start the ride, talking etc. when trying to slow down to get round the sharp bend over the bridge at the bottom is when things got interesting. i think he still has that thought every time he gets on his bike now.0
