How to Ride Mountain Bike – Part 1

photo courtesy blog.compegps.com

If you are interested in exploring some adventurous sports then mountain biking must be in your priority list. It not only teaches you how to be in good shape but also train your body with much needed endurance. It is really fun to explore new trail and terrain stretches. Advanced light weight bike frames, suspension design, easy shifting gears and big fat tyres – makes it easier to try different terrain. Whether you are a beginner learning to try terrain riding skills, likes to try cross country or riding alpine singletrack, you must be in a good shape. You need to train your body to fully enjoy mountain biking. It does not mean only well trained person can ride mountain bikes. Once you get fit you can fully utilize the benefit of mountain biking.

Need Training

When you have been training keep yourself motivated by maintaining a training chart that look over your progress. This will help you to know where you stand and allows you to learn new skills to reach where you want to be. As you progress in your training you will eventually learn more techniques and skill-sets by repeated practice. If you want to start mountain biking do it slowly, first you need to train your legs and upper body and this can be achieved by two methods.

Climbing up the hills sitting on the saddle would strengthen your upper body and legs. You must also climb up the hill out of saddle to improve your training muscles of upper body. Try to increase your strength and stamina before you get fully in to mountain bike. Running up hills is one of the best training which will train you well and increase your endurance level that is much needed for full fledged mountain biking sports. Although it is a little difficult running is the best training to strengthen your legs and upper body.

Choose Your Bike

Mountain bikes are not as simple as you think, if you make a bad choice when selecting a bike then you will end up riding unsuitable rig. Your height and inside leg are the basic measurements which helps you to choose a mountain bike based on your height. Ride a suitable bike that helps you to do all sorts of riding you prefer. There are two types of mountain bikes such as Hardtail and full suspension mountain bike.

• Hardtail – It has front suspension fork and no rear suspension shock, helps to handle technical terrain.
• Full suspension bikes – Has both front suspension fork and rear suspension shock, helps to handle more technical terrain.

For Beginners

For beginners it is a big question what mountain bike to buy? It is always better to start with Hardtail bike because you will be less abused when you ride on rugged dirt roads and rough terrain. It is a true mountain bike for beginners and this front suspension fork bike is comfortable for shortest trip. Your wrists, hands, neck, shoulders and spinal cord will not get tired soon. Full suspension bikes are also more comfortable and give good control and traction on rough climbs and descents. They are heavier than hardtail bikes and need good maintenance. If you ride on consistent rocky technical terrain then you can start with full suspension otherwise it is not necessary.

Choose Right Frame Size and Frame Material

Choosing right frame size is very important and the measurements of your height and inside leg are the major criteria to decide on right size frame. Make sure your bike has enough stand-over clearance – the space between the top tube of the frame and your crotch. Frame material is another big choice that needs attention. Steel and titanium are the popular frame material for hardtail bikes. Steel is durable and tough, withstand tough ride. Aluminium is also another frame material which is stiffer but suitable only for full suspension bikes not for hardtail bikes.

Popular Wheel Size

29-inch wheels are most popular on both hardtail and full suspension bikes. Its stable and large size makes them a great choice for hardtial bikes which gives great manoeuvrability and speed. 26-inch wheels are the general option for better handling and normally used in all types of mountain bikes.

Basic Techniques While riding a Bike

1. When you are riding on a technical singletrack keep your focus on the trail not on the trees, rocks and bushes.
2. Always keep your eyes spotting over the obstacles and keep your head up and look ahead down the trial. Your bike wheel will follow wherever you look.
3. It is not necessary to hold your handlebar tight but at the same time have good control over the handlebar.
4. Slightly bend your arm to absorb bumpy trail and never lock your elbows or hunch your shoulders.
5. Keeping your handlebar lower than your saddle height is purely a personal preference and by doing so, you can get greater control over the handlebar.
6. Keep your shoulder and arm in relaxed position with loose grip over the handlebar so, that you can easily use your fingers to hold the brake lever and apply braking whenever necessary.
7. By lowering your seat post for about 1/2 inch, you can handle bumpy terrain.

if you are not feeling comfortable when following the above steps while riding the bike then you need to tweak some parts of the bike, specifically the stem length to have the fit of the bike. Most of the shop or amateur riders help you find a bike that fits you properly.

General Riding Tips

1. Keep your body weight placed uniform over both wheels to have good traction on the trial.
2. Ensure you maintain a moderate speed to get better handling around corners, up and down the hill, small obstacles instead of going slow and braking even for small obstacles.
3. Slow speed would not help you to hop over small rocks or when you could just roll over something easily when riding with good speed.

Continue… (How to Ride Mountain Bike – Part 2)