Mountain bikes are heavy-duty bikes. They are more effective than ordinary bikes in off-road cycling. They have more powerful brakes compared to other ordinary bikes. Their tires are more strong and knobby. This way, these bikes are suitable for cycling in a rocky landscape. There are so many mountain bike designs that learning how to ride every one of them is a daunting task. It is also safe to say that it never gets to a point where you have known cycling properly. Here are some guidelines on how to ride a mountain bike properly. The guidelines are useful for both beginners and professionals.
How to ride a mountain bike properly – Step By Step
Step-1: Get Prepared:
Ensure you bring the right gear with you to the mountain. It’s best to ride a bike with a longer wheelbase and more suspension travel, similar to Liv’s all-new, all-mountain Intrigue series and the enduro-ready Hail series, especially if you have dreams of riding steeper, more technical tracks. Perform a bike safety check and dial in your suspension to ensure your bike is ready to ride. If you don’t have a bike you feel comfortable riding, the mountain probably has a rental fleet. Personal protective equipment should include a helmet, pads, eye protection, and gloves. If you don’t have a full-face helmet or pads, chances are the mountain has some equipment available for rent. Finally, it’s a good idea to wear clothing that has more coverage.
Step-2: Start slow:
Get comfortable on your bike first, altering the seat and handle-bars to the proper specifications so you’ll feel comfortable riding. You don’t need to hit up master-level trails or begin free-riding to learn to mountain bike. Find some unpaved but level ground to ride on to get used to the different feel of biking on a less-than-smooth ground.
Step-3: Look ahead, not down:
When you’re on a trail, especially, you need to keep your eyes scanning around 15 yards (13.7 m) ahead of you for obstacles, low-hanging branches, and steep turns that will come up in the trail. It can be tempting to lock your eyes on an exact turn or branch and look it toward you, causing you to lose your balance and ignore the upcoming obstacles. You’ll have an easier time staying balanced and letting the bike a chance to take every necessary step for you.
Step-4: Brake properly:
When you’re going downhill, push your bottom back in the saddle so you’re crouching over your back wheel. Apply your brakes equally. Clamping too hard on the front can make you flip, while brake too much on the back can cause you to go into a skid, so be careful. There’s more weight carrying you with the front tire, so use that brake to slow yourself and control your drop.
Step-5: Learn the correct up and downhill methods:
When you are going uphill, stay seated and lean ahead into the hill. On the road, standing can give you extra power in your pedals, however, it can make you spin out on the dirt. Go easy on the pedaling to go light on the chain and downshift before you hit the hill, at that point pedal and pedal again.
When you go downhill, the most necessary thing is to relax. Lower your seat, and don’t oversteer or try to control things too much. Concentrated on obstacles, and stand up off the seat, keeping your pedals parallel to the surface. Don’t lock your elbows or joints, which can be very painful if you jam a tire or flip.
Step-6: Develop the proper shifting technique:
Shifting gears enables you to slip the bike chain onto a smaller or larger diameter gear on the bike, making the pedaling require more or less power to pedal, respectively. It’s important to try to shift before it becomes absolutely necessary for you to do so, anticipating up-hills that will need you to shift up and switching gears before you’ll be slowing down considerably.
Switch after a power-stroke. If you feel you want to lessen the power it takes to pedal, make one extra-hard stroke, followed by a “soft stroke” that you’ll earn yourself with the momentum you created. Shift on the soft stroke to ensure the chain slips properly.
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Step-7: Keep pedaling and stay on your bike:
Speed is your companion. Going quickly means you can work less hard and use momentum to your potential benefit, maximizing the efficiency of your bike and your body. Keep moving and don’t slow down too much, even if you’re concerned about a grade. Keep moving and the bike will do the necessary steps for you.
At the same time, don’t be stupid. Slow down, stop, and check out extremely difficult-looking turns before you blunder into them too fast. When you’re the first beginning, stick to beginner trails and take it easy anyway.
Final Words
Now you know how to ride a mountain bike properly. If you want to be a good mountain biker, get your tools and equipment ready. Put on the correct cycling gear. Ensure that your mountain bike is in perfect cycling conditions. Now get on the bike, position your body on the seat and let your eyes do their job. Know when to speed up and when to brake. Be prepared for anything. In this way, you will become a different mountain biker.
