What Are Some Mountain Bike Skills For The Beginner?

Mountain biking is an exciting sport that can be enjoyed by anyone who knows how to ride a bike. Compared to the average bike ride, it does present some danger. Therefore, you should master these basic skills before you hit the trails or the dirt.

You can practice these beginning skills at a local park, school, bike path, or simply around your house. If you can, try to find a location with a steep hill.

Get a feel for your pedals

Practice moving your foot away from the pedal, first while sitting on your bike with one foot on the ground. Next, move on to releasing and replacing your foot while pedaling around for a bit. Those with toe clip and clipless type foot pedals will want to spend a bit more time practicing.

Sit and spin for position

Simply sit on your bike and pedal around. You should keep your arms slightly bent. You should also adjust your seat height so your leg is 70 to 90 percent extended at the bottom of every stroke on the pedal. Keep your body relaxed, as there will never be a position where you should have either your knees or your elbows locked.

Shifting gears

Get a feel for shifting gears with your bike. The higher gears are harder to pedal and will go faster while the lower gears are easier to pedal and will help you ascend hills. As you get to steeper hills, its best to shift before you get to the hill rather than while your on it.

Coasting

You should spend a bit of time coasting while standing on your pedals, without actually sitting on the seat. Keep your arms bent but don’t lock your knees. Now, try experimenting with shifting your body towards the rear end of the bike.

Pedal while standing

You should get as comfortable as you can with pedaling while standing on your bike. Try lifting yourself off the seat while standing on the pedals, then crank them around. You should try this in higher gears on flat ground then again in lower gears while on a hill.

Dropping down a curb

Try finding a curb where you can easily get to the upper portion of it. Practice at a moderate speed,
standing and coasting right off the curb from the upper level to the lower level. Try this at different speeds until it becomes second nature.

Once you practice these techniques and get the hang of them, you’ll be able to hit the trails feeling
comfortable on your mountain bike. Even though it may take some getting used to, it’ll become second
nature before you know it.

What Is Freeride Mountain Biking?

Freeride mountain biking is a different kind of mountain biking that has no set goals or course and riders can do anything they want. Stunts are acceptable in freeride mountain biking. It includes many man made obstacle courses and jumps that can be comparable to BMX riding, only on a bigger and more unpredictable scale.

The Start Of Freeride Mountain Biking

This type of mountain biking started out with aspects of dirt jumping and stunt riding by some downhill mountain bike riders who wanted to do something different. Modifications were made to the downhill bikes to enable them to go faster uphill and downhill. The mountain bikes used in freeride mountain biking are equipped with shorter travel front suspension and are lighter bikes compared to downhill bikes. The head tube angles of the freeride bikes are also steeper, compared to ordinary bikes and they have shorter wheel bases. These features give them the capability to maneuver very well over the technical courses or trails.

The concept of freeride mountain biking is similar to BMX riding,where stunts and all other forms of cycling are used to express oneself. Riding on a narrow wooden plank is one of the featured courses of this kind of cycling. Some courses include only a small section of the wooden plank,while others have entire sections made of planks held aloft. Raised platforms where bikers jump from or even very steep cliffs, can be included in freeride mountain biking.

Tricks and other stunts are also featured. These may sometimes seem a bit dangerous, especially stunts that concern flying off a raised platform some thirty feet off the ground and landing onto another platform. Not all freeride mountain bikers wear the protective gear that all downhill bikers wear. The helmet is of course a given,when riding freeride.

Some freeride mountain biking trails are made specifically for this sport and have been sponsored by many bike parts and accessories manufacturers. Many spectators also like to watch the danger and excitement that goes with this riding style.

Freeride mountain biking has gained a lot of popularity and has many followers and supporters. The danger ratio is slightly higher than that of downhill mountain biking, but the thrill and adrenaline are somewhat similar, depending on the individual. Safety is an important point that should be highlighted to freeride bikers.

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