Mountain Bike Skills For Beginners

Mountain biking is an exhilarating pastime that can be enjoyed by anyone who knows how to ride a bike. It does have some risks, compared to the average bike ride, so, there are some basic skills you should have before hitting the trails. These beginning skills can be practiced at a local school, park, or bike path, but try to find a location with a steep hill.

First, get a feel for your pedals. Practice moving your foot away from the pedal 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.

Just sitting on your bike and pedaling around is good practice. Keep your arms slightly bent, and 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.

Get good at for shifting gears. 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.

You should also spend some 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.

Get as familiar as you can with pedaling while standing upright on your bike. Lift yourself off the seat while standing on the pedals, then crank them around. Do this starting in higher gears on flat ground then again in lower gears while on a hill.

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

After you practice these techniques a little bit and get the hang of them, go ahead and hit the trails feeling safe on your new mountain bike.

By: Concetta Olias

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