Beginner Mountain Bike Skills

Beginner Mountain Bike Skills

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.