What Skills Do You Need To Start Mountain Biking?

Easy beginner mountain bike skills to get you started!

If you’re looking for a great workout that’s also fun, you might consider taking up mountain biking. But before you jump on that bike, take some time to learn some beginner mountain bike skills.

While riding mountain bikes is mostly a safe form of exercise, there is the chance that you can hurt yourself, especially if you’re a novice rider, if you don’t take some basic precautions. If you master these fundamentals, though, before hitting the trails, you’ll stay safe while getting a great workout.

First, make sure before you go mountain biking on a particularly steep or twisty trail to practice riding your mountain bike in a safer environment. You might try riding at a local park, bike path or school yard. You can even take a few trips around your neighborhood. This will allow you to get a good feel for your mountain bike before you try a course that’s too advanced.

The key to safe mountain biking is for you to get quickly used to the ins and outs of your particular bike. For instance, to become comfortable with the way your mountain bike’s pedals work, practice moving your feet onto and off of your pedals. You may have to make this maneuver quite quickly when you’re riding. You want to make sure it’s as natural as possible.

Next, practice sitting on your mountain bike properly. This is more important than it sounds. You want your seat high enough so that your leg is 70 to 90 percent extended at the bottom of every stroke you take on your bike’s pedals. You also want to keep your body relaxed at all times. You should never ride your mountain bike with your elbows or your knees locked tightly. If you do, you run the real risk of injuring yourself should you take a sudden fall.

It’s also important to practice shifting your mountain bike’s gears. You don’t want to hesitate when mountain biking on a steep trail; rather, you want to know almost instinctively what gear to shift into. Remember, it’s better to shift your gears before you begin climbing that extremely steep hill.

Finally, don’t forget to practice coasting with your mountain bike. To do this, simply stand on your pedals without sitting on your bike’s seat.

While doing this, shift your body toward the back end of your mountain bike. Again, it’s best to practice such a maneuver before you hit the mountain biking trails.

Just start off on flat ground and don’t try anything too diffcult until you have mastered your basic mountain bike skills.