Mountain Biking - The Mountain Biking Way

I have recently seen a lot of newbies and non-newbies asking "How can I ride this?" or "How do I do this?" Well, I figured it would end a lot of confusion if I made a thread about all the mountain biking tips. So if you have any tip, weather its from equipment to how to ride a skinny, post it here. And lets get this thing stickied!

To start it off- here's my little piece of advice:
Though many say that its not the bike you ride- but how you ride the bike, I find it is a LOT easier to do many things on a better bike.

this is very true. My $2500 bike is consderably better balanced than my $300 bike. This makes it much easier to bunny hop or even carry. That is one of the many benefits.

I'm a beginner riding a 30lb Hardtail right now. I want to learn techniques like bunny hop,endoing, etc. Is it going to be EXTremely hard due to its weight?

not extremely hard, but a lighter bike should be a bit easier to hop

The bike is also too large for me. A size that will fit me perfectly is a 17" but this 1 is a 19", will that impede me?

definitely. bunny hopping requires that you use your entire bike as a lever to swing off of. if you cant take full advantage of it, your hop will be reduced dramatically.

I've just started reading Ned Overend's "Mountain Bike Like a Champion" and I can say that it's a great read so far. A worthwhile investment for the $17 I paid for it at Borders Books.

Is there anything that i can practice with using that bike for now? Maybe stuff like trackstanding or are there other stuff?

This is a pretty comprehensive guide to technique and more.

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/bicycles-faq/mountain-bikes/

trackstanding would be good, however i am not the one to ask on the subject

We are avoiding the sticky thing. But we do have a best of thread listed at the top of this page

or here
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=1180173#post1180173

keep up the tips :)

Someone posted this in another link but I will here. MasteringMountainBikeSkills (http://leelikesbikes.com/MasteringMountainBikeSkills/)

Along with Overend's book this one is a must read. Ned's is good but this one has current information and would apply to the new generation of riders a little better then Ned's book.

Also, take a look at this site Trials (http://www.trials-online.com/trials-techniques.php) You may not be a trials rider but they give good explanation of how to do the basics such as bunnyhopping, track stands and riding up objects.

:beer:

My biggest tip is that there is absolutely no shame in walking. If you feel that something is over your head get off of the bike and walk. We have all done it and we will all do it again. Eventually you will have the skill to ride the more difficult sections, it just takes time.

My biggest tip is that there is absolutely no shame in walking. If you feel that something is over your head get off of the bike and walk. We have all done it and we will all do it again. Eventually you will have the skill to ride the more difficult sections, it just takes time.
That's good advice. As a newbie my self I have already felt the self-induced shame of walking up a "difficult to me" climb while someone else climbed it with ease. I felt humbled. I'm glad that no one cares that I walked it, that they know I'll get there in time.

Sometimes you have ridin' days and sometimes you have walkin' days.

No one has said the most basic of all mountain biking rules: "the bike goes where the eyes go".

Also something I am trying to improve my balance that a friend told me this weekend: Try riding in real small circles so your front wheel is almost perpendicular to the frame. This is suppose to help build better balance. Make sure you practice going both clockwise and counter-clockwise.

Sometimes you have ridin' days and sometimes you have walkin' days.

No one has said the most basic of all mountain biking rules: "the bike goes where the eyes go".

Also something I am trying to improve my balance that a friend told me this weekend: Try riding in real small circles so your front wheel is almost perpendicular to the frame. This is suppose to help build better balance. Make sure you practice going both clockwise and counter-clockwise.

While doing this you can also place a 2 liter bottle on the ground, start riding by it (straight line, not circles) and pick it up. Once you do this get a smaller bottle. Keep trying it on both sides.

Don't look at the piece of dirt 2' in front of your tire. Look up the trail. About 10' up the trail. Your subconscious will remember what you see to avoid.

To elaborate what was said above. Look where you WANT to go, don't look where you don't want to go. Again, if you concentrate your vision on an obstacle, like a rock or a root, chances are you'll steer towards it subconsciously. Pick your best path, commit to it and you'll steer your path.

Keep your elbows and knees flexed. Use your body's own suspension.

Relax your grip on the handlebars. A "Death Grip" will tire (no pun intended) you out quickly. Grab tight enough to grip the bars, but not so tight that your forearms get pumped. A good way to avoid this is to keep two fingers on your brake lever.

Learn to bunnyhop without clipless pedals. Also when learning, place a board or a can or some object to jump over. You'll do better if you do. A good thing is a small piece of 2x4. You lay it down and hop it, then you get to the point where you balance it upright and hop it....etc.

Clean your bike! Cleaning all the much off keeps everything working properly and well lubed. Also, it gives you a chance to inspect for any damage or worn out parts.

Bring a friend. Introduce a friend to the sport and it'll reward you will a lot of riding buddies.

ALWAYS, ALWAYS wear a helmet.

Don't look at the piece of dirt 2' in front of your tire. Look up the trail. About 10' up the trail. Your subconscious will remember what you see to avoid.

To elaborate what was said above. Look where you WANT to go, don't look where you don't want to go. Again, if you concentrate your vision on an obstacle, like a rock or a root, chances are you'll steer towards it subconsciously. Pick your best path, commit to it and you'll steer your path.

Keep your elbows and knees flexed. Use your body's own suspension.

Relax your grip on the handlebars. A "Death Grip" will tire (no pun intended) you out quickly. Grab tight enough to grip the bars, but not so tight that your forearms get pumped. A good way to avoid this is to keep two fingers on your brake lever.

Learn to bunnyhop without clipless pedals. Also when learning, place a board or a can or some object to jump over. You'll do better if you do. A good thing is a small piece of 2x4. You lay it down and hop it, then you get to the point where you balance it upright and hop it....etc.

Clean your bike! Cleaning all the much off keeps everything working properly and well lubed. Also, it gives you a chance to inspect for any damage or worn out parts.

Bring a friend. Introduce a friend to the sport and it'll reward you will a lot of riding buddies.

ALWAYS, ALWAYS wear a helmet.
Now those are some GOOD tips. :D

I'm a beginner riding a 30lb Hardtail right now. I want to learn techniques like bunny hop,endoing, etc. Is it going to be EXTremely hard due to its weight?

Bunnyhopping is easier on lighter bikes but for learning, heavy bikes are just fine, in fact, you can hop a 30lbs hardtail pretty well if you have skill, seriously, unless you want to hop 4 feet then you don't need a sub 20lbs specialized trials mod bike...

That thing about body suspension... so useful, you wouldn't imagine how smooth drops and jumps become when you learn how to absorb the impact by flexing your body.

The 1st, and best piece of advice my kids got from an expert MTBer was to hop off & walk down the big hill in that particular race; it was thier 1st race. The younger one used to pass folks on the uphill, and hop off & walk down the hill until he was, like, 10. So sorry you missed that aspect, lowcel!!