DreamRider85

So anyways, I had been riding a Trek mountain bike on roads/paved trails for 3 years. But I recently got a road bike for the roads and I really like it. But I still have my mountain bike. All this time, I've never tried the mountains, I've only done roads and paved trails. But now I want to add mountain training to my regimen. I love the road bike for the roads, but I've always wanted to do mountains too.

So the only thing holding me back is for technical reasons. Obviously mountains are bumpier, have rocks, and are much harder to climb up. So I guess I'm worried about what you need to know before starting. Also, do you need to be in stellar shape to start or can you start small dirt trails?

Canker

Ask some locals if there is a good starter trail around. Near me we have a trail that is 4 miles that follows a river and has very little climbing or tech. It is great for noobs but still fun for advanced riders.

Don't feel bad about walking sections you aren't comfortable with
but also you have to get over that you are going to wreck. It is going to happen and it is going to happen a lot when you are starting out.
The nice thing about mtb wrecks is the don't really hurt most of the time. Most of them are just fall over type of wrecks, even most over the bars wrecks don't end up hurting you well much .

osco53

Ask at your local bike shop,,or when you find a trail head, go there, take a cooler full of gatoraide, hand em out to Incoming riders In exchange for some advice on what's up,,, See what the other riders In your age group are riding on the trails you will be on...

ParkingTheBus

Just ride, and start off slow. If you rode a bike as a kid and did dumb stuff like the rest of us did, like curb hopping, going down stairs, riding on grass, skidding our back tires on department store bikes, you should be fine. You already have the endurance from road cycling, just remember to always look ahead of you and anticipate things like winding turns, rocks, roots etc... Don't be scared of objects like roots and rocks. The best way to get over them is with slight speed and momentum. When in doubt, walk it.

indyfabz

Start off in gear 0 so you can spin your wheels.

Wilfred Laurier

You will skin the threads off you're tiers if you drope the hamer in gear 0.

Darth Lefty 

I suppose I never thought about this. I grew up in the exurbs and we rode our BMX and then mountain bikes all over the undeveloped state trust land, crossing arroyos and and digging jumps. So I was tempted to post something snarky like "ride to the trailhead then keep going" but then I felt some sympathy. I started snow sports as an adult and I can see how it would be intimidating to pick up a similarly challenging sport.

Another forum, MTBR, has a beginners section where you'll be welcomed, and they have FAQ's for you, on bike handling and trail etiquette and so on. The video thread that is stickied in that subforum has videos throughout all its pages, not just in the first entry, posted by a wide variety of people.

No, you don't need to be in stellar shape. You have super low gears!

There are two main attractions to mountain biking, they are picking through a difficult path while going slow, or testing your nerve while going fast. Both are things you can gradually get better at, you just need to try it.

shopkins1995

A good way to start is to ride your mountain bike along those same paved paths, but off to the side of them in the grass/berm. You will still be on a path you can ride if you have to, but riding off road next to the path will get your body used to the traction of riding on dirt/grass/under trees, hitting rocks, etc. Once you do that, practice going down hill on just grass hills an stopping on the hills. This will teach you how to shift your weight around so that you don't fly over the handle bars. Also practice stopping while on your bike without putting your feet down and holding it there (say at a stop sign). There are times where you have to come to a crawl on a mountain bike and don't want to fall over.

hig4s

go to MTB Project | Mountain Bike Trail Maps and search your area, I'm sure there are trails of all levels. Some beginner trails are not any harder than riding on a dirt road.

mawashi

Something doesn't smell right, op has been riding for 3 years on an MTB albeit on roads.... how hard would it be to just try riding off road instead of asking how hard it would be to ride off road???

700

Have you seen some of his other thread questions...? SMH

mawashi

LOL, now he's asking how to change a tire.... He's not change a tire in 3 years of riding? WTH was he riding a solid rubber wheel?