New to Mountain Biking? Five Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Started

Megan Ross July 10, 2008

I got a lot of advice when I started mountain biking: tips from fellow riders, sales pitches from bike shop employees, reviews and “how-to’s” from countless magazines, books, and videos. I forgot most of it, preferring to learn the hard way. But there are some tips that stick with me more than others—gems I still find useful after twelve years in the saddle.

1. Uncomfortable with a technical section? Get off and walk. I used to think that the point of mountain biking was to identify the rockiest, steepest, most dangerous descents and blast down them at warp speed. My riding companions had years more experience than I did, and I struggled to keep up with them on trails way beyond my skill level. I worried that by walking, I would annoy everyone who had to wait even longer for me to catch up. So I took stupid risks for the sake of… saving a few extra minutes. Every ride, I’d come home with a fresh purple welt or a bloody scrape—or worse. I wish I’d simply listened to my common sense. What takes longer? A two-minute walk, or the hour my companions will spend carting my injured body to the hospital? And why worry so much about them? It’s me who has to deal with the physical pain—not just the impact and risk of permanent damage, but potential weeks of recovery and expensive medical bills. My advice to you: it’s not worth it. If that rocky switchback scares the hell out of you, walk it. As you’re walking, make a mental note of the terrain. Find a smaller-scale version of it and practice that until you feel comfortable. Then crank it up a notch. This is a much smarter, more efficient, and safer way to learn. Riding will be more fun than painful, and that’s the reason you’re out there!

2. Loosen up. During a mountain bike clinic in Harrisonburg, Virginia, I heard some of the best advice I’ve ever received: relax. Stiff arms, a death grip on the handlebars, scrunched shoulders—these tense positions use up more energy than you realize. Instead, focus on engaging the muscles in your core: your abdominals, back, pelvis, and hips. Let your core, not your extremities, “guide” your effort. Keep your shoulders relaxed, your arms bent at the elbow, and your hands firm but loose on the brakes. You’ll save energy and improve efficiency, allowing you to enjoy a longer, more relaxed ride. Try it!

3. Learn some basic repair skills. If your bike breaks, it can be a long walk home. There’s not much you can do about a crack in your frame, but there are some common breakdowns that every rider should know how to handle:

    Flat tire. Always carry a hand pump, extra tube, tire levers, and patch kit with you on your rides. Learn to use them BEFORE you need them. This video does a great job of walking you through it. Tip: When you buy a new tube, you’ll see a little silver washer that screws down to the base of the valve stem. Save it! This tiny part keeps your valve secure when you are ready to attach your pump, making it much easier to insert air. You’ll especially appreciate it during inclement weather or if you’re in a hurry.
    Broken chain. New riders often break chains due to clumsy shifting—putting too much pressure on the chain at the wrong time. If it happens to you, you’ll need a chain tool to first remove any damaged links and then put your chain back together.
    Chain repair can be tedious and frustrating. One thing that will make your life easier is a Powerlink. Also called a “split link,” a Powerlink is a master link that makes it easy to split and rejoin a chain without any tools. They are included in chains made by SRAM, or you can buy them separately at your local bike shop for about $5. You’ll still need a chain tool to remove a broken link, but the Powerlink will make rejoining the chain easier, without shortening the overall chain length. I carry an extra one with my patch kit. Powerlinks are also great if you want to remove your chain to clean it.
    Sign up for a basic maintenance course. More and more bike shops are offering these on evenings and weekends. It’s also a great idea to buy a reference manual like Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance or Mountain Bike Maintenance: The Illustrated Manual. These books include easy, step-by-step instructions with tons of color photos. For a fantastic bike-repair web site, visit: www.ParkTool.com.

4. “Look where you want to go, and the bike will follow!” I was learning to ride a motorcycle–not a mountain bike–when I first heard this advice. My instructor shouted it into a megaphone as we rode in circles around an empty parking lot. The goal was to steer perfect figure-eights, but my loops were wobbly, jerky, and slow. “Stop looking at your front wheel—look ahead!” he shouted. I lifted my gaze from my handlebars to a spot 15 feet ahead on the pavement. Sure enough, my turns got smoother and faster. Wherever I turned my head, the bike followed. Lo and behold, it works for mountain biking! By focusing 10-15 feet on the trail, even in technical sections, I’m prepared for what’s coming. I choose cleaner lines. I don’t waste as much energy navigating every little rock and root because I know my bike can handle it—allowing me to save my concentration for the really technical parts. This involves trusting the bike, which takes some getting used to, but the result is a smoother, faster, more enjoyable ride. Try it, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you improve!

5. “Drink water BEFORE your ride, not just during and after,” Gary advised. Gary takes hydration very seriously. He leads bike tours in the Marina Alta Mountains of eastern Spain, one of the driest, most technical trail systems in Europe. Summer temperatures can reach close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit—and there is very little shade. I joined him last June for one of his “easier” rides: a 27-mile loop dotted with steep pitches, rocky switchbacks, and rolling, fast descents. “You’ve got to start hydrated out here, or else,” he said. As promised, the sun was relentless during our three-hour trip. Sweat poured out of every pore on the first steep climb. I drank two 16-oz. bottles of water and didn’t once get the urge to pee, a sign that my body needed to absorb more fluid than I could give it. Then came a slight pounding headache…and the ride ended. Suppose we’d continued another hour? Muscle cramps, fatigue, nausea, dizziness—and perhaps, a trip to the hospital. The experience put hydration in perspective, and even though I live in a milder climate, I make it a point to start drinking an hour or two before every ride in addition to during and after.

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One Response to “New to Mountain Biking? Five Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Started”

  1. mtobikes on July 10th, 2008 10:19 pm

    EXCELLENT article! These are the things that every beginning mountain bike rider should know, but the things most would not think to teach. I plan to “piggyback” this post with one of my own on my site…I’ll be sure to backlink!

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