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.
You should have the proper biking gear and the essential skills if you wish to enjoy the terribly difficult sport of mountain biking to the core. The wide variety of mountain bike accessories found nowadays is truly amazing, and purchasing different products can cost you as much money as you had set up for the bike itself. Hence, you should be careful with that you purchase and know how to separate the gimmicky items from the really important ones, and buy those that will fulfill your needs. Better stay away from the items that are merely flashy fashion accessories, or you'll go overboard your budget without getting the really important items that you do need.
There are some biking accessories that you really cannot do without
As any veteran mountain biker will agree, a few accessories are extremely important and cannot be ignored. For example, the helmet, now any one can tell you how important is it to venture out on rough terrains with a protection over your head. Falling or stumbling off your bike is a common occurrence and the helmet will simply save you from incurring fatal wounds. In fact, the importance of a biking helmet cannot be overemphasized.
Riding over a rough surface can badly affect your body and cause difficulties. Thus you should be as much comfortable as possible on your bike, and to ensure that comfort you would need a good pair of mountain bike shorts that absorbs moisture and prevents any irritation. Then again, gloves are also important mountain accessories that can absorb some of the shocks you may feel an also prevent burns and injuries to your hands.
If falling off a mountain bike is a daily incident then so is the bike breaking down when you are not expecting it at all. Hence it would always be wise to carry a repair kit with you. Important things that should always be a part of your repair kit are spoke tool, spanners, screwdriver, pump, Allen key, puncture repair kit, a bottom bracket tool as well as some lubricant. It goes without saying that you should have a basic idea of what to do in case your bike breaks down in the wilderness, where you cannot possibly get any help.
You would also require mountain bike accessories like cleaning equipment that can dust off the dirt from bikes. Constant riding in dust and dirt can make your bike really dusty and dirty. Other important accessories include bike bottles and cages, lock and cycle lights.
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