Share your top 3 MTB tips

[AndyDrew]

Hard to pick just three... but we never stop learning, right?
Riding tips, parts, eating, maintenance, hacks, whatever...

1) Buy a digital tyre pressure gauge. Only about $20. I idn't realise that my floor pump reads about 5psi out below 40psi until I got one, so I was running ~33psi on my MTB, not 27-8 as I thought. Dropping them down to 27psi has been a notable change after 10 years of MTBing.

2) If you don't own a dropper post, buy a dropper post. I'm ashamed it took me until last week to get one (as part of a new bike). Tech sections are easier, jumping whenever you see something without a seat up your butt, and cornering like you're in a toboggan is the best!

3) Buy a (workshop) bike stand for servicing & cleaning your bike. Also organise/hang your tools on the wall if you have somewhere to do this. Tasks are easier and quicker and maintenance almost becomes enjoyable. Is probably more beneficial if you do a lot of riding or own several bikes, hence need to do more maintenance, or just like tinkering with stuff..

 

[stinky1138]

1-- Learn to ride pump track and never stop practising. Learn to ride them on all different kinds of bikes too.
2-- Get different styles of bike. Ie, xc, dj, street, bmx, dh, etc. Riding a bunch of disciplines helps in every other discipline in one way or another.
3-- Don't buy into hype. Just because a bunch of sheeple are buying a product doesn't mean it's right for you.

 

[Moggio]

1) Session difficult sections, don't just keep riding over it badly and think it will work out. 5 mins working out the line and then practicing it makes that section easier and helps elsewhere.

2) Ride smoothly and slower, just make sure you nail everything, usually it ends up faster. Concentrate on one aspect to get right.

3) Get off your seat. So many riders use dual suspension as a way to stay sitting down over rough stuff. When your off your seat you can pump, shift body wait, adjust traction etc etc. Its better but also just more fun.

 

[Ezkaton]

1. Don't crash into rocks.
2. Don't crash into trees.
3. Don't crash.

 

[ianganderton]

1. Don't crash into rocks.
2. Don't crash into trees.
3. Don't crash.

Why why why hasn't someone told me this before!!!!

1 - ride more.

2 - if something needs doing to your bike try doing it yourself. Even if it doesn't work out you'll have learnt more than you realise and be a more self reliant rider as a result. The guys in the bike shop will respect you for it too even if it is a bit funny and they take the piss a bit

3 - aim to be self reliant no matter who you are riding with and where

 

[spoozbucket]

1 Learn how to set up your suspension properly, experiment and keep your settings written down.

2 Ride with people faster than you, if you ride with slower people ride behind them and pick the more difficult lines and see if you can still keep up.

3 Don't listen to people on the internet too much, there's no real way to know if any of us can actually ride. Find some quick people on the trails, ask if you can tag along and take note of the spec they are running and the lines they are hitting.

Also, there's nothing wrong with a decent analogue pressure guage, but many on pumps aren't calibrated correctly and the battery can't run flat in a mechanical guage.

 

[mtboer]

1. Ride to survive. I had a massive stack in May 1966 and I'm still here enjoying the best sport in the world.

2. Try MTB Orienteering at least once. It is cheap and real fun and a massive challenge to master. The thinking rider.

3. Listen to everything The Horrible Duncan Gay has done for us and cross it out of your mind.

 

[ozzybmx]

1 - Tyre pressure, get it dialled in and checked before every ride. There are only 2 small parts of your bike that touch the trail.

2 - Bike fit. I have never had a "pro" fit done but have read a quite a bit about it and do my own from online. Is there even a formal qualification for bike fitters or is it self awarded ? Some of the crazy stuff I have seen from so called "pro" fits seems only to come from the bike fitters interpretation. There are several online calculators, you'll be surprised how a good fit can get rid of knee, foot, back, wrist, kneck, hand pain ect..

3 - Contact points, in conjunction with the above, if you want to start doing bigger rides you need to think about seat/shorts, gloves/grips and shoes. Your position on the bike can affect the comfort of your hands and ass, which can be sometimes confused with an unconfortable saddle or a seatpost to high.
Get your ass measured and buy a fitting seat then get a decent pair of chamois shorts.
When buying gloves do you like gel lumps on the grip or flat thin material.
Get a good fitting pair of shoes, buying blind online and squeezing into them is not going to help for bigger days on the bike.

 

[JoelFitz]

Probably some doubling up here from the above but for me -

1 - Look up, light hands, heavy feet (kinda my mantra while riding).. Look where you want to go, keep hands light and no white knuckle death grip, keep weight on feet and off hands.
2 - Dropper post.. By far the best upgrade I've ever purchased. Took a solid month or 2 to feel comfortable with it, now I struggle to ride a bike without one.
3 - Ride with faster riders..

 

[Ideate]

1. Don't get sucked into thinking you need special tools and gear like digital pressure gauges, tension meters and work stands.
2. Use one of your sucker mate's digital pressure gauges, tension meter and work stand.
3. Crash but make it funny by not breaking anything (on your bike of course).

 

[stirk]

1. Man who dances with chance may enjoy a long walk home. Man who is prepared laughs at chance and can keep riding.

2. Buy cheap tools and pay for expensive mistakes.

3. More does not always equal better, this is true for the amount of psi in your tyres.

4. Be nice out there on the trails, say hi to fellow riders and hikers and don't bloody litter!

5. Be in awe of the magic the wonderful trail fairy possess.

6. If you think i'm annoying trying buying a bike with a Pressfit bottom bracket!

7. Whilst amusing for us galvanic corrosion is bad for you.


........

 

[The Reverend]

1 stay on top of bike maintenance. MTB is hard on bikes and kit. Stuff breaks and wears out. Don't find out about it the hard way on the trail because you've not looked at your bike in eons. Keep it clean, serviced and looked after. That way it can look after you. It won't mean stuff isn't going to break on you, but you can reduce it and avoid it happening at the worse time.

2 bring tools / kit with you. You can be sure that when you leave your tools and repair kit etc in the boot of the car, that's when you'll need it.

3 every now and then, turn Strava off. It doesn't measure fun (despite suggestions from me and no doubt countless others that it should!) and fun is what MTB should be above all things.

 

[jellylegs]

1. Don't buy a Mountain Bike
2. Don't ride a Mountain Bike
3. If you did any of the above, your hooked now ya bastard. Be prepared to spend all your spare cash, spare time, infact, every waking moment on, near, or looking at anything MTB.... Have Fun

 

[scblack]

1. The bike is more capable than you. Hard sections not done are due to your fears - not the bikes capability. The last two weeks I have ridden sections I have been eyeing off for months - I just pointed the bike and hung on for life, and made them clean.

2. Ride with riders better than you. They will motivate you, and you will see how to clean hard sections. Or see better lines. Makes for a better rider.

3. Wear safety gear. It will give you more confidence to push your limits, and then become a better rider.

 

[Knuckles]

1. Trees don't get out of your way

2. Don't worry, the ground will break your fall

3. Trees are hard

 

[Markee]

1. Look further ahead.

2. When cornering, outside foot forward.

3. Measure gaps/jumps in bike lengths.

 

[Knuckles]

2. When cornering, outside foot forward.

Eh? I always corner, outside foot down, inside knee on TT and weight the outside pedal to adjust grip.

Is this wrong?

 

[jellylegs]

2. When cornering, outside foot forward.

Eh? I always corner, outside foot down, inside knee on TT and weight the outside pedal to adjust grip.

Is this wrong?

It's not wrong, it's just not hipster.

 

[SF Trailboy]

Doesn't matter how much your new/dream bike is worth chances are it will still need to be pedaled.

A good hardtail is much better than an average dually.

Smile, laugh and whoop it up this is the reason we ride after all.

 

[Markee]

Eh? I always corner, outside foot down, inside knee on TT and weight the outside pedal to adjust grip.

Is this wrong?

No it is not wrong. In an off camber situation this works perfectly but think of it like this. If you're railing through a berm with your outside foot forward and at the exit you need to put in a quick pedal stroke to gain more speed or get over an obstacle, having your outside foot forward will not only allow this but also help stand the bike back up to centre saving you from falling into the corner and getting you out more efficiently.
There are others thing going on as well but attend a good coaching clinic to learn more. I did. Money very well spent

Try it, practice it both ways. It helps immensely.