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MOUNTAIN BIKING: Tech skills help you master mountain

By Scott Boulbol, Special to the Rocky

Published July 21, 2008 at 6 p.m.

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If you're a mountain biker, it's likely you've been pedaling around on two wheels since childhood. But if you're like most riders, you haven't learned too many new skills since then. Most mountain bikers simply take a bike off-road and use the same techniques they mastered in the driveway.

I admit - I'm one of those lousy technical riders. While I've been riding a mountain bike for almost a quarter century, I haven't improved my skills that much since first taking my non-suspended Fuji tank off-road.

That's not to say I'm not a decent rider. I just make up for my lack of technical prowess by pouring more into physical fitness. Sound familiar? Well, not anymore. It's time to learn how to ride again.

Advanced technical skills are as important to mountain biking as any other sport, and mastering them is the easiest way to improve.

In fact, because of our genetic predispositions, many of us can reach only a certain level. Our bodies simply aren't born for greatness.

The good news: Technical skills aren't genetic - they're learned. So once we've plateaued physically, we can still improve technically.

In fact, mastering these skills can turn a mid-pack rider into a podium finisher, or perhaps even propel him or her to the expert category, according to Lee McCormack, author of Mastering Mountain Bike Skills.

"We all suck more than we know. . . . Most riders are just not technically sound," McCormack says. "We are getting by on a combination of power and good equipment."

Still, that combination is limiting.

The "Rock Garden" at Hall Ranch, west of Lyons, provides a perfect example. According to McCormack, "a lot of guys are strong enough to just muscle up the Rock Garden. But with the right balance and style, it can be easy and even graceful!"

Easier said than done. Still, his point is legit. Many of us may never master such technical sections, but we won't know until we've properly learned mountain bike skills.

There's a lot that goes into fine-tuning technique. A coach can help you master more advanced skills, and there's plenty of reading material online and at the library. But to get you started, McCormack suggests focusing on four basics:

* Body position: The single-most important adjustment a cyclist can make. Focus on keeping your weight centered directly over the bottom bracket, while pushing through the pedals with your feet.

* Balance: A rider - with more balance - can stay up on his or her bike (and at slower speeds) for longer periods of time on technical terrain. To improve balance, work on "track stands" and "bunny hops."

* Climbing technique: On steep, technical climbs, the bike should freely pivot up or down according to terrain, while your body maintains a perpendicular angle to the ground - this allows the bike to maintain maximum contact with the ground, while you mash or spin the pedals, depending on momentum.

* Descending technique: Again, center your weight by dropping your butt back behind the seat. Counter by dropping your shoulders forward with your elbows slightly out. For cornering, press through the pedals, dropping the outside pedal while adding additional pressure to it. "Tilt the bike into the turn and let it steer for you," McCormack says. "The bike always knows how much to turn."

Everyday tricks

You don't have to be in the mountains to become a better mountain biker. Practice these moves at stoplights and over curbs all over town when you're cycling:

Track stand

Improves balance, gives you time to think out on the trail.

* How: With one foot forward, coast to a stop on a slight uphill. Turn your front wheel into the hill. Maintain balance by rocking back and forth, alternately coasting back and pedaling forward.

Wheelie

Allows you to lift your front wheel over water bars on technical Front Range climbs.

* How: While pedaling in the saddle, pedal very hard while simultaneously shifting your weight back. If you go back too far, hit the rear brake. To let your rear wheel roll over the obstacle, shift your weight forward.

Manual or a "coasting wheelie"

Gets your front wheel over downhill obstacles.

* How: With moderate speed, shift your weight forward to compress your suspension fork, then immediately shift your weight backward behind your seat. This will un-weight the front end (don't forget to keep a finger on the rear brake). The rear wheel of a modern mountain bike will roll over almost anything.

Hop

Allows you to hop over obstacles; some terrain simply can't be rolled over.

* How: Rock back into a wheelie, then - while your rear tire is heavily weighted - spring upward by pushing down with your feet. The harder you push down on your pedals, the higher your bike will rebound upward.

Information

* For more information and instruction, check out leelikesbikes.com

Comments

  • July 22, 2008

    7:50 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    AngelontheSidelines writes:

    some more critical skilz;

    Bunny hop,
    Done at any speed, violently lift the handlebars up and simultaneously forward while unweighting your feet in order to jump both wheels off the ground.

    Cookie cutter,
    While waiting for riding partners to get ready, try turning the handlebar to one side and pedal into ever tightening circles.

    Nose wheelie,
    At low to moderate speeds haul in the front brake until you feel the rear wheel lift, modulate the brake, and lean aside to move the rear wheel laterally to gain more comfort in this risky stance.

    When unintentionally landing a jump like this your familiarity can save you from an OTB experience.

  • July 23, 2008

    2:21 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    lynn10 writes:

    Thanks for this helpful information.

  • July 23, 2008

    2:56 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    M2 writes:

    When flying over your handlebars in the Superman position... be sure to remember what got you in that position in the first place... Slamming too many beers at the summit of a long climb is never good to do before the thrill of the downhill.