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Mountain Bike Skills -
Trail Riding
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Written by stumpy_dan
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Hits 332
Tuesday, 28 August 2007
Pedaling tips revolve around what feels natural. Many riders feel it is only good to ride on the hardest set up and go through a repeated barrage of pushing down hard with one foot then the other. If you want to maximise energy and not destroy your knees read on.
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Make sure your seat post is at the right height. On uphill and flat riding you can tell when your foot is straight down on the pedal your seat height is right when your legs are near extended but not fully. On downhill take it lower.
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Have the right footwear and pedals. Proper mountian biking shoes have good grip and hard soles to a) keep you feet on the pedals and b) protect your feet when you go over bumps and drops (a hard shoe will absorb the impact over a wider surface area)
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Get your foot on the pedal with the ball of your foot on the pedal itself.
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For balance especially when doing wheelies or pedal assisted drops having your knees slightly facing out can improve balance
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Spin on your pedals i.e. whether uphill or downhill be in a gear that is comfortable not hard and allows you to keep a constant spinning movement that is smooth. The smoother your pedal stroke the easier it is to get over things. Change gears accordingly to maintain this. You want a little bite but it needs to be smooth. Too little bite and ostacles will get the better of you.
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Clipped in may be an advantage (can be a liability for downhillers and freeriders who want to get off quickly or do tricks mid air) as on the up's when clipped in movement energy is not lost but is used to turn the pedals. Really efficient some claiming a 30% increase in power. Recommended for long trail rides.
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