5 easy ways to improve your riding
Kick these common bad habits to ride any trail faster and safer
Passion and drive are important behaviours in sport, because they motivate us to give it our all. But enthusiasm to go fast can sometimes get in the way of proper technique, especially when you’re new to something. At the opposite end of the scale is the fear of a potential crash – and fear is another behaviour that really affects our riding. Most beginner mistakes come from either one or both of these things. Thinking about your technique and riding smart can help you to manage these behaviours, and will take you a long way in mountain biking. These photos illustrate five common bad habits, which are easy to kick if you follow our advice.
01 check your footing
If there’s one ‘how to’ tip that everyone in the mountain biking world has heard, it’s to drop your outside foot in corners. While this can be correct for the right corner, one of the biggest mistakes we see is riders dropping their outside foot before they’ve even reached the corner. If you think of the basic process of entering a corner, it’s about getting on your line, braking, then cornering. If you drop your outside foot while trying to brake, you’ll have very little stability when you need it most.
04 don’t hang off the back
This is by far the most common beginner mistake and usually happens due to human instinct telling you not to ride down a hill head- irst. We’re going to have to break it to you – riding down a hill head- irst is safer, even if it doesn’t feel like it! Modern bikes are a lot longer than they used to be, so they work best when your weight is close to the central point of the bike. Ride like this and you’ll ind the trails feel smoother and you have more control of the front wheel than if you hang off the back.
03 pump rollers, don’t jump them
Getting air off single rollers can be super fun, but as those who’ve tried it will know, the landing isn’t always the most comfortable! If you’re wanting to get some airtime, practise on a tabletop jump instead of single rollers. Use the rollers as a chance to improve your squashing and pumping instead, so you can start to pick up speed and ef iciency down the trail.
02 don’t focus on your front wheel
As a new(ish) rider, it’s common to stare at your front wheel, because you’re not trusting what it’s going to do. You’re worried it might slide out, which is an understandable concern. Trust in the grip of your front tyre will develop naturally over time, but to speed that process up, practise keeping your focus on the section of trail coming up ahead. That way, things won’t spring themselves on you so suddenly, and you’ll be able to plan your line and where to use the brakes to slow down. Trust in your front wheel will also increase if you keep your body further forward and your arms bent. An improved body position will help to stop you from looking at the front wheel.
05 slow down!
This one sits within the ‘passion and drive’ behaviour mentioned earlier. Gritting your teeth and going for it is certainly one way to learn to ride bikes, but it has its limits. Instead of throwing yourself in at the deep end, try to slow down and work on improving your technique. When you go for a ride, try to keep a calm frame of mind, and you’ll see how much easier riding becomes, as well as how much more time you have to anticipate and process what’s coming next.