It’s never a bad time to work on basic bike handling skills. From folks new to the sport to the seasoned experts, all riders can benefit from practicing basic skills. Getting back to basics is what most good athletes do to stay on top of their respective games. From Tiger Woods to Ted Ligety, to Cam McCaul, from time to time they all work on the fundamentals.
This post isn’t about telling you how to do any of the skills in the following list – there are plenty of youtube videos, coaches and even friends that can help you with that. I’m here to wholeheartedly encourage you to try them if you haven’t, and practice them if you have. Disclaimer: All the skills listed have their limits and so do you. Before you try any of them make sure that you start slow, wear a helmet, and check that your bike is in solid working order.
Trackstands
It’s a staple of bike handling that can be done pretty much anywhere and anytime you are on a bike. Simply get on your bike, brake to a stop, and see how long you can stay in one place without moving forward or falling over. In a short amount of time you’ll be surprised how much your balance will improve with practice. Track stands can be used before techy mountain bike sections to spot your line, when you get stuck on a hill or tricky switchback.
Wheelies
Used more often than you think, the ability to lift the front wheel over things like curbs, roots, logs, or whatever is paramount to keeping the forward momentum going and the wheels turning. Practice at your level. If getting over a curb is where your skill is right now, great! Lift the front wheel that high and keep pedaling! Advanced riders can take it further and pop the front wheel up and keep it there, riding along on just the back wheel. Set a goal and work towards it. The key is to get out there and do it!
Manuals
For some this is the next level up from wheelies, for others it’s the easier of the two. A manual is a wheelie without pedaling, and has applications from BMX tracks all the way to fast jump lines at bike parks. Contrary to what you might think, in some situations keeping your front wheel off the ground can help you keep control of your bike. Added bonus: it looks cool!
Cornering
Cornering is another staple of good bike handling. To practice, set up cones (or pinecones or rocks or anything) and practice turns of different radii, for instance short quick turns or long gradual turns. To increase the challenge or simulate trail conditions, set up the cones on different types of dirt, gravel or pavement. Vary the slope, go faster, or slower around stuff. Try tipping your bike over as far as you can in a corner, or keeping it upright and steer using only the bars. Get comfortable in as many situations as you can create and it will pay dividends on your rides.
Braking
Often overlooked, this may be the most important item on the list. To begin, start pedaling or find a hill and try and stop using only your back brake to slow you down. Next, try using just the front. Pick a spot like a tree or a rock, or draw a line in the dirt and see how close you can come to stopping at that line without going over. There are many nuances to braking that you can learn just by getting out there and playing around.
Final Point
As you are messing about with the above skills, feel where your weight is over the bike, and how the bike is moving underneath you as you brake, turn, wheelie, manual and trackstand. Stand on the pedals, lower the saddle if you have a dropper to get it out of the way, and let the bike move around beneath you. Mountain biking is an active sport, be active on the bike!
Bottom Line:
Reading about practice and watching videos can help your riding, however, none of the above will help at all if you don’t get out there on your bike and give them a go. Get out there and ride!
Useful Links:
There are a TON of videos out there to explain and teach the above skills. I’ve included a few here to check out, some may resonate with you some may not, poke around on youtube to find ones that work for you.
Trackstand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_WaUAFn0gI&t=100s
Wheelie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j6Y8vsQ3d4
Manual: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8PMioISV1k&t=124s
Cornering: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFKPtEzE4xw&t=399s
Next Post