7 Tips to Becoming a Better Mountain Biker

Produced By MOUNTAIN BIKE DIARY

3 Weight and Unweight

To roll a log, pump through a trail, or air off a ledge, weight and unweight your bike. Sometimes it’s one wheel at a time. Other times it happens simultaneously. In either case, compressing and releasing, plus creating and managing pressure, will make your riding more dynamic and fluid

4 Use Both Brakes

Use your brakes like dimmers not light switches—feather them, don’t slam them. This will help you control your speed while riding down the trail and stop efficiently and effectively when you want to

5 Ride the Right Bike

Know where and how you ride, and where and how you want to ride in the future. With the help of a specialty retailer, find a bike that fits your style and the terrain where you live.

6 Progression Is King

Success breeds confidence, and confidence breeds success. It’s tempting to take a huge leap in one day, but you’ll go further by taking small steps. Move from a little drop to a big one gradually, and you’ll be less likely to get injured in the move.

7 Think Positive

If you ride a skinny elevated bridge and think you’re going to fall off, guess what? You’re likely going to fall off. You’ll be stiff looking to the side with your weight back, and that’s not a recipe for success. If you think you can ride the bridge, you’ll likely be looking ahead, staying athletic and balanced on your bike. That’s how to master a feature

8 Look Ahead

It’s the key to everything you do: ride the trail with your eyes before you roll it. You go where you look, so look where you want to go,” says Shadley. And don’t just look with your eyes—your head, torso, hips and knees should all point where you’re headed

9 Remember Your Successes

Acknowledge the miles you’ve covered, the technical challenges you’ve overcome, and the great elements of every ride, and you’ll be anxious to hit the dirt and up the ante

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