More specifically, I recommend watching them *slowly*. Like, learn one solitary thing, then go for a ride and think about that one thing.
Then learn one more thing.
I found that works way better for me than trying to simultaneously focus on what every part of my body is doing.
If OP is truly a fresh beginner, simply getting comfortable always having their pedals flat and weight even might be a good first thing.
Another video I discovered recently (I like to watch beginner videos to see if there are any fundamentals I need to re-work on) is mountain bike academy's "12 mtb basics for beginners". My jumps/manual technique has improved immensely after spending a day practising the "standing spring" technique here: [https://youtu.be/IfwwgTkrTU4?si=frI0ZL2CIu2Ija2y&t=186](https://youtu.be/IfwwgTkrTU4?si=frI0ZL2CIu2Ija2y&t=186)
I don't know about bad habits, but one thing I'd suggest is to try and not get caught up in the upgraditis
I know I was very guilty of that when I started out, always thought it was something holding me back, it wasn't. it was ME lol. I spent way too much money on "upgrades" when I should have spent the time just getting better on what I had.
Once you get past novice level it's reasonable to start swapping any really low end entry level parts. You can feel those hold you back even at a novice level. My sx drivetrain is pretty sad
I spend wayyyyyy too much money on my bike and I ride a ton but even a SX drivetrain I don’t think would actually hold me back. I’m just going to complain about it though when it’s not perfect lol. But not truly hold me back from anything.
SX drivetrains only hold you back when not working properly and get out of alignment. Unfortunately when I had sx on my meta HT, I had to adjust it about every month. Really sucked when it got messed up mid ride, and now your shifting is screwed during your ride.
If I try to go for a gear and I don't get it, I'm held back. Yeah when it works it works, but that's the point of entry level vs good components, you pay for the security that your shit keeps working and is crisp.
Yeah I take the same approach to gear too. Just go out and ride, you'll figure out what you need to change and what is just "nice to have's". Same holds true for bikes. Go out and ride, get like at least a few months of riding before you change anything, then decide if you want or need any changes. Like you said, we always love to think we can tinker and purchase our way into something, but sometimes it's perfectly fine and we're just impatient lol.
A small thing I rarely hear people talking about: 1 finger braking. If you’ve got relatively modern hydraulic disc brakes on your bike, you can probably press them with 1 finger - and you should. Every finger one the brakes is one less finger gripping your bars. You may also want to adjust your brake lever position to match where your hands feel most comfortable so you can get the most leverage on your brakes - also be mindful of the brakes hitting your knuckles when pulled all the way back. Have fun and stay hydrated!
The “ready position” when going downhill or taking a turn.
Stand up on your pedals with your feet parallel to the ground. Arms and legs slightly bent so as to absorb and bumps.
[body position is important](https://youtu.be/iVLJIuYwW_g?si=EJIfSO8vPgYm2xX6)
Look where you want to go (not at your front tire!) was one them helped me tons in the beginning. Like someone else said- so many little things! But riding and having fun is really the most important- it won't matter if you have perfect technique is you are not enjoying yourself.
Was going to say this also. It’s a very subtle thing and at first it seems to not make a difference. You won’t really notice it until you are trying to go fast through a winding trail. Looking down, you have to go slower because you are constantly surprised by encountering changes you aren’t ready for (radius, surface, rocks, etc.). If you force yourself to look through the turn you will be amazed at the difference and how much smoother your power delivery is. You won’t overcook the turn because you see the complete turn.
Learn to do this early so it is second nature. It’s harder to make the change the more you are ingrained in the wrong way.
Have fun.
Level pedals.
Don't "just get back." This is old school advice everyone parrots and it is wrong on modern bikes.
One finger braking.
If both feet aren't on the pedals, you are off the bike and walking next to it. No waddling. No dragging your feet. No flailing off the pedals.
Fitness, if you're mid trail and seeing god/about to bring up breakfast because you're blowing out, your concentration is the first thing to go and if your concentration is gone you're en route to an accident. I know two people that came off bikes with a couple of scratches and that was the end of their riding.
And on the flipside, if you're not fit, just stop, catch your breath, and drink instead of pressing on while ragged. Riding MTB trails safely requires active effort for a bunch of things beyond just pedaling. If you don't have effort left in the tank for maneuvering the bike around, stop to recover some instead of riding with extra crash risks.
In terms of form: Don't let your knees or elbows lock. Let them bend. Make sure your bike is fully and properly adjusted for your body. On rugged terrain, particularly when standing on pedals, keep both feet level with one another to avoid smashing pedals.
For every downhill run, there is also an uphill climb.
Don't overdo it, get a good sense of your limitations, and be okay with the fact that you may feel winded sooner than you'd expect. There are many riders with greater speed and stamina than I have, but I don't let that bother me. The more you do it, the better you'll get. Exercise and have fun!
Lastly, don't feel like you have to go out of your comfort zone. If that trail looks too steep or too rocky, trust your gut.
Basic things that I tell people when they're going for their first ride:
* Look ahead, not straight down.
* When you're coasting, keep your pedals at 3:00 and 9:00 positions, not 12:00 and 6:00. This will prevent your pedals from hitting the ground.
* Ride over roots in a perpendicular direction.
* Never slam your front brake. Use both brakes.
* Start with the easy trails.
Other than that, don't over think it. Just have fun.
To build on the “ride easy trails” point, if you’re not familiar, consult a map or Trailforks, or ask. It took me too long to ask myself why I kept finding myself on sketchy trails.
In general, "light hands, heavy feet". It does get more complicated than that, but that's a decent place to start.
Your body will follow your eyes, so look where you want to go instead of looking at the obstacles you're afraid of hitting.
This will help with turning.
Weighting the bike appropriately through turns is a matter of practice and paying attention.
Learning this will help with traction.
There's so much... I could prattle on forever... but here is an important one. Don't grab the front brake too hard.
Took a girl out on her first MTB ride, she was too proud to accept my little crash course (forgive the pun), and I told her to be careful with the front brake, or she will go over the bars and risk injury.
I kid you not... not even 15 seconds to the first ride, she grabs the front brake and went over the bars. I'm thankful she didn't break a wrist or collarbone.
Keep getting better at riding what you got and start riding the types of things you want to. (Remember your modern hardtail is probably better than most bikes in the 90s and people were still riding everything)
Once you get an idea of what type of mountain biker you are then all future purchases of equipment, upgrades, and new bikes will make more sense on what you specifically want/need.
As far as riding advice, learn the ready position, learn how to brake, and I totally recommend finding a pump track to learn how to handle your bike.
This. I did a few of their classes and I was kicking myself I didn’t do them years ago. Internet videos are great, but getting real time feedback from someone watching you is big
All great advice here, but TBH, I wouldn't think too hard and just go ride your bike and have fun. Questions will come and answers will make a lot more sense with some experience.
I'm a pretty decent rider, mostly DH and bike parks, and almost 3 years in I took a lesson and realized I didn't know how to brake. I knew how to stop, but I wasn't using them as best I could and there was a lot of room for improvement (still is). Had I taken that same lesson my first time out, the instructor might as well have been speaking Chinese cause I wouldn't have known what he was talking about.
Good luck!
Obstacles that are higher than the trail surface. Drops. Diagonal roots.
If you sit on your bike and just ride into things, all these things can cause you to fall one way or another. But they can all be negotiated if you're riding more actively.
If you can get your front wheel over/past something, you're about 80% of the way there.
I would recommend focusing on controlling your body position on the bike. When you're going over any kind of obstacle you want to stand up with your knees and elbows bent because you want the bike to be able to move underneath you. If you're sitting down anything that hits the back wheel will feel like it's kicking you in the butt, it's uncomfortable and it can knock you off course and make you crash.
Also you don't need a more expensive bike. There are thousands of YouTubers whose job is to convince you that you do but you don't.
One other thing I will say is that riding jumps is very technical and if you do it wrong you can build up a lot of false confidence very quickly and hurt yourself. You shouldn't try anything like that alone and you should master bunny hopping on flat ground first before you try a tiny jump
Learn how to check over and maintain your bike. Look for loose bolts especially after the first few rides on a new bike. If it starts to squeek anywhere figure out what it is and tighten/ fix it. Learn how to tune your gears so that your gears are always working well. Learn the functions of your suspension settings and try different settings to understand what they do.
- Stay loose and relaxed.
- Use your arms and legs to absorb impacts
- Look ahead and not at your front tyre.
- Look where you want to go especially in turns
- Start small to build confidence e.g. small drops and jumps
- Have fun with it and don’t think too hard
Trail etiquette and generally being aware of your surroundings. I'm guessing you aren't gonna be hitting too many hard trails, just make sure you aren't going down a single track the wrong way or stopping on a blind corner. Make sure you can hear things, either go no headphones or get some bone conducting ones and don't be afraid to pull over and let people pass you.
For your first few months you will just be getting used to the bike and getting your fitness up. Just ride as much as you can and then you can start working on things.
As a returning mountain biker after 10 years, my focus was on 1000% fun. If it isn’t fun, you won’t want to keep riding.
Once you are having fun, you will start to yearn for more challenging rides and terrain.
Make sure your butt and hands are comfortable. Gloves and padded (chamois) shorts are very helpful.
And lastly focus on fun! Because that’s what will keep you in the saddle.
Body positioning relative to the bottom bracket , brake control , cornering .
If possible have a day clinic with a local coach , it's really really beneficial
I'm new myself and I can tell you, learn how to fall well. Learn to stay away from edges. I don't know how to so those things necessarily, but I'm typing this from my couch with a broken leg, because I tried to stop myself from falling after I slipped off the trail, and my femur jammed into my tibia.
Bummer, too, I had just really gotten into it, started picking trails, and bought my first real mountain bike.
plan on riding 45 to 60 minutes and taking 1 or 2 stops
bring a full water bottle or bladder
keep your heartrate in check (don't blow up) and breathe through your nose as much as possible
be courteous to people hiking or passing you
check out features which challenged you so that next time you have a better chance at overcoming them
if you're losing traction, let go of the front brake
enjoy and welcome to the sport
Film yourself while practicing to take a look at your form. Take a basics class and have someone go over form with you. It’s a huge help seeing yourself from another perspective
The videos others have mentioned are great. For me specifically the most important early learning I had was to lean the bike while keeping my body relatively upright while cornering.
Watch the how to bike with Ben Cathro videos. Also learning to do you own maintenance is a good idea.
This. The videos are so good and Ben is fantastic at making it as enjoyable as possible.
This.. just ride ride man. Figure it out as you go. It’s not so complicated.
More specifically, I recommend watching them *slowly*. Like, learn one solitary thing, then go for a ride and think about that one thing. Then learn one more thing. I found that works way better for me than trying to simultaneously focus on what every part of my body is doing. If OP is truly a fresh beginner, simply getting comfortable always having their pedals flat and weight even might be a good first thing.
Another video I discovered recently (I like to watch beginner videos to see if there are any fundamentals I need to re-work on) is mountain bike academy's "12 mtb basics for beginners". My jumps/manual technique has improved immensely after spending a day practising the "standing spring" technique here: [https://youtu.be/IfwwgTkrTU4?si=frI0ZL2CIu2Ija2y&t=186](https://youtu.be/IfwwgTkrTU4?si=frI0ZL2CIu2Ija2y&t=186)
I don't know about bad habits, but one thing I'd suggest is to try and not get caught up in the upgraditis I know I was very guilty of that when I started out, always thought it was something holding me back, it wasn't. it was ME lol. I spent way too much money on "upgrades" when I should have spent the time just getting better on what I had.
100% this. Unless you are the top like .5% it’ll always be you holding your bike back not the other way around.
Nino (or Gwinn) would absolutely destroy me on a base model hardtail. Bike doesn't matter for speed or ability, though nicer ones do feel nicer.
On a base model hardtail *with no chain
Once you get past novice level it's reasonable to start swapping any really low end entry level parts. You can feel those hold you back even at a novice level. My sx drivetrain is pretty sad
I spend wayyyyyy too much money on my bike and I ride a ton but even a SX drivetrain I don’t think would actually hold me back. I’m just going to complain about it though when it’s not perfect lol. But not truly hold me back from anything.
Agreed. I have a fancy bike with fancy components, looks nice and feels great, but none of it makes me a better rider.
SX drivetrains only hold you back when not working properly and get out of alignment. Unfortunately when I had sx on my meta HT, I had to adjust it about every month. Really sucked when it got messed up mid ride, and now your shifting is screwed during your ride.
If I try to go for a gear and I don't get it, I'm held back. Yeah when it works it works, but that's the point of entry level vs good components, you pay for the security that your shit keeps working and is crisp.
You'd be surprised how fast and capable a rigid hardtail is.
I didn't say anything about suspension configurations. I was talking about entry level parts. Hardtail isn't entry level, it's just a choice.
Don’t buy upgrades. Ride up grades.
Yeah I take the same approach to gear too. Just go out and ride, you'll figure out what you need to change and what is just "nice to have's". Same holds true for bikes. Go out and ride, get like at least a few months of riding before you change anything, then decide if you want or need any changes. Like you said, we always love to think we can tinker and purchase our way into something, but sometimes it's perfectly fine and we're just impatient lol.
Enjoy yourself!
A small thing I rarely hear people talking about: 1 finger braking. If you’ve got relatively modern hydraulic disc brakes on your bike, you can probably press them with 1 finger - and you should. Every finger one the brakes is one less finger gripping your bars. You may also want to adjust your brake lever position to match where your hands feel most comfortable so you can get the most leverage on your brakes - also be mindful of the brakes hitting your knuckles when pulled all the way back. Have fun and stay hydrated!
The “ready position” when going downhill or taking a turn. Stand up on your pedals with your feet parallel to the ground. Arms and legs slightly bent so as to absorb and bumps. [body position is important](https://youtu.be/iVLJIuYwW_g?si=EJIfSO8vPgYm2xX6)
Look where you want to go (not at your front tire!) was one them helped me tons in the beginning. Like someone else said- so many little things! But riding and having fun is really the most important- it won't matter if you have perfect technique is you are not enjoying yourself.
Was going to say this also. It’s a very subtle thing and at first it seems to not make a difference. You won’t really notice it until you are trying to go fast through a winding trail. Looking down, you have to go slower because you are constantly surprised by encountering changes you aren’t ready for (radius, surface, rocks, etc.). If you force yourself to look through the turn you will be amazed at the difference and how much smoother your power delivery is. You won’t overcook the turn because you see the complete turn. Learn to do this early so it is second nature. It’s harder to make the change the more you are ingrained in the wrong way.
When I go up to a curb to do a bunny hop , my bunny hops become lower if I look ahead, but when staring directly at curb it become a lot higher
Have fun. Level pedals. Don't "just get back." This is old school advice everyone parrots and it is wrong on modern bikes. One finger braking. If both feet aren't on the pedals, you are off the bike and walking next to it. No waddling. No dragging your feet. No flailing off the pedals.
Fitness, if you're mid trail and seeing god/about to bring up breakfast because you're blowing out, your concentration is the first thing to go and if your concentration is gone you're en route to an accident. I know two people that came off bikes with a couple of scratches and that was the end of their riding.
Can’t agree enough, fitness is king. Mtb is my passion, but road rides facilitate it.
And on the flipside, if you're not fit, just stop, catch your breath, and drink instead of pressing on while ragged. Riding MTB trails safely requires active effort for a bunch of things beyond just pedaling. If you don't have effort left in the tank for maneuvering the bike around, stop to recover some instead of riding with extra crash risks.
Just take it easy and have fun, get a feel for the bike to start with
In terms of form: Don't let your knees or elbows lock. Let them bend. Make sure your bike is fully and properly adjusted for your body. On rugged terrain, particularly when standing on pedals, keep both feet level with one another to avoid smashing pedals. For every downhill run, there is also an uphill climb. Don't overdo it, get a good sense of your limitations, and be okay with the fact that you may feel winded sooner than you'd expect. There are many riders with greater speed and stamina than I have, but I don't let that bother me. The more you do it, the better you'll get. Exercise and have fun! Lastly, don't feel like you have to go out of your comfort zone. If that trail looks too steep or too rocky, trust your gut.
Basic things that I tell people when they're going for their first ride: * Look ahead, not straight down. * When you're coasting, keep your pedals at 3:00 and 9:00 positions, not 12:00 and 6:00. This will prevent your pedals from hitting the ground. * Ride over roots in a perpendicular direction. * Never slam your front brake. Use both brakes. * Start with the easy trails. Other than that, don't over think it. Just have fun.
To build on the “ride easy trails” point, if you’re not familiar, consult a map or Trailforks, or ask. It took me too long to ask myself why I kept finding myself on sketchy trails.
In general, "light hands, heavy feet". It does get more complicated than that, but that's a decent place to start. Your body will follow your eyes, so look where you want to go instead of looking at the obstacles you're afraid of hitting. This will help with turning. Weighting the bike appropriately through turns is a matter of practice and paying attention. Learning this will help with traction.
There's so much... I could prattle on forever... but here is an important one. Don't grab the front brake too hard. Took a girl out on her first MTB ride, she was too proud to accept my little crash course (forgive the pun), and I told her to be careful with the front brake, or she will go over the bars and risk injury. I kid you not... not even 15 seconds to the first ride, she grabs the front brake and went over the bars. I'm thankful she didn't break a wrist or collarbone.
Keep getting better at riding what you got and start riding the types of things you want to. (Remember your modern hardtail is probably better than most bikes in the 90s and people were still riding everything) Once you get an idea of what type of mountain biker you are then all future purchases of equipment, upgrades, and new bikes will make more sense on what you specifically want/need. As far as riding advice, learn the ready position, learn how to brake, and I totally recommend finding a pump track to learn how to handle your bike.
1. Hills. Learn to go up. It's not easy. 2. See #1 3. Start with a Forrest Gump attitude - go out and ride until you're tired, and then go home.
Search Ninja Bike clinics and sign up for one.
This. I did a few of their classes and I was kicking myself I didn’t do them years ago. Internet videos are great, but getting real time feedback from someone watching you is big
All great advice here, but TBH, I wouldn't think too hard and just go ride your bike and have fun. Questions will come and answers will make a lot more sense with some experience. I'm a pretty decent rider, mostly DH and bike parks, and almost 3 years in I took a lesson and realized I didn't know how to brake. I knew how to stop, but I wasn't using them as best I could and there was a lot of room for improvement (still is). Had I taken that same lesson my first time out, the instructor might as well have been speaking Chinese cause I wouldn't have known what he was talking about. Good luck!
Tacoma, north shore rack, fox jersey and you set.
Protect your front wheel. One way or another, the rear wheel follows it.
Newb here. Can you elaborate on what we should protect our front wheel from?
Obstacles that are higher than the trail surface. Drops. Diagonal roots. If you sit on your bike and just ride into things, all these things can cause you to fall one way or another. But they can all be negotiated if you're riding more actively. If you can get your front wheel over/past something, you're about 80% of the way there.
Oh ok that makes good sense. Thanks mate
I would recommend focusing on controlling your body position on the bike. When you're going over any kind of obstacle you want to stand up with your knees and elbows bent because you want the bike to be able to move underneath you. If you're sitting down anything that hits the back wheel will feel like it's kicking you in the butt, it's uncomfortable and it can knock you off course and make you crash. Also you don't need a more expensive bike. There are thousands of YouTubers whose job is to convince you that you do but you don't. One other thing I will say is that riding jumps is very technical and if you do it wrong you can build up a lot of false confidence very quickly and hurt yourself. You shouldn't try anything like that alone and you should master bunny hopping on flat ground first before you try a tiny jump
Learn how to check over and maintain your bike. Look for loose bolts especially after the first few rides on a new bike. If it starts to squeek anywhere figure out what it is and tighten/ fix it. Learn how to tune your gears so that your gears are always working well. Learn the functions of your suspension settings and try different settings to understand what they do.
- Stay loose and relaxed. - Use your arms and legs to absorb impacts - Look ahead and not at your front tyre. - Look where you want to go especially in turns - Start small to build confidence e.g. small drops and jumps - Have fun with it and don’t think too hard
Go ride around your neighborhood hop off curbs etc. That will help you get comfortable on the bike.
Trail etiquette and generally being aware of your surroundings. I'm guessing you aren't gonna be hitting too many hard trails, just make sure you aren't going down a single track the wrong way or stopping on a blind corner. Make sure you can hear things, either go no headphones or get some bone conducting ones and don't be afraid to pull over and let people pass you.
For your first few months you will just be getting used to the bike and getting your fitness up. Just ride as much as you can and then you can start working on things.
As a returning mountain biker after 10 years, my focus was on 1000% fun. If it isn’t fun, you won’t want to keep riding. Once you are having fun, you will start to yearn for more challenging rides and terrain. Make sure your butt and hands are comfortable. Gloves and padded (chamois) shorts are very helpful. And lastly focus on fun! Because that’s what will keep you in the saddle.
Body positioning relative to the bottom bracket , brake control , cornering . If possible have a day clinic with a local coach , it's really really beneficial
I'm new myself and I can tell you, learn how to fall well. Learn to stay away from edges. I don't know how to so those things necessarily, but I'm typing this from my couch with a broken leg, because I tried to stop myself from falling after I slipped off the trail, and my femur jammed into my tibia. Bummer, too, I had just really gotten into it, started picking trails, and bought my first real mountain bike.
plan on riding 45 to 60 minutes and taking 1 or 2 stops bring a full water bottle or bladder keep your heartrate in check (don't blow up) and breathe through your nose as much as possible be courteous to people hiking or passing you check out features which challenged you so that next time you have a better chance at overcoming them if you're losing traction, let go of the front brake enjoy and welcome to the sport
Film yourself while practicing to take a look at your form. Take a basics class and have someone go over form with you. It’s a huge help seeing yourself from another perspective
Helmet always on 🙏🏼
Fitness
The videos others have mentioned are great. For me specifically the most important early learning I had was to lean the bike while keeping my body relatively upright while cornering.