Advanced Mtb Skills

Secrets to tackle very technical trails.

Launching obstacles rather than rolling off them lets you maintain momentum and flow on a sweet trail, helps avoid gnashing your big ring and makes you feel like a demi-god. 

Seat height is determined by pedalling efficiency, and has nothing to do with being able to touch the ground while sitting in the saddle. 

Braking often happens in a hurry. When you're on your game, reflexes take over and you intuitively apply the correct amount of front or rear brake to bring your conveyance back under control.

How to descend safely, and fast.

Like Julie Andrews, we all love a good romp in the hills and cherish an honest hill climb. Often unfairly labelled 'a necessary evil', it can be treasured as part of the yin and yang of mountain biking. For those who disagree here are a few tips that may take a little bit of the pain out of altitude gain.

Too often we leap on our trusty stead to exercise our legs and duly switch off everything above the waist. This high-level inactivity is fine for cruising 'the smooth' but gets you in all sorts of bother as the terrain becomes more technical.

Grinding out a serious hill climb is an integral part of the 'joy of mountain biking'. Once you've reached the summit though, you'll want to reap some reward for your toil... spending time sifting around the tops, imbibing the views and sucking a few lung full of clean air before plunging homeward. 

In the pre-historic early 90's, front suspension (all 50mm of it) was an exotic upgrade to your bike. Consequently the primary aid for tackling rough ground was a pre-ride dose of Rage Against the Machine, a firm grasp on your hex-foam grips and a surge of adrenaline.