Introduction to Mountain Biking

As a mountain biker fanatic (you probably wouldn’t tell from reading my blog from start to finish) there are a multitude of trails for the mountain bike fanatic. Across the US, you are sure to find some sort of local stomping ground that is home to wonderful sections of mountain bike trails. For me, and I’m sure for others, my goal is to try to ride all of them. Trust me, I still got a long ways to go!

But for the beginners (aka noobs) in mountain biking, how is one to introduce the sport to others? Surely you don’t want to throw them into the most technical part of the trail and expect them to enjoy it. It takes time; time to build up valuable skills, knowledge and abilities in order to master the technical parts of the mountain bike trail. One would assume that experienced riders would not take beginners out on the advance part of the trail, but I have seen it time and time again.

Similar to the introductory road cycling article that I wrote called “Joy to the Newcomers” it is best to start off beginners on an easy, flat or rolling trail. Jeep roads are a great way to start off, since it provides lots of space for a beginner to get used to riding a mountain bike.

In the middle of the introductory ride, throw in a few wrenches. Mountain biking is all about trying to conquer the section of the trail. Put in a singletrack, small technical section or climb. Gauge on how they liked the section. If they loved it — ramp it up a bit in difficulty. If it was too sketchy for them, then take them back down until they gain confidence. Then take them back to the same location to retry again. A great motto I’ve said time and time again is ” if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”! I’ve always gained a great sense of accomplishment when I conquer a part of the trail when in the past I fumbled over. I also gain a good feeling when descending a trail, so make sure you put in plenty of good downhill sections!

The great thing about mountain biking is that there are usually trails marked for all types of difficulty; from easy (green circles) to advanced (black diamonds). There are a handful of trails that don’t have difficulty markings; so it is best to scout an area before bringing a noob to try out the course.

Before long, you will have them hooked into the sport of mountain biking. They will be doing bunny hops, jumps, wheelies and of course endo’s soon enough  

If your reading this and want to get into the sport, my one piece of advice is to go out there and experience mountain biking for yourself. Ask the locals or local bike shops to see which trails are the best. They will be able to tell you which trails are the easiest, most challenging, fun to ride etc. Mountain biking is all about experimenting, so head on up to your local trailhead and start riding.

Of course if you are unfamiliar to an area, try to obtain a map before hitting the trails. Usually maps are provided at the trailhead; if not a local bike shop should have a local trail map for the general area.

And as always, wear a helmet.

Before long, you will want to conquer all of the trails just like me!

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