The best riding advice?

[sdyeti]

This one always stuck with me:

Never wear underwear UNDER your lycra (which you carefully hide UNDER your baggies)

[PacMan]

Originally Posted by mechmann

wearing underwear over your lycra will probably get some laughs too! (especially if you wear a G-string!)

Justin--I would love to hear some of your tips/advice, if you please. (other than to start a doping regimine)

[Geronimo]

1. When turning don't lean with the bike. Lean the bike by extending your inside arm keep your body perpendicular to the trail ( as much as possible ). Tight switchbacks are much easier this way and offers more control at any speed.

2. The best piece of suspension equipment on the bike is the rider.

3. Instead of spending $600.00 to shave a 1 lb off your bike, lose 3lbs off yourself for free.

[dirtmistress]

Commit to it and don't bail in the middle.
The bike wants to stay up.
Sand can be fun. Pretend it's butter and your'e a knife.

[Code Blue]

Ditch the little wheels and start roll'in on the big hoops

[KeepsWhatHappens]

OK most of the good ideas have been covered so here's some I haven't seen yet.

Nutrition:
For longer rides (especially in hot weather):

- hydrate up top 48 hours in advance so each of your body's cells fills with water.
- make sure to use Heed by Hammer or Cytomax or some sort of electrolyte replacement drink or you're gonna cramp us sooner or later.
- start drinking your energy drink 1-2 hours before you start to ride to top off your electrolytes
- use Enduroylte tablets (by Hammer) or similar in extreme situations to boost electrolyte intake. Take 1-3/hour
- during sustained heavy exertion try to intake 100 calories/hour by gel or shotblocks. Real food and Clif bars may taste better but pull blood away from your legs to digest the food.

For more info see my Fueling Guide

Riding Sand:

- when appraoching sand build up speed as much as possible before hand
- get in your middle chainring - this make pedaling in the sand more effective
- when entering the sand shift your weight back off the front tire so it can "float" through the sand
- keep the turning to a minimum and make slow steady turns not quick ones which are likely to make you get stuck..or crash.

Climbing (Steep):

- while twisting your wrists downward and back toward your body pull back on the bars. This helps you climb.
- stick the nose of the seat right up your bum. It may be uncomfortable but it helps alot.
- make sure to keep just enough wight on your rear wheel or it will spin out and you will come to an abrupt stop.
- try and pick a steady pace you can sustain.

Descending (Steep):

- lower your seatpost
- get behind your seat if it's really steep
- don't brake too hard all at once...once you start sliding momentarily let off the brakes and then right back on them..repeat. When you are sliding you are usually out of control.
- brake before and after techincal drops, espeically with your front brakes. Too much front brakes at the wrong time and you'll be over the bars in no time.
- trust yourself and your bike..you'd be surprised what you can roll over if you don't use too much front brakes.
- as said before use one finger to brake, but even better use this tip I got from a pro downhiller. Re-train yourself to brake with your "F-U" finger (middle finger) because that keeps your more dominant index finger and thumb on the bars and assists in control in rough sections.

Cleaning Your Camelbak:

- don't clean it - just do the following
- after a ride just throw it in the fridge (or freezer). This retards the growth of stuff you don't want growing in your Camelbak bladder.
- When you get ready to ride again...take the bladder out, rinse it once or twice including the tube and then fill it and go.
- If you froze it, make sure and allow 30-60 minutes of thaw time before you leave on the ride.

The simple rules:

- remember it's supposed to be fun...so make it fun.
- mountain biking isn't always easy...the stronger you get the more easy it will become...pain is weakness leaving the body.

KeepsWhatHappens

[foofighter]

Originally Posted by KeepsWhatHappens

pain is weakness leaving the body.

now those are words to live by...can i quote you?

[Mudman]

Originally Posted by foofighter

now those are words to live by...can i quote you?

so True! Dude that would be an awsome sig.

[Singletrack Angel]

Originally Posted by OMR

You need to think about scheduling a jumping clinic. Perhaps at the upcoming Newbie Ride at Chino Hills on the 20th? Talk to Gene and schedule it. We can all work on technique and improve... you can teach old dogs new tricks... I'm an example of this and still learning....

Excellent!

I could really use a clinic on this - ever since I crashed on a jump I've been too chicken to try again...

[El Prieto]

First.- Pay your dues!
Second.- Pain is good
Last.- Brakes are your firiends

[KeepsWhatHappens]

Originally Posted by foofighter

now those are words to live by...can i quote you?

Sure you can quote me but I heard it somewhere else that I can't recall where.

KeepsWhatHappens

[foofighter]

so i'll just say "anonymous" because that is zen-like

[Mudman]

there should be monthly clinics.

[DirtRider]

[SIZE=5]Watch out for those Trail Monkeys that lurk on the local trials. I've seen proof posted here on STR. they can be very dangerous if provoked or teased. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=5][/SIZE]
[SIZE=5]Also, clear any head trash before attempting a trail you think is too hard. it only holds you back.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=5][/SIZE]

[Schecky]

-Embrace a little upper body weight lifting. It will help greatly with launching the front of the bike.
-Use your front brake (judiciously).
-Sometimes the best line is the one that looks like it is the roughest.
-Learn to maintain your bike and lube your chain.
-Replace your cables yearly. (or bike, if you're like Fo)
-Nutrition and hydration matter - A lot. Experiment and figure out what works for you.
-Try riding with no hands (on the street at first, then flat dirt after that). Most of your balance is from the hip down, riding without the bar helps develop that. Standing and balancing on one foot helps too.
-Beware the Shinken.

[RacinJason]

Ask Willie about curbs I have been teaching her starting with her form and control on simple curbs. Then I took her to the park and worked on drops starting at 1 foot now she can handle more than that and still have control.
Form and control are what makes a good rider a great rider. In mx training as a kid they used to hit my arms with a stick if they where out of place. Harsh huh .
Remember your bike may only have 0-5-9 inches of travel , but your arms and legs have closer to 15-30 inches of travel. Thats if you are positioned correctly on your bike. Your line should be always smooth and flowing even if you know you can chop straight through the line plane your next move accordingly.
Remember there is no shame in walking the section the first time to know what you are in for as long as you are not racing. I walk the MX track the morning of the race or roll it slowly every time.
The whole reason i am hurt right now is because I hit a jump I thought I knew and it was different and it pitched me way up . If I only listened to my own advice.

I can go on for hrs about brake control and weight distribution but it might bore you.

Well i hope I have helped someone
See ya later.

Jason

Originally Posted by 2wheel_lee

I'm still trying to read through all of these while here at work.

Even though I can jump, I still have lots of fun simply jumping curbs. If I'm in the area of my dad's house, I still enjoy jumping the same curbs I did 30+ years ago (yeah, I've been jumping curbs for a long time).

People have jokingly asked me to do a jumping clinic. If I were to do such a clinic, I can assure you that a lot of time would be spent on curbs. There are a lot of techniques that can be gained, improved, or honed by jumping or riding off curbs. This includes:
- riding straight off a curb (no launcher involved), and practice manualling the front wheel. By doing different variations of this, you can practice front wheel control that applies to many skills.
- Basic curb jumping is where you can practice basic jumping styles - we all want to have some style, right? Simply visualize an mimic the style you admire, and then practice it on a small scale. "Superman Seat Grabs" may be a bit difficult of a 6" curb.
- Jumping driveway gaps. Start as small as one foot and work up to 10+. Not only can you learn to "pull up" for increased distance, but you can also practice backside landings (landing your front wheel first).
- Curb grinds. No, not like the kids grinding up their bikes. I ride along a curb, then lift my front wheel on top of it, sliding the rear tire on the curb, then roll the front wheel back to the pavement. I usually start beginners on 2-4" curbs, then work up from there. This helps technical riding, because you get used to your rear wheel getting hung up in a rut, as well as being able to learn control of your front wheel. You also become comfortable with how your bike reacts in these normally uncomfortable situations.

These are just a couple things I do with curbs. Even though I think I have some of these skills pretty well mastered, I still do them all the time. So if anyone in the area wants to go street riding, let me know!

Oh, and something else that I do that's kind of fun, is to find a small area 10' x 10', and kick a tennis ball around with your bike. However, you can't take your feet off the pedals; you can only move the ball with your tires. The key to the small area is that you're not really riding the bike, you're more hopping and balancing it. I occasionally do this kind of stuff in my garage during the wet and rainy winter months.

[Mudman]

Jason,

any tips and pointers wouldn't be boring to a person that wants to learn. Please do go into detail about Brake control and what not. With me being new to Mountain biking, I will take anything I can get as long as its useful information.

If this gets enough comments as a thread I think all the really good points should be taken and put into a "beginners bible" type of thing for STR members.