Chris’s Guide to Mountain Biking

GET YOUR TRAIL GAME ON

Mountain biking has long been my favorite sport. I’ve been riding trails on my bike since I was a little kid. I’ve put together this guide with all the years of experience I have to share. If you’re ready to up your bike game, this guide is for you.

I’ve seen too many people out on new mountain bikes who don’t have the skills or fitness to fully enjoy the trails they’re on, and I want to change that.

This guide will help you be more prepared for your next mountain biking. It will give you all the skills, knowledge, techniques, exercises and motivation you need to get you off the couch and on your bike.

The guide is under development, so check back often as we add additional content.

Intro to Mountain Biking

Most people have a good understanding of what mountain biking is. Many people have ridden a bike off-road. Some have experienced the zen-like thrill of flying down remote wilderness singletrack with complete confidence. It not only takes the right equipment, but also takes the confidence, skill, and fitness to be able to get yourself up the mountain and then back down again in one piece.

This guide will walk through everything you need to know to successfully start your next expensive hobby!

Mountain Bike Basics

Mountain biking is essentially just biking off-road. It ranges from mild, flat trails that meander along the edge of a park, to insanely difficult vertical death-defying feats where riders drop off cliffs and clear gaps the size of large buildings. Mountain biking is different in nature than road cycling. Typically, it requires different fitness, physical preparation, and outdoor skills than road cycling. This guide will help you be prepared for whatever the trail can throw at you.

Mountain Bike Skills

Climbing
Descending
Braking
Cornering
Technical terrain
Navigating
Racing

MTB Gear

Bike
Helmets
Shoes
Tools
Gloves
Clothing
First Aid
Navigation

MTB Fitness

Strength Training
Cardiac Training
Flexibility

Trail Etiquette

Leave No Trace
Right of Way
Muddy Trails
Alerting Others
Respect
Sharing Beta

MTB Risks

Preparation
Communication
Heat
Cold
Crashing
Navigation mishaps
Mechanicals

Additional resources I use all the time

Pinkbike is a great resource for mountain biking news, tech tips, and also my favorite place to buy bikes.

Trailforks is owned by Pinkbike. It offers an incredible resource for finding trails near you wherever you are in the world. It’s a freemium model that only allows you to view a small area in the mobile app, but so far, the website will let you plan out all your rides.

MTBR is a great place to go for mtb forum discussions as well as many other resources. If you want to hear all the arguments on the internet for or against whatever wheel size you ride, come read these forums.