 This article is part of a series on how-to skills for mountain biking:
Got the basics of going uphill and downhill on a mountain bike? Now it's time to start navigating obstaces. This is where the real fun begins. Hop a log Feeling like a badass? Try hopping a log. Approach it at a 90 degree angle so your tires don’t glance off when you make contact. About a foot or so before your front tire touches the log:
This lightens the front end and allows your front wheel to easily rise over the bump. As your rear wheel makes contact with the log, straighten your knees and move your weight back toward the center of the bike and pedal. This lightens the rear end of the bike and allows it to hop over the log. Rocks: the mountain biker's pothole Remember to relax as you go over them, letting your knees and elbows absorb the shock, and keep pedaling. Stay in your seat to keep weight on your rear wheel and avoid slipping. Plus a light front tire will help you better navigate any upcoming obstacles. Water: time to get messy You dirty girl, you! Check puddle/water depths before you cross, making sure there aren’t any hidden rocks or holes. Then hit the water at a moderate, steady pace, and let your bike to guide you through. Tap the breaks to squeegee the water off your rims once you’re through. Leaves: worse than ice Wet leaves are a major cause of slipping tires, and can be almost as scary as ice. Avoid them when you can. In Michigan, wet roots can be a more common obstacle. Try to hit them at a 90 degree angle and don’t try cornering while you are riding over them. Mud: channel your inner Moses Try to avoid this, too, but if deep mud is unavoidable (don’t go around! this will widen the path and cause the trail to erode), imagine yourself as Charlton Heston in the Ten Commandants — except it's your front tire that parts the ooze. Pedal hard before the Red Sea swallows you up. So now you know how to go uphill, how to do downhill, how to navigate obstacles and the two things every woman should know about mountain biking. But reading about it is nothing like actually doing it, and doing it with a bunch of supportive women surrounding you.
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 This article is part of a series on how-to skills for mountain biking:
So you've read about the two things beginners need to know about mountain biking, now it's time to get a little bit more specific: going uphill. Everybody has their favorite parts of mountain biking, and I happen to be a climber. I love standing up on the pedals and charging up a hill. I go all Serena Williams on that hill. I've also been known to stick out my tongue as I near the top. But it's not as simple as just peddling forward, or standing up to get more power — going uphill can be made a lot easier by employing a few strategies that will keep you on the bike and feeling like a bad ass mountain biking goddess. First things first You should be in a low gear when you head up a hill, but before you shift, slow down your pedaling to reduce chain pressure. Experiment which gear works best for you, given the terrain and incline. If in doubt, choose an easier gear over a hard one. Loosen up Relax! Unlock your elbows and don’t clench your grip. To absorb shock and bend with the bumps, your elbows need to be relaxed while your hands have a firm but controlled grip to keep the bars steady. Lean forward You may find your front end tries to pop up on those steep inclines. Lean over your handlebars and slide forward in your seat, which increases the weight over your front wheel, helping keep you grounded. Stay in your seat as long as possible While standing helps you climb steep hills on your road bike, it often causes your rear tire to spin out on the trail. Going uphill in loose dirt requires traction, so stay in the saddle as long as possible. Keep pedaling This seems obvious, but don’t take the pressure off when heading up rocky climbs. Those are the times you want to tap into your inner bitch and power through. The slower you pedal, the harder you'll work (and the more time your tires will have to get stuck in any grooves AND the more opportunity rocks will have to toss you to the ground). Anticipate instead of react Scan the upcoming terrain, don’t just wait to respond to a feeling. It’s the “look ahead” rule, similar to the aforementioned “put your eyes where you want to go” tip. (And a good rule for life, now that I think about it.) Ready to attack that hill now? Also see How to Navigate Obstacles On Your Mountain Bike.  This article is part of a series on how-to skills for mountain biking:
Going downhill on a mountain bike requires your utmost concentration in order to reach the bottom in one piece. When your mind leaves the trail, so follows your body. Pay attention to every root, rut, rock, hole and bump. You, the trail and your bike should become as one, seeking true singletrack nirvana as you fly down the mountain. As such... Set your eyes where you want to go (NOT where you're scared you'll crash) This means keeping a steady speed, all the way through the turn, until you get where you're going. Keeping your eyes focused on that spot will allow your shoulders, hips and bike to follow, which gives you traction all the way through a turn. Avoid looking at obstacles, other cyclists or that huge tree that’s rapidly approaching on the left. For most people this actually means making an effort to look 10-15 feet down the trail. Looking down at your front tire makes it too easy for you to get scared or lose your balance. Avoid your front brake to avoid going endo (a.k.a ass over tea kettle) When you go downhill, your front tire has more weight, and thus more braking power, which means more power to send you flying into the woods. Do not lock your brakes This will also send you flying — see aforementioned “overbraking.” Shift your weight over your back wheel This will increase the rear brake’s power. This will give you maximum balance and the best control. Learning how to shift your weight is an art as much as a science. The best riders know how to shift their weight between the front and back wheels, depending on the situation and how much braking power they need to avoid going over the handlebars or skidding down a trail. Avoid oversteering Let your whole body steer: your shoulders should guide you through every turn and obstacle. Mountain biking has a lot in common with downhill skiing: you have to shift your weight from side-to-side down bumpy, narrow hills. Listen to your body and follow its slight shifts and the movements through the trail. Stand in the saddle and keep your knees slightly bent When racing down bumpy, difficult hills, stand up on your pedals and straddle the seat. This way your legs and knees will absorb the shock instead of your ass. Try to keep the pedals mostly parallel to the ground, with the front pedal a little higher to avoid catching it on rocks or logs. Shift into your largest chainring If you do this before a rugged descent, it will help keep your chain from falling off. And god forbid you should you crash or your leg slips from the pedal; if the chain is covering the teeth of the big ring, you’ll avoid it chewing up your leg. Ouch. Next up? Learn how to go uphill without killing yourself (also an art form), plus move over obstacles like a ballet dancer on two wheels.  This article is part of a series on how-to skills for mountain biking:
Most guys seem to instinctively know the benefits of getting physical (bedroom activities not withstanding). Since they were kids, guys have understood the value that comes with rough housing, climbing, shouting, shoving and doing all sorts of in-the-body kind of fun. Us ladies could learn a thing or two from them when it comes to blowing off steam and engaging in physical challenges. That's where mountain biking comes in. But let's face it, women learn differently than men. We like to have things broken down for us, explained clearly, and more than once if necessary. Good news! While this post (and subsequent articles in this series) will give you some good foundational tips that will allow you to get on a mountain bike for the first time and feel fairly comfortable, if you really want to experience the challenge, joy (okay and a little bit of pain), join us for one of our mountain biking clinics. We'll be there, happily breaking down everything you need to know about getting started in the sport. We'll allow you to practice and learn. To get you ready, here are some tips and reminders that will help you enjoy and even be pretty good at mountain biking, first time out. Essentially, there are two things you need to know about mountain biking before anything else. Braking is a surprisingly cerebral activityYour braking brains will determine how much you enjoy mountain biking — plus they'll reduce the amount of blood you'll shed. The most important tip to remember is to stop overbraking. For newer bikes, one finger is all you need on your brake lever. More than that will toss yourself over the handlebars. (Older bikes, however, will likely require more fingers — you’ll have to experiment if you’re unsure about where your bike falls.) I've read that ninety percent of accidents are the result of bikers overbraking; the rest come from other bikers who suddenly make a brake adjustment and then come crashing into you. Now the second, and probably most important thing you need to know about mountain biking and women: Put your heart and hate into itMountain biking is a uniquely physical activity, one that let's you leave it all on the trail. Chuck all the frustration from the office, ditch the crappy way you feel after a fight with your BFF or partner and just have fun. Or maybe you're the type who's generally pretty happy, but just enjoys the challenge of navigating through the woods and mountains on a bike. Here's the thing: you don't have to be perfect or fast or crazy to enjoy mountain biking. But it could be your only chance that week to channel your inner Katniss. So go a little faster. Get a little dirty. And for pete's sake bring some frineds! Having a group of fun, supportive women (and dudes) to ride the trails adds a really great social aspect to the sport. Afterwards you can grab a glass of wine on the patio in your muddy-ass gear, happy and exhausted while everyone stares. Tune in later this week for tutorials on how to go downhill, uphill and over obstacles. And don't forget to sign up for our mountain biking clinic if you really want to master the trail.  I love Michigan. I love living here, I love raising my kids here, I love that I get to host the Outdoor Book Club here and I love vacationing here. Michigan offers an amazing range of cultural, natural and environmental treasures: long winding roads through orchards and glacier-carved mountains, an Upper Peninsula where the woods look the same as when Hemingway fished there, and rivers teeming with fish and spirit. Michigan is essentially an outdoor adventurer's paradise.
But the people are pretty great too. I graduated from high school in Troy, but now make my home on the west side of the state in Grand Rapids, and have felt at home in both places. The combination of blue-collar honesty plus the focused creativity and fostering of entrepreneurship makes Michigan one of the best places on earth. Seriously. Still need convincing that Michigan has cornered the market when it comes to awesome? Here's a list of places and activities you can only do in Michigan, mostly in the summer and fall, that proves it:
What about you? Share how you love the state you're in with your favorite Michigan outdoors activities in the comments below. |
Jill Hinton Wolfe,Chief Heroine NOTE: Affiliate products are clearly marked with an asterisk (*) and you can always ignore the link and go straight to the company website if you prefer. Or... if you enjoy this site, buying through my affiliate links is a great way to support my efforts get more women outdoors & reading :)
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