Outdoor Book Club | Discover your inner heroine.
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
    • Book Club Schedule
  • Contact
  • OBC Store
  • Monthly Book Themes

Outdoor Book Club Blog 

Newsletter sign up:
    Built with ConvertKit

    How to go downhill on a mountain bike

    5/19/2014

     
    Picture
    This article is part of a series on how-to skills for mountain biking:
    • The two things you need to know most before going mountain biking
    • How to go downhill on a mountain bike
    • How to go uphill on a mountain bike
    • How to navigate obstacles on a mountain bike

    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.



    Comments are closed.

      Jill Hinton Wolfe,

      Chief Heroine

      I love helping women discover their inner heroines.

      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 :)

      Jill's books

      Kindle Bestseller Publishing: Write a Bestseller in 30 Days!
      Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us
      Dumplin'
      Playing Big: Find Your Voice, Your Mission, Your Message
      News of the World
      The Power of Meaning: Crafting a Life That Matters
      Summary of Essentialism: by Greg McKeown | Includes Key Takeaways and Analysis
      Dolores Claiborne
      An American Marriage
      The Shining
      Advice for Future Corpses (and Those Who Love Them): A Practical Perspective on Death and Dying
      Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows
      Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
      Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
      Intermittent Fasting: Lose Weight, Heal Your Body, and Live a Healthy Life!
      Exit West
      This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol, Find Freedom, Discover Happiness & Change Your Life
      Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel
      Educated
      Summary of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: by Mark Manson | Includes Key Takeaways & Analysis


      Jill Wolfe's favorite books »

      RSS Feed

      Categories

      All
      Backpacking
      Book Club
      Books
      Celebrities
      Gear
      Inspiration
      Michigan
      Mountain Biking
      Outdoors
      Planning
      Reviews
      Skills
      Travel
      Video
      Women

      Archives

      June 2022
      January 2020
      September 2019
      August 2019
      February 2019
      January 2019
      September 2017
      August 2017
      June 2017
      September 2015
      July 2015
      June 2015
      May 2015
      April 2015
      February 2015
      January 2015
      December 2014
      November 2014
      October 2014
      September 2014
      August 2014
      July 2014
      June 2014
      May 2014
      April 2014
      March 2014
      February 2014
      January 2014
      November 2013

    ©2019 Outdoor Book Club Terms of Service
    • Home
    • Blog
    • About
      • Book Club Schedule
    • Contact
    • OBC Store
    • Monthly Book Themes