Starting out as a mountain climber is not always that fun. Though you enjoy the fantasy of being on your bicycle, you detest the harsh terrains you find yourself. One thing to keep in mind is that with time, you will get used to the streams, rocks, and all.
However, there are tips you need to know while beginning with mountain climbing. Most of us wish someone had told us these tips.
If you are a beginner mountain climber, here are tips to have with you, to ease our learning process:
1. Use All Safety Gear
2. Stay Loose
3. Maintain Momentum
4. Shift Your Weight Forward
5. Apply The Brakes Slowly
6. Use all your gears
7. Set Your Suspension
8. Keep Your Head Straight
1Use All Safety Gear
The first thing to always have in mind is your safety.
As a beginner mountain climber, you are new to the new terrains, which require special riding experience. It is always helpful to protect yourself from sustaining injuries should an accident occur. Hence, going out with your safety gear becomes crucial.
2Stay Loose
It is your bike’s duty to role over the terrain it finds itself, and it is your duty to let it do its job.
This necessitates you to stay loose from your bike so that it can react to the impact of the root and rocks. As the terrain becomes more technical, you need to give more room to your bike by hovering your butt over the saddle. Therefore, always go on pushup arms, cowboy legs, and flare-out elbows rather than your body fighting against your bike.
Momentum keeps your bike going, and your bike needs it most in challenging terrains. While you may feel unsafe going on high speed, speeding up gives your motorcycle the power required to overcome the challenging terrain.
As such, as a beginner mountain climber, it is essential to make momentum your best friend.
4Shift Your Weight Forward
You lean forward while riding means shifting your center of gravity to the front wheel, which is helpful in adding more momentum to your bike.
Your bike will appreciate this as it gives it more traction to fight challenging terrains.
While on high speed and need to apply the brake, you may have the huge to pull both brakes at once. This doesn't seem right for mountain climbing bikes. Using both brakes at once will cause a sudden halt, which can cause an accident, then injuries. These brakes are powerful that only one can get the job done just by pulling it with two fingers.
One mistake most beginner mountain climbers make is to take turns at high speed, which sends them out of control.
When you are close to a corner, apply your rear brake to bring the speed down and continue with the low speed throughout the corner.
6Use All Your Gears
Mountain riding involves different terrains and requires shifting gear.
It is your duty to anticipate the terrain ahead and which gear suits it. Shifting gearbefore you need it helps your momentum.
Mountain bikes have a shock and front suspension, which all help to absorb the impact of big bumps.
However, you need to set them to their active position to let them do their job.
8Keep Your Head Straight
Many obstacles are faced during mountain climbing. If you keep your eyes to these obstacles, your bike is going to hit them, but if you keep your eyes past the barriers and to where you are going, your motorcycle is going to cross those obstacles.
As such, it is essential to stare straight at the road ahead of you and not the obstacle on the road.
The Bottom Line
Mountain climbing can be hassle-filled for beginners due to the new terrains they find themselves. However, with the right guild, mountain climbing can be fun for beginners than it seems.