MTBers of TE Unite!

[CyclChyk]

And you can count on me being about a mile behind you wondering how the hell you do it! I'll try to keep this brief.

My DH is a MTB'er at heart. He was an avid and great rider pre-me days. We have talked about doing it, but both love road riding so it was kinda conversation in passing. Well now that winter is creeping in, we decided to give it a go. MY DH has an older Parkpre mountain bike thats just my size. So we cleaned it up, got new tires etc, and hit the trails.

HolyMackeral! Do I SUCK at it!!!! And its so scary!! There were drop offs and rocks and rolling hills.... the rolling hills I can sort of handle as long as they weren't steep desents, but most of the single track trail was down the side of a hill and I kept envisioning myself losing balance and careening down the "mountain".....I managed to stay mostly vertical (only because I walked about 2 of the 7 mile trail) but I did kinda of fall once when my back tire got too close to a tree stump and I was stressed from a series of rolling hills I had just cleared (a miracle) so I freaked and wobbled and went down. Jammbed my thumb. Still hurts like the devil but that was my only fall.

Will it get better??? Cuz right now my DH is so PUMPED to be MTBing again and I am scared to death to get back out there..... we are going to try an "easier" trail next time but this one was supposed to be simple enough.

I am attaching a link for a rider on a trail similar to the one we were on. Its called The FATS trails, and ours was the "Skinny Loop". This guy is doing the "Brown Wave" trail. The guy in the video is a daredevil so needless to say I took the trail considerably slower but it gives you the general idea.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoWyd_tUnBE

[Kitsune06]

It does get better. I'd ride the MTB around for awhile to get a feel for his (her?) balance and handling. I hate parts that are edged with 'not rock' as in 'air'... "If you're going to fall, fall toward the hill... not down the slope". eek.

Keep your speed up with dropoffs and lean your weight back a little bit. If you brake on a fast dh, use both but gently. Going off a dropoff, keep your speed up- momentum will carry you through amazing things as long as you keep your balance. Don't overthink it. Look at the path and try to figure out how you'd maneuver through/over/around things if you were a little stream.

I'm going to be taking the boss out mountain biking sometime (eeehehehehe) he's not really a mtb-er. He "Has a Schwinn with the spring-y thing in front"... this'll be too much fun.

[CyclChyk]

I'm going to be taking the boss out mountain biking sometime (eeehehehehe) he's not really a mtb-er. He "Has a Schwinn with the spring-y thing in front"... this'll be too much fun.

Geez even I know its a shock and I'm stooopid!! Be kind to him, Kit... remember who butters your bread...

[velogirl]

Yes, it gets much better. I've been road riding for years but just started mtn biking about three years ago. I was scared of everything. Roadie mentality -- gravel is loose and scary, tire pressure should be high, don't fall into ruts, etc.

The past year or so I really started riding my mtn bike a lot and I learned a lot too. The biggest thing that helped was riding with a lower psi in the tires. It made the bike feel so much more stable and I could just roll over everything. The other big lesson was that yes, you can roll over just about everything as long as you keep a bit of speed up. It's not necessary to look down at the trail (and it's bad for your balance and weight distribution). Just roll over it.

The more you ride the more you learn. Don't be afraid to be a beginner. If you need to walk, that's cool. Mtn bikers are pretty casual in that respect, so have fun, build your confidence, and you'll be nailing it in no time.

[7rider]

Wow. That looked fun.

I suck at mtb'ing, too.
DH says my issues are all in my head...that I psych myself out of so many things.

Various people have tried giving me pointers, and they boil down to 3 basic things:
1. Speed is your friend. At Kitsune pointed out, momentum carries the day for lots of trail obstacles.
2. Pedal, pedal, pedal. This is closely tied to 1#. Also, "don't give up."
3. Don't look AT the obstacle. Look at the line you want to take. Your bike will go where you are looking. If you look at the rock, that's what you'll hit (ouch!). Incidently, I've found #3 works for downhill skiing, too.

[rocknrollgirl]

That is some nice looking single track in that video. Yes, it will get better, and time in the saddle is what will make it better. I recommend the book Mt. Bike Like A Champion by Ned Overend. It gives lots of tips and instructions on all aspects of mt biking.

have fun!

Ruth