How to develop skills as a beginner mountain biker

[ny biker]

Thanks for the advice everyone! Yes, there are clinics often put on by local groups, although none scheduled right now -- I'm not sure if they will continue through the winter or not. I'm also scared of them

I do have my husband as a resource, he started mountain biking two years ago (although he would probably still call himself a beginner). He gave me some tips out there. I'm just already feeling frustrated by the steep beginner learning curve but I definitely need to give it more time!! I guess what I really want are drills I can do NOT in the woods to increase my confidence in the woods, but perhaps the best thing to do is to just get out there as much as I can.

Luckily we bought my mountain bike used and got a great deal on it so I can probably sell it for the same amount if after a few months I decide mountain biking isn't for me. BUT we are going to Big Bend this spring and I would LOVE to do a half day of mountain biking out there. The terrain of course will be very very different than the woods around here! I think some of the routes are really just gravel grinding, but I'm still using that as a motivator to improve my skills. And my hope is that overall I will be safer on the road too if I improve my skills in the woods.

Practice really is the most important thing, I think. Sometimes going over the same spot repeatedly can be helpful -- for example ride through the tricky creek crossing, turn around and do it again, repeat as needed.

Looks like there is still one copy of this DVD available at Amazon. It includes skill drills for beginners that were done on a big open field -- slow riding, reaching down to pick up a water bottle from the ground as you ride past it, stuff like that.

http://www.amazon.com/Wildflower-Mou.../dp/B0000U0GP4

I think my LBS (located in NoVa -- Springfield and Reston) holds mountain bike clinics for women from time to time. They might schedule one in the spring. It's a bit of a drive for you but I guarantee they will be friendly and helpful.

And of course your best resource is MORE. They have some night rides in Patapsco which is not too far from you, IIRC. If you don't want feel you're ready to ride with them, you might find some helpful info from the bike shops that sponsor the rides, like Bike Doctor and Race Pace.

http://www.more-mtb.org/events/month/

I've never been in Patapso, but I know that Cedarville has some easy trails. The Oxon Hill club has Sunday morning mountain bike rides sometimes, usually at Cedarville, Rosaryville or Cosca Park (southern Maryland/PG County).

Actually my do-list includes "ride my mountain bike more." First I need to find time to tweak the fit a bit, because I had wrist problems the last time I rode it. Maybe this winter I will finally get around to it. I will never be more than a beginner at mountain biking, which is fine with me.

[Irulan]

Part of it is just learning to trust the fatter tires and lower psi, and most of it will probably just take time, but is there anything else y'all know of to build skills? Any really helpful articles or youtube videos or general tips? I was having trouble with such basic tasks like slow tight turns - but of course it was my first time out there.

There is so much more than just trusting the tires. It is whole different skill set, more related to dirt biking (motocross style) than road bicycling.

For slow tight corners, you must be off your saddle in a ready position, and understand how to move laterally with your body and steer the bike. Lower your saddle for starters.

Taking clinics and using flat pedals are the two biggest confidence boosters. Mountain biking is the opposite of road biking in that you move around with the bike, a lot. Your body becomes part of the suspension. Most road bikers are very stiff, and afraid to get off the saddle and move around. Your most stable positions is OFF the saddle, feet level ( 3 & 9). if you are using clipless pedals, I highly recommend ditching them for some flat pedals while learning. Once you have solid skills, then you can decide whether you want to be clipped in or not.
Here are some good videos. Pay attention to body position and movement.

basic body position
https://youtu.be/52x5Z9meapQ

Don't let the "Freeride" or hucking scare you... the fundamentalst are exactly the same whether you are beginner or pro. This is an excellent video on all the fundamental skills.
https://youtu.be/F9vakhSvgt8

[TigerMom]

As usual, I totally agree with Irulan.

In California, there are a lot of free clinics for Beginners.

I think for women, than gaining confidence on easy fun trails leads them to liking mountain biking and then wanting to improve. Although your husband is nice to help you out, I think that people who lead rides specifically for beginners will help you feel less frustrated because women feel like they are slowing down other people when you are biking with people who are a lot better than you are.

Best of luck!

[Irulan]

What she said. In addition, if he's a self taught biker with only two years experience, I wouldn't count on him to understand the actual skill set. He may have figured some things out that work ok, but whether they are the correct techniques is up for dicussion.

[manojkeshwar]

Thanks for sharing your experience

[Freelifestyle]

I appreciate every tips that are posted. That's helpful enough. I would like to get better in mountain biking too. Maybe, I need more focus as a beginner.