How to Improve Mountain Biking: Mistakes and Tips for Better Technique

The basic riding techniques are usually explained through a series of tips on what you should do, but for this article, we decided to turn things around a bit and explain the common mistakes made by many people, correcting which can significantly improve mountain biking, especially on difficult and technical terrains.

Do not ride without a helmet!

It probably goes without saying, but still: head injuries are among the most threatening to the human body, and the consequences of a strong impact can be not just unpleasant but fatal. When riding a mountain bike, there are many factors beyond the rider’s direct control that can lead to falls, so it is important to provide protection for the most important organ in the human body – the brain. Modern bike helmets, especially from reputable manufacturers like Giro and Bell, are the result of many years of research and experience, use innovative technologies, and not only protect but even increase comfort while riding, shielding the head from branches, sun, insects, and so on.

Don’t tense up!

When riding a bike in general, and especially when mountain biking on rough terrain, a person should be as relaxed as possible so that the limbs (arms and legs) can act as suspension and absorb vibrations from the uneven trail.
Tensing the limbs is most often due to two reasons: fear and/or incorrect posture.

Fear is overcome by each person in different ways, faster or slower. As the safest option, we recommend starting on easier terrains that seem manageable, and gradually, as your confidence and control over the bike increase, moving on to more difficult ones (steeper, with more and more complex obstacles), as well as higher speeds.

The correct posture distributes weight centrally on the bike, with most of it supported by the legs. When descending, you must stand up from the saddle and crouch over the top tube of the bike, looking forward, with slightly open and relaxed arms and legs bent at the elbows and knees, with the cranks positioned horizontally (in general).

Don’t lean too far back!

Many people learn the wrong position from the start because someone told them to pull their body back behind the saddle. In the correct descending position, only the buttocks move back, which is a result of crouching with the torso bent low over the top tube. This way, the arms remain as relaxed as possible, and the weight is distributed centrally to maintain traction on both wheels. If on flat or slightly downhill terrain a person pulls too far back, their arms straighten and tense, and the front wheel becomes light and can more easily lose traction. Leaning the body back, but only after sufficiently low crouching, is necessary only on very steep slopes, and even then the arms should remain as relaxed as possible.

Don’t look at the obstacles you want to avoid!

If you fixate on the rut or rock that scares you, don’t be surprised that you are drawn right toward it. The natural reaction of the body is to follow the path where the eyes and brain are focused. Therefore, it is important always to look at the line you want to take – everything else remains in your peripheral vision.

Don’t look at your front tire!

Or in other words, don’t focus 1-2 meters in front of the bike. The faster you ride, the further ahead you should look and monitor the upcoming terrain. Even at low speed, it is better to look ahead unless you need to hit a very narrow and difficult line immediately in front of your bike.

Don’t rely only on the rear brake!

Many people are afraid to press the front brake hard because they fear locking the front wheel and flipping over the handlebars. The latter is possible only with incorrect braking technique, i.e., if you press the brake lever too hard and abruptly, as well as with incorrect position on the bike – if you are tense or leaned too far forward, not crouched, etc.

In all cases of normal position and proper, smooth braking, the front brake is the one that does the main work. This is because when braking, the combined mass of the rider and bike shifts forward, loading the front tire and increasing its traction with the terrain, which is what actually slows the movement.

If you have the habit of pressing mostly the rear brake, you should deliberately practice braking with the front brake as well, pressing it strongly enough but smoothly.

Don’t press the brakes unnecessarily!

One common mistake is to hold the brakes almost constantly pressed without actually slowing down significantly, just in case. Aside from the fact that this leads to faster wear of the brake pads and quicker heating of the brakes, there is an even more important reason to avoid this approach.

The bike’s wheels are what allow it to pass relatively easily and quickly through some quite complex obstacles. To do this, you must not hinder their free movement, but pressing the brakes does exactly that. Proper riding technique requires constantly observing the terrain far ahead of the bike and judging which sections are smoother, flatter, and free of obstacles, so you can use those to reduce speed intensively, while on more difficult and rough terrain, especially when dealing with single obstacles like ledges, individual rocks and boulders, ruts, and similar, you should ride with relaxed brakes so the wheels can roll freely and with maximum traction.
Modern disc brakes, such as those from Shimano, allow you to quickly and easily reduce speed by pressing the levers with just one finger – take advantage of this in the right way!

Don’t press the brakes in a turn!

This mistake is a specific case of the previous one we discussed. Turns on the trail can be considered a kind of obstacle that requires you to reduce speed to a comfortable level for the conditions, steer the bike correctly, and let the tires do their job as well as possible without interference. In a turn, the bike must be leaned, so the tires rest mainly on their side knobs and the contact area with the terrain decreases or at least changes its characteristics. If you add braking to this, the usual effect is loss of traction, which can lead to unpleasant falls. Therefore, it is better to reduce speed before entering the turn but not to touch the brakes while in it.

Don’t keep the inside foot down when turning!

This is a particularly dangerous mistake because it can lead to very unpleasant falls if the pedal catches the ground. Also, it prevents you from leaning the bike enough and turning your body toward the turn – things that are fundamental for proper turning technique. In the worst case, the feet should be positioned horizontally, but it is much better if you put the outside foot down (this is easiest done by slightly pressing the corresponding pedal forward or backward) – this way the center of gravity is lower, which provides more traction, and it is easier to lean the bike and turn your body toward the turn.

Don’t ride in inappropriate gears!

This part includes at least two types of mistakes. The first is when a person rides in a gear that is too heavy or too light. If you try to climb uphill on a big chainring in front without standing on the pedals, maintaining a low cadence (fewer revolutions per minute), you put much more strain on your joints and in the long term this is not good for them. Conversely, if you pedal on flat or downhill terrain in a low gear (small front chainring), you just waste energy and lose efficiency. Proper pedaling technique requires maintaining a cadence of about 80-90 revolutions per minute, with relatively low muscle and joint load (of course, we are not talking about racing).

Another important point when choosing gears is not to use the extreme combinations of the smallest front / smallest rear sprocket or the largest front / largest rear sprocket. Technically, the bike components allow this, but it causes excessive chain twisting and accelerates its wear. The large range of gears available on most mountain bikes aims not only to achieve a wider speed range (difference between lowest and highest gear) but also to avoid such gear combinations.

Don’t try to dismount forward or toward the steep side of the slope!

These mistakes are a very common cause of awkward low-speed falls that can end with unpleasant consequences. Dismounting forward on a downhill slope can lead to flipping over the handlebars. The correct technique is to reduce speed to a stop and dismount to the side, leaning the bike and supporting yourself with your foot.

If you are riding on a narrow trail with a steep slope on one side, besides good balance, you should always be ready to lean/support/dismount toward the high side of the slope, not the low side.