Beginner Mistakes & How To Avoid Making Them | Mountain Bike Skills

Although most people can ride a bike, mountain biking is a slightly different beast. A combination of loose surfaces, rocks, roots, and trail features can make it easy to loose control when you're first starting out; and can even catch out a more experienced rider! Neil and Blake show you some common mistakes and how you can avoid them.

Learning to modulate your brakes to avoid skidding or washing out, keeping your weight central and dropping your heels, and staying loose and relaxed on the bike are all core skills tha provide a solid foundation to build on and become a better rider🤘

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The Global Mountain Bike Network is the best MTB YouTube channel, with videos for everyone who loves dirt: from the full-faced helmet downhill mountain biker to the lycra-clad cross country rider along with everyone and anyone in between.

With the help of our pro and ex-pro riding team we’re here to inform, entertain and inspire you to become a better mountain biker, including videos on:

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Leave us a comment below!

[johndef]

29 year mountain bike rider. Best advice: look where you want to go, not at what you are afraid of running into or falling off of.

[Mububban]

Heels down, toes up is the simplest but most beneficial advice I've learned.
Also, if you don't have a dropper post, you are really missing out. They help your confidence so much as it allows you to move around on your bike so much more easily. I think I'd rather have a hardtail with a dropper post than a dual sus without one.

[sixstanger]

Improper braking on the downhill will _make_ you a fast learner LOL

[cooperallen]

I took my cousin on a ride with me, he was sitting down on the seat the whole ride apperantly. There was one finial rock garden and he saw me stand up so he did. And at the end of the ride he told me how he had been sitting the whole time 😂. He told me standing up made a huge difference lol.

[onetruth]

I used to mountain bike quite frequently as a kid, with reasonably good techniques. This year I got back into riding and surprisingly still naturally do the same decent techniques! My biggest thing I have to get over now is fear..

[Flashbax]

After only a year of mountain biking, I went full superman and broke my collarbone at the distal end. During recovery my bike was stolen and haven't returned. That was a few years ago. I'm using these videos to help me get back into it but have to admit, just the intro of these guys blasting down the trail makes me sweat. Thanks for the video.

[willhealey]

8:39, I can hear Seth saying passive-aggressively, "Do NOT Ride around the mud puddles!"

[nevvanclarke]

I think know your limits and keep trying things safely

Injuries means you lose weeks or even months of riding then you have to relearn what you learned before plus it dents your confidence

[alexunlv]

Lord Help Me - all I want to do is MTB!!!! That's all I think about all day at the office!

[Robert]

I go stiff on fast sections, scares the shit out of me when I get the speed on an unknown section and wham strike a weird angled rock on a hairpin turn.

[bigclint]

“We still make mistakes to the, to the, to the day” - Blake 2019


Like for Blake’s speech therapy

[setsunaes]

my biggest mistake: in a turn, having the inner pedal down... I still regret.

[freefawl]

56 years old and I just bought my first Mtn. Bike. Rossignol All trak DH from from last years Brundage Mtn. Bike Park rentals. Thanks for all the tips, I need them. For all the crashes, cuts, bruises, and adrenaline fueled smiles I blame you guys. Thank you so much!!!

[dukekaboom]

Biggest mistake for beginners is trying to follow faster riders and attempting things your not yet ready for, we have to push ourselves but at the same time recognise our skill level. Safe riding everyone.

[jcat]

Getting stiff on the trail just means you enjoy it.

[tnvmfrf]

Just started mountain biking in Colorado and it is so much scarier than I thought it would be. Will definitely be taking it slow until I get an ounce of confidence lol

[PL-fhcz]

Guys - Good 101 video but I think you started at the wrong place. Most beginners have trouble reading the terrain. It's completely different from riding on the road or bike paths, so they need help just to figure where to position the bike on the trail. Next is body position relative to the terrain. Toes down, stem fine-tuning etc. will come a lot later so that's why I think the editing in the video was off.
We all still fail, but even a small fail can be enough to discourage a beginner. Cheers.

[anftrew]

I think the single biggest mistake is staying on the saddle. I agree with the point about braking too, but I think sometimes braking mistakes happen when over confidence gets its come uppance. Like if you go as fast as you dare for the terrain you're on now, then very suddenly it changes. I think it's better to go at maybe 60 or 70% until you get a better feel for your abilities. That way you're not getting caught out by a sudden terrain change at full speed, panicking, locking up, and skidding off.

[nekomeido]

Before I even bought a actuall good MTB I watched this video and it really helped and saved me.

[anthonywalters]

My first actual ride was on black diamond single track... I had too much pressure in my tires and I payed the price. I took a drop and skidded out into the hillside. But I made it out in once piece and my bike was fine so I see it as an absolute win