5 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started MTB
Photo: Me! (A few years ago)
When I first got into mountain biking, I made plenty of mistakes that eventually made me give up the sport for two years. This page will be dedicated to making sure that no one makes the same mistakes as I did again.
1: Not All Bikes Can Handle Trails
I first started riding trails on a rigid trek hybrid bike which made everything way more challenging. I found myself walking over roots and rocks, having no idea how anyone could make it over that terrain on a bike. However, if I just had at least a beginner hardtail, I would have progressed a lot faster. Another thing that wasn’t helping were the rim brakes on my bike. On longer descents, I began to feel out of control because I couldn’t stop!
2: Lessons Are Extremely Helpful
Coming from a sport like skiing, I had always thought of lessons as a way to just improve technique, not a way to conquer scary things. With this mindset, I was overconfident going into my first day at a bike park, but soon I realized that with no guidance I had no idea what I was doing. After getting one lesson, I had made so much progress and I really regret not taking one earlier.
3: Some Trails Are Just Too Gnarly
This is another area where my experience with skiing really let me down. In skiing, almost anyone can make it down any trail, whether they’re side slipping, or doing actual turns. In MTB, this is clearly not the case however seeing that the trails were rated the same way as ski runs (green, blue, black) I got the illusion that it would all be the same. This leaded to me dropping into a double black tech trail and walking 90%. If I hadn’t rushed my progress and slowly built up skill, I would have had more confidence and a way better time.
4: The GoPro Effect Is Real
I had previously heard about the GoPro effect that apparently makes everything look smaller on camera. I had even experienced it while skiing, yet I still never thought it would be a factor while biking. I clearly remember watching POV videos of riders blasting down gnarly trails and thinking that if they did it so fast, it couldn’t be that bad. One thing I didn’t consider, though, is my lack of experience compared to their’s. Once again, this led to walking down the mountain, and my confidence getting obliterated.
5: Jumping Isn’t Actually That Complicated
As soon as I took my first run at the bike park, I wondered how it was even possible to jump a bike, since it seemed way out of reach at the time. As I progressed, I thought the way to get airborne was to yank your handlebars up in the air, but somehow I only got an inch off the ground using this method. Finally, during my first day of downhill camp at whistler, a coach noticed my awkward method and told me that all I needed to do was just push into the lip of the jump, release, and then I’d be airborne. Although I was stoked about this, I was also pissed that I wasted an entire year trying to jump the wrong way.