Steven Rindner: Mountain Biking Basics to Get You Started

Mountain biking is fun and exciting, yet terrifying and nerve-wracking all at the same time. It gets easier—and a lot more fun—with time; take it from biking enthusiasts like Steven Rindner. But there are some tips and tricks every one of us wishes we had known when we were starting. Here are four mountain biking tips for beginners:

Stay Loose

It's your bike's job to roll over technical terrain. Your job as a biker is to let your mountain bike do its job. That means staying loose so your bike can move beneath you. What cyclists like Steven Rindner do is raise their hips and hover them over the saddle when riding over obstacles like rocks and roots. The more technical the terrain, the more space your bike needs to move. When biking downhill, think "cowboy legs" and "pushup arms," and flare out your knees and elbows so your body lets your bike flow rather than fighting it.

Maintain Momentum

It may seem counterintuitive, but holding your speed—and even speeding up—when the terrain gets hard makes clearing tough sections easier because your bike has momentum. As Steven Rindner and other biking enthusiasts emphasize, momentum is your best friend. Maintain it whenever you can.

Shift Your Weight

You're going to hit some tough terrain, including declines and steep inclines. When climbing a tough pitch, maintain traction by leaning forward to keep your center of gravity over the rear.

When descending on trails, go in the opposite direction, shifting your weight over the rear wheel and behind the saddle to avoid going over the bars.

Go Easy on the Brakes

As a beginner, you will be tempted to grab both brakes and pull them to the bars with all your strength. Resist this temptation! Mountain bike brakes are powerful. You need just one finger to modulate your speed.

Adjust your speed before the difficult stuff, like corners and rock gardens, and then maintain your speed through them, which is what seasoned cyclists like Steven Rindner do.

Use All the Gears

Mountain bike trail profiles tend to look like a shark opening wide for its next meal. In other words, they cover undulating terrain. Anticipate changes in terrain by shifting before it's really necessary. It'll help keep your momentum.

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