How to Mountain Bike Downhill

Source: wikiHow

Mountain biking is an exhilarating and physically challenging activity. When biking downhill, it’s important to properly distribute your weight in order to control your bike. It’s also essential that you purchase biking equipment that is made specifically to withstand the stress of biking down a hill with uneven terrain.

Once you have the proper equipment and understand the basics, going downhill on your mountain bike is a blast!

1. 1 Look as far down the trail as you can. Looking far in front of you will enable you to anticipate changes in the trail. This will give you enough time to adjust to bends or changes in the trail. If you get distracted and concentrate too close in front of you, micro adjustments and hesitation could cause you to wipe out.^[1]
2. 2 Commit to riding down the hill once you enter the decline. Instead of second-guessing yourself, go fully into the hill and keep your wheels turning. Occasionally feather the brakes to slow down when you come to slight bends in the road, but don’t try to come to a complete stop until you’re on level land.^[2]
   • Hesitation could cause you to fall off your bike when going down a steep hill.
   • You might be scared at first, but committing to a hill is the safest way to ride down it.
3. 3 Distribute your weight to the outside of the bike as you turn. When you turn, your outside foot should be in the down position, your inside pedal should be up, and your weight should be distributed to the outside of your bike. This will prevent you from taking corners too sharply and falling off your bike.^[3]
   • Your weight should be evenly distributed between your front and back tire during turns.
4. 4 Drop your weight on the back of the bike when going down a steep hill. Hold the handlebars and lift your butt off the back of your seat. Plant your heels down onto your pedals, adjust your hips, and drop your weight onto the back of your bike. This will prevent you from tipping over the handlebars when going down a steep hill.^[4]
   • Keep your elbows and knees loose (slightly bent rather than locked) to avoid bumps and jostling that could affect your control of the bike.
5. 5 Learn how to drop on a mountain bike. When approaching a drop in terrain, you should be elevated over your seat, your chest should be lowered, and your arms and legs should be bent. As you go over the cliff, lower your hips, put your weight on the back of the bike and push off your handlebars.^[5]
   • The drop technique will safely guide you over small cliffs as you ride downhill.
   • Try to land on your back wheel or both wheels when doing this maneuver.
   • As you go over the drop, keep your knees and elbows dynamic to compensate for the impact.

1. 1 Practice on easy biking trails first. Most mountain bike trails will have a grading system that signifies their difficulty. This grading system can usually be found at the start of a trail or at the park’s information booth. If you’re new to downhill biking, choose one of the lower difficulty trails before trying an intermediate or difficult trail.

Click here to read more

The post How to Mountain Bike Downhill appeared first on FeedBox.