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.
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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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Leave us a comment below!
Have you made any of these mistakes?
Global Mountain Bike Network yes
Wayyyy to many. Love from Australia
Ayyy Australia
Yes
No never did them helps when your first real bike is a Scott jr 24 hartail but more like a dirt jumper Ok the first time you fall you do them 😫😂 But happens
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.
That is actually really helpfull, thank you so much.
Ooooooo....I learned this the wrong way this week...first timer, I even knew better. Just panicked. Really weird.
Applies to motorcycling too. Bike goes where you’re looking. Braking and acceleration into and out of corners, apexing, etc. is all the same.
This apply to rock gardens with loose smooth Rocks? Because that's my biggest fear: hitting a loose rock, it slipping out from under my tire, and my bike going one way and me going the other
How do I get my confidence especially at rock gardens for some reason the scare me so much
Improper braking on the downhill will _make_ you a fast learner LOL
sixstanger00 Doing stoppies as a 10 year old helps too
You will get a head first education..
@@JPGorski had me dying 😂
yeah took a nice swan dive over the handlebars of my friend's $1200 canondale once and realized helmets and brakes are no joke lmao
I have gone over my bars so many times so I must be getting good... :'(
8:39, I can hear Seth saying passive-aggressively, "Do NOT Ride around the mud puddles!"
MTB Amateur haha
Ok
Hahahhaha good one
Lol
Hahaha
Getting stiff on the trail just means you enjoy it.
Took me a second... 🤣
jcat187 reminds me of the first time I had a major crash... I tumbled over going at least 30mph.. few flips here and there. I went quite unconscious for a while but I felt this weird pressure on my groin area. Come to find out, I was laying over a groundhog that just started making a hole and he kept pushing up on my penis until I was poking his head with it, while having a broken collarbone.
@@ieatslag5947 Your my hero
Ha! A Bon3r joke!
nearly missed that comment at first.
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.
Agreed. I've got a friend with a 2018 model full suss and no dropper post and they won't believe me that it's worth the few hundred bucks to upgrade.
I put a dropper on my old school litespeed titanium hardtail and that was a real game-changer.
Dropper post?
@@exp4290 a dropper post is a hydraulic or mechanical seatpost that you can raise or lower from a shifter knob on your handlebars. So you can lower it very easily when you're going to go downhill and you can get into the right position without having the seat post in your way. Then you can pop it back up again when you're climbing around the flat. It's a total game changer. I have a retro hardtail but yet I found a company that made one that would fit my seat tube
I reckon that dropper posts are the single biggest innovation in mountain biking.
Lord Help Me - all I want to do is MTB!!!! That's all I think about all day at the office!
I MTB to work then take my time and hit trails on the way home!!!!
right
You are not alone hahaha
You and me both thats all I thought about today.
Same here.
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.
Cooper Allen lol I don’t know why this was funny to me, maybe I can imagine him sitting through the rock garden and taking in all the shock of the bumps...
Cooper Allen rip his ass
Al the boomer riders in my country do that to
it should've been your job to tell him to stand on rocky parts man
Old habits die hard, I probably stand too much. Coming from a BMX background, standing is my comfort zone.
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
Nev Van Clarke I’m out for a month because of my knee in a weird jumping accident because I didn’t know my limits
I'm very late but falling off for me just lets me know what I was doing wrong so It helps but hurts😂
Id say without pushing your limits wont get you anywhere on my second day mountain biking i was like today we are attempting a black and me on a hardtail not knowing how to break it was interesting i went slow and the jump to end the trail was way out of my comfort zone and i still tried it and i landed slammed my front break and flipped and gored my knee and winded myself gotta say it was fucking fun and pushing myself gave me the confidence and knowledge of my boundaries to learn and grow
Always start from the safe way and climb to the limits, you'll notice with a scary situation that u have reached the limit 😂😂 but it's better to have a scary situation rather than a fall and an injury 😌🔥
Bro I face planted on my truck scooter and now I don’t wonna ride it again so I got into mtb! 😂
Biggest mistake I made was selling my mountain bike. What the hell was I thinking?
why the hell did you sell that bike?!
same as you bought a bike not knowing what is it use for.. better sell it thou
@@secfol5272 can you say that again but in english?
@@thegreatcactus4922 better use as you bought it selling a bike same as you thou.
@@secfol5272 sorry i didn't quite get that could you repeat it in english please
my biggest mistake: in a turn, having the inner pedal down... I still regret.
Antonio Carranza i just hit a stone with my inner pedal and i flew like 3 meters from my bike
Yeah thats a broken foot right there or a sprained ankle or something
Yep, I've done that
Voice Happened to me on a 1.2 meter drop I was pretty lucky that I landed with my hands first
Why is it when I go into a corner it feels like I'm solving a terrific math problem and get this backwards half the time? I think I have corner pedal dyslexia
“We still make mistakes to the, to the, to the day” - Blake 2019 Like for Blake’s speech therapy
LOL
Hyar
Haahahahahaha
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.
Oh man I’m so sorry.
I had kinda the same experience, I broke my right side acromion, but this was a week ago and I'm still recovering. This looks way scarier now.
Hey man I’ve technically been doing it since I was like 13-14,19 now, and still have a long way to go and a lot of stuff I either won’t do or makes me nervous
Just a follow up, I'm recovering well from my fracture. Im starting to move the arm and the shoulder a little, but every day is getting better. The bone is not totally united yet but it's on it's way. Be careful you all, don't end up like me haha
@@agusblanco400 what did you do? Just going downhill?
My biggest beginner mistake: keeping a pedal down and another one up while not pedaling (downhill). Lower foot/pedal hits the uneven ground and you crash. So when you re not pedaling keep both pedals at an even level.
Broke my arm, just this year, doing this out of complacency on a super easy section of trail.
That's a really good advice.
I’ve been keeping my inside pedal up. It may be in my head but it feels like it helps my cornering grip.
@@chad8983 it does help increase mechanical grip. Your intuition is correct
Thanks!
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..
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.
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.
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.
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!!!
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.
Definitely right. The biggest reason people can't jump or ride smoothly through trails when they are starting is because they weight down on the seat too much and end up not being able to lift neither the front nor the back wheel. It simply messes with dh/fr/mtb concept of the ride flow.
When you stiffen up on the bike 😂 you could be hungry ... Blake your not you when your hungry here have a snickers 👌 brilliant as always guys
For the sunday-rider I am, that kind of video is a gold mine. As usual. Thank you. I love advices videos. 👍
Great video, one suggestion I have is to use beginner bikes for these tips. I think it would translate better if you are seen using a hard tail or a lower end bike.
No just zip it for once im sick of having to deal with this shananigan every video i watch. So please just dont think ur smart when ur not plz. Thanks bro x g cuz fam innit
@@gary1972 what?
@@gary1972 Are you speaking English?
None of these beginner mistakes are relevant to the type of bike being ridden.
A beginner on a 7000 dollar bike is still a beginner... just with a dentist budget.
Thanks for these videos! So glad I found the channel! Definitely helping me to learn and build confidence!
Thanks for the video I’m doing my first enduro race this weekend and this will help a lot
Blake: amalgamation?! I had to look that one up! now I feel really smart in addition to all the bike knowledge
Good advice on keeping ones feet from bouncing off the pedals. It's a problem I struggle with all the time!
Still working in front wheel washes and stiffening. Thanks for the tips
Thnx for the tips mate! When you fall never forget pain is weakness that leaves the body!
I was going down hill on my hard trail and I had my ass off the back tire and I hit a bump and back my tire popped up and caught all my sensitive spots lol
Ah yes, the ol' "bell ringer"😎
I'm glad I don't have boy parts because I hit my ass too often.
@@OrriG probably feels good for a girl 😏
@@enriquerenteria6089 sir, no
@@enriquerenteria6089 stfu.
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
I just did this recently getting on a double black diamond accidentally, when I am still learning blacks. My tired we're over inflated and it was a very hot day. I slipped trying to descend a very steep rock and lost traction on both wheels. Gloves, kneepads and elbow pads worth every penny, saved me from a nasty injury. Now I can't wait to get out there and try out running less tire pressure on my tubeless
Edgar Fernando I don’t have pads, I’ve ridden lift access downhill with nothing but a half-shell and I’ve been fine with that
This such have been called the mistakes we all make. I so stiifen up on the trails through fear, being tired and just not looking head. Great video as always :-)
Awesome vid. Front brake slide out was my biggest issue because i used to turn the bars way too much in a berm..
Before I even bought a actuall good MTB I watched this video and it really helped and saved me.
I wish I did... Watching this 3 months later lol
Great insights. Just got a MTB this week and by watching this video i could spot so many mistakes i made in the past 3 days especially with Gear changes on uphill and down hill. Thanks for this video.
My son is about to turn two and we are introducing him to a balance bike. He is so interested and these videos are his FAVORITE to watch. Thanks for all of this excellent content!
Keeping the heel down is definitely one i'm going to be far more conscious of in the future. I think that could even improve my issue of not keeping the bars straight on landing.
Gmbn is the best I hope you guys spread mountain biking to the world good luck on your journey🚲🚲
Great vid guys ! Thanks !! I’m just starting XC MTB and it’s crazy how many things I need to cover but this really helps ! Cheers mates
Gonna keep these tips in mind while I’m im picking up this sport again after 20 yrs and sharing with my son as we’re both learning. Thx
Thanks all useful advice. Many,many years ago I learned watch out for wet exposed tree roots,hit them at right angles if you can, or they will have you off.
Beginner here, love this new sport to me! I almost always lose momentum on hills, need to do way better with shifting! Thanks for the tips!
Speaking of shoe/pedal interface, I recently got a pair of riding shoes last year and was downright shocked how well the shoe locked on to the pedal. It would actually be getting slightly stuck to my foot because the circle treads on the shoe sort of deform, spring back and grip the pegs on the pedal. I got the Danny MacAskill fiveten shoes, and they're far from their priciest offerings.
Great video! Thanks for sharing.
Great information and instruction
I think I've been riding on my toes. I'll be paying more attention to keeping my heels down. The last couple days I've been finding my feet slip occasionally on bumpy sections of trails. I think that your tip regarding foot position on the pedals will fix this. Thank you!
I just really love and appreciate your videos! They're so helpful! I especially liked hearing at the end, that even as pro riders, you still make mistakes too! That was refreshing to hear 😊 Thanks for the video!!
🤘👊
Thanks for the tips you do.
I just want to say thanks a lot for making this video because I have a HUGE problem with my feet bouncing off the pedals causing me to have quite a number of crashes and now the problem is fixed. Thank you so much
This is a great video, it's always good to re-visit the basics. I am entirely self-taught, as I'm sure most MTB riders are, and you've shown me things that I probably (possibly?) do but I'm not consciously aware of. The foot position on the pedals was helpful - sometimes my feet skip off the pedals, probably for the reasons you've given here. Very helpful, thank you.
Great to hear! Glad we've been a help
If you still find your feet bouncing off, try to adjust your foot so that the pedal is in the middle of the sole on your shoe. This helped me so much when I still was a beginner.
Excellent instruction!
Going into my first downhill lesson today, this video is super useful!!
I got my MTB two days ago been riding all day and I saw myself doing these mistakes thank you! 👌
How's the riding going? Are you continuing to be relaxed or are you stiffening up?
My biggest mistake was not checking the air pressure in my tyres when I went to the local jump trails on my "enduro" bike. I folded the front tire over on a landing and it took a surgeon 2 hours to dig all the gravel off the bone around my elbow. The right tire pressure for the ridding you are doing makes a huge difference
was it over or under inflated back then?
😮😢🤯🙏
I used to ride a lot it's just nice to watch these just to remind me of what I need to be doing thanks lads
Thank you for your advice
Damn straight Blakey! Most of my crashes happens when I was Hungry, Scared and Tired... I wanna add New MTB dayout 😂
Mostly hungry...what? Just me??😂
Great stuff and tips Blake and Neil. Where was this filmed? #GMBN
My first mtb, back in the days before rockshox, came with stirrups on the pedals. I've transferred them to a set of suntour bear trap bmx pedals that I use today. Pretty much eliminates slipping a pedal.
Love the great work keep it up, also the third mistake really helped me on the trails
When you’ve been rinding for years and still do all of these things 😅
ogglewhump That’s just sad
Tariks Fishing Hacks u shut up u lil wanka
I'm new to the sport and I already feel more confident knowing all this, thanks lads!
Thanks for the tips guys 👌
Great set of tips guys
You can’t avoid mistakes but you can choose to have patience and learn from them as experiences teach you a lesson.
This channel is helping me trough my broken foot, :,( no riding 6 weeks
Hey mate i feel you, i have the same problem :,(
I just came back from a broken wrist. I broke it the day i got my new bike. Today they took my cast off.
@@lolligeman3211 IT SUCKS
@@prodhrd I did that! Went from a trail bike to all mountain, crashed on a big jump and shattered my wrist, took it a bit easier when I got back on my bike.....
Carl Incledon broke my wrist racing motocross and today was my first time bike on a mountain bike in 10 years on a brand new black Pro Caliber 6. I’m 17 years old
Thanks! Great video.
Thanks guys for the video, greetings from Bogotá Colombia !! 🇨🇴✌️
8:55 Breaking my leg taught me how to do this to near perfection. I was always shifting especially on the climbs but not having the strength to steam roll a climb has really taught me about cadence and gear ratio's
I am bad at going uphill and then being able to get over big rocks, and yes I'm always shifting, what do I need to know about steamrolling a hill and Cadence and shifting gears
I found another way to get going again on a steep incline, if your in a good high gear and try and pull off you get wheel spin but if you hold on that back brake until your on the bike /sat with your wight on the seat and just drag the back brake until you start moving it helps you get going again 👍
Great video guys, the bit about heels down is super handy on rough areas especially on a hardtail! Nice work!👍
Absolutely loved this video. I’m 53 and live local to the woods used in the video. Seeing so many people in theses woods on mountain bikes having loads of fun, I’ve decided to give it a go....arrrrrrggghh. Had no idea about what bike to get.. but sales guys sold me a Specialised sirrus x3 which is on order. Hopefully this bike meets my needs, as a beginner. Thanks so much for learners video.
9min mark Neil talking about getting in the right gear when hitting hills..WELL for me thats easy..I just throw mine in the granny and go..no thinking at all..See any type of hill at all, big small medium..GRANNY...:D I pretty much just need granny..lol
That's great...until you spin out if you are trying to climb a steep hill with loose dirt and rocks. One gear does NOT fit all!!! I swear, are we headed for automatic transmissions on our bikes, because people are too ignorant or too lazy to shift properly?
The balancing skills required are very similar to the skills needed in BMX racing. Seriously considering getting into Mountain Biking.
You can do so much on a MTB
Have always rode clipped in to my pedals. Have only failed to get out a few times. Love the secure feeling that I and my bike are one.
Nice tips guys. Applicable for pretty much all of us rides ;) . Happy days every time another video comes out from GMBN
Can you make a different disc brake testing by their power modulation etc.Like Shimano,Sram,Magura and other brands available you can use.
"You need a good set of grippy tires" me, riding with a completely bald rear tire: :O
You guys are awesome. Thanks for sharing this.
Fantastic tips! Thanks!!!
I notice when i go off large jumps and some features if im riding blind i tense up snd hold my breath
I remember the first time I rid down a steep downhill section, I asked my friend for a rip on his bike, not knowing he had his brakes round the opposite way, went to grab the rear brake as I was in full flight and flipped otb :¬/ x¬D
Great product, easy to clean -worked out great !
That makes sense guys! Much love!
This trail looks amazing, anyone know where it is?
I learned the hard why tyres only do one job at once, they won’t grip & brake at the same time
They certainly will, you just have to use common sense. Braking while you initiate a turn can stabilize the bike and increase grip if you do it properly. Same as a car or motorcyle.
@@ianholmquist8492 True, but I don't think common sense includes that knowledge though =)) It's a balance act that only practising can teach you. Point is they do grip and brake as long as you DON'T LOCK THEM UP. Both on straights and in turns. Worth pointing out that race cars almost always brake BEFORE a turn to avoid spinning out, and either coast or go easy on the gas through the turn. So I think it's always the better move for bikes as well to brake before the turn, down to a speed that you can hold through the turn. Keep on riding! \,,/
That's what ABS is for.
I learned a week ago on a mouton bike and these were really helpful for me when I was learning so I avoid them
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
”The main one stiffening up on the trail” Well we all know it’s not because his scared😂
In the philippines we use MTBs hard tails in roads It's much better that a road bike especially in ugly roads
Not just in the Philippines. Many in the UK choose a hard tail mtb for general use including road riding. Apart from withstanding potholes better, it also gives you more freedom. If you decide to go off road on a whim, you can do so.
Great vid!! Job well done!! Thanks for all the advice!!
Great video! I’m not a beginner per se, but still stiffen up when things get intense.
I've been riding for years and I still make all of these mistakes. I think it would be easier just to wear pads at this point.
Would you think a lot of riders would benefit from a crash course on how to shift? On Saturdays I can hear the shifting popcorn on the trails is so ___________!
Why saturdays, and why popcorn?
@@ianholmquist8492 Because Saturday is 23 sec longer than any other weekday. Popcorn because statistically every time you shift gear on your bike 1.3 kg popcorn is produced somewhere in the world.
Very useful. Thanks for the tips ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️👍
Thx a lot guys! From an excited newbie!
Imma just say, when and if i brake going down a hill to slow or stop, i use the back brakes. Who in their right mind would use the front?
Most of your stopping power actually comes from the front so if you need to stop quickly use the front brake 👍🏽
@@rcmore1470 yeah, true. whenever i use disc brakes tho I go off of the bars cuz I don't lean back enough. i guess its mostly mee but that's the reason I don't have a mtb anymore right now.
@@ThatOneEnby88 oh sorry you hear you don’t have your mtb anymore 😕
@@ThatOneEnby88 also you need to lean back of course, but you need to modulate the brake 👍🏽
@@rcmore1470 found out the hard way. better me surviving than the bike. luckily, I only had minor injuries but I'm good now. just got to save for a new mtb.
I didn't know people go this fast while riding a mountain bike 0_0
Awesome video guys thank you!