Mountain bike riding 5 tips
Point 1: posture skills
For not very skilled mountain bike riding partners, how is the normal posture: first, the first point: lower upper body, a little overlooking, looking down on the road 10 meters ahead, head slightly inclined to reach forward; two hands naturally bent, can not be too straight, two hands too straight are easy to hand numbness, fatigue, hands bent, easy to facilitate the waist arch flexion, reduce the body's center of gravity, while preventing the impact generated by the bike bumps The two hands hold the handlebars lightly but strongly, and the buttocks sit firmly in the seat.
Point 2: Pedaling skills
There are three methods of pedaling for cycling: toe down, free foot pedaling, and heel down.
2.1, toe down: This kind of pedaling is characterized by the fact that the toe is always down during the whole cycling process. This method has a smaller range of motion of the ankle joint, which is more conducive to improving the frequency and easy to master, but the leg muscles are always under tension, which is not conducive to natural passage through smaller places.
2.2, freestyle pedaling: At present, some excellent athletes mostly use the freestyle pedaling method. In this kind of stirrups method, is the foot in the process of rotating for a week, and according to the different parts, the ankle joint angle also changed. Freestyle stirrups, in line with the principles of mechanics, the direction of force is consistent with the circumferential tangent formed when the stirrups rotate, reducing the knee and thigh action amplitude, which is conducive to improving the stirrups frequency, naturally through the critical area, reducing the dead spot. The thigh muscles can also be relatively relaxed. However, this method of pedaling is difficult to master.
2.3, heel down: heel down pedaling method is toe slightly up, heel down 8~15 degrees, this method is rarely used in normal riding, only a few people use the heel down pedaling method when they make excessive transfer force in the process of riding. It is characterized by a short period in which the muscles change their state of exertion and get a short rest to restore the purpose of muscle fatigue.
Point 3: Turning skills
3.1 Tilt method
The body of the bike is a line, tilted toward the corner. The body weight is based on the bike tilting inside the curve, the person and bike maintain the same tilt angle. Straighten your outside knee and subconsciously put some force on it, as if you were going to push the pedal down (but if you do push it down, be careful not to slip to avoid falling). Use the inside knee against the beam, this is a good way to adjust your trajectory and reduce pressure to reduce the bend. The outside hand pulls up slightly on the handlebars. Two good times to use lean: You can use it for less sharp turns (less than 45 degrees) to accelerate a corner that you can see ahead of but are unfamiliar with two drawbacks of leaning on wet asphalt roads. In the rain, although this turning technique can give you good traction, its angle, weight distribution, and arrangement are not very conducive to wet roads; the tilt technique is not as sensitive as the corresponding twist.
3.2. Turning method
Keep the bike more upright and tilt the body towards the bend. Move forward until the nose and brake handle are in line. Keep the bike upright, tilt your body inward (enough to straighten the outside arm), and tilt the handlebars toward the inside of the curve. Bend the elbow of the inside arm to pull the handlebars back while the outside arm pushes the handlebars out to turn the handlebars. Keeping both knees buckled in, continue pedaling.
Point 4: Uphill and downhill riding techniques
Uphill and downhill riding techniques are important basic techniques for mountain biking.
4.1: Downhill Riding Technique
Uphill riding should maintain normal pedaling action, not sudden force. In general, it is not advisable to use the standing riding or lifting riding method, otherwise, it will consume too much energy. When you encounter a short-distance slope, you should make full use of the inertia principle of object motion, pedal easily, and use standing riding when you get to the top of the slope to increase the speed as much as possible and create favorable conditions for downhill acceleration. When encountering a long uphill, adjust the transmission ratio according to your physical condition in time, don't wait until you can't ride and the speed drops completely before changing the transmission ratio, and resolutely avoid the phenomenon of restarting. When the slope is long or there is a steep slope, you can alternately use the standing riding method to transfer the force parts and let some muscles get rest.
Do not follow the bike too close when going uphill. Because of the uphill force, the line often swings around, with the bike too close, may occur collision. Furthermore, the speed drops significantly when going uphill, and following the bike will instead restrict your riding method.
4.2: Downhill riding techniques
Downhill riding to achieve the desired effect, we must be brave and resourceful, bold and careful, concentrated, with both eyes closely watching the road ahead, ready to decisively deal with any situation on the road; not only to make full use of the bike movement inertia glide but also to dare to take the initiative to pedal, increase the speed.
When turning, the body and the bike should be consistent, and tilt inward, and the upper body and the bike to maintain a straight line to overcome the centrifugal force. The tilt angle depends on the speed and the size of the curve, but generally not more than 28 degrees, otherwise, there is a risk of slipping. Control the speed of the bike before the turn. Decelerate gradually by using the point gate method. When braking, use the front and rear gates at the same time as far as possible, the front gate can be slightly advanced, using the front gate, the direction of the front wheel and the direction of the bike forward are required to be consistent, otherwise, it will cause a fall due to the rider's weight and the bike's inertia being restricted. Release the gate after entering the curve to avoid unnecessary deceleration. Do not use the rear brake too hard on the bend. Otherwise, the bike may turn around or slip.
Point 5: Tips on braking
The front brake gives you very good braking power, but it can also turn you into a trapeze, so here we show you how to brake. Shift your weight back when using the front brake. When you use the front brake, your weight will naturally shift forward due to inertia. You must practice consciously shifting your weight backward (body down, butt back) when you start braking. The more you move your weight back, the more braking power you can use. You can practice on sandy or somewhat slippery flat ground, picking up speed using different forces to depress your front and rear brakes to learn how to control your brakes. Or ask an expert how he uses his brakes while riding. Reduce the power of the front brake when turning
As with driving a bike, you have to reduce your speed when turning. If you press down hard on your brakes while turning, you will create a side slip and lose control. Use both your front and rear brakes to reduce your speed while turning. Your front wheel response will be reduced when braking, so by reducing the front brake force your turn will be more seamless. If you are in a sharp downhill turn and need to use your brakes, try to use the rear brakes as much as possible. If you are on a flat surface, lower your weight back at the last minute when braking with 30% of the front and 70% of the rear braking force to make the braking action. Don't over-press the front brake. "Inertia is your friend", you need speed to get through rocks and obstacles. Otherwise, the wheels will stop turning and throw you over the handlebars. Excessive pressure on the front brake will shift your weight forward and cause the front end to dip. If you use the front brake in a tight downhill turn, you must control your front and rear brakes at the same time, not pressing them too hard all the time.
