Mountain Biking

beed84

So, I have an Orange P7 in the shed and I'm fairly certain it was made for more than just getting me to work and the shops.  I've always fancied relatively proper mountain biking like treks and trails, and downhill stuff with jumps and mud. I've just never known where to really start. I've biked to wooded areas near me but that's about it.  Being in Yorkshire I'm sure there's a wealth of places to go, too.

Is anyone into this sort of thing? If so, any tips on how to get started?

MtB

Try this one - I just tapped in "trail centres" to google and got this one:

http://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/visiting/see-and-do/attractions/sutton-bank-national-park-centre

Our cycle trails use a mixture of natural and man made trails similar to those found in a purpose built trail centre. Using the same style of trail marking, the mountain biking trails available are:

• Cliff - family friendly 3 mile 'green' circular off-road cycle trail, mostly level, part of which follows the famous cliff edge.
• Fort - 7.5 mile 'blue' trail with 361m ascent/descent (70% stone, 30% natural surface) runs out past the site of the Iron Age fort at Boltby Scar. A shorter loop of 5.5 miles avoids the ascent/descent and is suitable for families. The Fort route also includes part of the Cliff Trail along the cliff edge.
• Drovers - add a little more distance and variety without increasing the difficulty on the 'blue' 10 mile figure of eight trail which passes High Paradise Farm for refreshments.
• Paradise - a 17-mile 'red' trail for experienced mountain bikers, through some of the most breathtaking scenery in the National Park. Expect a few technical features and a steep climb or two.

Unlike a trail centre, large parts of our routes make use of existing bridleways that are shared with walkers and horse riders. Please consider other users, and expect to come across some gates too. 

MtB

Doing the same but with "mountain bike trail centres yorkshire" brings up 6 or so specialist trail centres - all of them have websites...

strtdv

The P7 is pretty long and slack so should be well able for trails and even a bit of light downhill.
Basically just find some local trails, start on blue trails and work your way from there, ideally the trail centre should have a pump track to develop handling skills and teach you how to smooth out some bumps and jump off others.

I sadly gave up on the MTB as I'm a roadie at heart and didn't have the time to do both, but it's definitely good fun.

Also I'd consider some elbow and knee protection as well as full finger gloves with some padding, you will fall off every so often and speaking from personal experience a fractured elbow isn't a lot of fun (although not a serious injury)

beed84

Excellent. Thanks @MtB, even if you did make me look like a troglodyte 

MtB

You might want to service the bike, make sure everything's up to the job - as this type of riding will find any faults - plenty of life left in the brakes, etc?

Get yourself a sports rucksack to take puncture repair equipment, some energy bars and plenty of drink - if you're doing it right you'll be sweating buckets!

I also found this to be useful to give you an idea of what pressure you should be running your tyres at off road - makes a HUGE difference to the way the bike handles on the dirt: http://mtb.ubiqyou.com/  ;

And get yourself a decent tyre pressure gauge.

Kinioo

Find a local MTB group, they will take you from there....trust me.
And then, one bike wont be enough, probably (same as with guitars) n+1

littlegreenman

And then lose yourself in the world of all things offroad...

m_c

A decent trail centre is the best place to start. Start on the easy trails and progress from there.

I'd also suggest getting some coaching to make sure you're doing things right from the start.

If you want some reading material, get a copy of Mastering Mountain Bike Skills by Brian Lopes/Lee McCormack, and/or Mountain Bike!: A Manual of Beginning to Advanced Technique by William Nealy (old, but nearly everything in it, is as valid as when it was written, and the drawings are brilliant!).

ewal

I've ridden a road bike for years and got a mountain bike last year. I've managed to some decent cross country routes, but my god it has exposed by crap bike handling skills. Would love to be able to ride like a proper mountain biker, but at the moment it feels beyond me.

m_c

@ewal that sounds pretty typical. You have to learn how to work the bike, move on the bike, and to let it move. It's not just sitting and spinning like on a road bike.

Basics to cover are the circle of movement i.e. how much you can let the bike lean under you, and how far forward/backward you can move (the William Nealy book I mentioned above covers this aspect very well).
Next would be braking, which is all about getting your weight back and braking as hard as you can with the front brake (rear brake should only be used for minimal braking).
Then mix in cornering, which the basics are pedals level with outside foot leading/inside foot trailing, lean the bike into the corner but get your weight over the bike (to maximise traction, think about getting as much weight on the outside grip and pedal as possible, so your weight is concentrated over the tyre contact points).

After that, think about wheelies, and bunny hops. The main thing from these is actually learning about unweighting the bike, and not about getting the wheels of the ground. Being able to just unweight the wheels is the difference between ploughing over an obstacle usually killing momentum, and just glancing over an obstacle and keeping speed.

DiscoStu

Yeah, just get out there on the trail centres but if you can't then at least go round a local wood or cycle path. It's all better than nothing!
I'm lucky, I have woods near my house that the local MTB club have built routes in plus there are recognised trails nearby. I haven't been out in a while but I've reckon you've spurred me on to get back in my stride!

Teetonetal

Get yourself a lesson or get on a skills course.  Mountain biking is like skiing; posture is everything. Get it right from the start and you will develop exponentially. The suspension you get from the bike is nothing compared to what your body offers... traction comes from weighting / unweighting more than from the tyres... start right and enjoy more.

TTBZ

I love mountain biking, so much so that after uni I saved up and spent a summer basically riding Whistler Bike Park every day which was amazing. As above start off with trail centres and build your confidence gradually.

If you really want to improve and build confidence a skills course is a great idea. I went to Tony at UK Bike Skills to build up my confidence after having a few big crashes and it was exactly what I needed. I haven't had a big off since despite my best efforts, and that was about 7 years ago. A lot of people scoff at the idea of a skills course to ride a bike but Tony's reputation speaks for itself. 

Sadly don't get much time to ride at the minute and I miss it! Have a road bike for exercise but it's just not the same. Seems like we have enough on here to meet for a ride somewhere? I always found riding with others helps build confidence and skills. 

beed84

Thanks chaps. All the tips and pointers are much appreciated. I'll look at getting the Nealy book and will aim to get myself booked on to a skills course/trial centre. As for making sure my ride is all okay, I did have my bike serviced recently, but he did advise that I get a new crank fitted. Something to do with the teeth/gears and the chain slipping. I chose cheap tyres too so I possibly want to get something a bit more durable. Either way, I'm looking forward to the challenge!

TTBZ said:

Seems like we have enough on here to meet for a ride somewhere? I always found riding with others helps build confidence and skills. 

Sounds like a great idea to me; however, when it's warmer please. I'm like a girl when it's cold. 

BigLicks67

I posted this a while ago, I believe it is Sherwood Pines in Nottinghamshire, so not too far from some parts of Yorkshire.

beed84

@BigLicks67  Awesome video. Very inspiring. Thanks for posting that!

robbie

Great vid

John_P

Pop over to Dolby forest and bomb around on the trails.  If you like being off road then you can get more involved - I’m a wuss and don’t like the more serious stuff but I enjoy get off roads and exploring tracks and trails.  

cruxiform

@BigLicks67 Thanks for posting that video, I found it really uplifting!

beed84

John_P said:

Pop over to Dolby forest and bomb around on the trails.  If you like being off road then you can get more involved - I’m a wuss and don’t like the more serious stuff but I enjoy get off roads and exploring tracks and trails.  

Thanks for the prompt. I've just arranged to go with a mate who's been before. When it gets a little warmer though. Can't wait to bezz about and tear up some dirt!