This post is the first of a weekly series on riding tips.  These are just some of the things that I work on that may help beginners and experienced riders alike.  I am not a racer or professional rider of any kind.  These will be tips that I have used to make my riding experience even better.  If you have any suggestions for content or an article of your own, send it my way via info@mtbtrailreview.com.  These articles will be posted every Monday.

STAYING LIGHT ON THE BIKE

One of the things that greatly improves my riding is to constantly remind myself to stay like on the bike.  The general premise of staying light is remembering that you are supposed to be working with the bike on the trail…not against it.

I am sure everyone has seen a “heavy rider”.  This has nothing to do with the rider’s weight, but how they handle the bike.  Every hit is taken sitting down, they are getting bounced around all over the place on the trail and they normally complain about rocks and trail features.  The reason they are having such a bad time is because they are expecting the bike to do all of the work for them.

Today, we have numerous suspension designs that not only smooth out the trail, but they also allow us to ride with more control and speed than ever before.  Dual suspension bikes were never designed with full time seating in mind. When you ride heavy, you ride slower and more out of control by fully relying on the bike.

“Staying light on the bike” is a concept that is pretty easy to understand.  While riding the trail, I am looking ahead of me for obstacles, descents, flats and climbs. As these approach, experiment with the bike and your weight to manipulate the bike and suspension and see what makes the ride harder or easier.

Here are some examples from my own riding experience.

• Flowy Sections – I am constantly loading and unloading the suspension to smooth out the ride.  This creates better grip and faster cornering while still under control.  During these sections, you should almost never be seated on the bike.
• Climbs – Seated climbing is not a time to forget about staying light. Get used to lofting the front end over roots and rocks.  Sometimes you will even lift out of the saddle to make the rear tire clear objects easier.
• Downhills – Arm/leg pump…you should be compressing the suspension a lot during these runs.  Bring the bike down when you need ultimate traction and unload it for obstacles to take the edge off.  Your tires will engage the soil much better and your ride will be a lot less bumpy than before.

I know what you are thinking (beginner riders), this sounds like a lot more work.  In reality, it isn’t.  Keeping your body on the bike while “riding heavy” requires much more energy than “riding light.”  You will also increase your skill level faster by keeping these things in mind.  This is something that all riders are working on and never perfect.