MTB Tech Tips & Advice

These are our Experts' top tips for taking your mountain biking to the next level, and keeping it there.

Jans Mountain Recreation Experts

MTB Tech Tip #1

When you come to a climb, especially the steep ones, bend your elbows and lean forward. This keeps the front wheel on the ground and your weight on the back tire for traction.

MTB Tech Tip #2

When you approach a significant climb, just before you get there, ‘pre-shift’ down so you are in the right gear for the climb when the going gets tough. This keeps your momentum up and avoids stalling.

MTB Tech Tip #3

For uphill switchbacks, 1) Try to carry momentum into the turn, 2) Downshift if necessary before you get there to avoid stalling, and 3) Keep your weight forward so the front tire tracks through the tight turn.

MTB Tech Tip #4

Momentum is your friend. Carry a little speed into a technical section and stay relaxed with your weight appropriately forward or back, and you’ll float through it instead of having to grind it out.

MTB Tech Tip #5

Going through bumpy terrain, remember that speed is your friend – up to a point. You don’t want to hit a rock garden so fast that you blow up, but having momentum will help the bike roll over the bumps and not stall.

MTB Tech Tip #6

When going downhill around switchbacks, put your outside foot down and put your weight on it, kind of like skiing. Lean the bike into the turn while your upper body remains more upright. This keeps the front wheel tracking and really carves the turn.

MTB Tech Tip #7

The performance aspect of proper hydration is often overlooked. If you don’t get enough water, your muscles don’t last as long and aren’t as strong. Your balance and coordination also suffer so technical sections are harder. Carry water. It’s worth the weight.

MTB Tech Tip #8

When racing (or just for kicks), you can carry your speed further into a turn if when you get there, you get your weight back (and low) so that you can use more front brake. The front brake is more powerful so you slow down quicker. You can also get on the pedals again sooner because your back tire isn’t locked up.

MTB Tech Tip #9

Let the bike float through bumpy terrain. It helps to stand up, move your weight back a little (or a lot if necessary) and keep your arms relaxed to absorb the bumps. Your grip should also be relaxed because as your grip tightens, your arms stiffen and then the bike stops floating and starts bouncing.

MTB Tech Tip #10

To keep your speed up on fast cross-mountain sections, as you come into a tight corner or switchback, get your weight back and low as you start to brake. This allows you to use more pressure on your front brake and helps you slow down over much shorter distances.

MTB Tech Tip #11

On fast corners, lean the bike into the turn, but keep your body upright and your weight on the outside pedal. This puts downward pressure on the tire treads on the edges of the tread pattern and helps keep the bike from washing out.

MTB Tech Tip #12

A little lift on the handlebars will help the bike clear most smaller obstacles and keep you from stalling. The front shock will do most of the work, but it’s a lot easier to keep your momentum if you can help the bike up and over that log or rock. Timing a strong pedal stroke to coincide with the little lift on the bars will help on the bigger obstacles.

MTB Tech Tip #13

On long non-technical climbs, get your elbows out and away from your sides. This lifting spreads your rib cage and makes air intake easier and deeper.

MTB Tech Tip #14

When your legs are tired, shift down (i.e. make it easier to pedal); when your lungs are tired, shift up; when both are tired, stop for a rest.

MTB Tech Tip #15

If your legs are tired, lower your gears, if you lungs are tired, raise your gears, and if both your legs and your lungs are tired, then rest. Just remember ‘legs are lower and lungs are higher’.

MTB Tech Tip #16

To keep your speed up on fast cross mountain sections, when you come to a short uphill or "step-up" of less than four to six pedal revolutions in your current gear, stand up and power up it instead of downshifting and grinding it out. Sometimes it even helps to shift up a gear to give yourself something to push against.

MTB Tech Tip #17

When coming into a switchback, after you have looked at it to find your line and to check out any corresponding obstacles, quit focusing directly on the turn and look “through” the switchback to your exit point. This helps you concentrate on when you can start accelerating again and keeps you from slowing down so much that you make the turn harder than it really is.

MTB Tech Tip #18

Body English is a good thing. Mountain biking is a contact sport. Use some grunt (and even a hip or pelvic thrust, just like in old fashion pinball,) and don’t be afraid to stand up and muscle the bike up and over some obstacles. If you do stand, you may need to apply slight upward pressure on the handlebars to keep the back tire from losing traction.

MTB Tech Tip #19

On steep technical climbing sections, get your elbows in and bend them deeply to get your weight forward and keep the front tire from popping up. Keep your butt on the seat if possible to keep the back tire from losing traction.

MTB Tech Tip #20

Bumpy terrain sometimes calls for timing your pedal strokes so your pedals aren’t hitting rocks and roots. This takes a little practice, but the ability to pause your pedal cadence when you can see your crank is going to bang into a big rock will save you several nasty crashes.

MTB Tech Tip #21

When coasting cross-mountain, have your downhill foot back. This helps the back wheel track without washing out on loose dirt or bumpy terrain and means you just have to pedal forward a quarter stroke when coming into the next switchback to get your outside foot down.

MTB Tech Tip #22

Water is always worth the weight. It is very dry here (summer humidity levels can range from 25% to 35%) and your sweat will mostly evaporate before you even know it. It is very easy to get dehydrated. On a ride of less than 10 miles, a 70 oz. CamelBak should do it. Anything longer requires a full 100 oz. CamelBak and more than 20 miles probably calls for a 100 oz. plus a water bottle. Wallsburg calls for 140 oz. on a cool day. On long rides, you probably want to put an electrolyte mix or an electrolyte/energy drink mix in the water bottle. It’ll help prevent bonking and cramping.

MTB Tech Tip #23

Bike maintenance matters. It's dry out here which means water for you and chain lube for your bike. A little lubrication will make shifting smoother and significantly reduce the likelihood of breaking your chain – which is a serious pain out on the trail. Lightly lube your chain every 2 - 3 rides, then aggressively wipe off the excess. The dryness here also means dust, and dust clings to wet chains like filings to a magnet. If you do get gunky buildup, an old toothbrush does a nice job of cleaning it.

MTB Tech Tip #24

Time trials are a great way to improve your riding. Just pick your favorite ride (of generally 10 miles or less) and time yourself. Then try to do it faster next time. If you do this regularly, the first improvements will likely come from you getting in better shape, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The bigger improvements will be you figuring out how to handle switchbacks better, how to get over those tough obstacles without a hiccup, and how to flow through that serpentine section hardly touching the brakes.

MTB Tech Tip #25

On steep downhill switchbacks, use both brakes to get your speed down to a manageable pace before you get to the turn, but once you get in the turn, stay off the front brake if at all possible. This keeps the front tire spinning which means it can guide you around the corner without washing out, or worse locking up at slow speeds which definitely isn’t good.

MTB Tech Tip #26

On tight switchbacks, stay as much to the outside of the turn as possible to allow the bike to maintain momentum. Cutting to the inside on a tight switchback, uphill or downhill, almost always means a missed turn.

MTB Tech Tip #27

Some jobs are best left to the experts. When your bike isn’t shifting right, and you can’t fix it, take it to a pro. Not being able to get to the right gear exactly when you want to makes for a masochistic affair with your bike, and that’s just sick and wrong. Show your bike some love. When it needs help, take it to someone who can make it all better. It will make you a better rider, and you’ll both be a lot happier.

MTB Tech Tip #28

Front tire placement matters; except when it doesn't. On a long climb, if you can steer around rocks and roots easily, do so. Each bump adds rolling resistance which just makes you work harder. On technical sections, quite often proper front tire placement is the difference between clearing an obstacle or doing an endo. Sometimes, however, when the obstacles aren't overly large, you can't worry about where the wheel goes – you just have to add some oomph to your pedal stroke. Pull a little on the handle bars and grunt up and over the obstacle(s.)

MTB Tech Tip #29

On technical climbs, when you see obstacles ahead try to build some momentum going into the technical section so you don’t have to try to grind through areas that may offer less than stellar traction. Obviously, this doesn’t work if the climb is so steep that you can’t really accelerate or if that section is steep for an extended time, but it works really well if you can pull it off. Most obstacles mean less traction, particularly roots and loose rocks, so if you can use momentum to help carry you through a tough section, it’s much better than getting the front tire over an obstacle just to have the back tire spin out.

MTB Tech Tip #30

Check your tire pressure before every ride. Proper tire pressure prevents pinch flats and sets the bike up for the terrain. Find the pressure you like by experimenting. Higher pressure for easier rolling, less pressure for better traction, but be careful since not enough pressure is the recipe for pinch flats. A guy of 170 pounds might start with a base line of 42 psi in the front and 44 psi in the back on a 26” wheel (10 psi less for tubeless,) while a girl of 125 pounds might want to try 35 psi in the front and 38 psi in the back as a reference point (5-7 psi less for tubeless.) The larger tires on a 29er require 6 to 10 psi less than a 26” wheel, and drop that another 5 psi for tubeless. You can adjust to personal preference and terrain.