What things do I need to cover in an idiot's guide to MTBing
Discussion
I wasn't sure how to take it when I was told I was the ideal person to write an idiot's guide to mountain biking for a local mag.
As with trying to explain anything you're interested in to those who aren't there's a fine line between confusing them and sounding condescending, so I wondered if people could lend a few suggestion as to what topics I should cover for first time MTBers.
The idea currently is something along the lines of:
Introduction - adrenaline buzz, great exercise, bike week etc.
Different disciplines - cross country, downhill, freeride, trials, possibly BMX (a paragraph on each to outline what they are).
Types of bike - rigid, front suspension, full suspension, different types of brakes. Maybe a glossary of jargon.
Associated gear - choosing a helmet, basic tools.
Good practice/general tips - brief mention of the countryside code and a few safety tips like staying hydrated, carry a mobile phone etc. Maybe basic maintenance like changing a tyre (possibly too basic?)
Closing section
I suppose it's maybe for people who have a rusty old Halfords bike in the garage and are contemplating getting it out again. I'd happily spend the entire article geeking over the latest Norco range and using a string of adjectives like 'gnarly' and 'rad', but I fear that's not quite the audience I'm going for.
Any points you think I should cover?
Edited because I realisd 'BMW' wasn't in fact a biking discipline!
As with trying to explain anything you're interested in to those who aren't there's a fine line between confusing them and sounding condescending, so I wondered if people could lend a few suggestion as to what topics I should cover for first time MTBers.
The idea currently is something along the lines of:
Introduction - adrenaline buzz, great exercise, bike week etc.
Different disciplines - cross country, downhill, freeride, trials, possibly BMX (a paragraph on each to outline what they are).
Types of bike - rigid, front suspension, full suspension, different types of brakes. Maybe a glossary of jargon.
Associated gear - choosing a helmet, basic tools.
Good practice/general tips - brief mention of the countryside code and a few safety tips like staying hydrated, carry a mobile phone etc. Maybe basic maintenance like changing a tyre (possibly too basic?)
Closing section
I suppose it's maybe for people who have a rusty old Halfords bike in the garage and are contemplating getting it out again. I'd happily spend the entire article geeking over the latest Norco range and using a string of adjectives like 'gnarly' and 'rad', but I fear that's not quite the audience I'm going for.
Any points you think I should cover?
Edited because I realisd 'BMW' wasn't in fact a biking discipline!
Edited by Chris71 on Thursday 24th April 11:19
The thing that is always missed is sizing and fit. The number of people I've seen riding MTBs that are either too big or too small is staggering. Even simple things such as adjusting your shifters and brakes so that they fall to hand a lot of people ignore. So many people just leave them as they were when they picked it up from the shop.
The technique section needs to cover some real basics that most mags assume are tacit knowledge for most people.
Such as:
Heels down when descending.
Hang over the back wheel when descending.
How to roll over obstacles
Cranks flat when free wheeling
Look where you want to go, not what you're trying to avoid.
If at speed turn left to go right and vice versa (counter steering)
When cornering your weight should be through outside foot and inside hand and bodyweight should be over the front wheel.
How to stand up on a bike, i.e. how to let the bike do the work whilst you let it move around under you.
How to come down a hill, i.e. like skiing speed can be your friend, look for areas of good traction where you can brake and manoeuvre, where its muddy of slippery let the bike do what it wants.
How the gears work - down to the level of little ring makes it easier to pedal.
Some basic navigation route finding stuff
Some basic first aid stuff, i.e. collar bones, c spine, head injuries, etc. and what first aid kit you should take with you, i.e. antiseptics, plasters bandages, space blanket.
These are all questions my wife has come up with in the past.
HTH - if I think of any more I will add them.
The technique section needs to cover some real basics that most mags assume are tacit knowledge for most people.
Such as:
Heels down when descending.
Hang over the back wheel when descending.
How to roll over obstacles
Cranks flat when free wheeling
Look where you want to go, not what you're trying to avoid.
If at speed turn left to go right and vice versa (counter steering)
When cornering your weight should be through outside foot and inside hand and bodyweight should be over the front wheel.
How to stand up on a bike, i.e. how to let the bike do the work whilst you let it move around under you.
How to come down a hill, i.e. like skiing speed can be your friend, look for areas of good traction where you can brake and manoeuvre, where its muddy of slippery let the bike do what it wants.
How the gears work - down to the level of little ring makes it easier to pedal.
Some basic navigation route finding stuff
Some basic first aid stuff, i.e. collar bones, c spine, head injuries, etc. and what first aid kit you should take with you, i.e. antiseptics, plasters bandages, space blanket.
These are all questions my wife has come up with in the past.
HTH - if I think of any more I will add them.
i usually start with the history of it, go right back to the repack and work forward. it explains the disciplines well and where the sport is now.
gear (specifically helmet) and bike sizing are crucial, see that a lot as well. a good fitting bike will make the world of difference to the enjoyment factor.
maybe mention bike centres, as going to some of these places can really enlighten folk as to how could mountain biking can be.
gear (specifically helmet) and bike sizing are crucial, see that a lot as well. a good fitting bike will make the world of difference to the enjoyment factor.
maybe mention bike centres, as going to some of these places can really enlighten folk as to how could mountain biking can be.
Some interesting stuff, thanks guys.
Hadn't thought of mentioning the history of mountain biking - that would make a really good introduction.
I had thought about making some reference to trail centres (or 'where to ride' in general), but we have the problem that it's supposed to be a local magazine and whilst the local trails are surprisingly good for a half hour training ride on the edge of London, they're really nothing worth writing about.
I think frame sizing is a very important part of choosing the right bike and I'll definitely be covering that. I was just thinking of the usual 'leg 80 to 90% extended at the bottom of the stroke, a couple of inches clearance to the crossbar and slightly bent arms'.
Technique is another useful suggestion. My riding style (if you can call it that) is completely self-taught and I'd never really thought of trying to analyse or teach a particular technique. I'm not sure I'd want to go into countersteer at this level (it's not a technique I completely understand myself), but certainly things like loading the outside pedal in turns, looking where you want to go and rolling over obstacles would be good.
I suppose the idea is to enthuse people and persuade those who occasionally ride round the local parks to be a bit more adventurous. The audience aren't mountain bikers. Yet.
Hadn't thought of mentioning the history of mountain biking - that would make a really good introduction.
I had thought about making some reference to trail centres (or 'where to ride' in general), but we have the problem that it's supposed to be a local magazine and whilst the local trails are surprisingly good for a half hour training ride on the edge of London, they're really nothing worth writing about.
I think frame sizing is a very important part of choosing the right bike and I'll definitely be covering that. I was just thinking of the usual 'leg 80 to 90% extended at the bottom of the stroke, a couple of inches clearance to the crossbar and slightly bent arms'.
Technique is another useful suggestion. My riding style (if you can call it that) is completely self-taught and I'd never really thought of trying to analyse or teach a particular technique. I'm not sure I'd want to go into countersteer at this level (it's not a technique I completely understand myself), but certainly things like loading the outside pedal in turns, looking where you want to go and rolling over obstacles would be good.
I suppose the idea is to enthuse people and persuade those who occasionally ride round the local parks to be a bit more adventurous. The audience aren't mountain bikers. Yet.
Chris71 said:
Some interesting stuff, thanks guys.
Hadn't thought of mentioning the history of mountain biking - that would make a really good introduction.
I had thought about making some reference to trail centres (or 'where to ride' in general), but we have the problem that it's supposed to be a local magazine and whilst the local trails are surprisingly good for a half hour training ride on the edge of London, they're really nothing worth writing about.
I think frame sizing is a very important part of choosing the right bike and I'll definitely be covering that. I was just thinking of the usual 'leg 80 to 90% extended at the bottom of the stroke, a couple of inches clearance to the crossbar and slightly bent arms'.
Technique is another useful suggestion. My riding style (if you can call it that) is completely self-taught and I'd never really thought of trying to analyse or teach a particular technique. I'm not sure I'd want to go into countersteer at this level (it's not a technique I completely understand myself), but certainly things like loading the outside pedal in turns, looking where you want to go and rolling over obstacles would be good.
I suppose the idea is to enthuse people and persuade those who occasionally ride round the local parks to be a bit more adventurous. The audience aren't mountain bikers. Yet.
Actually failing to counter-steer is a huge cause of accidents at trail centres. A ride will come down a trail too quick and fail to make the corner - just run wide and go over the top of the berm.Hadn't thought of mentioning the history of mountain biking - that would make a really good introduction.
I had thought about making some reference to trail centres (or 'where to ride' in general), but we have the problem that it's supposed to be a local magazine and whilst the local trails are surprisingly good for a half hour training ride on the edge of London, they're really nothing worth writing about.
I think frame sizing is a very important part of choosing the right bike and I'll definitely be covering that. I was just thinking of the usual 'leg 80 to 90% extended at the bottom of the stroke, a couple of inches clearance to the crossbar and slightly bent arms'.
Technique is another useful suggestion. My riding style (if you can call it that) is completely self-taught and I'd never really thought of trying to analyse or teach a particular technique. I'm not sure I'd want to go into countersteer at this level (it's not a technique I completely understand myself), but certainly things like loading the outside pedal in turns, looking where you want to go and rolling over obstacles would be good.
I suppose the idea is to enthuse people and persuade those who occasionally ride round the local parks to be a bit more adventurous. The audience aren't mountain bikers. Yet.
It is worth covering as it is the only way to corner when travelling quickly. The reason why I would class it a basic technique is because the first thing you do when you get a bit of confidence is to go faster, which is a bad time to realise that you've run out of talent and you can't get the bike to turn an sharper.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countersteering
That Wikipedia article makes interesting reading - the basic jist seems to be that (counter)steering causes the bike to lean and this lean causes it to go round the corner. Likewise, when you come to straighten the bike up, you steer in the opposite direction (counter-counter-steer!) to right it.
It's the clearest explanation I've yet heard of counter steer - and that for me is the concern. I've got a good grasp of dynamics and I'm a reasonably competent rider, yet it's still not an easy concept to take in. I think trying to explain it properly would be beyond the scope of the article, but perhaps a quick reference to the concept that you have to "turn left to to right" might be an idea.
It's the clearest explanation I've yet heard of counter steer - and that for me is the concern. I've got a good grasp of dynamics and I'm a reasonably competent rider, yet it's still not an easy concept to take in. I think trying to explain it properly would be beyond the scope of the article, but perhaps a quick reference to the concept that you have to "turn left to to right" might be an idea.
I've never contemplated counter-steering on a bicycle - and have occasionally had 'moments' when I've been unable to tighten my line around a fast corner, which can be disturbing at 40mph plus.
I'll give it a shot at the weekend and see what happens. Should be fun down on the tri-bars...
I'll give it a shot at the weekend and see what happens. Should be fun down on the tri-bars...
Nick_F said:
I've never contemplated counter-steering on a bicycle - and have occasionally had 'moments' when I've been unable to tighten my line around a fast corner, which can be disturbing at 40mph plus.
I'll give it a shot at the weekend and see what happens. Should be fun down on the tri-bars...
That's why you weight your inside hand when cornering - it pushes the bar away from youI'll give it a shot at the weekend and see what happens. Should be fun down on the tri-bars...
For your target audience, I would think counter steering it a little too "advanced" really. You only really need it if you're tonking along a trail at full pelt which I'm guessing your audience won't exactly be doing 
To fully understand counter steering, you need to understand gyroscopic precession which is both simple and fiendishly tricky to get your head round. Basically a force exerted on a rotating mass (your wheel) has an effect 90 degrees further round the rotating mass in the direction of rotation. So pushing the bars the opposite direction will effectively cause a force at the top of the wheel which leans the bike over in the direction of the corner you want to go round
To fully understand counter steering, you need to understand gyroscopic precession which is both simple and fiendishly tricky to get your head round. Basically a force exerted on a rotating mass (your wheel) has an effect 90 degrees further round the rotating mass in the direction of rotation. So pushing the bars the opposite direction will effectively cause a force at the top of the wheel which leans the bike over in the direction of the corner you want to go round
Nick_F said:
I've never contemplated counter-steering on a bicycle - and have occasionally had 'moments' when I've been unable to tighten my line around a fast corner, which can be disturbing at 40mph plus.
I'll give it a shot at the weekend and see what happens. Should be fun down on the tri-bars...
You have - you probably just don't realise that you're doing it.I'll give it a shot at the weekend and see what happens. Should be fun down on the tri-bars...
In fairness, though, when you start to do it more deliberately you suddenly discover you can take tighter corners that bit faster.
One thing missing from the Wiki article with reference to motorbikes in particular is that when coming out of a corner, rather than steering into the corner to bring the bike up, most people just open the throttle a bit and let the gyroscopic effect of the wheels bring the bike upright. That's a bit more tricky on a pushbike with lighter, slower-moving wheels, so counter-steering is far more effective.
Yep, according to the Wiki article (and a PhD'd dynamics boffin and motorcyclist I work with!) counter steering is a fundamental part of turning a bike. The best demonstration of this is a guy in the states who welded solid bars to a sportsbike and then invited people to try and steer it by lean - nobody could.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/boating/1...
So, basically if they can ride a bike (and I'm not here to teach them that!) then they're doing it already! I think advanced (conscious) application of it is just likely to confuse them.
Anyway, back on topic - any other suggestions?
http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/boating/1...
So, basically if they can ride a bike (and I'm not here to teach them that!) then they're doing it already! I think advanced (conscious) application of it is just likely to confuse them.
Anyway, back on topic - any other suggestions?
Chris71 said:
Yep, according to the Wiki article (and a PhD'd dynamics boffin and motorcyclist I work with!) counter steering is a fundamental part of turning a bike. The best demonstration of this is a guy in the states who welded solid bars to a sportsbike and then invited people to try and steer it by lean - nobody could.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/boating/1...
Great experiment poorly presented IMO.http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/boating/1...
Should have pointed out that it's the counter-steering that precipitates the turn and the "body English" is what's used to balance the bike during the corner.
I appreciate that I must be doing it unconciously in order to get the bike to turn-in in the first place; what I'm interested in is learning to use it to tighten the line once well into the corner when 'more lean' just doesn't seem to do it.
Tribars are an added complication, as is the fact that the geometry of my bike means I don't stand a cat's chance of re-learning how to ride with no hands, which I used to do with great confidence many years ago, and which forces you to think a bit more about which way to make the front wheel point in order to turn-in because it requires a concious 'flick'.
I'm strong enough - and heavy enough - to travel at serious speed downhill and occasionally question whether my bike handling skills are up to it; particularly with iffy braking on carbon rims.
Still, Cycle2Work MTB is now on order, so when that turns up at least I'll be able to practice on grass rather than on the road.
Tribars are an added complication, as is the fact that the geometry of my bike means I don't stand a cat's chance of re-learning how to ride with no hands, which I used to do with great confidence many years ago, and which forces you to think a bit more about which way to make the front wheel point in order to turn-in because it requires a concious 'flick'.
I'm strong enough - and heavy enough - to travel at serious speed downhill and occasionally question whether my bike handling skills are up to it; particularly with iffy braking on carbon rims.
Still, Cycle2Work MTB is now on order, so when that turns up at least I'll be able to practice on grass rather than on the road.
Nick_F said:
I appreciate that I must be doing it unconciously in order to get the bike to turn-in in the first place; what I'm interested in is learning to use it to tighten the line once well into the corner when 'more lean' just doesn't seem to do it.
That's just it; if you need to tighten your line, then a tad more counter-steer does it. The extra lean then comes as a result, not as the cause.Pretty much all your body weight should be going through the outside pedal to give the tyres the best grip on the road (if unclipped you should be able to lift your inside foot off the pedal without affecting your balance). To tighten your line you put more pressure on bar with your inside hand.
If you're not conscious of what you're doing, it feels like you're leaning further in order to make the turn but in fact your turning harder which induces more lean.
We were discussing the right of access stuff the other day. A lot of people I know just ignore footpath signs now on the basis that walkers quite happily use dedicated MTB routes as footpaths. That and the fact we quite often get abuse for pedalling on bridleways.
Interesting topic. I suspect we'll end up getting banned before long - MTBs will go the way of green laning.
Interesting topic. I suspect we'll end up getting banned before long - MTBs will go the way of green laning.
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