Mountain Bike Technique
The Trade off
Having just witnessed many disciplines at the 2023 World Cycling Championships I thought it fitting to delve into that classic British idiomatic phrase that is thrown around at such times and hopefully inspire some of you to take a moment to review your approach to your riding regime, the equipment you use and the cycling endeavours you choose. I hope...
Crags and Slabs
Bedrock, boulders, and slick slabs of stone are some of the key elements that make up the quintessential mountain bike experience. For those of you who are lucky enough to live in such areas, these staple trail elements are less demanding. But as many riders live miles away from the mountains, some of you may find yourself getting in above...
Riding Ruts
Love or hate them, ruts and deep-scoured sections of the trail are something that we are likely to encounter at some point in our mountain bike experience. If you ride fall-line wild trails on soft ground or lap race courses in the wet then that narrow groove cut in the dirt will be a familiar nemesis that can end a...
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The Workman's Tools
All too often what you are riding is seen as the biggest limiting factor to the trails you can tame and the speed you can carry. Magazines and videos are filled with highly skilled riders on super pimped steeds riding super technical terrain, descending at speeds only previously considered achievable with the aid of a zip wire. Technology clearly plays...
The Art of Fast
You're fit (or fit-ish), your bike is the same calibre as your buddy's, but you just can’t seem to carry the same speed that they do. How is it that some riders seem to accelerate away from you with comparative ease, all with seemingly less effort? This issue we look at some key pointers as to how to carry more...
Back Behind Bars
Although we would all like to think that we will always ride, come hell or high water (and if you are in the UK this winter you will have faced plenty of the latter), the truth is many riders will take a longer than normal break from their time in the saddle from time to time. Health, circumstance, workload, injury,...
Linking Skill to Link Features
Never Break The Chain Welcome, and welcome back to the regulars and thank you for joining us for another instalment of the Progression Sessions. This issue we delve into the subject of linking, that is both linking the features in the trail and looking at how we connect our core skills and technique to help keep speed and generate that...
Cornering - Round The Bend
Curvaceous, bodacious Have you a craving for carving cool curves and cruising through trails with uninterrupted flow? Well if so stay tuned and read on as we embark on a crusade of cornering bliss with this edition of our core technique. Demanding trails are filled with technical features, of which, some of the most innocuous can cause the most harm...
Wheelie Wicked
Eliminate And Exaggerate This issue is the start of a mini-series where we build on our technique and take a look at some core skills. We kick off with one of the most envied and sought-after skills; the wheelie. This one ticks the box for teens in the high street and estates of the UK as well as the big...