Useful Tips You Should Actually Know for Downhill Mountain Biking

If you want to challenge the gravity work on your bike, you can try the downhill mountain biking. Downhill mountain biking is a rush practiced on some steep and tough terrains. Doing a downhill mountain biking can make you feel the freedom and release the bikes full potential. There is nothing better than doing some trials to break the common life.

For many fresh downhill riders, they might fear the fast speed and some scary rocks or other obstructions on the road. So today the following is to introduce some tips for the downhill mountain biker, no matter beginners or experienced riders.

Relax
The first thing you should do is to relax. Downhill is about having fun. Most parks have “flow” trails which are some good places to start. Generally speaking, you can find the terrain that is a sustained downhill with occasional curves and small jumps. You can practice around them on the first run.

Let the bike do its job.
(1) practice
You should buy one DH bike for yourself. The DH bikes are made of the downhill mountain biking terrain, which is very stable at speed. Make sure to lower your seat to keep it out of play. You can equip with dropper posts for your bikes-- they are awesome on any bike.



If you are the first time to ride on a new trail or one you do not know very well, it is not the best time to start your limits. You should get better at mountain biking just like any other sport—practice and repetition, which will make you better.

(2) Equipment
You should use your best suspension compress for your bikes. A good suspension can help you release the impulsion from high speed. In addition, if the stiffer you keep your body, the more possibility you are going to be out of control. So you should keep a loose grip on the bars.

Wearing the protective gear is important for beginners. If you are worried about missing the next week of work because of a crash in an area you never know, you should really need to wear the protective, such as knee pads. They can not only protect your vital limbs but also have a placebo effect which makes you looser a little on the trail. The safer you feel, the more confident you are.

Body position
Body position is a key factor and the most fundamental thing in your downhill mountain biking. Once you have learned this, you will be well on your way.

(1) Hands
Firstly, adjust your handlebar to fit your feeling. Before lowering the bar to size, you should think about where you naturally run your hands on the grips and ensure this position is the place where your hands are located when setting up your controls.
The height of brake lever is also important. Generally, if you ride naturally with your weight towards the rear, you should consider moving them closer to horizontal because that will help your hands and arms form a straight line. If you ride naturally stay with staying more central or further forward on your bike, you should tip them further down. Rolling your bars forward or back in the stem in a few degrees can also make a difference in riding position.



The grip width is considered to be very important by many people. The Too skinny grip can force those with bigger hands to hold on a little tighter. But as with all things here, you must experiment for yourself to find out the best for you.

(2) Feet
Your feet are used for both deploying powers through the pedals and absorbing the force coming up from the trail, which will form another essential contact point. Setting your cleats and pedals up properly is a key. The size of your feet can influence your setting and you should set them not too far forward or back, or will cause inefficient pedaling and, at worst, knee pain. You can also use a drop of correction fluid to help mark the starting position of your cleat in the shoe before you start experimenting.

(3) Keep your body weight centered.
When you watch a downhill rider on a steep spot, it will look as if he is just standing up on the pedals. Actually, when you need to respond to the changes in terrain, you have to stand up enough that have room to move up and down, or you can’t move the right direction for you to go. Furthermore, you should use your arms and legs as additional shock absorbers. Keeping your elbows up can give you optimal control.



Brakes
In your downhill mountain biking, your brakes are also the fundamental thing. Once you have your weight in the right position and you’re going to fly down the hill, it’s time to move on to your brakes.

For beginners, braking is a recovery measure for them that are used for when they realize they’re too fast. They are more prone to brake and will harsh use of the brakes at the last minute or in an emergency, which will cause one or both wheels to skid and lead to loss of control of the bike. But for experienced riders, they use brakes pro-actively to prepare the bike’s speed and direction before a corner.

So knowing when to brake is an important part of braking for your downhill biking, which can give you enough time to slow down gently without grabbing a handful of brake and losing control. You should keep at least your one finger on the brakes at all times to allow smooth braking rather than grabbing the brake lever. You should also look at braking when you ride in the standing attack position which allows a greater braking force to be safely used and covers progressive braking.

Look where you want to go
Please pay attention to looking where you want to go and stay committed at speed, all the way through a turn to where you’re going. Keep focused with your eyes, your scapulae, hips, and your bikes and you’ll maintain traction all the way through a corner.