11 Mountain Biking Tips for Beginners

Picture this, It’s the fall season, the air is crisp and fresh, and you’re trying to get in touch with your inner outdoorsman or outdoorswoman. Your friends wouldn’t really describe you as the adventurous type, but you aspire to alter your personal narrative. You decide that whitewater rafting is far too dangerous, and the pumpkin patch isn’t dangerous enough. After evaluating your circumstances, you decided to pick up mountain biking as your new adventurous hobby. Cool choice but, you don’t know where to start. Finding the right bike and appropriate trails for your skillset is key. Luckily, we'll show you some tips and tricks for mountain bikers who are just starting out.

1. Fully Utilize All Gears

Mountain bike trails can be super daunting. It’s not quite like riding up and down the neighborhood street. There are numerous steep inclines and unforeseen, sharp downs often within a couple meters of each other.

The best way to prepare for these sudden changes is to shift the gears before you need to. It will maintain momentum, which is a pretty awesome physics concept that’ll prove to be useful on the various types of terrain you will encounter on your mountain biking adventures.

2. Be Prepared to Make Simple Repairs

On mountain biking terrain, you’re going to run into more issues on the rugged surfaces than riding on the pavement. Learn some basic repairs that will keep you riding and out of the woods should something go awry.

At the very least, you should be able to repair a flat tire, repair a broken chain, replace brake pads, and maintain suspension components. Look up some shops near you online to find a solid repair guy or gal who can teach you these repairs.

3. Ease into the Brakes

Like most beginners, you’re going to be intimidated heading into one of your trails. This is completely natural. During your ride, you might even freak out and squeeze the brakes as hard as humanly possible. Don’t do this.

Mountain bike brakes are meant to regulate your speed and downhill speed on, you guessed it, MOUNTAINS! They are very powerful. Just a gentle grasp should be sufficient to keep you from flying off of your bike.

Adjust your speed for the special obstacles like stone arrangements and tight corners. When approaching a really hot turn, DO NOT hit the left brake. If you do, you will slide, and you will be sent over your handlebars face-first.

Hit the right brake instead. You might skid, but you’ll stay upright. Remember, right brake!

4. Practice Uphill Biking

You’re going to want to be in a lower gear for this. In a lower gear, you will put more power in your pedaling and increase your pedaling frequency. Try to remain seated while biking uphill in this low gear. Lean into the handlebars towards the edge of your seat.

Make sure your tires have adequate traction to avoid the risk of popping your front tire as that could possibly happen on a steep incline.

5. Practice Downhill Biking

Riding down big hills can be hair-raising and frightening. Don’t worry, there are ways to overcome this fear. Look ahead, focus on your environment with your eyes, and your bike will follow your decisions.

That piece of advice will take you far as you store it in your mountain biking knowledge repertoire. When you’re going downhill, shift your bike into a higher gear and adjust your seated position towards the rear of the seat. Bend your elbows for shock absorption and nimbleness.

6. Know Your Level of Fitness

Mountain bike riding is akin to High-Intensity Interval Training. Flat sections of the terrain where you can go fast, quick dips, and intense climbs can lead to overexertion and wipeouts.

Want to increase your distance and physical durability on a mountain bike? Ride achievable distances and carry at least two water bottles of at least two liters.

Make sure you have proper electrolyte balance using sports drinks and replenish your carbohydrates each hour to keep you trekking along the trail.

7. Know your Trails and Terrain

Luckily, we have the internet today. Search and read about mountain biking trail advice. There is a multitude of maps out there that provide essential information about various points of access, difficulties, and distance.

Match the trails to your skill and levels of fitness. Be sure you read up on exactly where the up and down trails are located. Pushing your bike up a steep incline trail sucks and is no fun.

8. Get the Appropriate Helmet

It’s ok to be a beginner. But it is not cool to blatantly show it! Don’t be that person wearing the wobbly helmet that won’t even strap on.

Be sure that you purchase a helmet that fits cozily and securely to your head with chinstraps that bind under your chin but don’t choke you.

9. Familiarize Yourself with Your Bike

Be sure that your mountain bike is right for you. If the seat is too high, you can’t let that fly. If the seat is too low, the terrain is going to blow. There’s truth to these sayings. If too high, you risk imbalance and chafing. If too low, it will cause muscle fatigue and knee pain.

Do not ride uncomfortably. It is not worth the long-term pain it will cause. Always do a quick inspection of seat, brakes, tire pressure, and wheels to ensure that everything is set before taking off.

10. Stay Loose and Nimble

The role of your mountain bike is to withstand possibly the roughest and meanest terrains out there. With that said, let the bike do its thing. Keep your body loose so that the bike can work beneath you.

Lift your gluteus maximus off of the seat a little bit when you’re riding on rocks, shrubs, and things of that nature. The more granular the terrain, the more space the bike needs to work.

11. Be Prepared but Don’t Overpack

The thing with mountain biking is that you never really know where the trail will take you. While you don’t know where the trail will take you, I can assure you of this, the ride will be long, it will be strenuous, and there is a very high likelihood that you will NOT encounter a CVS.

Always pack a little more food and water than you think you’ll need. Help may not be around the corner if something goes wrong. You may not even have cellular phone service while you’re out and about.

Be proactive and always carry the apparatus you need. A spare tire tube, a portable pump, and a multitool will go a long way in preventing any potentially dangerous mishaps on your mountain biking adventure.




Mountain biking can be a lot of fun when you’re prepared. You’ve made it to this point in the article. What are you waiting for? Your inner outdoors person senses are tingling. Start riding!