Mountain Biking 101: Standing and staying loose

As much as anything else, the ability to “stay loose” on the bike is a paramount skill in off-road riding.

A rider who always stays seated in the saddle is either an extremely accomplished one, and can “clean” almost everything, or a complete beginner, who crashes a lot.  In the first case, appearances can be deceiving.  That extremely accomplished rider is coming out of the saddle, but like the equestrian dressage rider, this expert is so good that the controlling motions do not show.

Standing on the pedals is a skill.  This act allows the rider to let the bike “float” over smaller or rougher obstacles, and permits good weight transfer from front to back and side to side.  Bicycles are not inherently stable, they are dynamically stable.  Mountainbikes even more so.  Oddly, many adult cyclists are not comfortable getting out of the saddle.  On the road, this limits the ability to generate a lot of power suddenly, or to do dynamic rest while on prolonged climbs.  Two valuable tools are missing from this rider’s kit.  But off road, the situation is much more complex.  Inability to stand, and maintain a loose, fluid relationship with the bike makes life much more complicated and difficult.

Take one simple example.  There is a fairly large bump in the trail ahead, followed by a sharp turn.  If the rider stays seated, and tight, the bump will cause the rider to be bounced up out of the saddle and slightly out of control of the bike.  This makes setting up for, and negotiating the coming turn more difficult.  An accomplished rider will stand before encountering the bump.  Then, with legs and arms limber, the rider will let the bike move smoothly upward, and then back down, while maintaining control.  Then the rider returns to the saddle, and guides the bike smoothly through the ensuing turn.

The ability to transfer weight forward and back is essential to climbing steeper, uneven ground, and of great importance when descending the same “pitch.”

It cannot be overemphasized, staying loose and limber results in smoother riding, and few “unplanned excursions.”  A rider who can maintain a casual relationship with the saddle will be a rider who can find the “rhythm of the trail.”

Learning How:  Practice this on pavement first, preferably away from other riders and traffic.

The Basics:

• Bring the bike up to a comfortable and stable speed, usually a bit more than 10 mph.
• Lower a favored foot on the pedal to the bottom of the crankstroke.
• Take a firm grip on the bars.
• Transfer weight to the “down foot” and stand up out of the saddle.
• The bike will tend to lean and turn, as the weight is shifted off-center; counter this with pressure on the bars, and by shifting upper body weight.
• Let the bike coast in this position for 30 seconds of so, and then return to the saddle.

A bit more advanced technique:

• Start out as above, but…
• This time, shift to a gear that will allow application of power.
• Start the movement with the favored foot at the top of the crank, in the “power position.”
• Apply force to the favored foot, and stand on it as the bike is accelerated.

Gaining expertise:

• This time level the cranks, making them horizontal.
• It will feel better with a particular foot (the left or right) forward.  Don’t fight this now.
• Now stand, keeping both feet level.
• Note, you are in a higher position, but bike is more balanced.
•  

Work both feet:

• Once you have become somewhat accomplished at the above…
• Practice the same drills with the “wrong foot.”
• Work these drills until they become natural.

Today’s Term(s):

Auger  v.  To crash in such a way as to drill into the ground.  Any really hard impact.  Usually accompanied by a spiraling motion of the rider and bike on the way in.

Endo v.  A situation where the bike abruptly halts, and then bike and rider flip over forward.  Frm End-over-end.

Face Plant v.  To crash in such a way that the rider’s face is the first point of impact with the ground.

Hamburger n. the condition of skin, post auger when geological contact was made with sharp rocks such as on a shale skree slope.

Road rash  contact dermatitis; an allergic reaction of skin to moving asphalt or gravel.

Scorpion v.  Refers to the act of performing a specific kind of forward fall, in which the rider stays attached to the bike.  The end result is that the rider is lying belly-down arms outspread, head in the direction of previous travel, with legs curled above the back, and the bicycle still attached to the feet, dangling over the rider’s head.

The Zone n. a state of mind experienced while riding. You don't think, you just do. A truly mystical experience that can't be fully explained, but when you get there you'll know it and strive to reach it again.

Zone out v. a state of mind where you think you've reached the zone, but you really just stopped paying attention to what you're doing. Usually used as an excuse for a particularly embarrassing crash or fall.

This series, running every Tuesday, is intended to help those who are new to mountain bike riding.  By no means is it an exhaustive treatment, but it is our fond hope that it will help you, the beginner, to begin to enjoy riding your bike off road.

Future Topics:

Grace

Hydration

Bike Types

Trail Care & Maintenance

Track Stand

Bunny Hop

Wheelie

“Cleaning” the mud

Your next mountain bike  or  Mountain Biking 201