Must-have tips and tricks for your first ride

1. Posture

When riding a mountain bike, the upper body is lower, the head is slightly tilted and stretched forward; the arms are naturally bent, which is convenient for the waist to bow and lower the body's center of gravity, and at the same time prevent the impact force caused by the bumping of the car from being transmitted to the whole body; the hands are light and powerful Grip the handlebars, and sit firmly on the seat with your buttocks.

2. Pedal

There are three types of pedaling methods for cycling: freestyle, toe-down, and heel-down.

(1) Freestyle pedaling method

At present, some excellent athletes mostly adopt the freestyle pedaling method. This pedaling method means that during the rotation of the foot, the angle of the ankle joint changes according to the different parts. Freestyle pedaling conforms to the principle of mechanics, and the direction of force is consistent with the circle tangent formed when the pedal rotates, which reduces the range of motion of the knee joint and thigh, which is conducive to increasing the frequency of pedaling, passing through the critical area naturally, and reducing the dead point. The thigh muscles can also be relatively relaxed. But this pedaling method is more difficult to master.

(2) Toe-down pedaling method

The characteristic of its pedaling is that the toes are always downward during the entire pedaling rotation process. This method has a small range of motion of the ankle joint, which is conducive to increasing the frequency and is easy to master. However, the leg muscles are always in a state of tension, which is not conducive to natural passage. critical section.

(3) Heel-down pedaling method

The heel-down pedaling method is that the toes are slightly upward, and the heel is 8-15 degrees downward. This method is rarely used in normal riding, and only a few people use the heel-facing pedal when they make excessive adjustments during riding. The following pedaling method. Its characteristic is that the muscles change their exertion state in a short period of time and get a short rest to achieve the purpose of recovering from muscle fatigue.

3. Turning skill one: tilt method

(1) The center of gravity of the body is tilted inward based on the vehicle, and the vehicle and the person maintain the same tilt angle

(2) Use the inner knee against the beam, and reduce the pressure to reduce the curvature 3 The outer hand slightly pulls up the handlebar

Turning Skill Two: Handle Direction

(1) Move forward until the nose and the brake handle are in a line

(2) Keep the bike upright, lean your body to the inside of the bend, 3 turn the handlebars to the inside of the bend, 4 keep both knees inward, and continue pedaling

4. Bike uphill and downhill bike skills

(1) Uphill riding technology

When riding uphill, you must maintain a normal pedaling action, and not use sudden force. Under normal circumstances, it is not advisable to use standing riding or pulling riding, otherwise, it will consume too much energy. When encountering a short-distance slope, you should make full use of the inertial principle of object motion to pedal easily. When you are approaching the top of the slope, you can use standing riding to increase the speed as much as possible to create favorable conditions for downhill acceleration. When encountering a long uphill, you should adjust the transmission ratio in time according to your physical condition. Don't wait until you can't ride and the speed has completely dropped before changing the transmission ratio. You must resolutely avoid the phenomenon of restarting. When the slope is long or there is a steep slope, you can alternately use the standing riding method to adjust the parts of the force and let some muscles rest.

(2) Downhill riding technology

To achieve the ideal effect when riding downhill, you must be brave, witty, bold, careful, focused, keep your eyes on the road ahead, and be ready to deal with any situation on the road decisively at any time; Dare to take the initiative to pedal and increase the speed. When turning, keep the body in line with the car, lean inward, and keep the upper body and the car in a straight line to overcome centrifugal force. The angle of inclination depends on the speed and the size of the curve, but generally should not exceed 28 degrees, otherwise, there is a risk of slipping. Control your speed before turning. Use the method of point brake to gradually decelerate. When braking, try to use the front and rear brakes at the same time. The inertia of the car is limited and causes a fall. Release the brakes after entering the curve to avoid unnecessary deceleration. Do not use the rear brake too hard on curves. Otherwise, the car may turn around or slip.

5. Braking skills

(1) Move the center of gravity backward when using the front brake

When you use the front brake, your weight will naturally move forward due to inertia, you have to practice consciously shifting your weight back (lower body, rearward ass) when you start braking. The more you move your center of gravity back, the more braking power you can use. You can practice on sandy or slightly slippery flats, get up to speed and apply different pressures on your front and rear brakes to learn how to control your brakes. Or ask a master how he uses the brakes while riding.

(2) Reduce the power of the front brake when turning

Just like driving a car, you have to slow down when turning. If you apply your brakes hard while turning, you will skid and lose control. Use both your front and rear brakes to slow you down when turning. Your front wheels will be less responsive when braking, so if you need to use the brakes on a sharp downhill turn, try to use the power of the rear brakes as much as possible. For example, on flat ground, when braking at the last moment, lower the center of gravity back to use the braking force of 30% in the front and 70% in the rear to perform the braking action.

(3) Do not press the front brake excessively

"Inertia is your friend", you need speed to get over rocks and obstacles. Otherwise, the wheels will stop spinning and throw you over the handle. Excessively pressing the front brake will shift your center of gravity forward, causing the front of the car to roll down. If you use the front brake on a steep downhill turn, you must control your front and rear brakes at the same time, and don't press them too hard. At this time, you can release and press the brake to prevent braking A deadlock phenomenon occurs.