Every off-road mountain biker knows the distractions of an ungroomed wilderness trail. There are gullies and ruts, unexpected drops, rocks and other obstacles that can shock you with a jolt.
It’s easier to ride a bike with lots of travel, meaning a model with full suspension. It acts like a shock absorber that recovers smoothly from drop-offs, ruts, and gives you secure traction to help your bike get over a large rock blocking your way in the middle of a trail.
But even a bike with full suspension requires skill to develop the necessary balance and weight shift. That’s why practicing on urban obstacles will put the required skills into your muscle memory, allowing you to make the right move without a startled pause and without having to think about it. Handling your bike no matter what’s in your way becomes automatic, an instant subconscious decision based on experience. The knowledge is stored in your nervous system, so it doesn’t have to take additional time to pass through the brain.
Start practicing on one of the most common urban obstacles: curbs. This will require constant pedaling and a well-timed lift of the handlebars to get your front tire to roll up over about six or more vertical inches, with an instant weight shift to the front tire so the back tire rolls up effortlessly. Keep pedaling without changing pace. Once the back tire clears the curb, return to balancing your weight on both tires. When taking a direct right angle to go off a curb, stand slightly up off the saddle, with the pedals evenly balanced in the ‘three’ and ‘nine’ position.
Train to get the perfect timing of when to lift the handlebars, thus lifting your front tire up over the vertical part of a road obstacle. Use things like low walls to build skill in handling the higher vertical of some trail obstacles. That way, something like a tree trunk fallen across the trail won’t force you to get off your bike and lift it over the tree trunk. You’ll ride over it like an expert, without any hesitation.
It’s also good to train by going in and out of store entrances with your bike in tow so that you develop the capacity to make a smooth move both in and out of the store. It may help to tell the manager that you’re training to build your riding skills, and you would like to come in and out of the store with your bike a few times. Asking for permission is the best way to get it.
When entering or exiting a store or home, always stand between the door and your bike. Otherwise, it will be a crash and bang affair; awkward and ungraceful. This position allows you to hold the door open wide enough to push your bike into and out of the store smoothly.
Look for two features of urban riding that will train your senses for tough single tracks through wilderness. One is the narrow bike trail that cuts through many empty urban lots or fields. Riding this thin trail without wobbling gives you the experience of riding a narrow path through the trees. The other is hills. Build your endurance by riding up these paved hills at a fast and constant pace. Practice riding down steep hills, pushing the red line of your ability. This will teach you to increase your alertness and concentration. It will also teach you the moves of making an instant emergency stop. You’ll figure out the pressure needed for the brakes on each tire. Braking too hard on the front tire while going downhill will cause the infamous ‘endo,’ which stands for ‘end over end over end … ’
The final thing to remember is always power through. Keep pedaling strongly, even though it may be more difficult on gravel or through mud. Powering through no matter how difficult the terrain is will make you stronger and more coordinated. You can use urban riding to make yourself the expert trail rider you’ve always wanted to become.
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Wina Sturgeon is the editor of the online magazine Adventure Sports Weekly
