In January I set myself 2 mountain bike riding targets for the year, then added another later. I’ve achieved 2 of the targets in the form of a ride with over 4,500 feet of almost exclusively off road ascent and a short, twisty, downhill sprint, where I wanted to beat the fastest time recorded byContinue reading “Trying to train.”
Tag Archives: MBR
Having fun on a bike.
I don’t mean to upset road riders but riding on the road is about the thrill of speed and the pleasure you get from pushing yourself to perform. Mountain biking has all of this but also gives you the chance to pit yourself against the trails which are determined to slow you down. There isContinue reading “Having fun on a bike.”
Back to life!
I haven’t ridden my mountain bike for 13 days, which is almost without precedent. We went for an 8 day holiday in south west England and although I’d intended to get a lot of riding done in the week before we went I was thwarted by the weather. I only managed one bike ride andContinue reading “Back to life!”
Training for our holiday.
My wife, Ali, and I are going away next week for a holiday which is likely to be a smorgasbord of cultural delights. So why should I need to train? Well this time I’m not taking a mountain bike and it’s unlikely that I’ll engage in any aerobic activities for the entire week. What IContinue reading “Training for our holiday.”
Brushing up on my cornering technique.
Each month I receive a copy of Mountain Bike Ride magazine (MBR). I bought the first ever edition many years ago because it was clearly aimed at adults, whilst the other UK options at the time seemed to be oriented towards the youth. I haven’t always read the mag. but for a few years I’veContinue reading “Brushing up on my cornering technique.”
Getting back to basics.
I read in the magazine Mountain Bike Rider (MBR) that on every ride you should have at least one thing you want to work on. I agree that every ride should have a purpose and today I decided to go back to the basics of riding trails, particularly narrow, twisting single track trails. But whyContinue reading “Getting back to basics.”
Finding grip in wet conditions.
I haven’t been able to ride for 4 days so was glad to get out today. I almost didn’t. My wife informed me that she needed to waste 2 hours of my time in the afternoon and when we arrived back home we had a short rain shower. This made me change my plan toContinue reading “Finding grip in wet conditions.”
There are 2 types of corners. Here’s how to ride them.
There are 2 main types of corner and I use different techniques when I ride them. You may read different interpretations in mountain bike magazines like Mountain Bike Rider (MBR) but I believe my ways are better! Many corners have a berm, a banking which allows you to maintain your speed and helps to steerContinue reading “There are 2 types of corners. Here’s how to ride them.”
Becoming one with the bike.
You can just sit on a mountain bike and steer it along the trail. It’s an enjoyable way to see the countryside. If, however, you want to improve your speed and general competence you need to become one with the bike. The bike has to be an extension of your body through which you senseContinue reading “Becoming one with the bike.”
The mountain bike press.
I bought my first mountain bike magazines in 1992 and found that the US mag. Mountain Bike Action was the best at the time. The UK mags. seemed to be too orientated towards the youths, not the adults but were in other ways more relevant to the developing UK MTB scene. Cross country racing eventsContinue reading “The mountain bike press.”
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