*ON BRAKING* "To get any bite at all from the rear break, you need to have your butt over the rear wheel. In fact, on a really steep descent, your saddle should be under your stomach." *ON SHIFTING* "Always maintain pedaling when approaching a climb. If you coast in, you increase the chance that when you resume pedalling you'll be in a gear that's too large. Then you bog down." *ON JUMPING* "Landing takes a little practice. Usually, the smoothest landings are rear wheel first or at least both wheels together. The main thing you want to avoid is a front wheel landing, which can cause an endo." *ON CRASHING* "A particularly bad crash is an endo downhill. As the bike tips up on the front wheel, pull a foot and extend that leg over the handlebar. Take a giant step as the other foot releases, and leave the bike tumbling behind you. After that, you have to half- run, half- slide as you try to stop." *ON DOWNHILLS* "Vision is the key to descending. The faster you go, the faster things happen. If you are concentrating on the trail in front of you, it severely limits your speed. Instead, you should scan the terrain, looking up to the farthest point on your horizon for new developments." *ON SADDLES* "A level saddle works well for the road, but for mountainbiking I recommend tilting the nose down a degree or two." *ON ROUGH TERRAIN* "Ride so that the bike floats beneath you. Get into the attack position on choppy ground so you can soak up the chattering with bent arms and legs." These tips are from |
