How to start mountain biking FAQ

Over the last few months we have been answering a few common questions that keep popping up from newcomers to mountain biking. All of these tips and answers can now be found on The How to Start Mountain Biking FAQ - Newbies Guide page at MTBOnline.co.za. 

The questions answered there are

I am starting mountain biking, what bike must I buy? 

I have a mountain bike and want to start riding, do I need to join a club? 

How can I get into riding if I don't want to join a club? 

Where can I go and ride that is safe and not too difficult?

What to wear on your first cycling date.

How do you know what to expect when you enter an MTB race?

How can I learn to do maintenance on my bike?

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Listen to your body

Effective and efficient training has as much to do with following a good training program as it does with listening to your body and taking it easy. I was reminded of this fact last week while trying to do an interval session. After a couple of weeks off following some flu and a niggling cold I was keen to put in some hard efforts to get back up to speed on my now wobbly winter program. After a good warm up and into the third interval I found the going tough and literally gasping for air at the end of the interval. First thought was just ignore how I feel and press on, this is a hard training session after all. But on second thoughts I conceded that maybe this was not a good idea and I should rather tone it down, which is what I did despite feeling down at not being able to complete the intervals.

A week later I was feeling a lot better and did the very same interval exercise. This time I breezed through all 10 intervals and felt great. Thinking back to a week ago the penny dropped that I had made the right decision last week by listening to my body. By doing so, I had not lost out on some training but had in fact allowed my body to rest and recover allowing me to put in a good training effort a week later. Valuable lesson learned.

 

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How can I learn to do maintenance on my bike?

You don't need to be a mechanical guru to do most of your own bike maintenance but you do need to know what to do and how to do it.

The best way here is by trial and error, but you should get some guidance to help you along. If your local bike shop is any good they will be will to advise and help you, if they don't then ask yourself if the are the right bike shop for you. They will also be able to sell you your tools that you need. Checkout our maintenance guide for an idea on what tools you would need and how to use them. The other ideal resource is to get some mtb maintenance books, they will provide a good overview on how to maintain things. For specific details on certain parts you can find most info online at the manufacturers website in their online manuals. Start small with the things that you do on your bike regularly with the basic tools then move onto the more involved maintenance.

With the right tools and practice you should be able to do everything except shock servicing and brake bleeding.

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How can I get into riding if I don’t want to join a club?

Today with the internet, online groups, twitter and facebook there are many other virtual ways to get in touch with people to ride with.

 

The first is to get out to some events or races. Just because they are called races does not mean that you have to be a racer, you can participate in a variety of distances and ride at your own pace. Most of these events are more like gatherings and group rides and you will find it easy to fit in. You can also ask at your local bike shop as many of them also organise rides and have ride groups

 

The other way is to find some ride groups or "clubs" on the facebook where you can interact get info and meet up for some rides. Email or online groups are also easy to join and find out information on where to ride and join in with some group. The most active groups for this is thehubsa, or checkout our facebook page.

 

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I have a mountain bike and want to start riding, do I need to join a club?

Continuing with our newbies guide we ask the question. I have a mountain bike and want to start riding, do I need to join a club?

There are many ways to get into riding and to find people to ride with. Mountain bikers are generally speaking easy going and so you will find most of them very approachable and willing to assist to get someone new onto a bike, they love to share!

Clubs are still the traditional and most comfortable route to start out riding for most people. Many of the clubs are originally road cycling clubs or a mix of road and MTB, then there are a few that are only MTB. Clubs can also offer you the affiliation to Cycling South Africa which you need of you want to race competitively. Our clubs section has a list of many clubs around the country. Find one in your area and try it out. As with any club they will have rules, committees and a certain way of doing things. If you like the way they do things then you will fit in fine, if not then try another club to try one of the other routes to get into the community.

 

If you are looking for a cause and a club then consider AMARIDER, the African Mountain Bikers Association. Their soul purpose is to build and develop more mountain bike trails.

 

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Newbies guide to getting into mountain biking

Everyone who starts out in mountain biking follows a similar path and asks the same set of questions. So we decided to put together the Newbies guide to getting into mountain biking. Each week we will answer a few common questions that pop up.

 

I am starting mountainbiking, what bike must I buy?

The first thing is to decide how and why you want to ride, for example racing, recreational, trails, downhill, stage races. This will give you some idea as to what type of bike to buy, hardtail, full suspension, 29er, long travel short travel etc. The second step is to understand the options and technology and what is available out there. There are so many options and it comes down to comparing the options and chosing the right type of bike, spec level, size and price. Best source for this is our Buyers guide which contains some basic information on what to look out for when choosing a bike.

 

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So what is your MTB winter carrot?

Riding through winter is not only for the pros or the obsessed bike riding mad mountainbikers. We ride for enjoyment so motivation is not normally needed. But then along comes winter and warm light is replaced by dark cold. So the a great technique to see past the winter is to find yourself a winter carrot. It must be juicy and tempting.

 

There are many options like setting a distance target for the month to keep you on the bike, picking some MTB races through winter to keep you honest, preparing for a big race at the end of winter that needs some focused training or hooking up your trainer in front of the TV everyday for Tour de France. Then the biggest carrot of all is that when you hit spring you will be feeling good and not have to start all over again.

 

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Sweet singletrack at van Gaalens

Sweet singletrack doesn't come much better than the trails you find at van Gallens Skeerpoort MTB trails in the Magaliesberg. It is at this time of year that these trails are in perfect condition, especially the sections along the river. The van Gaalens cheese farm is eaqually accessible from Pretotia and Johannesburg, and is the start location where you will park your car and pay the R40 trail fee, dont worry you will get your moneys worth and then some extra.

 

There are really two sections to the van Gaalens mountain bike trails, the mountain hilly section to the south east of the farm, this is rocky with some tough technical climbs but also some awesome single track down the back of the mountain and the super cool daga pad section down the Skeerpoort pass. The other section to the west is along the river and alot flatter with the tons of singletrack, the furtherst section seriously fast and flowing and then the section closer to the farm that is tighter and more technical.

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Pretoria Mountain Bike Trails

Pretoria has some of the coolest mountain bike trails all located on the South Eastern side of Pretoria in the Fountains area. Here you will find Groenkloof, Voortrekker Monument and Klapperkop. Even though they are in the same general area each of them is a little bit different with some unique features. Combined you could easily find yourself riding 50+ km of some of the best singletrack in Gauteng and finest in SouthAfrica.

Fountains itself has some great singletrack often used for cross country races, but Groenkloof is the most popular with its smooth flowing single track and varied terrain. Voortrekker monument is a bit more challenging with more technical sections and some steep climbs. Try out Klapperkop for some longer climbs and some fast technical descents.

Check out out trail review and video

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More online training fun with Strava

So what now? With Sani2C coming to an end this weekend the racing feast that kick started this year is now finished. So now its time to get off the race track and hit the trails. A while ago we posted about a free online tracking system for your rides, Endomondo, where you can track rides via a GPS phone or GPS and see your ride history online. Well we came across another system www.strava.com that is gaining popularity as it has some new and interesting features.

The main difference is that Strava is slightly more performance orientated as it keeps track of your ride and allows more analysis of your performance measurements from the ride. It also keeps track of who rides where and allows direct comparisons of entire routes or segments of routes. So there are leader boards of the various segments making it really fun to see how you compare to other riders on the same routes. But be warned it can become a bit addictive as timed segments become mini races and quests for KOM status, some call it "Stravacide".

Strava is compatible with Garmin GPS units and has downloadable apps for iphone and Android. You can also import gpx data so if you are on Endomondo just export files and then import into Strava, quite easy really.

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Why maintaining hydration is so important

This weekends racing in Sabie at the MTN marathon and ultra marathon produced some extreme conditions that really test hydration strategies in endurance events. The high temperatures combined with over 60% humidity are a recipe for dehydration. Many participants of the marathon event took 8hrs to finish and the ultra riders were out for anything between 5 and 9 hours. In these conditions unless you have a bullet proof hydration plan you are going to get caught out.

For a two hour ride you could get away with just a bottle of water, for a 4 hr ride maybe a couple of bottles of energy drink, but for an 8 hour epic ride in heat conditions like this you are looking at 8+ bottles of some quality endurance drink. With water pouring out of your body at more than a litre an hour you have to make sure that you are at least replacing the lost salts and then also try to get in enough fluid and some carbs to keep your energy up. Because once you get on the wrong side of the dehydration curve and your appetite and thirst is suppressed and nausea sets in then you are on the brink of shut down, no matter how fit or strong you are. This interesting article Dehydration insport: why it is vital an athlete maintains hydration levels duringexercise gives an informative and well explained background to dehydration.

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Happy holidays - Take your bike with

The holidays are upon us. The next few weeks are a great time to use your extra free time wisely and get in some bonus miles. If you are travelling take your bike with and visit some of those trails that you can never get to. 

If you still have some shopping to do then avoid those malls and go online so that you don't waste any valuable riding time.

As things slow down we will also take a break and head for the hills. 

Thanks for your support as subscribers and followers of our weekly updates. We hope that it has been worth it and look forward to finding more of the good stuff for you in 2012

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Rear view mirror

As we wind down 2011 and speed upto the start line for 2012 we took a look in the rear view mirror of 2011 and all the interesting stuff that we shared through out the year. Here are our top 5 most popular posts for 2011 according to our stats.

# 5: The training experiment

# 4: The journey to the ABSA Cape Epic

# 3: Weather or not mountain bikers should ride

# 2: Howick Mountain Bike Trails video post

And the number one was a world sensation that you will never forget if you have seen it and can't be excused if you have not seen it

#1: The amazing footage of "Buck van der Spuy" and then the follow up Mountain Biker gets taken out by LION - CRAZY Footage -...

Let us know what your favorite post was for 2011 and tell us what you would like to see more of and less of in 2012

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Weather or not mountain bikers should ride

This weekend there was literally a storm in a tea cup down at the Whine2whales stage race in the Western Cape. A rather unseasonal cold front moved through the Cape and brought some seriously wet and cold weather that prompted the organisers to cancel the 3rd and last day of the event. There was mixed reactions from riders and on lookers alike. Burry Stander was clearly having none of it when he tweeted "7deg with wind and pissin rain. no thanks. #dodgedabullet" then there was local Cape rider Shan Wilson who was less than impressed with one of his tweets "This must have been a back line decision from the touch rugby squad!!! Riders signed indemnities!! ". I don't suppose it helped that one of the main sponsors was Maseratti, maybe with a good old Subaru or a Toyota Hilux or even a Nissan bakkie the organisers would have been able to supply the necessary backup and support to finish the race off. You just have to look at the Freedom Challenge to know that there is no limit to where and when you can go on your mountain bike. So was it the riders or the organisers who had to HTFU?

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The training experiment

Mountain bike training and achieving physical fitness may be an exact science but getting it to work is not nearly as exact. There are so many variables at play like the type of activity, length, intensity, age of rider, rest intervals etc. Putting all these things into place forms the basis of a training plan and so the possibilities are endless. However one thing you can be sure of is that experimentation and adjustments to training plans will bring different results. So if you are not performing as you think you should then look at changing your plan. If you are performing then look at your plan and see what it is that you could do to perform even better. Goals, focus and discipline in terms of the overall plans as well as individual exercises will be cornerstones of any successful training experiment. If you need some ideas check out Joe Friel's Mountain Bikers Training bible.

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The secret about tyres

Tyres are usually the last thing you look at when you buy a new bike. Thats quite normal because they are the easiest part to change on your bike once you have it. But many people never do. If you think about it tyres are one of the most important parts of your bike. They affect the weight of your bike on the wheels where it really matters. A saving on your tyres can easily translate to a kilogram or more which is huge for weight on wheels. Then of course the tyres are where you and your bike meet the earth. So the power that you apply to the pedals goes through those knoblies, the traction that you need comes from there and that all important rolling resistance or friction that slows us down is purely a function of your tyres. So pay attention to your tyres next time they may be able to help you more than you think.

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24 hours of mountain biking

So where is the soul of mountain biking at the moment? It seems to move around as the sport of mountain biking evolves and develops. Spend some time at a 12hr or 24hr mountain bike event and you would not be mistaken for thinking that this is where the soul of MTB is. This race format is popular because it caters for many different types of mtbikers. It brings together a group of weekend warriors, you see the baggy clad hippy types, the hardcore solo endurance racer and there is a good laid back vibe with music and beer. All the ingredients for some good fun, then take away the sun and you have a night riding vibe. The route is usually interesting and technical, long enough to be interesting and short enough keep it safe. So pack your cooler box, camp kit, bike and load up your friends and family for a really fun event.

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Help find stolen bikes

Bike theft is a world wide problem, don't think it only happens in SA. There is a great initiative setup to manage the trade in stolen bikes, it is called the National Bike Registry. They are appealing to all buyers and sellers in second hand/used bikes to list serial numbers of their bikes on the net. This in support of a campaign to put pressure on organized bike theft in South Africa ... sometimes under violent conditions. Visit the National Bicycle Registry South Africa at www.nbrza.co.za where you can list a stolen bike and check to see if a bike that you intend purchasing has been listed as stolen. Also report any incidents or keep an eye on @bicyclesafetysa on twitter.

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Medeocre to winner, what does it take?

We received a mail from an aspiring mountain biker Rodney Pedro who is on a mission to become competitive. That got me thinking about what it takes to be world class mountain biker? What qualities do these super humans poses and how much of what they have is talent? Well the most comfortable answer for all of us is just to say that they have genetics and serious talent, that makes us all feel a lot better and lets us justify our own mediocre performance. 

Interestingly training guru Joe Friel has a different view on this. Writing in his blog about excellence he lists the qualities that by experience he has detected in successful athletes coached by himself. They are most importantly of all motivation then discipline, confidence, focus and patience. Notice that he didn't say anything about innate talent, physiology, skills, or even experience in the sport. All of these things can be developed and learned if the other predictors are there. Those predictors are also the same ones that differentiate people who can stick to training programs and those who can't. So if you really want to get on top of your improved fitness or performance then think about your motivation, discipline, confidence, focus and patience.

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Its not about the training program.

Training programs are a dime a dozen and the best training program around is the one that you will follow. If you don't follow it then it doesn't matter how good it is and it is really no better than a blank piece of paper.

So the next time you want a training program then consider some basic sanity checks. Can you make the time to follow it? Is it simple, do you understand it?, Is it flexible, can you achieve it? How realistic it is for you to do considering your current time constraints and fitness level?

Remember that with all training programs what you get out of the program is what you put into it. So its not about the training program its about you.

Oh, and if you substitute coach for program above, then you can draw a similar conclusion.

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