Getting instruction is very important. The only problem is where to find good instruction in certain areas as well as someone who is teaching the right technique. If you like to read, first read “ mountain bike like a champion” by ned overrand and pick up lee mccormicks book on mastering mtb skills. I dont agree with everything Lee says as it is backwards from some, but its a great start to get you visualizing what you need to do.
Sore hands:
I seem to get sore/aching hands which (I think) are from gripping the bars and braking. In road riding I have a loose grip, but on the MTB my hands felt like they were much more actively gripping.
Is there anything I need to change setup wise? Or is this just something I’ll get used to?
You nailed it. I coach:
holding the bars like you would hold a Baby’s arms.
one finger on the brake (make sure your brake angle doesnt trigger too much pain and numbness.) Also, Bay sweep is important and a few degrees makes a wild difference. Make sure your wrists arent overly dropped. I know some very good racers who ride like this and they suffer through numb hands and fingers more than they should.
Remember, you are over gripping because you arent confident yet.
As you are turning, create forward pressure from the outside arm in the turn. You dont have as much grip on MTB, so bike body separation is key while staying centered over the BB and tire contact patch to create grip vs, just moto lean on a road bike.
You are as light on the bar as possible, not leaning on the bar the whole time. This required a well developed core. As a mountain biker, I can tell you that my Drop bar bike (offroad) is much more tiring on the arms (specifically Tris) than a MTB. Now the MTB will hit my shoulders in a much different way
Berm/Pump
I think these are related, but I don’t get the timing of pumps in the trail and lose all momentum.
Similarly, I’m not sure what the right position is for berms to gain traction and successfully pump out of them.
Are there any cues which might help?
This is where i start day one with NICA riders. Most people dont know where they are going wrong until they are filmed. It would be best to be filmed, coach, and read up on this. there are different types of berms.
In most cases, you want :
- Bike body separation first and foremost and out of the saddle
- braking done before the berm. often hard and sudden
- You’ve already scanned the berm before entering
- You are looking at and then past the exit which will turn your shoulders and help you through the turn without feeling stuffed. You can carry more speed because the front isnt copressing and freaking you out. Exaggerate this
- In big constructed berms, I like outside foot down, or outside foot forward and flat crank. This opens the hips toward the exit.
- In loose berms braking is your enemy.
- I find if you put everything above together, but need a touch of traction for the slingshot affect, ill apply a little weight on the saddle at the point where im about to create a nunch of force that will result in a slide.
Drop offs;
One of our trail features is a sequence of repeat 30cm drops through a rock garden. Something about the sequence is throwing me…
On small drop offs (curb height) and for one offs it’s fine. But on anything much deeper I feel like the front wheel is just dropping, at which point I instinctively bail from the next step in the sequence.
I’ve tried doing a small manual off the ridge to keep the front wheel more level, but that didn’t seem to work.
I’m not out of control or crashing, but it doesn’t feel like I’m fully in control either.
Do I need to keep the weight further back when I go off the ridge? Conscious I need both wheels to land at roughly the same time so that I can control the direction I’m heading in.
Peak and push. Watch slow motion video and see what is happening in skilled riders. Perhaps have yourself filmed in slomo as well.
Self reflection is often the key o seeing what is going on. Ill film my self on gnarly features some time to figure out where I may be failing. Sometimes when you play it back, the line is so obvious.
The little gorilla tripod to hold your phone is your friend. It can be stashed in a jersey pocket comfortably and can wrap aroudn a tree branch or balance your phone anywhere.