MISC
MISC
Now that your bike is set up correctly and know a few basic riding skills, there's a few other things to consider.
Trail Manners
Other Riders - Obviously you will meet other riders out on the trails. If they are coming towards you on a flatish trail then try to give them room to pass even if you have to dismount. Hopefully if they have a better spot to pull over they will do so first.
If you are descending and see another rider coming up the hill do your best to give way to the climbing rider. It's alot easier for you to get going again then it is for the rider trying to climb if he is forced to stop.
Horses - Sometimes you'll find horses (and hopefully a rider on top) on the same trail. The rider usually knows their horse well so listen to their instructions if they give you any. Until then it's best to slow right up and stop on the side of the trail and let the horse and rider pass. While in the proximity of the horse keep quiet and make no sudden movements.
Walkers and Joggers - The speed difference between you and a walker or jogger is big enough, but on a tight trail it's even worse.
These people will usually do their best to get out of your way, so do them the courtesy of slowing up and thanking them strongly for their effort.
Some of these trail users have dogs with them also, some on leash, some not. Either way, if you see a dog, slow up and give the owner time to restrain, give the dog orders, or at least reassure their dog. Again, thank them for their effort.
Wildlife - We ride in their backyard, please remember that. Man takes more and more of their precious habitat away each year. The least we can do is try to minimise their inconvenience and give them right of way if we encounter them. It's common to see large spiders, small and large snakes, lizards and goannas, Koala's, wallaby's and roo's. Most of these will easily scamper or hop away in time to avoid you. Sometimes though you'll surprize a snake, especially the larger pythons. Simply give them time to move on and enjoy the chance to observe them from a safe distance. This is the best action for when you encounter all wildlife.
Trail Laws
Legal Trails - Although great headway is being made in getting us more legal MTB trails by groups like the GCTA, many that we ride on are grey areas at best and we must show as much courtesy as possible to stop the authorities from banning us from them. Bit by bit MTB only trails are being designated and in the same way there are walking only trails too. Look for the signs.
National Parks - As a general rule National Parks are out of bounds for MTB's. Most National Parks have designated restricted vehicle access tnhat you may be allowed to ride on but certainly no singletracks or walking tracks are legal for mtbing. Check with the park Ranger if you are unsure. I suggest sticking to State Forests.
Permits - Some of the State Forests require permits to be carried. These are currently free and all you need to do is apply for one.
Basic Training and Nutrition
As a new rider you are often amazed at the speed of experienced riders or the fact they ride along chatting the whole ride while you are struggling for breath with muscles that feel like jelly. It seems like those better riders must train extensively to be so much better.
Some probably do train quite hard, but most don't at all. A simple but regular training schedule can have big results for a new rider. The better you get, the harder it is to make big improvements, so as a newbie you are fortunate that any training should help significantly.
For the body to operate efficiently when riding it needs several things. , Fuel, Air and Blood circulation, Waste disposal, Stretching, Strength. Lets look at these briefly.
Fuel - food and water. Without these your body shuts down, we all know that. But when you increase your excercise your body demands more of both. Very quickly, your body depletes the fuel it stores in your body so you need to make sure you enter a ride with a good meal eaten in the preceding couple of hours. If you get hungry during a ride, your body is already suffering and not operating as well as it could. It's best to take something good to eat during a ride that's longer than an hour.
Same goes for water. If you are thirsty then you should be drinking more. Without water your body loses the efficiency of being able to turn the food into energy, get rid of waste etc. I usually ride with a weak mix of gatorade to help replace lost salts, electrolytes and such. On average you should drink around a litre of water every hour of riding. This can vary according to your body size, air temperature and also intensity of the ride.
Air / blood - For your muscles to operate well they need good blood flow. For the air to effectively be used by your body, your lungs and breathing need to be good also. This is where cardio training comes in.
Having some sort of cardio training each week will help to expand your air capacity in your lungs, your blood circulation, and even aid in waste removal for your muscles. Cardio training could be something as simple as doing intense Aerobics in front of the TV, spinning sessions on a magneto or wind trainer, to a complex high paced riding session.
For best effect you are looking at doing these activities at around 80 - 90% of your bodies capability. As a new rider you would probably begin with a cardio session of less than 30 mins and build up a little as you get better. Cardio sessions do not have to be long to give benefit. 1 or 2 of these sessions per week would be plenty.
Waste - Under intense exercise your muscles produce a by product called lactic acid. This is what makes your muscles burn when you are climbing a hill. When it builds up enough it concentrates itself together in your muscles and you find that your muscles simply don't feel as strong as they do normally and start to feel like jelly. The stronger you get and more efficient you get in pedalling etc the longer it takes for lactic acid to build up and the quicker your muscles can disperse it so you can continue riding for longer periods. How efficient your body is in dealing with lactic acid is called your lactic threshold (LT). As a new rider your LT is low and you'll find that burning sensation and even limb shaking quite common.
There are few things you can do to improve this.
Drink plenty of fluid before and during riding for a start.
Also learning to spin the pedals even when climbing puts your muscles under less intense (heavy) load and therefore lactic acid doesn't build up as quickly.
Also at the top of climbs try to not just stop and rest but roll around pedalling easily in an easy gear. This helps your muscles disperse the lactic acid again.
Cooling down with a few minutes of easy pedalling after a ride and also stretching before and after a ride also aids tremendously in removing and reducing lactic acid build up. A leg massage before and after a ride is also an excellent way to reduce the lactic acid.
You can increase your LT by doing a few excercises during the week that make your legs burn. Each week increase the duration you do the excercise.
Stretching - Stretching before any exercise is vital but it's something many people don't do.
If you don't, then your muscles are fighting against themselves (think of it like putty that gets softer and more pliable the more you work it) and are more subject to injury. Because you are riding with this 'muscular friction' instead of nice warm, flexible muscles, your lungs have to work harder due to the effort. This also reduces your energy store for the ride and lactic acid builds up more quickly. Stretch both legs, back and upper body before the ride and definitely at least the legs afterwards.
Strength - Strength is obvious I guess and elite athletes usually incorporate some type of gym program into there schedule to give them a good strong body with which to hone when they train.
As a new rider, doing too much training will only result in you not giving your body time to benefit from the training before you go out and make it hurt again. When this happens you don't improve, you feel tired often, and your muscles are often tender to touch. Time to leave the bike alone for a few days or even a week. Usually after the break you'll find yourself riding better than ever. This is because both mind and body have had time recover and also the muscles have grown a little.
To begin with simply ride your bike for a few weeks, maybe a month or two depending on how often and far you ride, to build up a foundation of muscle strength suited to riding your bike. Try to do at least 1 long ride each week of at least 1 1/2 hours in the saddle. When you can see you've improved somewhat you can then start tailoring a training program that looks at specifics in your riding and goals you hope to achieve. It's usually best to seek informed advice on doing this.
Spares & Supplies
Spares & Tools - By taking the right spare parts and tools, you ensure that you are not a liabilty to others on a ride. Experienced riders will be happy to help a new rider by waiting for them to catch up, showing them how to ride, even helping to fix a flat tyre, but don't tend to be impressed with people riding without so much as a spare tube on them.
A spare tube is the most obvious spare you need for most rides. As a new rider you probably don't know enough about your bike to warrant dragging along lots of tools you don't know how to use. So aside from a spare tube you should at least also take cycling tyre levers. Other tools you may like to take is a set of allen keys (4,5,6mm) in case something becomes loose. A small screwdriver, spoke key, chain breaker and 4 inch shifter are other handy tools to have. You can also buy a cycling multi-tool that incorporates all these things.
Zip ties are another handy thing to have in the event of something breaking as they can be used to repair or hold things out of the way so you can still ride home.
To carry your tube and tools there are 3 basic ways.
Firstly, if you can afford one, a hydropack is the go. It provides pockets for carrying things and also of course you can drink from it.
2ndly, you can buy a tool bag that straps and/or clips under your seat.
3rdly, you can wear a cycling shirt with pockets.
Supplies - A few simple items taken along can help you survive the ride with more smiles than frowns.
1st Aid Kit - A basic 1st Aid kit is one idea. See our 1st Aid page for more details on this.
Food - Getting a hunger flat is a demoralising way to ride. A hunger flat is when you haven't eaten enough and your body is demanding energy that isn't stored inside any more. Take along a simply snack or two and eat at least once in the first hour of the ride. This way your body processes the food and releases the energy for you when you are tiring and need it most.
Suggested snacks are things like bananas, yogurt covered muesli bars, energy bars, bread rolls. You want stuff that is easy to eat and digest. Having some sweet food is ok but not whole chocolate bars for instance. These just give you an energy burst that lasts for a short time. Your body reacts by countering the sugar intake and usually overdoes it and this gives you an energy low.
Basic Bike Maintenance
As a newbie to MTB riding it's likely you know little about looking after your bike.
It's unlikely that you would have the correct tools or know how to use them. For this reason it is reccommended that a qualified bike mechanic carries out any repairs or major work for you.
Here is a list of a few very basic clues to keeping your bike running smoothly.
Washing after a Ride
Washing your bike after a ride is sometimes necessary to ensure your bike runs smoothly. Of course you may be someone who simply likes a clean bike because it just looks better clean.
So what do you wash it with? How should you do it?
Below are our suggestions.
Carwash - I personally like to use carwash solutions as they don't contain harmfull salts or aggressive detergents. For that reason I never reccomend using household cleaners. Quality Carwash's also don't remove any polish you put on either.
Brush - I find a soft bristled brush is the best tool for cleaning the bike. The powder coated finishes are strong enough to within stand the brush.
Make sure you clean around the seals on your forks and shocks to minimise grit scouring the stauntion(s).
Hose - I don't reccomend the use of high pressure cleaners like Karchers etc as they tend to force water past seals on things like headsets and bottom brackets. A Hose set on a medium spray pattern is a safer option.
The Process - Hose the bike completely ina general manner to simply wet the bike, or more accurately, wet the dirt, mud and grime on the bike. Be careful not to concentrate the water on areas that have bearings within like bottom brackets, headsets, hubs.
While the bike is still wet, scrub it with the brush and carwash solution in a bucket.
Don't bother trying to clean the chain or anything greasy as they need cleaning separately only when necessary.
Once you are happy the bike is clean, hose off the bike again being careful not to force water into those sensitive areas.
Quick Lube - Having a good quality spray lube around (TriFlow quality, not WD40) is handy now to spray the moving bits on the derailers and perhaps where the v-brakes pivots (careful not to get any on the pads of course).
Silicon Spray or bicycle fork oil is good spraying around those seals on the shocks and forks to stop stiction.
That's it ... unless you want to polish it.
Cleaning the DriveTrain
Cleaning the drivetrain (chain, deraileurs, chainrings, cassette) is more complex than washing the bike.
How often you clean the drivetrain depends on the type of lubricant you use, the conditions you ride in, and how particular you are.
A good lubricant comes in many forms, most are based on either wax or oil.
Good wax lubes tend to collect less grit than oil based ones and therefore the drivetrain stays cleaner longer. However the oil based lubes tend to run smoother for longer although there are exceptions to that rule.
Chain - The removal of the chain may or maynot be necessary depending on the buildup. Regularly cleaning the chain with a cloth soaked in degreaser will often do just fine.
It really isn't necessary to get the chain perfectly clean, in fact the residue lube that has seeped well into the links and rollers is benficial. Completely soaking the chain in degreaser breaks that residue down and actually causes more friction. This is one reason I don't take my chains off and soak them unless it's necessary. The other reason is unless your chain has a breaker link in it then you will need to know how to use a chain breaker to get it off. MTB chains with their flared pins tend to be compromised everytime they are removed.
Deraileurs - The jockey wheels (two plastic chain guide wheels) on the rear deraileur also collect greasy buildup. Although it doesn't affect the performance of the chain until the buildup literally gets thick enough to impede the chains flow, it's stil lgood practice to clean them regularly.
By removing the wheels from the deraileur you can more easily clean them but I don't reccomend you do this unless you know what you are doing. You can clean them sufficiently with a rag while they are on the deraileur.
I also lube the moving parts of the deraileur from time to time with a spray lube that doesn't attract grit, like silicon spray.
The front deraileur very rarely needs any cleaning other than a spray of water when you wash the bike. Like the rear deraileur, the front one just needs lube every now and then with something like silicon spray.
Chainrings - Like the jockey wheels, the chainrings need alot of buildup before it interfers with the flow of the chain. Yet again you can remove the chainrings for easier cleaning but persistence with a rag will again clean them sufficiently.
Cassette - Remove the rear wheel to clean the cassette. Again you don't need to do it unless the buildup is substantial. Sometimes it's necessary to remove grass and the like though. Once you have the wheel off, you can use a rag in a shoe shine style motion to clean in between the gears (cogs).
Checking for Problems
Learning to find potential problems before they occur or early on is not only a good safety factor but also helps to lessen damage to your bike as well.
Now in no way do I reccomend not taking your bike for regular services to a qualified bike mechanic, but in between these visits you should keep a close eye on a few things. Hopefully you can avoid major equipment failure like my frame break shown at right.
Start with a simple inspection when you are washing your bike.
Cracks - Get in the habit of casting an eye over the frame around all the welds for hairline cracks.
Cables - look at the cable ends to see if they are frayed. Those little aluminum cable ends are so cheap it's silly not to have 20 of them in your toolbox. A fraying cable can slwoly cause the cable to loosen up and also restrict the movement of the cable and therefore effect the function of the gears or brakes depending on it's purpose. Having a proper set of bike cable cutters makes a massive difference when cutting the cable, makes side cutters look pathetic.
Brakes - Whether disk or V-brake you should check your pads regularly. V-brakes can go from good to useless after a single ride in wet conditions if enough grit is around. Even disk pads have been known to suffer a similar fate although it's far less common with those.
Also check the bolts that retain your brakes to the bike.
Lubrication - Check the drivetrain to ensure your chain has enough lube on it. Too little and the friction level rises dramatically. Over the course of a ride this will cause wear on the chain and chainrings as well as demanding much more effort from you to pedal. Try it sometime. Clean the chain right up and ride the bike in a certain gear without lube. Then Lube it and ride it again. Always use a quality bike lube.
Wheels - Your wheels are the front line defence out there on the trail. They are the ones that cop the impact first and therefore a few things should be monitored.
1st check your tyres. Apart from the obvious tread level and tyre pressure, look for splits in both the sidewalls and in between the tread blocks. Sharp rocks etc can often cut the tyre and cause the tube to be exposed.
2nd check for buckles and loose spokes. These weaken the wheel considerably if not attended to. If you have V-brakes then buckles are usually easily seen or even felt. With disk brakes it is much harder. You'll need to hold a finger (or something safer) near the rim to see. If you know how to use a spoke key properly then you can sort it out quickly but if you don't, don't stuff with it. Take it to a bike shop for proper repair.
3rd check your hubs. They to can become loose. Simply hold the rim or tyre and wiggle it side to side while holding the bike upright and steady as possible. If the hub is loose you should be able to feel it. There should be no discernable sideways movement at all. Cone spanners are needed to fix this problem and often removal of the cassette on the rear wheel also. Unless you know what you are doing, tightening hubs correctly is a difficult task and can result in the wheels alignment (or dish as it's called) being put out. Again this is best done by a qualified mechanic.
Rear Suspension - If your bike has rear suspension then you have several bushes and/or bearings that allow the rear suspension to move properly. Each one of these should be tight with no sideways movement at all. Holding each pivot point in one hand and wiggling the bike side to side should show up any movement.
Also check the rear shock bolts to ensure they are tight.
Periodically check your air pressures in both your forks and rear shock if you have an air shock on the rear.
Headset - Headsets can come loose and often do. With your weight leaning on them and the impact from the bumps and jumps combined with the leverage created by the stem holding the bars forward of the fork steerer tube, it's really no wonder.
These days threadless headsets and stems have lessened the problem. As most bikes have these now we'll assume yours does too.
1st check for looseness. Standing next to the bike apply the front brake hard! With your free hand gently hold the headset and rock the bike to and fro. If it's loose you will definately feel it moving. If you can't feel the movement with your hand but something feels like movement it's likely the V-brakes or forks, both of which tend to have a small amount in them anyway.
If the headset is loose then it's the stem that tightens it. Loosen off the allen bolt on top of the stem and also the two allen bolts on the side of the stem where it connects to the fork steerer tube. Now tighten the top allen bolt first. Do NOT over tighten it ... just so you can feel it is pressurising the stem downwards a bit. Once that's done make sure the stem is straight and tighten the side bolts back up ... a little each at a time until tight. Now redo the test for looseness to be sure.
2nd check for bearing wear. Simply lift the bike's front wheel up off the ground while you turn the handlebars side to side slowly. The action should feel smooth. If it's notchy then you are up for a new headset as the bearings have worn dimples into the bearings running surface (called the 'race').