Your source for Mountain Biking in the Triangle Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill
Home General Trails Events Forums Passion Other Cycling

Beginners Page

Just got that brand new bike? Here are a few pointers for you. Welcome to the wonderful world of dirt. Enjoy it!

Beginners 411
Night Riding
Riding in Lightning?
Group Riding Etiquette
From one Rider to another. A little advice for beginner riders from a veteran rider.
Visitors Guide to the Triangle

Visiting the Triangle? Need info on rentals, where to ride and good bike shops? Look here...

Beginners 411
by Matt
Where to ride:
Lake Crabtree Park
Harris Lake Park*
Umstead Park (Doubletrack only)
Any other trails listed on this site.

*My favorite trail for beginners is Harris Lake Park. It is a very good choice because there are beginner, intermediate and advanced trails that are all clearly marked. Even the advanced trails can be ridden by a novice, and all obstacles are optional, which means that riders of varying skills can ride together and everyone has a good time.

Essentials for the trail:
Helmet: Do not ride without one. It is against the rules in all local parks, and just plain stupid anywhere else. Please be a responsible rider, people who ride without helmets jeopardize trail availability for all. If you see somebody without a helmet, be a friend and remind him or her to get one.
Hydration: Be sure to have water bottles or hydration packs. It is very disheartening to be caught out in the woods thirsty and without beverage.
Basic Tool Kit: At minimum you should have Allen wrenches and screwdrivers needed to adjust your bike. A chain breaker tool is handy as well.
Spare Tube and/or Patch Kit: Don't forget the Tire Levers.
Mini-Pump: (If you don't bring the pump, then leave the spare tire and patch kit at home too, but bring your walking shoes.)
If you ride alone it is a good idea to bring a cell phone, or at least let somebody know where you are and when you'll be back.

Optional for the trail:
Gloves
Sunglasses
Snacks (if on a longer ride)

General Tips that have helped me out:
Ride with others. Of course it is always helpful to ride with people who are more experienced so you can learn from them, but it is also tremendously helpful to ride with people who are less experienced as well. You will learn a lot from teaching others, and you will gain confidence as you share the skills you have learned.
Use this web-site (or others) to take advantage of pick-up rides, and to meet new people. I have met some of my best riding buddies right here on this page, and have gained from them in many ways. (I used to be very timid about riding with others, but I have found that most people on this site are more concerned with having fun than they are with winning races on a pick-up ride. Let folks know what kind of ride you want, short/long, fast/slow, intense/mellow, and you will meet up with the right people.
Be sure to try new places as you get more comfortable with your "home trail". Variety is a good way to build skills, confidence and endurance.

Links that we have found useful for riders of all levels:
General
http://www.mtbr.com (Best all around site, with trail reviews, product reviews and multiple forums)
http://www.utahmountainbiking.com (Info on everything from how to ride, to repair to how to train your trail dog…)
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/ (Boston bike shop, lots of good articles on specialty bikes, etc…)
Repair
http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/fix/ (Very Comprehensive guide)
http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/index.shtml (Park Tool Specific, but still very helpful)
Riding Tips
http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/index.htm (how to on everything from climbing, to log rolls to huge hucks.)
http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/firstaid/index.htm (First Aid)

And of course, if you don't find it here, do a search. There is SO MUCH info on the web.
Good Dirt!

Night Riding
by Tim Broyer
If you have never experienced singletrack au noir, you are most certainly missing out. It can take that favorite trail that you know inside and out and make it a brand new experience. Daylight savings time killing your ride time? If you consider yourself confident with your bike handling skills, give night riding a shot. We recommend the following:

1. A decent light set. You need at least one 10 watt light system that will run for 2 hours. This gives you a good ride over an hour with some fudge factor time. When it comes to lights, you get what you pay for. Shop around and get one good light versus a couple cheap ones. There is serious debate about bar versus helmet lights. There is no set rule, do what you want. I suggest buying a light set that comes with both mounts because eventually, you will want to run one of each.
2. Two lights are better. A bar mounted light is my first recommendation. Use it in conjunction with a head lamp style and you are ready to seriously roll. The bar mount light will keep you focused and let you know which way your tire is rolling. The head lamp allows you to scan ahead for changes in the trail and duck under branches.
3. Bring a spare. I pack a small mag light in my pack in case my lights quit. I can at least get out of the woods. I have seen some folks tape the light to their handle bar in an emergency. It is also handy for trail side repairs instead of wasting your bike light battery.
4. Bring a friend. Don't ride alone at night, especially your first time out. Night riding is a great way for a group ride and it is cool seeing other lights zip through the woods. Check with TriangleMTB.com for posted night rides. It is quite popular in the winter time. Many times after a night ride, we get together for pizza and beer.
5. Ride a trail you know. Certainly not a golden rule, but it will be a less intimidating experience if you have an idea about what is behind the next corner.
6. Relax and just ride. It is a great time and brings a whole new experience to riding. Use your instincts, relax and follow the trail. It's a blast.

Riding in Lightning
We don't want to see anyone get killed or stunned in thunderstorms. Seeing as our region is filled with "Isolated" and "Scattered T-Storms" during the summer months, I want to correct a common misconception. I still hear a lot of people saying that rubber tires protect a passenger from lightning.

Untrue! The reason that an automobile is safe in a lightning storm is that it has a conductive metal shell. According to this page (which has some really cool pictures) http://www.mos.org/sln/toe/cage.html many people
attribute the protection to the car being a Faraday Cage. The page says that the lightning protection is instead due to the skin effect: http://www.mos.org/sln/toe/skineffect.html Anyway, it has nothing to do with the rubber tires.

And cars do get struck, check out the pictures at the bottom of this page: http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/vehicle_strike.html To sum up, unless you have a conductive shield around you, stay out of the lightning. Convertible is no good. You should stay out of golf carts anyway, but particularly in a thunderstorm.

And stay off the bike.

- submitted by Will, 7/2003

From one Rider to another. A little advice for beginner riders from a veteran rider.
by Tim Broyer, 5/2004

First and foremost, welcome to the sport of mountain biking. If you are reading this, it means you found this great site and have started to dig in. You've most likely just gotten a new bike or recently re-entered the sport. Mountain biking can be loads of fun and it can also come off as hard, frustrating and disappointing. Here are several tips and pointers for the beginner rider from one rider to another. These points aren't the technical or advice type, but more the general type for moving around the mountain bike world and making the right first steps into mountain biking while out on the trail.

• Have fun. Sounds simple doesn't it? Sometimes it can be a little tough to remember that you are having fun, riding your bike in the woods. Falling down, mechanicals and scraped knees are par for the course. It's an old cliché, but it's true. A lousy day of mountain biking beats a good day at work anytime.
• Don't stop in the middle of the trail. The biggest reason to not stop in the middle of the trail is to avoid collisions with other riders. If you have to stop for over a few seconds, just pull off to the side allowing other riders a clear path.
• Ride, don't slide. One of the golden rules for keeping trails in good shape. Trails just don't appear. They are built and maintained by volunteers and park staff who take great pride in them. Skidding your back tire was cool when you were 7, but it's not cool on that sweet descent at New Light. Having a skid contest in the gravel parking lot is a whole different story!
• Stay on the trail. Sounds pretty simple, but it's important. There will be times when you lose control of your bike and pile off into the bushes. That is fun and sometimes those bushes are saving you from a trip to the ER. Staying on the trail in this context means not creating shortcuts or straightening the trail. The trail has twists, turns and logs for a reason. Please don't alter a trail unless it's for safety reasons or something huge is completely blocking the trail. All the trails in our area are cared for by someone or a group. If you see something that you think needs attention, post it on the message boards and the builders will read it. Most trails have bail-out options on the harder log stacks and obstacles. Leave the challenges for the experienced riders to enjoy and there is no shame in walking over or around them.
• Ride dry trails. Nothing damages a trail more than riding in sloppy mud and wet conditions. With experience, you will learn which trails hold up better and dry the quickest but it's a safe rule to wait 24 hours after a good rain fall for the trail to dry out a bit. In the winter, some of our trails are not able to ride for weeks at a time. If you find yourself on a wet trail, walk around or avoid the wet areas and try not to make the puddles any bigger.
• Trailside maintenance ad hoc. If you come across some dead limbs or debris on the trail that impedes your path, take 30 seconds out of your ride and clear it out if possible. If you can't move it, don't sweat it. Maybe post something on the boards that you noticed a tree down on the trail. Some puddles of water can be drained out by scraping a little drainage ditch out the lowest side. This can be done with a limb or the heel of your shoe.
• Yield to other trail users. Always yield to hikers. It's the neighborly thing to do. When approaching horses, always yield and try to make eye contact with the rider. It's not a bad idea to say something, since the horse is familiar with human voices.
• Be an ambassador of the sport. This can be as simple as saying hello to passing riders or driving to the trail head responsibly. Unfortunately, mountain bikers aren't seen as welcome guests by some folks and a large part of that is due to our own actions. Speeding to the trail head with a bike on your rack is like waving a red flag at a bull ring. Slow down and respect the small side streets and neighborhoods your favorite trails reside in.
  

Ultimately, mountain bike riding is about having fun. You don't have to get caught up in any 'proper' way to ride your bike or a certain style. If you're riding your bike and having fun than you've got it figured out.

The ride that can be finished is not the perfect ride.
The frame that can be broken is not the perfect frame.
The ride is the beginning of sky and dirt.
- Corvus Corvax