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Singletrack mountain biking differs from dirt road mountain biking in that singletrack trails tend to be narrower, steeper, with sharper turns, and with unavoidable obstacles such as rocks, roots, and water bars. Sometimes they are built along the sides of steep slopes with varying amounts of exposure.
Narrow means that you may not have any choice in where your bike needs to go! If the trail is deep AND narrow, you will need to avoid hitting the side of the trail with a pedal. Generally, go slower on narrow singletracks than you ordinarily would -- until you get used to steering down such a confining course.
Steep uphill means that your front wheel may come off the ground, making for difficulty in steering, or that your rear wheel may slip. Your weight needs to be distributed in such a way that your front wheel stays down and your rear wheel does not slip. Experiment with sliding your body forward when seated, and keeping it backward when standing.
Steep downhills can be quite challenging! What you DON'T want to do is allow your weight to be too far forward. If your front wheel hits something and your bike suddenly slows, your body could be thrown forward, the bike could flip forward, and you could go sailing over the handlebars! You need to have a strong upper body (pushups!) to keep your weight back. In general, the steeper the descent, the farther back your weight should be. It is not unusual to keep your body in back of the seat on very steep descents. Use enough front brake to help keep your speed under control, but not so much that your bike might hit an obstacle and come to a stop or that your front tire might begin to slide. Use as much rear brake as you like, until it begins to slide (The farther back your weight, the more effective will be your rear brake!). A sliding tire is fairly useless in helping you maintain your speed -- and very damaging to the trail!. In general, if you start to "lose it", let go of the brakes and the bike will usually recover. Loose rocks can pose special problems, making it difficult to brake without sliding. Sometimes the bike will "jackknife" as the rear slides around. (This usually means that your weight is not far enough back!) You may need to let the bike move a little faster than you would like until you reach firmer ground... If your front wheel needs to ride UP to get out of a dip or over a rock or over a log or over a water bar -- get off the rear brake! (The rear brake tends to hold the front wheel down, preventing it from riding UP. In fact, getting off BOTH brakes when the front wheel needs to move UP is best!)
I am still working on sharp turns! Many of you will find that you can turn sharply in one direction but not the other. This is probably the side that you tend to get on and off your bike on. Practice getting on and off your bike on the "wrong" side until you feel comfortable doing it. You may find that your bike just does not want to turn! Make sure that you are not applying your front brake -- it will prevent the bike from turning and will increase the probability that the front wheel will slide out from under you. Practice leaning your bike into the inside of the turn -- the sharper the turn, the greater the lean. It also helps to push your inside hand into the turn and to put your weight over the outside pedal (You want to ride around the corner on the inside edges of your tires -- just like taking a turn on skis!). To avoid having your front tire slide out from under you, shift your weight forward. On steep uphill turns you will need to pull your body up hard with your arms so that your body is moved to the outside (uphill) of the turn. (Pull-ups help!) On steep downhill turns you must compromise between keeping your weight back to maximize rear braking, and keeping your weight forward to keep the front wheel from drifting. On VERY steep downhill turns you may need to turn the front wheel sharply, shift your weight onto it, and ride it around the corner. Balance is the key to turning very sharply. Practice balancing with the bike stopped or barely moving. Another important component of turning is relaxation -- you must be relaxed and let the bike turn you!
Obstacles pose a special problem... To get over a root or water bar or rock, approach it from a right angle, compress the front of the bike just before hitting it, and pull up with your arms as you reach it. The front wheel will then leap over it. Next shift your weight forward and hop the rear wheel over it by pulling up with your legs. Success! Practice riding up higher and higher curbs... If you have enough speed and you wish to jump over the obstacle with both wheels -- compress the entire bike just before hitting it and pull up with your arms and legs. If your timing is correct, you will sail right over it! If you are riding uphill, you will need to throw your weight forward as you go over an obstacle. If you are riding downhill, you will need to shift your weight backward as you go over it (and release the rear brake!!). If you must cross an obstacle at an angle, exaggerate your movements so as to jump over it without touching it or to minimize the force with which your bike hits it.
Riding down a "drop-off" requires that your weight be shifted back and that you stay off the front brake! More speed rather than less speed is desirable. Practice riding off higher and higher curbs...
Riding over a sharp and deep "dip" requires that you have enough speed and that you at least hop the front wheel over it (compress and pull). Better yet is to hop the front wheel over it and then the rear wheel over it, or hopping the entire bike over it at once!
Do not look down at what your front wheel is about to experience. Instead, be looking ahead. If you spot a section that will not be ridable for you, stop the bike before you get there and walk through it. Once you reach a difficult section, do not hit the brakes, but ride through it -- especially on steep downhill sections. Trying to stop in the middle of a difficult section is a sure way to fall. Riding through it usually is successful. Please brake gently well ahead of turns so that you may turn without using brakes and so that you don't erode the trail. Try not to look at what you don't want to hit. Instead, look at the where you want your bike to go, and it will go there. This is called "picking a line". And don't worry, your brain will remember the line that you have chosen, even when you are looking ahead.
If you are riding across a steep slope and feel your bike beginning to slide down and off the trail, force yourself to move your weight TOWARD the direction in which the bike is sliding. This will cause the bike to stop sliding and to turn uphill! If you allow fear to cause you to move your weight away from the direction of the slide, your bike will slide out from under you for sure!
For most people, braking is intuitive. For me, it is not! I am finding that the front brake is most effective unless your are trying to turn your bike. Always let up on the front brake when going through turns! Likewise, do not apply the rear brake when trying to pull the front wheel up over obstacles. The rear brake also seems to interfere with the action of the shocks. So I tend to favor the front brake except when I am making a turn...
Finally, I wish that I could do all of the above well. But I am improving through practice and you will too!
My best wishes to you...
Minimizing Trail Conflicts On Singletrack Trails
Minimizing Trail Impact On Singletrack Trails
Hints For Beginning Singletrackers
Back to Roger's Favorite Singletrack Mountain Bike Rides
Roger McGehee