RIDE FASTER

Over the last few months we’ve broken down and explained many different aspects of riding, from jumping with control, to tackling steeper trails with confidence. We’ve looked at specific techniques that will allow you to make progress and given you purposeful practice exercises to try out on your regular rides. While every previous article has deconstructed a technical component of mountain biking, in this issue we’re going to examine a slightly more tactical approach.

Having a plan is a great way of making quick improvements. It gives your riding a sense of purpose and means that you will always feel like you are making progress. While Jimmy is more used to going fast on the road or track, here we’ll take him through a few tactical advantages that will allow him to ride with more speed off-road.

BIKE SET-UP

While we’d normally argue that what a rider does on their bike is much more important than the bike itself, a poor set-up will never give you confidence and will always leave you with a lack of trust in your control. Jimmy had his bike set