How to ride large roll downs and steep steps on a mountain bike in control vs how not to - why not to move back.
Body positioning seems like a simple skill, yet, as a full time mountain bike skills coach I can tell you that more than 80% of the crashes I see are caused by body positioning mistakes.
In fact, one of the most common errors on roll-downs (and in steep downhills) is the still-commonly-given bro tip:
Just move back!
Don’t get me wrong:
YES the bike needs to move forward into the steep, so you DO want to be behind the saddle during the roll-down/steep downhill, BUT you want to gently guide the bike forward in CONTROL.
Why will this give us control?
When we stay balanced and stable through the feet with our center of mass over the bottom bracket - and move the bike beneath us - we generate traction and direction, which gives the system stability.
How do we do that?
✅ Stay evenly and heavily planted through the feet and use arms and legs as natural suspension
➡️ The body (the heavy mass) STAYS balanced, while the bike (the light mass) moves.
Why not to move back?
Once you move back and hang off your bars, the bike will take control - you (the heavy mass) will be pulled forward, which takes traction (and direction) off the front tire and can cause a “catapult effect” whereby the bike “spits” the body forward and can even send you over the bars.
The more advanced the rider and the more technical the terrain, the more important TINY nuances in body positioning become.
💪 Let’s work together to find the tiny nuances you’re currently missing to arrive at the bottom of the trail KNOWING and FEELING why and how you just stayed in control!
#mtbcoaching #mtb #roxybike #downhill #mountainbiking #steepsteps #mtblife
