OUTDOOR
Mountain Bike Fundamentals Your road map to the new art of singletrack riding
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYAN DRAPER Certified endurance coach, mountain bike instructor, level-two bike fitter and guide with over 25 years of experience and knowledge, and owner of Cycling-101 in Canmore, AB. RYAN.CYCLING101
CYCLING 101 BY RYAN DRAPER
T
he sport of mountain biking has changed immensely over the past 10 years. The transformation is commonly explained using the downhill ski analogy. We can’t ski a new shorter-shaped ski like we did a longer straight ski from years past. Technology in the bike industry has brought many amazing changes. The introduction of carbon fibre, tubeless tires, larger wheels, simpler over-sized gearing, complex suspension designs, frame geometry, e-assist and the dropper post are to name a few. All these advancements have influenced factors like bike fit, setup, adjustability, specificity and feel. Feeling overwhelmed? Well don’t. With these five key steps and a little dedication to the process, you can safely ride all the fancy new bikes in no time.
STEP 1 Get the right bike and gear. Bikes come with specific configurations to accommodate the four styles of mountain riding. In each category the angles of the frame, amount of suspension, wheel size and tire width will vary. On the lighter, more agile side of things, the bike category known as trail or cross-country is the bike you want if you're just starting out. Moving up to the all-mountain category, we see suspension increase and angles of the frame being more capable of going downhill rather than up. One level above all-mountain is enduro. This category is growing rapidly due to the capability of these bikes being pretty good at climbing and exceptional at descending steep, tight and technical terrain. Finally, the biggest suspension category is the pure downhill bike category. These bikes are built tough with one thing in mind: Going down. Lift-access resorts and shuttling are where you will find these bikes ripping around. To make the decision of what type of bike you might be after, visit a reputable bike shop that sells a variety of mountain bike types. Through explaining your riding experience and long-term goals, a good shop will get you on the right bike. At the same time, a good bike shop will introduce you to the basics of safety gear like helmet, gloves or knee pads. They may also show you some multi-use tools, hydration systems or maintenance items like lube and cleaner. All these are great additions to your bike kit to keep yourself safe and your equipment running smoothly.
64 I Summer Outdoor & Travel Issue I IMPACT MAGAZINE
