{"id":139710,"date":"2020-02-11T09:46:42","date_gmt":"2020-02-11T17:46:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=139710"},"modified":"2025-11-20T17:42:28","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T01:42:28","slug":"mountain-bike-skills-drills-for-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/mountain-bike-skills-drills-for-winter","title":{"rendered":"Winter Is The Perfect Training Season for Mountain Biking"},"content":{"rendered":"

The mercury has dropped precipitously, the days are painfully short and the trails are buried beneath a thick blanket of snow. But that\u2019s no excuse to hibernate indoors and let your bike skills wither away while pining for warmer weather and dusty trails.<\/p>\n

With spring and the mountain biking season just around the corner, winter is the perfect time to hone the foundational bike skills<\/a> that will pay huge dividends on the trail when the sun starts shinning. We spoke with a group of experts to get their take on the best skills to work on during the off season to elevate your riding come spring. All you need is a mountain bike<\/a> and a section of dry parking lot or driveway to get started. Or, for some hands-on instruction, check the class schedule at your local REI for everything from mountain biking skills clinics to bike maintenance workshops to group rides<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Meet the experts<\/h2>\n

Nick Van Dine<\/b> is a former professional downhill racer who lives in Park City, Utah. After winning the USA Cycling Downhill National Championships in the semi-pro division in 2007, Van Dine rode for the\u00a0Cannondale<\/a> Factory Race Team. He\u2019s still uncannily quick, as evidenced by the podium finishes he racks up at local races whenever he dusts off the number plate.<\/p>\n

Steph Meyer<\/b> is an adventure program manager and bike instructor for the National Ability Center<\/a>, an adaptive sports organization in Park City, Utah, that seeks to make the outdoors accessible to people of all abilities. She has an acute understanding of how to help riders reach their highest potential.<\/p>\n

Cortney Knudson<\/b> is a cofounder of the Truckee Bike Park in California and helped start the FMB Women\u2019s Slopestyle Tour<\/a>. She\u2019s a trail builder, an event organizer and a bike instructor who\u2019s committed to building opportunities to help more women shred.<\/p>\n

Stephanie Nychka <\/b>is a professional dirt jump and slopestyle rider as well as a mountain bike skills instructor. She won the 2019 FMB Women\u2019s Slopestyle Tour<\/a> after finishing first at all three stops and was the Canadian BMX Freestyle National Champion in 2019. Keep up with Nychka on Instagram @rideslikeamother<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The skills<\/h2>\n

These shredders have a wealth of mountain bike knowledge, and the skills they recommend are ones they think will help improve your bike handling, even while winter weather keeps you off the trails. As Stephanie Nychka said, \u201cSometimes all it takes is to hear something explained a little differently, and suddenly it will click.\u201d<\/p>\n

Body position<\/h3>\n

That may sound a bit rudimentary, but even the most experienced riders can benefit from dialing in their riding position. Start with flat pedals. It\u2019ll be easier to put a foot down if you need to bail, and it will help prevent you from building bad habits. \u201cProper positioning \u2026 starts with proper foot positioning and separating the movements of your bike from the movements of your body so you stay completely centered,\u201d Knudson said.<\/p>\n

The drill: push and pull<\/strong><\/p>\n

Honing the connection between your bike and body through your feet is the foundation for good body positioning. Start by standing up off the saddle and pedaling, first in a straight line, then in circles and figure eights.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour toes should just hang off the edge of each pedal. The front of the pedal should be just about where your laces start. Push through your heel on the downstroke, and make a \u2018claw\u2019 with your foot to \u2018grab\u2019 and \u2018pull\u2019 on the pedal on the upstroke. Allow your bike to lean\u2014to the right with the downstroke of your left pedal and vice versa.\u201d<\/p>\n

The drill: chop wood<\/strong><\/p>\n

Confidently pedaling with partial strokes is crucial to maintaining momentum and powering through technical terrain.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you feel a solid connection to the pedals, try ratcheting, or \u2018chopping wood,\u2019\u201d Knudson said. \u201cStart with your pedals level and do a quarter turn from 12 o\u2019clock to 3 o\u2019clock with your front foot and bring it back to 12. Then switch and try with your other foot.\u201d<\/p>\n

The drill: bike body separation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keeping the movement of your bike and your body separate allows you to corner, climb, jump and tackle technical terrain more effectively while maintaining balance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile rolling slowly and keeping your pedals level, lean your bike over far to one side and then back to the other side. You can turn your hip in the direction you\u2019re leaning the bike, which will help turn the bike without steering from the bars, but keep your upper body and shoulders upright and stable,\u201d Knudson said.<\/p>\n

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Slow-speed mechanics<\/h3>\n

Who wants to ride slowly? Anyone who wants to go fast, of course. \u201cThe best way to understand how your mechanics impact bike control is by working on them at slow speeds. Without the stability speed brings, you get a feel for how each movement affects your balance,\u201d Van Dine said.<\/p>\n

The drill: track stand<\/strong><\/p>\n

Named for how track cyclists start their races, the track stand entails trying to maintain balance on your bike without moving. Mastering track stands will help you in tight switchbacks and spotting your line before steep descents.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easiest to learn track stands on a slight incline. While facing uphill, but not completely parallel to the fall line, turn your front wheel slightly into the incline, keeping your pedals level. Use light pressure on your front pedal and feather your brakes to create a rocking motion that will help you find your balance point. Pressure on your bars helps too. If you\u2019re losing balance to the left, use upward pressure on the left side of your bar to help regain your balance point,\u201d Van Dine said.<\/p>\n

The drill: slow race challenge<\/strong><\/p>\n

Challenge your friends to see who can reach the finish line last, or who can keep their balance the longest without putting a foot down in a small area like a couple of parking spaces.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t look at your front wheel. Just like on the trail, look where you want to go, or pick a spot in front of you to focus on. Focus on bike\/body separation to keep your balance in tight quarters using pressure on your bars, pedals and brakes. At slow speeds you can feel how exaggerated movements help you find a consistent balance point even as your bike moves underneath you,\u201d Meyer said.<\/p>\n

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Wheelies and manuals<\/h3>\n

Being able to reliably lift your front wheel using a utilitarian manual and wheelie will go a long way toward helping you conquer technical features and trails. \u201cConsistently getting your front wheel up opens a world of possibilities for what you can do on a bike,” Van Dine said, “both on climbs and descents.\u201d<\/p>\n

The drill: the wheelie<\/strong><\/p>\n

A wheelie, which involves lifting the front of your bike while shifting your body weight and pedaling, is perhaps the most iconic flatland bike trick. But even a small wheelie comes in handy on the trail.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet used to bailing by jumping from your pedals off the back of the bike a few times. Once you\u2019re used to that, start with your seat set a little below your normal pedaling height and lean back as you pedal on the downstroke of your dominant foot. Think about getting your body weight back over the rear axle with your arms relatively straight, rather than pulling with your arms to get the wheel up. Look well past your front tire, and if you feel yourself losing balance, just grab the rear brake to bring the front wheel back down. Work on just getting a consistent wheel lift and a couple pedal strokes. That\u2019s what you\u2019ll use most often on the trail, and distance will come once you are more comfortable finding your balance point,\u201d Van Dine said.<\/p>\n

The drill: the manual<\/strong><\/p>\n