Mountain bike skills and tricks

Mountain biking tricks are a terrific way to get the adrenaline pumping.

Beginners are best starting with an all-purpose mountain bike, such as a full suspension one, which is ideal for all sorts of trails and will help absorb the shock when performing tricks such as a front wheel lift.

See guidance from someone in the know if you can. Here are three tricks Metropol thinks you might like to learn.

Front wheel lift
The basic front wheel lift is an essential mountain bike skill, and it’s especially useful when riding over trail obstacles such as rocks, roots, and ditches.
Start by practising on a flat surface in a neutral position, then build pressure in the bike by lowering your centre of gravity.
After that, shift your weight slightly back, explode upward, and lock your arms out to allow the front wheel to come off the ground.
Finish off by bringing your weight back to the centre of the bike and bend your arms and legs to absorb the impact of the ground and bring the wheel back down.

Nollie
Ready to fly into the air?
The nollie technique ensures that you land on your two wheels safely regardless of whether you’re dropping from a sidewalk or into a ditch.
Start by gaining sufficient speed and shift your weight onto the fork. Bend your knees and lift the rear wheel followed by the front wheel to hop, and then step safely.
This trick is best performed on a dirt jump mountain bike.

Alleyoop
For intermediate level riders, the alleyoop is a skill that can be a lead in to many other tricks.
The idea is to ride in an arc, jump out and perform a loop in the air. Find someone who knows how to alleyoop and have them guide you through it.
Or maybe sign up for an MTB skills package and learn from the experts. Skills courses usually include tutorials and practical sessions.