Got into mountain biking last spring and mostly visit Cannock Chase as it’s fairly close and I’ve become hooked. I would go every weekend if I could. My local trails are nothing more than straight farm tracks and grassy hills.

Just wondered how long it takes most people to get to a reasonable standard.

I’ve been Cannock about 4/5 times although I get a bit annoyed with myself for being too slow, I seem to be ok with fitness and keep up on steep climbs but on a downhill section, or anything that becomes tight and twisty all I hear is someone’s free-wheel clicking away behind me as they approach very quickly (even when I’m thinking I’m going pretty quick!)- on some more technical sections it can be dam intimidating.

I can complete FTD in about 50-55mins including rests, I usually end up doing a couple of laps. Last time I went I attempted the Monkey trail for the first time as a large loop with FTD. I did most of it ok – just the narrow areas led to 2 or 3 people following behind until I could find somewhere to let them past. It also didn’t help with it being a damp day.

My brain is constantly telling me “You can’t go that fast through that bend!”

I use a £500 29er hardtail bought from a local bike shop. The grips have been changed, and I recently changed the tyres to Trail/MountainKing. Usually run the tires at about 30psi. I spent some time getting everything set up right, such as the brake lever positions and fork sag.

Tried a skills course once but didn’t really get much out of it. I’ve been learning about technique from an amazon book a youtube vids but on the course there was a lot of waiting around with a very small amount of feedback on my riding. We got sent on a off-piste route, it felt uncomfortable trying to keep up.

Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy it but it kinda takes out the fun to feel intimated all the time.

Nice try 😀

Forever

I was born awesome.

I can complete FTD in about 50-55mins including rests,

You have to rest in a ride less than an hour?

For to get to a standard I was really happy it took a few years, fitness to me is far more important which I got by riding lots and lots. That’s gone now but I know if I put the work in it’l come back.

I wouldn’t worry too much about holding people up. If you feel that someone is on your wheel for too long you can always pull over.

I’ve only ridden around Cannock once, It seems to me that people ride around with different priorities. I was time limited so rode around FtD and Monkey continuously at a steady pace. But there were were some who rode sections really quickly, then had a rest, then caught up etc…

A dropper post will help if you’ve not tried one.

I use a £500 29er hardtail bought from a local bike shop. The grips have been changed, and I recently changed the tyres to Trail/MountainKing. Usually run the tires at about 30psi

I think I passed you last week

I’ve been riding 20 years and I’m shit. Had a brief awesome spell 12 years ago but that’s it.

There’s always someone faster or slower. It’s just not very important tbh. As far as holding people up goes, the quick fix for that isn’t to go faster, it’s better group management. But also remember, the person behind is as much in control of the situation as you are, except on very long descents if they catch you it’s because they decided to.

Sounds like you went on the wrong skills course to be honest.

For reference, i’ve been riding for about 10 years and i’m still terrible compared to some people. There will always be someone quicker than you so don’t let that ruin your enjoyment.

Work on one skill at a time, be it foot positioning, looking ahead through the corners, berms, manuals as you cant conquer everything all at once.

Keep working on fitness, at a reasonable pace I will complete Monkey and FTD in around 90 minutes on an average day. Riding with my quicker XC friends I can do it in less.

You never stop learning best is to ride some natural stuff then there is far less people about.

Just wondered how long it takes most people to get to a reasonable standard.

I’ll get back to you if it ever happens.
It’s not a competition (unless you are racing); If you feel pressured by following riders, do as you did and let them go.Take your own time, learn from better riders, ask questions!
I found my technique improved with strength – even when I thought I was getting fitter and could do more miles, it wasn’t until I had the power in my legs to drive the bike forward over tricky lumps and bumps that I started to get more fluent (relatively).

Last time I looked shit riders were just as entitled to ride the trails as good ones…Its not a race!

I’m not an expert on these matters, but is it just me that thinks this is DTF working his magic again?!

Last time I looked shit riders were just as entitled to ride the trails as good ones…Its not a race!

[helpful1]That’s because you are shit[/helpful1]

bearnecessities – Member
I’m not an expert on these matters, but is it just me that thinks this is DTF working his magic again?!

It’s not me; my alternate login/ego is very nice and helpful.

I was born awesome.

Likewise. At the age of 4 months I was asked if I went by the moniker of GW.

You either have it or you don’t. A bit like core strength…

To go properly fast, first you have to learn to go slow!

And by that i mean, if you just try to go fast, without decent technique, you’ll often feel like you are going fast, but your not, you’re just riding “frantically”.

Look at the real good guys and girls, they look “effortlessly fast” and that is the key. They carry speed around and over stuff, they pump the bike as much as the pedal, they use a large amount of well timed and precisely applied “Body english” to get the bike positioned exactly where it needs to be. Finally, they are relaxed and let the bike move about under them as it needs too to work (most people tend to stiffen up as speed increases!), and they look a LONG way down the trail, not at the front wheel…..

With the risk of sounding like a broken record, go see the Jedi, or if you don’t fancy more tuition, pick a few key skills to work on. Pick a nice short but varied of trail you can section. Ride it slowly, inspect it, work out how to carry speed. Your bodys reaction need to be second nature, you haven’t really got to time be thinking “Hmm, which foot shall i drop” or whatever, it needs to be instinctive. Then, slowly, you’ll find you are going faster without even realising it!

Follow a better rider down the trail and try to copy them with things like positioning and braking points etc. Then ride the same trail with them following you so they can give pointers.

As said above don’t try to ride fast, start slow and work on being smooth, speed comes when you’re getting it right.

Maybe some non cycling based Mr Miyagi style exercises are in order 😉

It took me about 10 years to get to the point that I feel like I’m riding pretty well more often than not. Not steady progress, though. A couple of big jumps up in ability when I started riding with people who were better than me, but not so much better that I never saw them. Also got a huge amount out of some gentle coaching from guides (cheers, Doug!) and a fair amount out of skills training*. It really helped me to have some pretty solid fitness too.

[/quote]My brain is constantly telling me “You can’t go that fast through that bend!”

Out of interest, have you fallen off much? I ask because it isn’t usually anywhere near as bad as you expect, and once you’ve done it and walked away a good few times the idea of it isn’t as worrying.

* I hear you about skills courses in a group. It’s far from useless, but if the instructor is dealing with 4 other people it’s easy to lose your own focus.

^^^ yuck…

My brain is constantly telling me “You can’t go that fast through that bend!”

Out of interest, have you fallen off much? I ask because it isn’t usually anywhere near as bad as you expect, and once you’ve done it and walked away a good few times the idea of it isn’t as worrying.

I dunno, eveey big-ish crash seems to land me in hospital with broken bones!

As for the original question, 15 years in and I’m still picking up techniques that shave off huge chunks of time. But I still get caught by faster guys.

Its nowhere near as irritating for the guy behind as you think. If I wanted a clear run Id have left more space, so if I catch someone either I follow at their pace or stop and let them build up a lead again.

@Bear, no, spidey senses tingled (it was the mention of the skills course having no effect) but I thought I’d give the benefit of the doubt/Stroke the ego.

I’m afraid there’s only one solution = A 650b + full sus, preferably carbon or at least from a boutique manufacturer. And a skills course. A skills course you will talk about endlessly. A new POC helmet with MIPS, matching knee pads, elbow pads and spine vest. And 1×11. Carbon wheels, a dropper post, an anodized Hope stem, with matching brakes and rotors….are you using SPDs? If not get some SPDs. Then change to flats to fine tune your skills, then go back to SPDs.

Oh and a beard. Do you have a beard? I think that just about covers it.

EDIT* Schwalbe Pro-Core is a must too. It’ll allow you to run 3 psi in your 650b+ tyres and combined with 90mm id carbon rims should give a contact patch of roughly 2 feet.

It’s taken 23 years so far and I’m not there yet.
It’s not a race, (unless you have entered a race) so don’t stress about it. Faster rider behind? If it’s possible then let them through. Yes it means you have to stop for a moment but in my experience at least you get rid of the stress of having them breathing down your neck. Also, you can then try and keep with them to see what they do that makes them faster than you.
Faster isn’t always funner though.

Jimjam second point, not so sure on his others…. Skills course with someone proven to get results. Jedi/ UK bike skills. Simple skills well applied and practiced over and over. Start slow, and speed will come naturally.

More miles and more fitness, going dh fast is as hard work as spanking a climb.

I’ve been riding as long as I remember.

There are still folk that can wipe the floor with me, even though I’m among the faster people in my club.

No one who isn’t a nob will be overly bothered by being stuck behind you until you can let them past. And if they’re a nob who cares.

Once or twice I’ve been given tips by folk that are faster and they have helped, but a lot of it on most trails is down to confidence. Keep at it. As others have said, learning individual skills can help and having good strength (legs, trunk and arms) will help – I try and get down the climbing wall at least once a week which helps with this without being too boring for words.

Maybe session some corners or sections you are having difficulty on too – think about your lines, whether you really could have gone a bit faster without losing grip etc.

Faster isn’t always funner though.

Yeah +1

The most important thing is of course having fun, going faster may enhance that but don’t feel you need to be as fast as anyone else.

Stop riding Cannock Chase it’s full of twunts who only ever ride there trying to beat their strava segments.

Remember its only the people who are faster than you that will catch you up.. because you are caught does not mean you are the slowest rider out there. I have been riding about 15 years and I have improved very gradually over the whole time. However, there were a few step improvements which took place thanks to a couple of good skills courses and some trips to ride in unfamiliar places, one in particular was pretty inspirational. If you keep riding in the same place it will be very hard not to plateau, you need to keep doing new stuff and pushing yourself a bit. And yes falling off is important.

I’ve abandoned the idea of trying to get faster and concentrate on being smoother, carrying speed, technique etc. I’ve ended up a bit quicker that way and it’s been safer as I’m normally in control and within myself.

I’ve been riding for 20odd years and there’s plenty of riders out there that keep my ego in check by storming past me like I’m not even moving. Just ride and enjoy it and if you’re worried about people on your back wheel, let others go first or let them past at a suitable point. It’s pretty poor etiquette for them to be basically buzzing your back tyre but it’s equally annoying having your hard earned descent wasted behind a stubborn mincer.

There are some tracks nearby that about 4-5 years ago were way beyond my dreams about riding them “at one go”, without stopping & walking some parts (riding up or down them).

I remember my first attempts… “I’m gonna make it… I’m gonna make it…” and then fistful of brakes just before the first technical bits… 😆

Now I’m still way below my friends’ skills level (they’ve been riding much, much longer), I’m crap on fast, twisty downhill tracks, plenty of times I chicken out seeing something that would put me beyond my confidence area… But I can clear the “impossible” trails now, even in the worst winter conditions – so I am getting better, but it’s still a long way before I feel I’m good!