Advice – Teaching the GF to Mountian Bike?

I know, I'm asking for trouble, and yes I realise it's going to lead to some arguments but…

…My Girlfriend wants to come out biking with us this weekend. Which is awesome, but the only mountain biking she has been close to doing before was along a canal! So any tips on helping her enjoy it?

I was thinking about going to Cwm Carn – Riding up the road and letting her loose on the freeride park to see how she gets on [obviously not the ladders or wall ride ;o)], then when she's got the basics head off down the red. Worst case if she really doesn't like it we can ride back down the road.

I've got enough spare gear to make things comfortable for her and she'll be borrowing my tiny little Orange Clockwork instead of her £50 Halfords special.

Any tips from the guy's out there who have got there partners into biking? Even better anything advice from the girls out there?

So if you see a cute blonde on a Clockwork at the weekend, be patient and give her some encouragement!
Cheers Ben

sounds about right – one thing dont try and give her tips – she will take this as criticism and go off on one …..

i find it safer to let her go off and learn from her own mistakes. She seems to listen to anyone else but me.

Ive taught plenty people to mtb but your own girlfriend is a nightmare to teach !

but i wouldnt listen to me – mine knocked her self out at moray monster trails at the weekend – but in the process learned that she needs to put more weight over the back when jumping

Take snacks, snacks are vital. And take a friend who also knows what they're on about to coach her, as trail_rat said she will listen to anyone other than you…

I agree with trailrat. One thing make sure the trails you are taking her on are really easy. I mean really really easy. what looks easy to you might totally intimidate her and spoil it. She only needs a little challenge for a first time out – not a big challenge.

I don't know those trails but I would say red is a total no no. Blue trails for beginners

BE PATIENT – not like me! Don't say "go on do it, of course you can, your done it before1" 🙄 Start on something tame and get her confidence up before going anywhere near Red unless she already does off road sports i.e. horse riding etc?

I'd suggest somewhere closer to home (if you can), to save on stress if she absolutely hates it. If you can, stay as close to the transport as possible as well to avoid her hating it, hating the ride back to the car/train/whatever and then hating you.

speaking from experience and afore mentioned arguments-it's easy to forget how technical routes like cwm carn can be to someone who's not ridden off road before. but the fact that she's willing makes it easier 😉

Tell her when she does something right too. I've been out with mine a couple of times for a bimble around the hills. I often just ride behind her and watch what she does, but tell her when she's made a good line choice and stuff. I tend to follow her so she can have a clear view of what's ahead, rather than just blindly following my back wheel.

I think it makes it easier to offer advice when you're not always being negative too!

I think I'd have killed Jon if he took me to Cwmcarn for my first real off-road riding. Unless she's already fit, she won't like the road climb much, and I don't remember the rest of the route from the freeride park onwards as being particularly easy, though it's a while since I've done it.

Where are you based? I'd stick to something near home, and preferably with escape routes so the ride can be cut short if need be.

Lots of her favourite sweets in case of tantrums/falls and a good cafe stop are useful as well.

I also wouldn't necessarily say it's a good idea for her to do her first off-road ride with your riding mates around, but you haven't really given us much of an idea about fitness/attitude – maybe it won't bother her too much.

So if you see a cute blonde on a Clockwork

this thread needs pics!

I've tried, with more than one gf in the past, as already said, they may want advice – but not yours, is how I've found it.

Good luck!

As above make it easy – and also make sure she knows (as far as it's possible) that whenever she's had enough, you can go home – never ever pull a tantrum of your own if you feel you've just got started!

By following the above rules, I taught my GF to ride a bike (she'd never even done that before, amazing) and now we're married and biking together regularly, so I think I got it right!

Good luck with that 🙂

After unsuccessfully trying to teach my gf, I ended up buying her a skills day at GT which she loved, and also bought her Brian Lopes' book, and she's been practicing wheelies and manuals in the garden!

Couple of bits of advice…
1. Don't take her on a epic ride that you think she can do unless she asks to do it. Please learn from my mistakes!
2. Don't ever ride off into the distance, even if you're round the corner/enjoying a descent etc. Wait for her or ride slow for her to catch up. Or do what I do and ride behind 😉

if shes anything like my wife dont praise her, dont offer encouragement, dont offer gentle criticism, dont give her tips about what gear to be in, dont leave her alone to struggle in the wrong gear, dont sort things on her bike for her, dont not sort things on her bike for her, dont take her on things that are too easy, dont take her on things that are too hard, just dont, because whatever comes out of your mouth will be interpreted as patronising, or rude, or impatient, or belittling, or unfair not gentle kind, loving or encouraging.

what i did find that worked the other day was to stay relaxed till before the last climb of the glentress red when she refused to go on, then get angry, which resulted in me doing the rest of the red and her doing the rest of it on her own but ten minutes behind and with a point to prove which somehow resulted in her really enjoying it.

meikle_partans – I know EXACTLY what you mean.

Cwm Carn isn't ideal IMO unless she's already pretty fit – while the road climb is easier than the offroad, it's still a long climb and someone not used to cycling will find it hard work and it may mean that by the time you're at the top, no matter how much fun the rest of the trails are, it'll have ruined it for her. Besides, the trails are technical/steep enough for a begineer to very quickly feel out of their depth unless they're the confident 'just go for it' type. Somewhere flatter/less technical would be my advice…

Oh and if you do still go, I'd suggest that you write off the day as good riding for yourself – just accept that you'll be bimbling around rather than disappearing off down sections at your normal speed and letting her catch up – I'd suggest riding behind her at a distance so that she doesn't feel like you're breathing down her neck and then feels pressurised.

I'd say cwm carn will be far too difficult for first time unless you know shes quite good anyway.

My GF's favourite trails are swinley and follow the dog at cannock.

Shes pretty fit (runs half marathons etc…) but really really doesnt like anything technical.

i bought Doris a new saddle – its a speccy sanoma.

£25 – she loves it, she said the last saddle was 'ok' – but this one is 'a nice place to sit', i think it's really comfy too.

(maybe i've got child bearing hips)

When it comes to technique and things, i'm sticking to the '1 thing a day' rule.

Doris loves trail centre blue runs – cos they're really good fun (admit it, they are).

Doris hates me when i take her for short rides and put her saddle all the way down – i'm trying to force her to learn to ride standing up.

(she could just say 'no' and put her saddle up, but she doesn't – i think she enjoys the complaining)

Ride with her, but for God's sake don't offer advice! Leave that to the professionals who get paid to put up with the tears and tantrums.

Sorry, that's an unfair generalisation, but I've had experiences…

I'm going through a similar process just now. GF wants to start riding so I built her a hardtail to start her off and she has been out around a couple of the local trails with me nothing difficult by anymeans mostly pretty level and about an hour to 90mins in length and she has even started riding down steeps on only her second ride

was thinking of taking her down to GT this sunday and just sessioning the skills loops and blue free ride, get her more used to the bike and standing up and then let her ride the blue to the cafe for cake, i'll have to drive as she hates hills!!!

Start at a gentle trail centre, not on a downhill run, but on an XC green or blue at the most. If she enjoys it, do the same trail again. Find other trail centres in nice places with good cafes that sell cake, and repeat doing green or blue runs, until she asks you to do something a bit more challenging.

Find somewhere quiet and let her do it at her own speed, and don't go tearing off on decents, I lost her for a hour or so on a lakeland ride because i flew off ahead and she went the opposite way. Needless to say it still gets 'discussed' now…

i have tried this one several occasions and mostly got frustated or bored and usually told off for being partonising, condescending and uncaring.

i gave up. now i am happily married and my wife has a nice mountain bike which is in the garage but provides a ready source of spares for my babies, currently it needs a cassette & brakes but is otherwise functional!

we are both extremely happy with this arrangement. I guess her bike might get used sometime next year for a spin to the ub but little more and that is just fine!