I have been MTBing a lot lately after a ~20 year hiatus.

I ride with some fast enduro types and they are all able to do it on clipless, I don't think you need to force yourself to ride flats. I would say just go out and ride and get comfortable on the bike. Ride as much single track as possible. Try flat sections faster and faster. There are good MTB skill instructors out there who can teach you how to bunny hop and then jump. One other key skill is getting off the saddle and keeping your weight back on the descents, that is a really key body position to master.

I would just advise you to ride with a few faster folks and follow their lines. See how they set up turns and navigate through technical areas.

From a fitness standpoint it is a totally different worout, it is hard to go zone 1-2 because you always have these bursts where you have to do 6 or 10 or more pedal strokes at max effort. It is almost a plyometric workout. Hard mountain bike rides pin your heart rate, in fact I get an average 5 beats per minute faster on a hard MTB vs. TT'ing. For me the perfect mix is 1/3 TT bike, 1/3 road bike, and 1/3 MTB, the problem is the MTBing is so fun that I do it way more than 1/3 of the time.

I started as a pure roadie and now do a lot of MTB since moving to Sedona 9 years ago.

My recommendations:
1) Knee and elbow pads. Lot's of people wear them and they help a ton when you fall. Also a camelback to carry stuff.
2) Watch youtube videos in your spare time (I really like the GMBN guys but there are lots of options).
3) Find a fun group to ride with - I find there's a less competitive attitude with MTB folks (but it's still there at times...)
4) Session difficult sections. Spot for your friends, and have them spot for you.
5) Don't be afraid to ask questions about techniques.
6) Practice some basic trials skills (track stand, wheelies, bunny hopes, drops, etc.).
7) I've recently switched to flats. I have much more confidence on really technical areas. If you are on smooth trails and don't run into technical areas, then no need but I still like them. I'll switch to clipless for cross country races, but otherwise I'm enjoying the flats. Especially when I have to hike-a-bike.
8) I wear my bibs under MTB baggy shorts. Saves my expensive bibs when I crash, or allows me to wear old bibs that show too much in the daylight.
9) I also wear a tech shirt instead of jersey. Same reason as above, no sense ripping or snagging my nice jersey if I don't have to.
10) Stop a lot to enjoy the surroundings.

Have fun!

---

---

It's also hard for me to imagine riding my MTB on flats. I've always had SPDs, if you come from road/tri, it'll feel natural. I personally can't imaging riding with knee pads, that seems like it would bother me also. But I don't know how gnarly your trails will be. Every leg scar tells a story, and mountain biking has given me plenty.

Just get out and ride, that's the only real way to gain confidence on a mountain bike. It's by far my favorite type of cycling, and I'm doing more and more of it each year, as I do less and less triathlons. I just wish I had Utah mountains!

The one thing that helped me the most was switching to flat pedals.

Don't do what I did.

A friend had a bike shop and said if I wanted do this race (Iceman) he would hook me up with a demo bike. I was literally rolling around in the hotel parking lot race morning figuring out how the shifters worked. I only hit the ground once but it was not very technical at all.

Flats all the way. I often need to pop my foot out to the side instinctively to counter balance when a rock/tree jumps out, being clipped in would scare the crap out of me!

This is a great video that sums up mountain biking really well -



Just get out and ride, MTB gives lots of smiles per miles

• I'm a pretty confident road bike handler (battling toward the top in Strava for steep, winding, switch-back-filled mountain descents), don't know how that will translate to MTB.


Decending on a MTB is very different from a road bike. You'll have to trust your tires and setup as well as practice a lot. I'm a pretty good descender on the road but average on a MTB. Since you'll be riding that kind of stuff a lot I'd expect you to get good quickly.


• My pedaling fitness will be way above my MTB skill level


That will help.


• I hate the feeling of riding flat pedals, so I'm planning to start with SPDs. It seems like some think riding with flats is better to develop MTB skills and technique. Any thoughts?


SPD or Egg Beaters. I don't know any good riders that use flat pedals.


• I hate crashing, but I know it'll happen. Planning to get elbow/knee pads.


If you don't go down at least once an hour you're not trying hard enough

Just go out and ride, convert to tubeless immediately.
Find a friend to follow, have them go slow enough that you can keep up with them so you can learn their lines.

You can set the float to extremely loose so that almost any movement that isn't absolutely up or down will disengage the cleat. Essentially any side to side movement will disengage & let you put a foot down. In addition, this adjustment will allow you to get clipped back in very easily.

---

Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

I think the reason for my love of flats is mainly due to where I mostly ride. I live near a trail centre which has about 20 miles of dedicated and marked trails with plenty of jumps/berms etc. I wear Five Ten trainers which have a super grippy rubber sole and to be honest getting round as fast as I can is not a concern I have.

One of the great things I find about MTB’ing is the social aspect and group rides on it he trails are always fun.

You flew the whole time? Well, except for hitting the ground once - what kind of setup was this?!? I'm intrigued.

---

https://www.strava.com/...tes/zachary_mckinney

Plenty of good advice here already. Regarding flats vs. clipless, I actually think clipless makes you a better rider because you can't dab your foot every time things get dicey. A couple other things that have helped me that I wish people told me from the start:

- Ride with better riders and don't be afraid to be challenged. You'll fall but it will be worth it.
- Learn how to really use your brakes as a bike handling tool. This is a skill that is completely different on a mtn bike vs. road bike.
- Trust the bike, today's trail bikes are incredibly capable and in most circumstances the bike won't be the limiting factor. It takes a while to build that trust though.

Have fun!

Tires, tires and tires. Best upgrade you can make to your bike is tires. Width, compound and tread pattern make a huge difference. Talk to other riders in your are and see what they are riding. Also, if you have lift access bike park in your area - go there. You can get alot of downhill practice in a hurry and this will increase your descending skills much quicker. Additionally, if the bike park has instructors... pay for a lesson or take a week end bike camp...this is the best money you will spend.

Thanks, all. Great advice and encouragement.

Re: pedal type, Jon, why did switching to flats help you so much?
I was thinking I'd set the SPDs so they release super easily. I'll probably also buy some flats b/c they're not that expensive and it would be good for me to try them out.

The trails around here are pretty rocky. There's an area about 2 miles from my house where there are miles and miles of trails, ranging from green to black on Trailforks, so I think I'll just start on the greens and try to work my way up.

GMBN has become my new time killer while I'm stretching and doing injury rehab.

I got pedal innovations flat pedals and liked those. Switched to Chester pedals this year and like them. They are $50 and nice and come in bright colors. When mountain biking I can’t get feet out of pedals quick enough when I can’t clear an obstacle or am going up hill in wrong gear or have to put foot down on sudden sharp curve. Would fall once or twice during a ride which led to terror rest of ride. But I’m an experienced triathlete who has ridden road bikes and tri bikes in clipless pedals so gotta do that on mountain bike or it’s not a workout right? Then got fat bike for winter - I’m in Alaska - everyone pretty much rides those with flat pedals and winter boots so that’s what I did. Got great workout anyway , and when trail got difficult or I was about to slip I got my foot down super fast on flats and did not fall. Did Olympic distance tri - lavaman - after winter of just about all training on fat bike with flats and prd the bike at the race. Made me think no sacrifice at all in my fitness from riding the flats. Got to mountain bike season and read beginner mountain biking for triathlon article in triathlete magazine that recommended flat pedals so I figured I hate being in cleats and I’m scared all the time on mountain bike so why not try the flat pedals. Made all the difference in the world. Now I’m not scared on mountain bike and I love it. Ride my mountain bikes all the time now. Great trail system right in my town. The two times I used to fall in a ride are now two times of me quickly putting my foot down and saving myself from falling. Still a great workout. Ride road bike and tri bike well even if a lot of my training is mountain bike on flat pedals. Perform better in mountain bike races on the flat pedals too. Ride local cyclocross series on flat pedals too and happier on those. Still road and tri with clipless pedals though.

Just skimming through the other responses, 2 things stood out for me...

Pedals: Definitely prefer clipped (my personal choice for simplicity/cost was Eggbeaters, but whatever SPD style are pretty close). I found the prevalence of having my foot come off unintentionally without cleats (not just slipping, but jarring or even directly impacting shit sticking out from the side) was greater than the times I was stuck and couldn't disengage when needed. Especially when trying to put extra 'body' into jumping/juking obstacles, it's often helpful to be able to lift the ass end of the bike just a little w/ your legs (extreme case: I've even executed a near-90* turn in place by pivoting on the front wheel, and I'm hardly a BMX stud by any stretch) ~ plus of course there are times when you get caught in the wrong gear (or run out of gears when it's *really* fucking steep) and need to be able to apply max torque all the way around the pedal stroke just to keep the cranks turning and stay upright; sometimes it can even be just a moment in a stroke in between power phases and by the time you come around to put your weight down and/or stand up on it for added leverage it's already too late, but locked into clipless you can still pull through that dead spot while seated and not have to sacrifice your position for handling.

Tires: Holy shit I still remember the first time I got new tires after my old ones had gradually worn down such that you were never really aware of just how much they'd degraded over time. It was like a whole new bike. Since then I've become a huge believer and agree w/ whoever said above that nothing will make a bigger difference in overall performance than matching the right tire to the job or not.

Edit to add regarding Pads: I've tried knee pads a couple times and they're way too hot/sweaty and a pain to keep in place given all the flexing, but shin guards I found to be worth it since they stay put much better and I found I took more severe dings along that long/inflexible frontage than other body parts that have more give.

Some good advice here. My $0.02:

• Start off by riding very conservatively. Don't try to bomb technical stuff with fast guys from day 1.
• Definitely start off by riding flats. It's safer and you'll learn proper technique.
• Learn and practice basic skills (just 15 minutes a day consistently will make a huge difference): track stand, manual, bunny hop.
• Watch skill videos on YouTube (Skills with Phil is a good channel) and practice them.
• Periodically do drills: chain multiple skills together such as ride a skinny, manual onto an object, drop (front/flat/rear pick it), and then bunny hop something.
• Wear decent protective gear consistently: helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, gloves.
• Pre ride your trail every time (even if you're familiar with it)
• Once you have some confidence start riding with faster riders.
• HAVE FUN!

Awesome advice, everyone. I have a friend/colleague who has been riding forever, but is pretty old, so he’s probably a good fit for me to learn from. He said he’d go riding with me. I also live about 10 minutes from the Sundance ski resort and lift tickets to ride there are only $28 for a day, so I’ll definitely take advantage of that.

I think the bike definitely won’t be my limiting factor. It’s not whatever the MTB equivalent of a superbike is, but it has modern trail geometry, good components, dropper post, etc, so its far better that what ppl were riding even 10 years ago.

Trying not to spend all our money on gear!

Just go ride and have fun, you'll figure it out.

Sam Hill???? (I know, mutants aren't great comparisons and he's an outlier)

Often people who learn to bunny hop on clips have crap technique because you can fake it by just yanking up on the pedal. With flats you have to point toes down and counter pressure back to get the rear wheel up. Also, flats force you to keep your heels down in a turn more so that your center of gravity is better. Clips do make it easier to get over obstacles and technical climbs because you can control the rear better. The ability to put a foot down on tight/sandy corners with flats is great as long as you don't break your leg. Learning on flats will probably turn your shins into hamburger meat but you'll avoid other falls. Flats let you put your foot on the pedal more midfoot for better balance in tech but sometimes you'll get it in a weird position.. clips are predictable.

The answer is simple... have both! Keep both sets of pedals and shoes in your car with a wrench and some grease.
Doing some jumps? flats.
Cranking out XC miles? clips.
Sessioning something scary? flats.
You've become an enduro god? clips.

See what works for you. On our local tight/technical course my fastest times have been on flats but I always wear clips when racing XC.

Oh, I’m sure this has been said a few time by now but go tubeless for sure.

Another thing re tires, unlike road bikes it’s pretty common to run different tires front and rear on mountain bikes. You want more traction on the front than the rear. My current favorite combo in this regard is the Bontrager XR4 in 29x2.6” up front and the XR3 in 29x2.4 in the rear.

XC guys have been running 2-2.2” tires for a long time but recent testing indicates wider is faster with ~3” being the point of diminishing returns and 2.6 being the sweet spot IMO (as tires get larger it’s really hard to dial in PSI just right on the continuum of too hard/bouncy and too soft/floppy).

I recommend a skills course. I took a 2 day course by these folks and it was worth every penny.
https://sandiegomountainbikeskills.com/

Really helped with cornering and jumps.

Not sure I buy that, can you share the source of that? Plus size tires are on the way out with 29X2.4-2.6 seeming to be the sweet spot. There are no racers running larger tires, and the most popular MTB tire brand (Maxxis) are some of the most slow rolling. It totally depends on what you are riding and also your rim width. Most MTB people quite honestly hate riding up hills and live for the downs, so they ride overly grippy and lugged out tread that sucks to push up hill but locks up on the down. Maxxis is winning the tire game because they make a tun of tread designs in every possible increment of diameter, but compared to Schwalbe Rocket Ron / Racing Ralphs or Vottoria Barzos, they are total dogs from a rolling resistance standpoint. I ride New England rocky / rooty singletrack as well as flow trails like Highland MTB Park, etc on 2.35s mounted on 26mm Internal width rims, to me they are the perfect balance between grip and speed.

I'll dig up the links later this evening as I'm about to hop on a plane but it's a very sensible thing if you think it through: on the road, only the tire deforms whereas the road does not so the only thing that drives crr is the tire. Off road both the tire and the surface you ride on deform therefore both are factors in crr. Since you can't control the surface you ride on if your goal is to minimize crr you have to minimize how much you deform the surface therefore you need to increase surface area. A very simple thought experiment that takes this to an extreme is riding a fat bike on beach sand vs riding a 2" xc tire. Under a fat bike tire the ground won't deform much and crr will be minimized. Under a 2" xc tire the ground will deform considerably and crr will be high. Of course in MTB there are considerations other than just crr and sometimes you actually *want* to deform the surface you are riding on for traction purposes.

I guess I would love to see what you are talking about but it does not square at all with what people are choosing to ride. Fat bikes and 27.5 plus tires are total dogs in the market (other than snow) because the tires are way too much to throw around. The CRR in the mountain bike does come from the casing stiffness, not just the width, which is just like road tires. I have 2 sets of 29er wheels, one with Maxxis Minion DHF /DHR (very popular enduro-bro combo) and one with Racing Ray / Racing Ralph combo. The Schwalbes are way faster over the same trails, the Maxxis are my go to for bike park riding. You are right that the dirt surface deforms, but the tire casing stiffness is still really important. No one rides stiff DH tires for trail riding because they are way over built and slow for general riding.