Question #1: What bike should I get first?

I would recommend getting a hard tail for your first bike, I would recommend this because you probably don’t want to drop a lot of money on a full-suspension bike for you first mountain bike. But, that doesn’t mean you should get a bike from your local Canadian Tire or Walmart. I would recommend going to your local bike store and talking to the mechanics there about what bike you should get in your price range and what size you should get. I would also recommend spending around $800 to $1500 on a hardtail bike.

Question #2: What kind of trails should I start on?

You would want to start on easier trails for your first time learning to mountain bike, I would recommend green circles or blue square trails for when you’re learning. Don’t only stick to one type of terrain you should try all terrain, and when you start getting better you can start trying harder trails and trying more and harder features.

Question #3: What are some good ways to learn how to mountain bike?

By practice, because practice makes perfect. Just keep going out every day and mountain biking and trying new and harder features and trails.

Question #4 But really, why should I bother shifting gears?

You should shift gears because it just makes biking easier. When you’re biking up you should be in an easier gear and when you’re biking down you should be in a harder gear. Doing this will save you energy make it easier to ride certain parts of the trail.

Question #5 Why do you need so much “stuff” to go riding?  

It’s always good to have lots of stuff and to be prepared with and extra tube in case you get a flat tire, a pump to pump up that tube, a multi tool, water, high energy candy incase you crash, and toilet paper if you need to go poop are some things you might want to take with you when you go mountain biking.

Question #6 Should I only use my back brake?

No, never only use your back brake when mountain biking. I see so many people do this and it makes me cringe. You should use both your back brake and your front brake equally when mountain biking. If you do this you will have more control of your bike, control of your speed, and grip on the terrain.

Question #7 How much space should I leave between me and the person in front of me?

I would recommend leaving a car length or two, but, that can vary. Such as when you’re biking up I am usually close enough that I can touch my friend so we can talk. And on flatter sections you can also get a little bit closer together. But a good rule of thumb is that you want to be close enough so that if something happens you can stop before you crash into them.

You can also check out this link where I got some of my questions!