How do you start mountain biking?

Mountain biking has an image of mud, helmets and people throwing themselves down cliffs. Some of that is true. But most of it is something gentler: riding through forests on winding paths, the bike doing more of the work than you expect, with a café at the trailhead.

Start at a trail centre

The easiest way in is a trail centre or bike park: a place with purpose-built, signposted routes of different difficulty, parking, often bike hire, and usually a café.

Trails are graded. Forestry England's guide to trail grades, for example, uses green for easy, blue for moderate, red for difficult and black for severe, describes the grades as a general indication of difficulty, and notes that its grading system is being replaced over time by a new one. Other countries and centres use their own scales, so always read the key at the trailhead.

Our advice: ride the easiest grade first, even if you are a confident road cyclist. Mountain biking difficulty is about technical features, not distance, and an easy trail is where you learn to read the ground.

Hire before you buy

Most trail centres and bike shops near popular trails hire mountain bikes, often with helmets. Hiring lets you:

• Ride a bike that is set up properly, with working brakes and suspension.
• Try different types, such as hardtails (front suspension only) and full suspension.
• Find out if you like it before spending money.

Tell the hire shop your height and experience. They will set the saddle height and show you the gears and brakes.

Riding loose: the core skill

Beginners grip the bars and go stiff, which makes the bike skittish. Experienced riders look relaxed. A few basics:

• The ready position. Out of the saddle on descents and rough bits, pedals level, knees and elbows bent, weight centred over the bike.
• Loose arms, loose grip. Let the bike move under you.
• Eyes up. Look ahead to where you want to go, not at the rock you are trying to avoid.
• Brake before, not during. Slow down before a corner or rough section, then roll through it.
• Use both brakes, smoothly. The front brake is powerful, and grabbing it hard on loose ground is how people go over the bars.
• Shift early, before a climb, so you are not grinding to a halt. Our piece on using bike gears covers this.

Get a skills session

Many trail centres offer beginner skills courses: a couple of hours of coaching on body position, braking, cornering and riding over small obstacles. It is one of the best investments a new rider can make.

What to bring

• Helmet (essential) and gloves.
• Clothes you can move in, with layers. Padded liner shorts help on longer rides.
• Water and snacks.
• A basic repair kit if you know how to use it, or ride routes where help is close.
• A phone, and tell someone your plans if you ride away from the centre.

Follow the centre's rules, ride within your abilities, and walk any section you are not sure about. Everyone does.