Lina Skoglund riding a technical section of trail in Flottsbro, Sweden, 2020.
© Hanna Jonsson
MTB Enduro

5 ways to become a better MTB rider

The duo behind Swedish MTB coaching company Better MTB goes back to basics and shares their best advice on how to become faster out on the trails.
Written by Hanna Jonsson
8 min readUpdated on
Are you getting smoked by your mates out on the trails? Or have you just got into riding and want to learn how to get more confident on the bike? Whatever reason you have the answer is the same: to get faster on the bike you should improve your mountain bike riding technique.
Going back to basics is just as important if you’re a beginner or an expert as it’s easy to pick up as there is always something that needs perfecting - whether it is pumping technique, body position, braking or cornering. Speed is often in the details and nailing the core components of riding will allow you to find speed in places you never thought of. It will also make you feel more stable and confident on two wheels when attacking fast and technical sections.
Lina Skoglund from Better MTB hitting jumps in Flottsbro, Sweden,  in September 2020.

Lina Skoglund from Better MTB hitting jumps in Flottsbro, Sweden.

© Hanna Jonsson

To find out what the most common things that riders need to work on are, we caught up with the duo behind the MTB coaching company Better MTB - a Swedish-based company that will be taking over the coaching at Järvsö Bike Park for 2021. Lina Skoglund and Steve Murphy have a lot of coaching experience from both Sweden and New Zealand and ride everything from singletrack to Enduro to Downhill. Below they share five of the most common things riders need to work on.
The best way to get faster? Get a coaching lesson of course!
Get in touch with Better MTB:

1. Generate more speed by pumping

Lina Skoglund riding mountain bike in Flottsbro, Sweden in September 2020.

By using the pumping technique you can easily jump over rocks and roots.

© Hanna Jonsson

  • Why: Generates speed without pedaling, basic jumping skill, smoother riding.
  • Common mistake: Too static on the bike, let the bike do the job, wrong timing
One of the best things to learn on a MTB is how to pump, i.e utilise small bumps and rollers in the terrain to generate more speed. A common mistake is being too static on the bike and letting the bike do all the hard work. This doesn’t actually make you faster, instead, you should actively try to pump your bike on small rollers and uneven bumps out on the trail.
So what does “pumping” mean? Basically, you compress the bike by pushing it into the ground using your arms and legs in order to use the rebound to create speed. You become “light” on the bike and can more easily jump over a technical section of rocks and roots or gain more height when hitting a jump.
The movement itself also generates speed. Just take a pump track for example, an infinity loop of rollers and corners where the only way to generate speed is by pumping (no pedalling). The same thing happens when you pump on a trail - you generate speed without needing to take a single pedal stroke.
Ways to practice pumping:
  • One of the best ways to learn the proper pumping technique is to go practice in a pump track. Don’t pedal, but instead find the timing to push between the rollers and into corners to generate speed.
  • Find a natural roller, small jump or hump on your local trail and practice pushing the into roller/take off/hump and then use the rebound to get “light” on the bike.

2. Adapt a strong body position

Lina Skoglund riding a technical section of trail in Flottsbro, Sweden, 2020.

Weight centered, bent elbows and knees, eyes ahead.

© Hanna Jonsson

  • Why: Stronger and more stable on the bike, ready to “attack” the trail.
  • Common mistake: Leaning back, elbows and legs inactive and standing too “lightly” on the pedals.
You want to be stable and ready to attack as you enter a downhill section of trail and that means adapting a strong body position, i.e. staying centered on the bike. A common mistake is to lean back, but that means that your weight isn’t equally distributed on your wheels, which results in less grip. Instead, keep your body weight centered, your core engaged and your elbows out. Your legs should be active with slightly bent knees and your heels dropped down. This gives you a stable platform and allows you to transfer forces down and through the bike to the ground and maintain this slight bend in the knee and not crouch.
Ways to practice body position:
  • Taking videos is a great way to see what your body position looks like and that way you can analyse and correct yourself.
Everyone can always progress and most riders have areas that need to be improved. Having someone looking at you and give feedback usually helps a lot.
Lina Skoglund

3. Use the correct braking technique

Steve Murphy railing a corner on his mountain bike in Hagaparken, Stockholm, Sweden in April 2021.

Steve carrying good speed out of a corner.

© Lina Skoglund

  • Why: More stable and in control, smoother riding, braking in the right spots can help carry more speed into the next section.
  • Common mistake: Not using the front brake, getting scared of the braking power, not braking in the right place.
There is a lot of technique that goes into braking correctly and it’s totally worth practicing it because once done right it will make you faster, more stable and balanced on the bike. A common mistake with braking is that people don’t have a strong position on the bike to begin with (see point above on body position) and it makes them feel like they are getting thrown forwards when they brake. This results in people often leaning back (making it a catch 22). By adapting a strong, correct body position on the bike this will not happen and you will feel a lot more in control when braking.
Another mistake is to not use the front brake. For some reason people are scared of it, but in reality, it’s more scary to just use the rear brake as it will cause you to skid, slide and feel out of control. If you apply both brakes equally you can reduce your speed quicker whilst staying in control.
When riding a steep section you should even apply your front brake more than your rear as you have more weight on your front wheel. To get even more control make sure to drop your heels and straighten your legs slightly.
Braking in the right spot is also very important. You should brake when you have grip: on a straight piece of trail, before a corner (not in it), before a rocky section (not in it), before roots (not on them). This becomes even more important in the wet when rocks, roots and dirt are slippery.
Ways to practice braking:
  • Plan where you are going to brake on a trail and where to let go. Remember to brake before technical sections or corners, not in them.
  • Aim to be as smooth as possible when you brake as braking too hard and jerky will throw you off balance.
  • Maintain the ‘ready’ position on the bike – staying centered with heels dropped and head up will give consistent braking.

4. Learn how to separate bike and body

Steve Murphy hitting a big jump on his mountain bike in Hagaparken, Stockholm, Sweden in April 2021.

Steve making easy work of a big jump in Hagaparken.

© Hanna Jonsson

  • Why: Increases grip on trails, be more active on the bike, improves cornering and jumping technique.
  • Common mistakes: Being static on the bike, being a passenger.
Learning how to separate bike and body is important to gain more stability, grip and control. As mentioned under point one, a common mistake is to be static and inactive, but by learning how to move the bike underneath you it will generate better grip on trails, jumps and off-camber sections. It’s also extremely helpful when learning to jump as it means that you can correct yourself and your bike mid-air.
Lina Skoglund demonstrating how to separate body and bike in a flat corner in Flottsbro, Stockholm in September 2020.

Lina demonstrating how to separate body and bike in a flat corner.

© Hanna Jonsson

Ways to practice body-bike separation:
  • Practice in a straight line by exaggerating the movement. Have the body up right and try to lean the bike under you. Put more weight on your hand, widen your knees a little and lean the handlebar (and bike) one way.
  • Practice flat corners by example putting out cones on a flat grassy area. Keep body upright, lean the bike underneath you, look ahead and let the tires dig in to the ground for grip.

5. Learn how to corner properly

Lina Skoglund going round a corner on her mountain bike in Flottsbro, Sweden, in September 2020.

Weight is centered, body and bike separated, and eyes on the exit.

© Hanna Jonsson

  • Why: It’s the basics for riding and good cornering technique helps you with jumping.
  • Common mistakes: Hanging off the back, braking in the corner, wrong line choice, not leaning the bike.
Cornering is one of the hardest things to do and what most riders struggle with. It’s also one of the most fun things to do on a mountain bike and there is always room for improvement.
All the points mentioned above comes into play when cornering - pumping and leaning the bike, body positioning and braking technique. You need to stay centered, brake before the corner, look through it.
It’s a challenge to hold speed out of the corner. Everyone has probably experienced when it’s gone wrong resulting in loss of speed and balance. But practice makes perfect and once you get it, you'll notice just how much faster you come out of the corner.
Ways to practice cornering:
  • Find a corner you like (or struggle with), break down the steps and decide where you want to enter and where you want to exit (your line choice).
  • Try and do your braking before you enter the corner, lift your eyes and look through the corner. Stay centered on your bike and point your upper body to where you want to go
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