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Hey all,
being the experienced bunch of riders that you are, I thought you be able to share a few worthwhile tips and tricks you've learned along the way that have made you a better rider.

I wanted to focus less on tech upgrades, and more on general riding techniques.

Not that I'm an expert or anything, but if I was asked for mine it would be:
1) to take on corners in a standing position and to turn from the hips. I've tried it at the local pump track and on trails and it's the best advice I've had. It's allowed me to get low on bermed turns and carry speed through the entire turn.
2) to get my elbows out. good for stability and to save those aching wrists, especially on a pump tracks.
3) to tilt my pedals back with my heels over rough ground to avoid being bounced out of the saddle. especially on a hardtail.

anyway - I want to know yours! hook us all up.

Speed is your friend
Let the bike do the work

Look where you want to go

Get over the front into a berm and over the back on the way out. This'll make you pump it and look like a pro if you get on the pedals early as the front up just floats up when you get it right - not very often for me... I'm usually hanging on trying not to crash.

Ive picked up some tips on my recent trips to France.

Similar to coney's.

Berms.

Stand up, pedal facing the berm down, elbows out, knee out facing exit of berm, look at exit of berm.

Speed definately is your friend, you flow better over bumps, rocks and get less fatigue, trouble is..it has a downside should you come off !

Northshore..DONT TOUCH YOUR FRONT BRAKE and be careful with your back one too.

Andy

Through corners weight your outside foot and the inside hand, stay off your brakes and trust in your tyres..

Good to see someone else saying speed is your friend, no one believes me but it's true.

Stand up when going downhill or over things.

Get your outside foot down when going round corners for more grip and lean the bike not your body.

Think positively and stay relaxed, tensing up is bad and will lead to crashes, oh and also don't look at something too long, visulise what you want to do and go for it.

The last one, which is more personal preference, if I see a tight corner, I mean more than very tight foot down and moto it round, oh that is fun.

Lastly, don't follow me I have a tendancy to peel off and find a strange line when I get bored, twice people have followed and ended up worse for wear.

Stay loose
drop your heels and wrists so you under rotate on impact
look well ahead and not a foot in front of you
when cornering point your chest in the direction you want to go
follow a faster more experienced rider (but not MCHardmanUK unless you have a deathwish) and watch the lines they take,
for jumps and drops commit fully.
go get some professional coaching its expensive but worth every penny

After 3 decades of riding i'm going for professional training soon

Game changer!

Some useful stuff guys! particularly the "drop the outside foot" thing lots have mentioned. super handy.


as simple as that sounds it's actually really important right?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnzkJ257vDc&feature=player_embedded

saw this on chopMTB last friday. the girl reading the sign at the end of this illustrates your point rather well I think.



I'm not sure I follow that mate...care to explain further?

So true!

Looks of riding tip clips on YouTube..some great..some shit.

Heres how to..eerr..crash .. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Itfh47g ... re=related

Get your controls set up correctly, especially the brake levers. Relaxed one-fingered braking downhill saves arm-pump and builds confidence. Set up the lever stroke to a short distance with the lever nice and close to the grip so your index finger can just hang relaxed. Keep loose and low, bent knees and elbows and buy a Reverb, they can save you so much energy on changeable terrain.

Yep Imbikemag Richard Kelly his video are good.