The one piece of equipment that changed my riding

There is one piece of equipment that absolutely changed my riding.

It was the difference between being terrified on every descent to…

Seeking out technical downhills.

Lowering my center of mass while riding truly made all the difference in what I was able to ride.

Still, to this day, I credit my seat dropper post for being able to ride so confidently.

Here is the crazy part of the story.

I was the very first professional cross country racer to race a World Cup with a seat post dropper on my bike in 2013.

But that first year, I had more than one mechanic make fun of me for using a dropper.

Droppers were for downhill racers only. Not cross country racers.

At first, I was ashamed and then I decided I didn’t care because it made all the difference for my riding.

Fast forward to 2021, every single cross country rider at the World Cups race with a dropper.

That’s why I tell my clients there is no wiggle room on this point, they must have a seat dropper on their mountain bikes.

So why are they so important?

#1) Dropper posts make riding mountain bikes safer

When you’re descending, it’s important to lower your body and shift back in order to keep your center of mass above the center of your bike. This helps maintain equal pressure on your front and rear wheels. Being in a lower position gives you considerably increased control, is more stable, and significantly decreases the probability of a fall. Without a dropper post, it can be tempting to tackle downhill sections and rock gardens with your seat up high, which is much less safe. You are less safe because your center of mass is higher. Think about a table and a lamp. Which is easier to tip over? A lamp, because its center of mass is higher. A table on the other hand, is stable and very difficult to tip over. 

#2) Dropper posts help you ride faster

Especially on trails with a lot of rolling hills and features. Dropper posts allow you to transition in a fraction of a second and keep up with your companions. Being able to adjust your saddle height every few seconds (if needed) helps you keep your center of body mass where it needs to be. This added safety will allow you to ride faster, and let’s face it: riding faster is more fun.

#3) Dropper posts allow you to ride stepper terrain

With a dropper, you can get your seat out of the way. Then you can lower your center of mass to within a centimeter of the seat, thus allowing you to rider super steep terrain while staying balanced over the center of your bike.

Next week, I’ll give you some specifications so you know how to choose the right dropper for your bike.

Keep up your happy pedaling my friends (with your dropper post of course).

Tips for Mountain Biking in Moon Dust

What is moon dust?

July and August often bring dry and hot conditions to trails in arid regions like those found in Australia, the southwest, and the Rocky Mountains. Moon dust occurs when soil loses moisture and the top layer deteriorates into a fine, loose powder on top of a firmer surface. Dust exposes rocks, creates bumps and ruts, make conditions slippery and unpredictable, and can cause wheels to lose traction—potentially resulting in a crash. Below we’ll give you some tips for riding in moon dust.

Create more traction

Without the tacky surface of hero dirt, you will need to create more traction between your tire and the dirt. In general, you want to have light hands and heavy feet. Push your weight through your pedals and heels to create more grip. If you know you’re going to be riding in moon dust, you may want to reduce the pressure in your front tire by 1 or 2 psi to increase the surface area in contact with the ground. Make sure your tires have a good tread, and consider getting tires with longer spikes if you ride in dusty conditions regularly.

Look ahead!

Moon dust can lead to braking bumps, ruts, holes, and powdery, dust-covered rock slabs. Scan ahead for tricky spots so that you can be prepared. Read more about your vision when mountain biking here.

Protect your eyes while riding

We always recommend wearing eye protection while mountain biking, but it is especially important in dusty conditions to prevent dirt and grit from damaging your eyeballs. It’s hard to see with dirt in your eyes! You may also consider wearing mountain biking goggles or even clear safety glasses when riding in moon dust.

Increase your following distance

If you’re riding with friends, allow enough distance between riders for the dust to settle—not only to reduce breathing in dust, but also so that you can see the trail features clearly and ride much more safely.

Brake early

Avoid locking your brakes in dusty sections or over dust-covered rock slabs. Brake earlier than you normally would because you will have less grip.  

Corner with Care

Moon dust often is an added culprit to losing traction on your turns or when cornering. This can result in sliding out, meaning your tires slide out from underneath you. Practice and utilize your bike body separation skills. Specifically lean your bike not your body when cornering. Often we find ourselves leaning with our bikes on turns and in corners, especially on low g-force turns. When you lean with your bike then your center of mass is no longer over the bike’s center which is why you lose traction. When you lean just your bike and not your body your center of mass remains over the bike's center. This keeps your tires properly weighted, generates traction and prevents the dreaded sliding out. Learn more about how to properly corner and lean your bike and not your body in one of our clinics. Join an Intermediate Cornering Clinic this summer to corner through moon dust like a pro. Other important factors we cover in our cornering clinics are selecting the correct line, proper braking and utilizing your vision correctly.

Respect the trail!

Don’t widen trails by riding around tricky sections. If needed, walk your bike through deep moon dust or over slippery slabs. Always respect trail closure signs and do your best to follow Leave No Trace principles.

If you want to avoid moon dust, look for trails at higher altitudes or in cooler areas. If you don’t have a lot of options, be careful, have fun, and enjoy your dirt-tan lines!

The Mountain Bike Mastery Course is where we take your mountain bike skills to the next level and way beyond. Join from anywhere in the world for the most in-depth, personalized coaching possible. Make some magic on your bike with Coach Erica Tingey supporting you every pedal stroke of the way.

4 Common Mistakes We See on the Trail

Bad habits in mountain biking are easy to pick up, especially for those of us who are self-taught. Skills clinics haven’t always been accessible like they are now, and many of us were left to our own devices in learning how to ride. Regardless of how we began, all of us can undo bad habits, learn correct fundamental skills, and improve our overall riding on the trail. Below are some tips to move beyond common mistakes we see on the trail:

Vision 
It is instinctive for riders (especially new riders) to look down at our front tire as we ride, focusing on the obstacles and trail directly beneath us. Instead, we want to be looking ahead and further down the trail at the upcoming terrain. As we look ahead we can prepare with correct body position, proper speed, line choice, techniques, etc. We don’t want any surprises on the trail. We can use our peripheral vision to scan down when needed, yet mostly we keep our vision focused and looking ahead. While some of us stay focused and looking ahead most of the time, it is easy  to become distracted with an upcoming rock or trail obstacle. As we approach a rock, for example, we can fixate on the rock as it rolls underneath us, instead of preparing for what is next. We can be more intentional with our vision, taking note of when we are looking down or not focusing on the terrain ahead. With correct vision we can find ourselves able to travel at faster speeds and with greater control. For more information about vision, please read this Tech Tuesday Article or better yet join us for a clinic to better understand your vision when riding through rocky terrain, cornering and everyday singletrack.

Tense Grip
When we ride, are we gripping so tight that our shoulders, arms and hands are stiff after the ride? If so, it’s time to loosen up that grip. A tight grip on our handlebars keeps us in a more rigid position. Then as we ride, our bike is harder to maneuver underneath us. Our bikes are meant to handle the terrain, our  legs are meant to absorb the extra jolts and movement (when using the correct ready position) and our arms and hands are meant to lightly grip our handlebars to brake, steer and lean the bike. Think of it as heavy feet (weight in our pedals) and light hands. This simple technique will greatly improve dynamic riding skills. 

Lean Your Bike, Not Your Body 
Learning how to properly execute bike-body separation techniques will greatly improve our dynamic riding and allows us to ride faster and more difficult terrain. Often riders will lean their bodies with their bikes, instead of properly leaning their bike while staying upright, centered and balanced on the bike. Staying upright and balanced not only keeps us stable on our bike, but generates traction in our tires so we don’t slide out. Learn how to properly lean your bike and not your body in one of our Cornering Clinics. 

Hand and Finger Placement 
Hydraulic disc brakes and wider handlebars have really changed our stance as riders, giving us more leverage and control over the bikes we ride. Older brakes or non hydraulic disc brakes often needed more force for braking which ultimately took away from how many fingers could wrap around our handlebars. However, modern mountain bike brakes are designed to be used with 1 finger only - our index finger.  If we position our hands towards the end of our handlebar grips (utilize the full length of our handlebars) our index finger should line up with the slight bend towards the end of our brake levers. Minor adjustments  to our brake levers may need to be made to ensure proper positioning for our index finger. This Tech Tuesday Article goes into further detail.

When our brake levers are in the correct position, our index finger can rest on our brakes. Then, our remaining  fingers can wrap around our handlebars, which includes our thumbs being below the bar. This grasp gives us more control  as we lean, maneuver and steer, compared to the grasp we have when 2 fingers or more do the braking. This full grasp should not be confused with using a tight grasp. We still apply the principles of light hands, yet utilize the rest of our fingers and place our thumbs beneath our bars for a full grasp. 

Identifying bad habits on our own is difficult. Sign up for one of our skill’s clinics and let one of our professional coaches help  identify areas of needed improvement. Even slight changes have big results on the trail, whether we are just starting out, or have been biking for many years! 

5 LOCAL PICKS with Erica Tingey (from Stay Park City)

Read full interview here:

Erica Tingey is a former pro mountain biker who now owns Women in the Mountains, a Park City–based mountain biking business that offers clinics and personalized coaching for women. Whether you’re a brand new rider looking to learn the basics or an experienced cyclist ready to take your drops and cornering to the next level, Tingey and her team of coaches offer an approachable and friendly way to help improve your skills. Interested in learning more? Email info@womeninthemountains.com with any questions.

From (of course) mountain biking trails to post-ride food options, Tingey shares five of her favorite things about Park City below.

1. Main Street festivities

“Main Street has events nearly every weekend all summer long. We end up at Park Silly most Sunday afternoons and don’t miss the 4th of July parade or Miners Day Parade.”

Check out our Main Street guide for ideas on where to eat, drink, and browse for art.

Erica Tingey and her family on Main Street

2. The 9K trail

“We love riding the 9K Trail as a family. We can self-shuttle it by using the parking lot at Bonanza Flats or ride it as an out and back. There are truly stunning views of the Heber Valley, Guardsman Pass, and all of Park City as you make your way around the mountain. Make sure to check Mountain Trails Foundation for trail conditions on all higher elevation trails—they won’t be dry until mid- to late-June.”

Not sure what to do when you see muddy trails? Learn how to be a good dirt user with these Mud Season Trail Tips.

Park City’s 9K Trail

3. Utah Olympic Park trails

“The lower UOP trails have a nice variety of terrain. You can keep it mellow on the RTS loop or get spicier on the BYOB and OMH trails. These trails dry out much sooner than the higher elevation trails (such as 9K), so they are a springtime favorite.”

If hiking is more your speed, check out these Top 13 Park City Hikes instead.

4. Riverhorse Provisions

“When we are done riding (or skiing) we love to hit up Riverhorse Provisions for breakfast burritos, salads, sandwiches, pastries, and cold drinks. You can sit on the patio and soak up the sun on a nice day or find a cozy table downstairs.”

5. Pebble Beach at Deer Valley Resort

“To cool down mid-summer, we finish our rides at the ponds at Deer Valley. Park City SUP maintains a sandy beach all summer that makes getting in and out with your paddle board really easy and younger kids love playing in the sand.”

Pebble Beach is also just steps away from Deer Valley Grocery-Café where you’ll find coffee, soup, sandwiches, pastries, and packaged versions of Deer Valley’s famous turkey chili and chocolate chip cookies to make at home.

Pebble Beach at Deer Valley