Article  from the October 2012 issue of Ride Magazine.

Whether you’re a weekend warrior, marathon racer or budding cross-country star, you can learn something from the racers attack descents

World Cup downhill racer Stefan Garlicki (Canfield Factory) wasn’t quite sure what we wanted to achieve with this story, until a group of four riders gingerly picked their way down the hill where we were taking photographs. “Ah, you want me to show them how to not do it like that,” he chuckled while he pushed his bike back up the hill.

With Stefan’s help we’ll show you how to ace descents, from the basics (things even good riders may never have thought about) to developing that core body knowledge to help you ride all kinds of terrain. Focus on mastering one skill at a time on your next ride, while keeping the bigger picture in mind; getting down the hill smoother and faster.

Poised for action

There is art and science to body positioning, especially going downhill, and getting it right can change your riding forever. The art comes from the way movements flow together and generate balance, style, speed and confidence on the trails. The science comes from understanding the link between what you do and how it feels. Combining them determines how much fun you have.

Get ready

The first thing to conquer is the basic ready position (see p58) for descending. Even if you have a lot of experience and think you do this subconsciously, the basics are worth revisiting.

The simple stuff comes first. As the trail heads downhill, you need to stand up, keeping the cranks level so your weight is equal between the feet. There should be no chance of a pedal hitting the ground and your hips should be level so the bike is more directionally stable. If you’re just coming to mountain biking from road cycling, the next bit will feel rather odd – riding with flexed arms and loose knees.

You may be used to pinching the saddle to keep the bike stable, but do that on a mountain bike and every sideways bump from the trail will throw your body off course. Flex your knees but also open them out a little, so the bike can sway sideways between your legs without upsetting your balance.

The same goes for the arms. If they’re straight and rigid, every bump or sideways shimmy will upset your balance. It’s all about being low and loose, eyes forward down the trail, arms and legs really flexed and open.

Down not back

At this point, a lot of riders suggest moving your weight back, but that’s not really a great ready position. The key is getting your heels down. When you hit the brakes or smack a big rock or bump, the bike slows down but your body – initially at least – keeps pushing forwards.

There are just four contact points between you and your bike (two hands and two feet) and if all the thrust from your body goes through the hands, there are negative effects because your feet are flat. The bike pitches forward, the front wheel buries into the object, the pressure makes steering harder and puts strain on your wrists, forearms and neck. Fork dive now effectively steepens the head angle and makes the bike feel even more unstable.

You really want all the thrust of your body to go through your feet. Since they’re located at the same level as the wheel hubs, the front wheel is more likely to pop up over things if you push forwards from the feet. Even if you lock the front brake up, the bike will never tip forwards, but only if the force all goes through your feet.

So dip both your heels and shift your weight back a little, but only enough to let you get those heels down. If you have poor calf and hamstring flexibility, you’ll need to go further back to get them dipped, but don’t overdo it. If you take all the pressure off your front wheel it will have no grip. If your arms are straight how can you pump to jump, or let the front flow over a step or roll-off without the bars pulling you forwards? Stay central, or just back from central, and do calf stretches after every ride.

It’s the most important mountain- biking stretch you’ll ever do.

Take it to the trail

This ready position will really help when you hit something that causes the bike to slow down suddenly: water, rocks, roots or thick mud.

Staying central and not being driven forwards allows you to retain a light but confident touch on the bars and controls. If you stand with loose knees and bent arms, the bike can squirm beneath you but keep moving forwards. That won’t happen if you are far back and your arms are straight. If your balance remains true and your body flows in a straight line, the bike can move and reorient itself beneath you. Let it have its head and you’ll be amazed what it will roll up, down and over.

Riding roll-offs

Rolling off a drop or steep rock is an area where central body positioning and hyper-flexed arms are incredibly helpful. As the front wheel drops away, you don’t want to be pulled forwards and down with it. In fact, as you get more advanced, just relaxing your arms and letting the front wheel drop while your body flows along above will seem rather tame. From a central position, you can push down aggressively and pump extra speed from the roll-off.

Steep switchbacks

It’s sometimes necessary to tackle corners in the ready position, but unless the corner is banked, it’s important to lower your outside foot. This has two really important effects. Firstly, it lowers your centre of gravity by about 15 centimetres, improving stability and making slides less tricky to ride out. Secondly, it helps you twist your hips and torso into the turn, which helps to bring the bike round and makes it easier to look through the corner to the exit. It also allows you keep your heel dipped. You’ll find yourself naturally ready to pedal out if your body is already facing the next straight, instead of being twisted away from it.

The biggest challenge to master with the ready position is getting the back foot to flex enough. Get a friend to photograph or video you and you may be surprised: what feels flexed may be flat, especially if your legs are tense.

It’s really important to get both heels dipped too, otherwise the forces push through the foot on one side and the bars on the other. Getting this right is a long-term project. Start stretching after every ride, stay as loose as you can and feel the difference in speed and control as you hit those descents.

Set up for success

Brake-lever angle has a huge impact on comfort and control in the ready position.

Some racers advocate angling brakes down at around 45 degrees, so your hand follows the line of your arm to the lever. This reduces muscle strain and encourages you to stay central on the bike, making it easier to pump downwards for speed as your elbows tend to go outwards.

Others advocate high levers – set just below horizontal – as this encourages you to shift your weight back more smoothly, and makes it easier to perform pump manuals (wheelies without pedalling) to get air off drops or lumps in the trail. This is because the forearms sit lower, almost horizontally, and your elbows stay in. However, you may find you have less power in your fingers.

No one way is the right way, so it’s important to experiment with bike set-up to match your evolving techniques. Just remember to stay open-minded, make one change at a time, and roll with it for at least three or four rides before deciding whether you like it. New things require changes to your muscle memory that may be uncomfortable at first, but could generate huge benefits later on.

Whichever set-up option you choose, ensure the levers are inboard enough on the bars for you to pull them without twisting your hands. Set the reach so the lever sits securely in the first bend of your index finger. If your grips are wearing on the outside edges, it’s time to move the controls in and consider buying wider bars.

Top tips

Get moving

With full-suspension bikes / now so common, many riders barely move their legs. While the bike absorbs bumps, the rider merely holds on. Don’t let that be you! Get moving with the shape of the trail and be active as the bike rises and falls. Then when you want to pump, jump, manual and go faster, it will come easily.

Stretch out

A good ready position is dependent on leg, and in particular calf, flexibility. If you can’t dip your heels, you can’t shift the pressure of your body to your feet. After every ride do some good calf and hamstring stretches; they really help your bike control.