1. Easy Rider on a Mountain Bike
For beginner mountain bike skills, keep in mind that learning to ride a bike is similar to learning to drive a car. Reaction time is everything. Overcompensation for not reacting in time will cause you to crash your mountain bike. Don't stress out--you're just riding a bike. It's easy and holding on to handlebars extra tight won't make it any easier to ride or keep you from falling.
2. Avoid Being a Jerk
Keep it smooth and don't jerk. You don't need to manhandle your mountain bike. Let it do its job. Mountain bikes are designed to cruise over rough terrain. Don't wear yourself out, either, or break bike parts by jerking your mountain bike around. Take it easy, so you don't end up hurting yourself, most of all. Be patient and develop your mountain bike skills. Look for beginner trails to develop your skills and confidence level. A lot of mountain bike parks offer skill-level rated trails.
3. Dances With Bikes
Learn to work with your mountain bike. Feel turns and learn how far to lean into them as you go around corners. Get into a rhythm with pedaling also and avoid constant intermittent braking. Control your pedaling rhythm and coast sometimes to negotiate bike trails and various types of terrain. Go with the flow and enjoy your mountain bike ride.
4. A Few Bumps in the Road
As you develop beginner mountain bike skills, you'll get used to all different kinds of environments, trails and terrain. Learning how to maneuver, no matter where you're riding, takes some practice. Don't be apprehensive. The challenge with a mountain bike is to successfully ride rough trails and over crazy topography. The best way to learn is through trial and error. That's the fun of riding a mountain bike--you can go anywhere. Keep from getting in trouble with sand, mud or puddles by first looking for a previous bike track to follow and then pedal straight on it to the other side. Second, go around these if possible if no previous tracks exist. You can ride through sand if you know how. Develop mountain bike skills to do this along with other advanced riding techniques as you get better on your mountain bike.
5. Don't Let Obstacles be an Obstacle
Build up your beginner mountain bike skills by first learning to roll right over small obstacles. If you haven't done this before, you'll be surprised at how your mountain bike likes to glide over objects. The only way you'll fall or crash is if you freak out and don't let the mountain bike do what it's designed to do. For larger obstacles, you'll want to use your limbs as springs or shock absorbers while standing up on your bike. Ride over bigger objects with level pedals (parallel to the ground) unless you decide to pedal over an obstacle. Make sure you keep your speed up, and whatever you do, don't suddenly slow up before you get to the obstacle. That can cause a bad accident, and so will suddenly grabbing your front brakes.
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