Course Handbook: MTB Course (Green)

Down steep ledges (not a drop)

Sometimes you need to ride down steep ledges where a drop isn’t the right choice—for example, if the trail turns right after the edge or if you simply need to maintain control and a low speed throughout the entire section
There’s still an old school of thought in mountain biking that you should lean as far back as possible in such situations. The problem is that this often results in poorer control of the bike. When you lean too far back, your arms become straight, the front wheel lifts slightly, and your center of gravity becomes high and passive. This makes it harder to steer the bike and handle the terrain once the front wheel goes over the edge. In some situations, it can also create a jerky movement where the bike falls forward and the handlebars pull on your arms. If your arms are straight and your body is positioned too far back, the force can push your upper body forward uncontrollably—a very common reason why cyclists go over the handlebars.

Instead, we recommend starting from a stable basic position: centered weight, slightly bent legs and arms, elbows out, and your gaze focused far ahead on the trail. As you approach the ledge, lower your center of gravity by bending your arms and legs more actively, almost as if you’re “compressing” your body over the bike. Your head will then move closer to the handlebar stem while you still keep your weight centered over the pedals. As the front wheel rolls over the edge, let the bike move forward and downward beneath you while your arms and legs gradually straighten to absorb the motion. The idea isn’t to throw your body backward, but to let the bike do the work while your body remains stable and balanced.

If done correctly, the movement often feels much smoother than you’d expect. Many describe it almost as if the edge “disappears” beneath the bike instead of resulting in a hard fall. The result is better control, a lower risk of mistakes, and a position where you’re immediately ready for the next turn or obstacle on the trail.

Up and Over Obstacles (Level 1)

To improve your flow on the trails, you need to be able to clear small obstacles like roots, rocks, and low ledges without getting your front wheel stuck. The key to this is knowing how to lift the front wheel at the right moment.

In our green course, we’ve chosen to simplify this technique compared to how you’d perform a completely correct front-wheel lift. The focus isn’t on perfect technical execution, but on creating a simple and safe way to get into the movement so that more people actually dare to try and succeed in lifting the front wheel off the ground.

The technique we use is based on first compressing the bike and the front suspension by quickly pushing your body downward. Then, you make an explosive upward and slightly backward movement while helping to pull the front wheel up. Think of it almost as if you’re following the movement of the front suspension as it rebounds after compression.

This isn’t the most efficient or technically correct method for a front-wheel lift, but it’s a very good first step toward understanding timing, movement, and how to get the front wheel off the ground. For many students, this is the first time they actually manage to lift the front wheel in a controlled manner over an obstacle.

Once you feel confident with the movement, you can start practicing timing the lift against small reference points such as sticks, cones, or low curbs before using the technique out on the trail.

As the front wheel starts to lift more effectively, you can also begin thinking about helping the rear wheel over the obstacle. One simple way is, just as the front wheel has passed the edge, to shift your weight slightly forward again so that the rear wheel is relieved of pressure and can roll over the obstacle more easily without hitting it.

At the next level—our blue course—we start working on the more correct, but also more technically demanding, front-wheel lift, where we focus on shifting your center of gravity. There, we teach you how to use your body and hip movement to lift the front wheel more efficiently, in a controlled and energy-efficient manner, without having to jerk the handlebars as much.

Brake Control on Steep Terrain (Level 1)

When you start cycling on steeper terrain, your position and brake control become crucial. Many people find steep downhill sections uncomfortable at first, but with the right technique, you’ll gain significantly more control over both speed and balance.

The key is to start from the neutral riding position and then adjust it according to the slope. On steep terrain, you want to lower your center of gravity by bending your arms and legs more actively while bringing your upper body lower toward the handlebars. Keep your head roughly above the stem while shifting your hips slightly backward. The result is a low and stable position where you still maintain good balance over the bike without ending up passively far behind the saddle.

A common mistake is to instinctively shift your weight very far back when the terrain feels steep or scary. The problem with this is that the front tire then loses contact and traction, making it much harder to steer and brake in a controlled manner. Many riders then find it very difficult to slow down, since the front brake can no longer work effectively.

The front brake provides the majority of the braking force, even on steep terrain. On most surfaces, about 70–80% of the braking force comes from the front wheel and the remainder from the rear wheel. On dry, high-grip surfaces, such as bare rock or a hard-packed trail, you can apply even more front-brake pressure and sometimes approach around 90% front braking.
On slippery surfaces, such as wet leaves, roots, or mud, braking force needs to be distributed more evenly between the front and rear brakes to reduce the risk of the front tire losing traction. In such situations, the brake distribution can sometimes be as even as 50–60% front and the remainder rear.

Try to brake gently and progressively instead of slamming on the brakes. Keep your eyes focused far ahead on the terrain and concentrate on maintaining a low, relaxed, and active position where the bike is allowed to move beneath you.

When you start practicing on steep terrain, it’s important to begin on slopes that feel just challenging enough. This gives you the opportunity to practice your position and brake control without panicking or falling back into bad habits. The more confident you become at using the front brake and maintaining the correct position, the more control and flow you’ll have on steep downhill sections.

With plenty of practice, you can ride down very steep sections. In the photo below, you can see Bikemaestro founder Matthias riding down the “Devil’s Slope” on the “Gothenburg Hardline” trail.