What To Do! 

All mountain biking enthusiasts would love to know how to make their mountain bike faster. In our article on How to make your mountain bike faster, we will give you some hints and tips to make sure mountain bike reach’s its full potential.  

Selecting Tires

To improve the speed of your mountain bike I would recommend taking a look at the tread on the tires. The tread on a mountain bike is extremely helpful in maximising traction.

However, it could be stopping your mountain bike reaching its full potential. Entry level mountain bikers tend to buy a mountain bike with tires with a lot of tread to help boost their confidence when starting out.

Once you have surpassed the beginners phase it may be worth thinking about choosing new tires with less tread. 

Not necessarily a thin tire. Put one with less tread.  The width is still important for maximising the surface area. 

Purchase tires that have closer knobs will less spacing.  The majority of aggressive tires have square knobs thar are spaced apart.

Creating more traction. However, slowing you down.  A good balance should be made between going with too little or too much tread.  To continue our article on How to make your mountain bike faster we will look at tire pressure.

Tire Pressure

Staying on the topic of tires. Tire pressure is vital in maximising riding efficiency. Low tire pressure gives you much more traction. Slowing you down.

Before each ride the tires should be checked to make sure they are at the required PSI level. The required PSI level can be found in the instruction manuel. 

However, the manufacturers recommended PSI level is only a guide. The type of terrain you ride, your weight and weather conditions will impact on the best tire pressure.

Spend some time testing out the best tire pressure. The range of 25-35 PSI is a good starting point. A single PSI level can make a difference. A mini compact bike pump can be purchased rather cheaply

Tubeless Tires

Tableless tires have become more popular as they reduce the probability of getting a flat.

Less time fixing flats will allow you to spend more time exploring your local mountain bike trail.

A tube less set up will help you maintain traction and help you keep momentum.  Next, in our article on How to make your mountain bike faster we will look at the importance of choosing the right pedals.

Pedals

Replacing flat pedals with clipless pedals will allow you to get a more powerful stroke that will improve consistency.  It may seem obvious for some riders.

However, unless you have spent time on a road bike you may not haven even thought about it.  Having a mote powerful stroke will allow you to travel further and cover much distance.

One of the main benefits of having clipless pedals is that they help with foot security and allow you to have better balance and put more power into the pedals. 

Stopping your foot slipping off and increasing the control you have of the bike and let you focus on the fast lines during the ride.

Flat pedals are really good for practising your riding technique. With the foot not being physically connected to the bike  it makes sure you find the best riding position. Mountain biking techniques for beginners. 

There are some extremely lightweight pedals available.  We will look at the drive chain in our article on How to make your mountain bike faster.

Keep the Drivetrain Lubricated

A drive train consists of all bits of a bike that push or pull a bike. The main components are pedals, cranks, the chain, and derailleur.  Having a well lubricated drive train will allow the parts to move with less friction. 

All the energy saved by minimising friction can be transferred to the wheels and allow the you to travel further.  

Having a well lubricated train will allow the you to reduce wear and tear. Keep the chain well lubricated.

For wet conditions use a wet lube and for dry conditions use a dry lube.  A well lubricated chain will reduce the amount of dirt congregating on the drive chain.

Your Chain

You may have to replace your chain if you find that the chain has stretched.  Use a chain checker tool.  If your chain has more than eleven sprockets in the rear cassette it may be worth thinking about replacing the chain.

A stretched train will slow you done as you will have to keep getting off your bike to fix it and it will not transfer as much power to the wheels. 

Replacing the chain is not expensive. However, the rest of the drive train can be more expensive. It makes sense to replace your chain if you spot its stretched. Riding with a new chain will freshen up your ride.

Braking Efficiency

Once you have taken care of all the drive chain inefficiencies.  Its time to consider the brakes. 

Having good brakes will allow you to have a better control of the bike and allow you to get out of any sticky situations quickly and safely. You don’t want the brakes to slow you down.

Checking that the brakes are not rubbing when they are not being used. All it takes is a bend to the brake rotor and you will start to hear the rubbing against the brakes.

Taking a look at the caliper and spinning the wheel will allow you to spot any alignment problems.  A slight bend can be ok. However, you don’t want the rotor to start rubbing.

Suspension Set Up

Trying to find the perfect suspension set up can be difficult to find some middle ground between comfort and suspension.

Having a suspension configured to soft will eat up energy. However, a hard suspension will not give you to much protection from going over uneven terrain.

Saddle Position.

The Saddle position can have a massive impact on your pedalling efficiency. Moving your seat a few inches can make a massive difference. 

For the best saddle height, your heel should be able to reach the pedal when its in the downward position and the leg is completely straight.

 To Make sure that your pedalling with a good foot placement. The article on How to make your mountain bike faster will now look at the importance of cleaning your bike.