How To Improve Mountain Bike Grip

One of the essential parts of mountain biking is finding grip when riding off-road terrain. You need to find grip across a wide range of terrain and obstacles to avoid being a slower rider and a less confident mountain biker, which can wreck the enjoyment of every ride. We are covering this topic for several reasons, but mainly because a lack of grip is often a subject which riders chuck money at on new tyres without looking at the causes and some improvements which can be made to riding styles which can improve grip levels more than new tyres alone (we are not saying that the right equipment does not improve grip!)

Improving Grip With Equipment

It’s easy to overlook parts of your mountain bike that play an essential role in increasing the grip and handling of your mountain bike by just focusing on the tyres. Other contact points, such as handlebar grips and pedals, also play an essential part.

Handgrips

Grips are one of the most significant contact points between you and your mountain bike. If you are struggling with your bike gripping the ground and the trails - fresh grips may resolve the issue. Although old and tired grips may seem okay in good weather conditions, add some rain and sweat into the mix - and you can easily find your hands coming off the handlebars.

You may not be able to notice worn grips providing poor performance, and it’s possible that as a rider, you simply overcompensate by death-gripping the handlebars, again, without notice. When this happens, your arms and muscles tighten, and the bike moves less freely underneath you - leading to, you guessed it, a loss of grip, traction and momentum.

New grips are, therefore, a good investment. There are plenty of brilliant options available.

Pedals

Pedals are another contact point, which can increase grip and performance with a bit of improvement. Ensure that you are riding with a good set of flat pedals and a soft mountain bike shoe - ensuring the best connection, second only to using clipless pedals. If you use clipless pedals, ensure the cleats are working, clean, and not overly worn. Experiment with your setup, as losing a pedal connection when heading down a trail is a guaranteed way to lose grip.

Tyres

The apparent section we have all been waiting for! As (hopefully) the only contact point between your bike and the road. Tyres are an area of mountain biking unless you are sponsored - where there is usually some compromises, as only a few of us can afford to change our tyre setup for different riding condition. On the whole, one tyre has to provide a good round with all performance which can handle most situations.

Regardless of your bike's tyre choice, you can ensure that you run sensible tyre pressures for the riding conditions. If you are running harder over-inflated tyres, your tyres will likely bounce off the trail rather than roll across it - you guessed it, losing grip in the process. If your tyre pressures are too low, it’s a safe bet that you will also experience pinch flats or burping - which will take you out of the game. Look at the manufacturer's recommendations, but do not worry about experimenting with different tyre pressures that suit your riding.

It’s also worthwhile replacing tyres when they lose their tread pattern and you notice them not gripping as well as they once did.

Increasing Grip Through Riding Technique

There are several different riding conditions and challenges which challenge the amount of grip you can maintain; in the below section - we look at some of the riding environments where grip is commonly lost and some of the things you can do to maintain grip.

Increasing Grip When Cornering On A MTB

It can be tricky to keep maximum levels of grip when cornering; we recommend trying to keep the weight of your body down on the bike, especially when leaning the bike. Also try not to lean to the same extent the bike leans, keep a clear view of where you want to be travelling - and keep the body in line with that point. Dropping an outside pedal on a corner can help generate extra grip, and leaning forward can help add weight the front wheel, also increasing grip.

Increasing Grip When Climbing

If you are climbing on a smooth and solid surface, then finding grip - it’s not too difficult to find the level of grip that you need. The grip is not usually the issue when climbing in good conditions, instead, it’s fitness and strength which can see issues when ascending.

There are occasions, however, when trail conditions are poor, or a climb is more technical - fitness is not enough to get you through. Encountering obstacles such as roots, loose surfaces or steps - mean you will have to work hard to find enough grip for forward momentum. When you encounter these obstacles, it’s important to find the right power at the right time. Ensuring you find grip uphill is not easy, and a lot of it simply is about feeling when you have grip, and when to apply power whilst understanding when the bike does not have grip, and easing off during these times.

As your tyre rolls over an obstacle such as roots, the contact between the tyre and the ground is reduced - if you carry on pedalling hard during this period of reduced contact, you can expect for the bike to spin out. The same rule applies when climbing up very loose surfaces, put the power down hard and you can expect the bike to spin. Slower, more stable pedalling will get you through the trickier areas much easier.

Body position is also an important aspect when climbing on a mountain bike, if you have your body weight too far back over the bike, then you can expect the front wheel to lift up. Another reason the front wheel can lift when climbing is the sudden power on the pedals of the bike - leading to you body reacting and pulling up on the handlebars of the bike - this can be negated by tucking your elbows into you body and dropping your wrists, this will help prevent the bars lifting from the power transfer on the pedals.

Increasing Grip When Riding Camber

Most trails will have a cambered section, and the appearance of a cambered section can become a little daunting. Any mountain bike can travel slopes with a steep curve - and with a few subtle changes to the riding position and technique, you can find extra grip. Skiers naturally travel across camber on mountain bikes easier - as they understand the importance of leaning into the slope. On a bike, lean into the slope whilst dropping your downhill pedal - this will keep the weight on in the right place on the bike. The bike will lean slightly but your tyres will remain on the correct line, simple things also apply - look at exactly where you want to be going and you will more than likely get there, without any issues.

Avoid jabbing the brakes when travelling around a corner, as applying them when in motion can remove all important grip. Remember to hit the corner slow, and leave the corner fast.

Increasing Grip When Descending On A MTB

Many factors dictate how well we descend on a mountain bike. Descending a mountain bike quickly and keeping grip - is as much about skill and confidence as it is about equipment and bike specification. Descending on a mountain bike can be incredibly challenging both physically and mentally.

The first step to ensure grip maintenance is to understand that you must use both brakes when descending to scrub off excess speed. Relying on either the front brake too much, or the back brake too much - will lead to a locking up of the wheels, and a reduction in grip. Although slamming on the brakes is tempting, letting your front wheel roll over obstacles is important. Instead of using the brakes haphazardly, look forward down the trail to look at areas which are better for reducing speed.

Use your entire body to help turn and change the bike's direction, using the hips over the bike's rear wheel to turn and travel down the trail. This skill comes with almost constant practice on the bike, and many riders have to fight hard against their gut instinct which is to grip the handlebars and hit the brakes - which can have disastrous consequences. Learning how to stay relaxed and loose when riding down trails, is one of th most difficult yet important things you can learn.