With dark days, darker nights and weather that’s verging on the criminal side of foul, it’s little wonder that mountain bikers sometimes have a hard time keeping their spirits up when the winter months draw in.
Still, with all that spare time on your hands it seems somewhat foolish to spend it polishing your top tube. We think winter is the perfect time to take a close look at everything in your life to do with bikes and find out just how well it works.
From maintenance tips for bike and body, to skills advice and valid excuses to spend your cash on bike-related stuff, we hope our list of ideas to boost your riding will encourage you not to hang up the wheels until summer but instead keep you out on the trails whatever the weather, making the most of what can be a very beautiful (and productive) time of year.
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Get motivated
1. Own goal
Pick a target and give yourself something to aim at. There are now enough events of all sorts on the race calendar to keep you amused every weekend of the year. Cross-country, enduro, endurance, downhill, cyclocross… the list is endless and once you’ve picked your poison you’ll have plenty of motivation to get fitter and faster.
2. Ride, don’t race
Some people just don’t like closed-circuit mountain bike racing. If you’re convinced it’s not for you, then look elsewhere for a goal to keep you going over the winter. Check out adventure races, which mix running and riding with navigation and often require plenty of brainpower and hill skills as well as fitness and riding ability.
3. Mini adventure
4. Embrace winter by fat biking
Clean up your act
5. Feeding stations
6. Hydration, hydration
7. Yoga
8. Bend and stretch
9. Catch some Zs
Boot camp
10. Learn to love being out of breath
11. Push yourself
12. Cross training
13. Spin the night away
Back to basics
14 Pins and needles
15. Eat strong
16. Back to school
17. Trials on tarmac
Sort out your kit
18. Experiment with bike set up
19. Lose weight, not cash
20. Go minimal
21. Audit your backpack
22. Reduce, reuse, recycle
23. Lending library
24. Charitable acts
25. Spring cleaning
26. Cable magic
27. Shop local
28. Tool school
Be inspired
29. Feel the love
30. Catch up on your reading
31. Break out the popcorn
32. Get connected
33. Take out a newbie...
34. …but not your partner
35. Time crunched
Practical steps
36. Go exploring
37. Skills school
38. Map magic
39. Local knowledge
40. Dig day afternoons
41. Eyes open
Expand your skill set
42. Improve your riding
43. Top technique
44. Vision power
45. Harden up
46. Skill up
47. Positive spin
Time to have fun
48. Vroom vroom
49. Stop blaming your kit
50. Get out and ride!
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
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