When Scott Higgins started mountain biking 30 years ago, no one taught him what to do – he just hopped on his bike and rode.
“Now, things have changed,” says Higgins, who started selling mountain bikes at East Ridge Bicycles several years ago and was taken aback by the number of new and intermediate riders who were coming back in the shop beat up with cuts and bruises and broken bikes, even from riding some of Chattanooga’s simplest trails. “Trails have changed, bikes have changed, and what I’ve learned also was that the way you ride a bike changes.”
Higgins decided to become a certified mountain biking instructor, and he now offers lessons through his business, Switchback Mountain Biking, and started a YouTube channel called “Newbie Mountain Bike Love.”
“There are a lot of techniques and precision things that are really pretty simple, but you’ve really got to learn them,” says Higgins. “If you get the foundation laid right before you develop bad habits, it really helps people progress, as mountain biking really is all about small progressions.”
We asked Higgins to share some of the common mistakes he sees beginners make – and how to correct them.