The Art of Mountain Biking

Rest is an often underemphasized skill that supports, well, everything... including mountain biking. And, as with any skill, we need a systematized way of approaching it.  About Scott Moore Scott has spent the past 20 years studying, practicing, and teaching yoga, Yoga Nidra, and meditation. He's taught everyone from rock stars to recovering addicts, from young to old, ultra-athletes to the ultra-...

There are many technologies and methods to help us navigate the trails, but moving around on a bike is about so much more than getting from point A to point B.   "Maybe wayfinding is an activity that confronts us with the marvelous fact of being in the world, requiring us to look up and take notice, to cognitively and emotionally interact with our surroundings whether we are in the wilderness or a...

There are some basic things that often aren't explicitly addressed. Whether you're a new rider or a self-taught veteran on the bike, here are some things you might not know. We talk about: Taking basic things for granted [1:50] Braking with one finger [12:07] Setting up your bike [15:28] Necessary equipment [18:22] Standing up [34:50] Trail etiquette [36:21] Using bells [42:09] Starting on a hill...

It's easy to speak about mountain biking on the surface level. But speaking to its potential for transcendence, ecstasy, and yes, art, is another thing entirely--thus, we called in a poet to help.  Albert Flynn DeSilver  has been an obsessive mountain biker for over 30 years. He is a trail advocate and wilderness explorer. Albert is also an internationally published writer, speaker and teacher who...

There are many tips out there for how to get air, but tips are different than understanding the theory and physics at play with your bike, body, and the terrain when you leave the ground. Sam Buckmiller, co-owner and Head Coach of SimplyMTB, rejoins the podcast to help flesh out the relationship between the many components at play when jumping or dropping on the bike. We talk about: Jumping can be...

Sam Buckmiller, co-owner and Head Coach of Simply MTB, joins the podcast to discuss the age-old debate of clips vs flats. Note: In this episode we use the terms clips/clipless interchangeably and flats/platforms interchangeably. Let's connect! Book a lesson with SimplyMTB or work with Danielle's project-based growth model at You Need a Thing . Please don't forget to rate, subscribe, and share this...

When you choose a line, you're making a commitment—to a direction and to an experience. Viewing line choice as a commitment frees us from myopia and opens us up to creativity and flow.  We talk about: Three ways to approach line choice [3:30] The fast line [4:20] What is actually fast? [5:48] Things to push against to go fast [9:15] Going over braking bumps [13:52] The safe line [16:15] Line choic...

Extreme sports enthusiast and Nitro Circus alumnus Colton Brockbank joins the podcast to discuss healing from injury—as an athlete, and also in a deeper way.  Colton is an extreme sports athlete, director, marketer, and coach who rode a snowboard on wheels and "did some trash can things" for Nitro Circus . We talk about: Things that come up in the face of injury [9:50] How we forget skills after i...

Standing on your bike is a useful tool for both climbing and descending if you understand how it works and when it's called for.  We talk about: When/why you should stand up [7:33] Standing while climbing [9:51] Weighting your back wheel while standing and climbing [16:12] Standing while descending [24ish] Standing up for yourself [33:59] Balance between individual and collective re: standing up [...

You have to go slow to go fast. And sometimes, you have to stop completely to create choice and freedom. So take pause, mkay? We talk about: Coming to a stop on a mountain bike [12:47] Getting perspective [15:12] The challenge of slowing down [15:32] Finding alignment so you can pause [17:01] Body position [22:10] Choice vs. decision [31:23] Purchasing freedom on the bike [36:15] Jamie's bike jour...

There are two ways to get better at a physical movement: either generate more energy or maximize your energy toward forward movement. This episode is about the latter.  We talk about: The cost of unnecessary movement [7:46] Pump tracks [13:18] Cognitive chatter as tension [20:55] Compensating when tired [26:57] Future visioning [37:17] Checking in with your body in the face of old patterns [45:59]...

When you form a relationship with your breath, you open up a world of possibilities for your ride.  We talk about: What is breath? What is it for? [1:15] How breathing patterns can be set in childhood [7:56] Working with the rhythm of breath for movement [16:20] Holding your breath, grunting, and yelling [19:19] How to become aware of your breath [25:27] Breath is the problem AND the solution [31:...

Backcountry skier Melissa Gill joins us to talk about her journey using outdoor sports and meditation to heal through grief. Mel's story will be featured in an upcoming documentary by Patagonia. Content notice: This episode contains real and honest depictions of grief and death. Melissa Gill is a woodworker, meditation teacher, Head of Operations for SimplyMTB and a lover of anything outdoors. She...

If you're on a mountain bike, twists and turns are both inevitable and plentiful. Cornering is complex and dynamic skill that everyone can improve, and we break it down (a lot) in this episode. We may also bring up rollerblading a time or two (or twelve). Work with us! Book a lesson with  SimplyMTB or work with Danielle at  You Need a Thing .

You want to feel strong. You want to go fast. You want to climb features. But have you ever thought of riding... beautifully? Renowned Spanish guitarist Antonio Garcia joins the podcast to discuss the crossover between music and mountain biking and how practicing "beautifully" can take your riding to a new level. Antonio Garcia (Jared Antonio Garcia Lyons) is a Spanish guitar performer/instructor...

The people who can navigate uncertainty often are the most resilient. But how, exactly, do we do this? The ability to transfer knowledge from the past to the present is one tool--both on and off the trail. We'll show you. Work with us! Book a lesson with  SimplyMTB or work with Danielle at  You Need a Thing .

People know that they should practice, but we don't often enough talk about how to practice. That's why we invited Griff Wigley from MTB Practice Lab to jam about what makes for good practice.  Work with us! Book a lesson with  SimplyMTB or work with Danielle at  You Need a Thing .

Fall prevention is primary. Yet having skills to help you work with a fall, not resist a fall, can help you not only mitigate injury (when possible), but also widen your ability to tackle things that might intimidate and stop you otherwise.  Work with us! Book a lesson with  SimplyMTB or work with Danielle at  You Need a Thing .

Habits of thinking are just as important as physical habits, and it's important to train both. In nine, we dig into some tools for managing our thoughts. Oh, and there's some language in this one. Turns out, we could only restrain ourselves for so long... Work with us! Book a lesson with  SimplyMTB or work with Danielle at  You Need a Thing .

Flow states have a vital role in both fun and mental health. In episode 8, we preach to the choir about mtb's capacity for flow and talk about how to design your life to hit flow states more often.  Work with us! Book a lesson with  SimplyMTB or work with Danielle at  You Need a Thing .

Want to feel more stable and achieve more flow and stability through corners? Mastering rotation will help. Disclaimer... we get a little weird about feet in this one.  Work with us! Book a lesson with  SimplyMTB or work with Danielle at  You Need a Thing .

There's a time to push against, and there's a time to give way. Knowing how to strategically invest our energy opens up a level of consciousness and playfulness that can take you to the next level. Work with us! Book a lesson with  SimplyMTB or work with Danielle at  You Need a Thing .

Now... and next. It's not an either/or, it's a both/and. Your "now" sets the stage for where you're going, and your "next" can create the energy you need to move forward. Heed both. It's a dance.  Work with us! Book a lesson with  SimplyMTB or work with Danielle at  You Need a Thing .

Holding center is a practice; a way of finding ourselves, integrating what we know, and keeping ourselves stable and present. On the bike and—you guessed it—in life. This was a fun one. Work with us! Book a lesson with  SimplyMTB or work with Danielle at  You Need a Thing .

Knowing how to stop (and slow down) is what enables us to go fast--on a bike, and in life. In episode 3, we break down the mechanics and psychology of braking.  Work with us! Book a lesson with  SimplyMTB or work with Danielle at  You Need a Thing .