Here is a quick guide that I put together that will help you boost your confidence on the trail and result in improving your riding skills. In my point of view, confidence is one of the most important factors getting better at Mountain Biking. Improved confidence will allow you to try out more challenging and more technical climbs and drops, also resulting in a more enjoyable ride ..

Here they are, not in any particular order:

1. Practice / Repetition: Knowing the trail is very important. When you keep on repeating the same trail over and over again your body will automatically adapt to all the corners, drops and climbs. You will easily anticipate where each technical section is and you will know when to slow down, when to speed up, when to shift in advance and when to drop or raise your seat post.
2. Protective Gear: Wearing proper protective gear gives you a strong feeling of confidence. A helmet is an absolute must. Knee and shin guards are optional, however I think that given the harsh terrain of Wadi Degla, they are absolutely necessary. Elbow pads are also important, but not as important as the knee pads.
3. Using the right bike / equipment: Not all bikes are created equal. Some are better than others in handling certain types of riding. In Wadi Degla, you can breeze through 95% of all the sections using a hard tail, however there are certain sections that will be a lot easier with a full suspension bike. If you have a fork with long travel (130mm – 160mm), it will give you a boost of confidence on drops. Make sure your tires are in good condition. Also make sure that you have the right tire for the terrain you are riding. See this post for more info: http://mtbegypt.com/guides/the-best-tires-for-riding-on-egyptian-trails/
4. Clipless Pedals: These are a double edged sword. Once you get used to them, they improve confidence and actually make your ride a lot more energy efficient. The problem is that they take a while to get used to, and during that period you actually ride with less confidence because you’re always too afraid that you won’t be able to release from your pedals in time. Personally, I use the Clip/Clipless pedals that gives you a 2-in-1. I found that to be the best option.
5. Good Brakes: Knowing that bike has good brakes is a reassurance that you can push your riding to the limits of your skills and know that you have adequate stopping power on tap. Disc brakes are better than V-brakes and a worthwhile upgrade if you have a basic bike. Whatever type of brakes you have, always make sure that your braking system is well maintained.
6. Ride in Groups: Group dynamics help boost confidence through competitiveness and encouragement. Try to join a group where there is an advanced rider among the group that coaches the rest.

As you get more and more into mountain biking, you will find yourself gaining more confidence in your riding skills, going faster , seeking more technical terrain and taking more aggressive lines on the trails. At one point, you will probably start thinking about upgrading your bike so that your riding skills development would not be limited by your frame/components. Most of us start out on basic bikes, and the logical thing to do would be to upgrade to a new, more advanced ride. While it is always great to get a brand-new bike, not all of us can afford a new bike purchase as soon as they feel they’re ready for it. While you save for that shiny new ride, here are some small but effective and low-cost upgrades you can make to your current ride (with recommendations for what to buy)

Image: Easton EA50 riser bar

1. Wider handlebars: Most entry-level bikes come with relatively narrow handlebars. Swap those out to a set of wide, low-rise bars and you will immediately feel the difference it makes in comfort and bike handling. Wider bars give you more control on technical descents, more leverage to lift the front end of the bike over rough terrain especially at speed, and the placement of your arms further apart makes for easier breathing. Keep in mind that correct bike fit, so you may need to see what width would work best for you. A good idea is to get a wide bar (710-750mm) and start riding and see if you need to cut it down. You can then cut it down in 5mm increments on either side and find the perfect width for you.

Recommended products: Look for the entry-level models from Truvativ, Easton and Sunline. Odi even makes a bar with screw-on extensions.

Image: Easton Haven All-mountain stem

2. A shorter stem: Again, bike fit is something that varies from one rider to the next, but in general (and since we’re talking about upgrades for recreational trail riding, not racing), shorter stems provide a more upright riding position and place the handlebar closer to your body, thus improving control and leverage on the trail. A shorter stem also let’s you move your weight over to the front of the bike more easily, making for better cornering and climbing. (Tip: if you upgrade to wider bars, it also makes sense to get a shorter stem to go with it, as a wide bar with a long stem would put you in a very outstretched position)

You will have to experiment to find the length/rise that works best for you. On my current bike (size medium frame, full-suspension, 5-inches of travel), I tried four different lengths and degrees of rise until I settled on a 75mm, 6 degree stem (with 20mm of spacers under the stem and a 680mm bar). (Tip: Also experiment with the number/height of spacers you have under your stem, as this makes a difference in weight distribution and riding position in technical climbs/descents).

Image: Shimano M30 DX platform pedals

3. Better pedals: Ditch those cheap pedals that came with your bike and start looking into either clipless or more advanced platform pedals. With clipless pedals, you use special shoes with cleats at the bottom that attach to the pedals, making power transfer more efficient because you are pedaling in both your upstroke and downstroke. If you still prefer platform pedals, get one with a large, thin platform and replaceable pins. Good pedals + good shoes = excellent stability, power transfer and control.

Recommended products: For clipless: Shimano M520 pedals (super-durable, adjustable tension, and cheap!). For platform: Shimano DX, DMR V8 or Sunline V3. For shoes, dual-use MTB shoes like the Shimano MP66W or AM45 shoe work with both types of pedals, so you can switch when you want. (Tip: if you find yourself leaning more towards riding clipless, you will want shoes with stiffer soles, like the Shimano M076)

Image: ODI Ruffian lock-on grips

4. Lock-on grips: This is a very simple and cheap upgrade, but does make a difference if your bike came with cheap slip-on rubber grips that twist and turn on the bars. This type of grips uses lock rings for a secure fit to the handlebar, which also makes it easy to remove an reinstall grips when you need to perform brake lever or shifter maintenance or position adjustments.

Recommended products: Odi makes some of the best lock-on grips on the market. I personally prefer the Ruffian.

Image: Schwalbe Wicked Will 2.35. A monster of a tire!

5. Tires: A set of good tires can make a huge difference in how your bike handles. Tire choice depends on terrain, but since we are talking about progressing into more aggressive riding, you will want something with a deep tread, durable rubber compound and thick sidewalls to offer some pinch flat resistance. For recommended tires, see our post on the best mountain bike tires for riding in Egypt.

Closing remarks:

There are many, many other upgrades you could make, of course, but these are the ones you could make without spending a small fortune on expensive suspension, wheels or drivetrain upgrades. We will discuss more sophisticated and expensive upgrades in future posts.

We get this question a lot: what are the tires best suited for riding in Egypt? The general short answer is that tires designed for dry, loose conditions work best, but there is lot of tires on the market fitting this description and it could be difficult to choose. Here are the top 5 tires we found to work best on Egyptian trails.

WTB Motoraptor

This tire has a long-wearing compound that lasts a long time, which is great for the abrasive limestone trails of a place like Wadi Degla. We’ve had the same tire on two bikes for a year of riding and there is plenty of life left in it. Has a good volume and a round, baloonish profile that floats well over rocky and sandy trails (we have the 2.4 version) and strong sidewalls. One weakness is that it doesn’t bite too well when cornering fast in loose gravel or sand.

Continental Mountain King

The Mountain King offers a good balance between good traction and low rolling-resistance. Works best  when run with lower pressures. The knobs are a bit soft, but the 2011 version have a redesigned tread pattern and more aggressive knobs.

Schwalbe Wicked Will 2.35 FR

More aggressive riders will like this monster of a tire. Large volume tire with a soild, squared out profile. Very good puncture resistance, great traction and rolls relatively well. At 890 grams this is not a light tire, though. If you don’t mind the extra weight and want a tire that can take some serious abuse, the Wicked Will FR would be the way to go. On the super steep goat trails of Sinai this tire offered excellent traction and stability (I ran it on the rear). The Schwalbe Wicked Will is one of the more expensive tires on the market.

WTB Velociraptor (rear)

The WTB Velociraptors come in front and rear specific tread patterns. We have had experience with the rear, which offers a great mix of traction (one of the best on technical and loose climbs), low rolling resistance and weight. The wide, off-center middle treads work like tank tracks, hooking up very well in loose conditions despite the smaller volume of the tire. Big side knobs provide good cornering grip. Not the most puncture-resistant tire, though, so you might want to run a higher pressure or choose smoother lines. The Velociraptor is one of the cheaper tires and offers good value for money.

Kenda Nevegal

Great all-conditions tire and very popular worldwide. Large knobs and very durable. Works best when run on the front. Higher-than-average rolling resistance, so if you want something that rolls faster, checkout Kenda’s Small Block 8 tire.

Most riders do not carry a spare cable on regular short rides, and while good quality cables rarely break, especially when replaced at their recommended service intervals, it happens. Here is a quick fix that will get you home if you break a shifter cable on the trail (particularly in hilly areas like Wadi Degla, where a broken rear shifter cable means getting stuck in a tall gear for the rest of the way home, which in turn means a lot of walking!)

What we’re trying to do here is pick (and keep our rear derailleur on) a gear that will enable us to ride home with no rear shifting. What you need to do is:

1) Pick a gear on your cassette that will be adequate for the ride back home and manually shift the rear derailleur (by pushing the derailleur body inwards and to the rear) to place your chain on that gear.

2) Find a small rock (or any suitable object) to jam under the outer arm of the derailleur, as shown in the above picture, to prevent the spring from pulling the derailleur back to the smallest gear due to lack of cable tension.

3) Ride home! (and remember to replace that broken cable!)

Obviously, the Shimano XT Shadow derailleur shown in this picture makes this fix somewhat easy due to the open design of the outer arm, but most modern derailleurs from Shimano and SRAM have a similar outer arm design.

Thanks to M.Kandil for finding the right size rock when my derailleur cable broke on last weekend’s ride!

1) The frame: Visually inspect the frame and look for dents and cracks. Look closely at the weld points where the tubes are joined together and see if there is any visible damage or signs of repair. Take the bike for a short test ride and check if the frame creaks or rattles. A cracked frame is a sign that the bike has probably been abused, and that your money is better spent elsewhere.

2) The suspension:

• If it is a fully rigid bike then inspect the front forkfor crash damage or bent legs.
• Front/full suspension: Check if the fork legs are bent or dented. inspect the drop-outs (where the wheel axel fits at the bottom of the fork legs) for damage. Check the oil seals and the damper controls (look for oil leakage at the bottom rebound damper seals and the top adjustment seals). Compress the fork several times and test the rebound and responsiveness of the fork. Do the same for the rear shock.

3) The wheels:

• Check if the wheels are out of true (lift the wheels and spin them)
• Check the rims for dents or cracks
• Look for broken spokes

4) The drivetrain:

• Check the gears for worn out teeth.
• Accelerate hard from a standstill and see if the chain skips (chains links stretch over time).
• Check the shifting mechanism for smooth shifting across the gear range.

5) The steering:

• Turn the handlebar side to side several times. Is the headset movement smooth?
• Apply the front brake and rock the bike back and forth. See if there is any rattling or loud creaking.

6) Other components:

• Visually inspect the saddle rails and seatpost for bends or damage.
• Check the brake cables and pads/calipers/disks
• Check for excessively worn tires
• Check the rotation of the pedals and inspect the crank arms.

You don’t really need a GPS to enjoy mountain biking, but it is definately one of the best accessories you could invest in and which will potentially enable you to make the most out of your rides. With a GPS, you will be able to better navigate trail networks, ride trails shared by other GPS-equipped mountain bikers (and also share your own), and increase your confidence in riding unfamiliar trails and going on longer,  “exploration” rides. You can always follow distance- or landmark-based directions provided by guide books, online information or other riders (distance-based descriptions of trails can be figured out using your cycle computer), but a GPS will give you a bunch of other useful data (in addition to all those provided by a cycle computer): elevation profile, climbing rate, distance to waypoints, etc.

A GPS is also very important for safety on longer rides. I recently went on a 5-hour solo exploratoy ride to Wadi Hof, and at one point I completely lost my bearings. Of course I could easily figure out the general direction I should have been heading using the position of the Sun, but I simply couldn’t find a ridable trail in that direction after venturing south for much farther than I typically do. This can easily happen considering the nature of the terrain in Wadi Degla and Wadi Hof. What I did was simply backtrack my route into the ride using the track made on my GPS, which ultimately took me back to ridable terrain. It goes without saying that you should know the basics of navigation if you are serious about mountain biking, which can be done “traditionally” using maps and a compass, a GPS just makes it much easier.

There is a whole bunch of excellent GPS units for mountain bikers on the market, but this post is not about which ones you can buy, as this information is already readily available on the internet. Instead, what I will try to show is how to make a basic GPS navigation solution for mountain biking using stuff that you already have or can buy for cheap. Here is what you need:

1- A java-enabled cell phone (I am not an expert on cell phones but I know most good phones now have Java) How do you know if your phone has Java? Go here and see if its on the list. I have the Sony Ericsson K800i

2- A bluetooth GPS receiver: This is a simple GPS receiver, usually with no screen, that is meant to be used with another device (like a laptop or a cell phone). Prices vary according to model and features, but decent ones can be had for as low as $30-$40. I have the Q-starz BT-1000, which I reviewed on my blog a while ago.

3- A mounting bracket to mount the phone on your stem or handlebar (optional)

4- Navigation software: There is a whole bunch of those, free and commercial. For our purposes, I reccomend either Navigami or eGPSTrack. I prefer Navigami since its navigation screen has a mode where the display shows one large arrow pointing to a waypoint and the distance to that waypoint. Very useful for quick glances allowing on-the-move wayfinding and direction correction without having to stop and squint.

5- A PC with Google Earth installed or a list of waypoints for ride planning and waypoint marking.

Bear in mind that they key words for this solution is “simple and cheap“. Do not expect sophisticated navigational functions and mapping wizardry. But you don’t need an ultra high tech GPS for a Saturday morning ride anyway. For long distance epic rides, you should invest in a more sophisticated device.

Basically, what you need to do is:

1- Download the navigation software  to your phone (this guide assumes you are using Navigami)

2- Pair up the bluetooth GPS reciever with your phone (usually done after starting up the navigation software)

3- Start entering waypoints into the application (I will not go into the details of that since it is application specific and pretty self-explanatory. In navigami, the waypoints will be listed under “landmarks”. You can create a route from a number of landmarks (waypoints). Give your waypoints descriptive names. You can get waypoints from Google Earth or a list that you might already have. Consult the documentation of your software of choice if clueless).

4- Go to Routes, select a route, select a landmark, then select Navigate

3- The screen should now display a large white arrow and distance to waypoint.

5- Mount your phone to your bike and go riding! (don’t forget the GPS reciever!).

Sorry for the reflection in the picture, click for a larger view and you will see the main navigation screen. There is also a “Trip computer” screen that gives you a bunch of data like average and maximum speed, maximum elevation, total distance, etc, but is not very useful while riding becuase the font is too small, but that’s what my cyclocomputer is for anyway (the one in the picture is a Nite Rider Rebel 2.0). My mounting system was made using a cheap dashboard vent mount secured to the stem using cable ties and elastic string. It held the phone OK during rough trail rides. The GPS reciever is tucked away inside the “mp3 pocket” of my hyrdation pack.