First and foremost, mountain bikers must yield to hikers and equestrians. Some horses get spooked really easily. They've never seen a bicycle and think you are a predator ready to eat them. When you approach a trail on which someone is riding his or her horse, pull over and stop. Usually the rider will tell you you can pass and the horse will be okay. Sometimes a horse can be nervous and the last thing you want to do is deal with a rider on a frightened horse.
On single track trails that are narrow and have little room for passing, yield to hikers as well. Usually hikers will be courteous and step aside to let you pass, but if there is a group of hikers, you need to stop and let them through.
When you are riding downhill and a rider is coming uphill, the downhill rider should yield to the uphill rider. If you,re on a fireroad and there's enough room for everyone, it isn't an issue, but on narrow sections the downhiller should stop to let the uphill rider pass. The reason for this is, it's much easier for someone going down hill to stop and then resume then it is for someone going up hill to stop, and then get started on an uphill slope. This is one of the rules outlined by IMBA (International Mountain Biking Association).
Now that we've covered some of the basic rules for trail sharing, there are some general tips to help keep you safe on the trail and to help keep the trail safe itself.
Everyone uses the trails quite a bit. One thing that mountain bikers can do to help preserve the trail is to not skid. Sometimes it's unavoidable, but there are techniques you can use to lessen your skidding. Besides, skidding makes you look like you,re out of control on the trail and damages the trail. When descending, if you are skidding your rear wheel, feather your rear brake as you descend to help alleviate the skidding. If you are ascending and your rear wheel is spinning in the dirt, put little more weight towards the rear to keep that wheel planted on the ground to get more traction.
Some of things you may encounter, depending on where you ride, are roots, rocks, and sand. Roots can be particularly slippery when wet. Even when they are dry they can be a bit tricky. Make sure when you are going over a tree root, you approach it as perpendicular as possible. You don't want to go over the root on an angle, as your wheel can slip and you can fall. Another tip when going over a root is do not pedal hard when the wheel is on the root. The wheel can slip on the root and slide and again you can fall. Get some speed before approaching the root and then roll right over it. If the root is a bit big, after getting the front wheel over, thrust your bike out in front of you, to push the rear wheel over the root.
Rocks are also a bit tricky. If the rocks are small you can usually roll right over them. With any obstacle or technical section, you want to remember to "pick your line". By this I mean look at exactly where you want to go. First, do not look straight at your obstacle, you will tend to go towards it if you do. Next, look for a good opening or line that your wheel can take to get beyond the obstacle. Pick a line that's going to get past the rocks or roots.
If you are descending on something difficult or steep, stay behind the saddle. Get your weight towards the back and get your butt behind and off the saddle. That way if you go off a log or something where you drop off like a step, you want to let the saddle come up between your legs, between your thighs. This way you will not endo and go over the front end of your bars if your front tire hits something while going downhill. Another really important thing to remember is when your wheel loses contact with the ground, remember not to use your brakes. If you are going down a step or log section, slow down before your reach the step, get your weight and butt behind and off your saddle and release the brakes when your wheel goes down the step. If you continue to brake while your tire loses contact with the ground, most likely when it regains contact with the ground, your tire will have stopped completely and you will endo over the front end of your bicycle.
Another great technique one can use to get past some of the difficult bumpy sections of a trail are, get up off your saddle and grip the saddle with your thighs. It will help keep the backend of your bike stable and keep it from jumping around all over the place, and you can steer a lot with your legs.
Last but not least, riding in sand can be tricky. It may not be as foreboding as riding through rocks or roots but it presents its own set of challenges. When riding through sand, try and keep your weight towards the back and let your front tire float right over the sand. Try and keep a straight line as much as possible and keep the weight in the back in order to let the front end glide over the sand and keep traction in the back. The same idea applies when ascending. If the sand is pretty bad, you may have to get off and walk your bicycle. If you get squirrelly in the sand, stay loose -- don't try and fight it. Try and shift your weight to counter balance the slipping and sliding in the sand.
Go out and ride, have fun, and with practice your technique will get better and you will enjoy yourself immensely!
