How has the new geometry changed MTB skills?

More capable bikes and bigger trails take you for a ride

Hey Lee,

I’m a 50 year old who has decided to get back into mountain biking after a long time away. I’ve recently picked up my well-thumbed through copy of the 3rd Edition of Mastering Mountain Bike Skills.

Given that so much has changed with geometry, dropper posts, suspension kinematics since the last edition of the book, what sections do you think are still relevant for regaining skills and what sections do you think someone coming back to the sport and getting used to the new geometry should avoid?

Thanks so much!

Jeff Musslewhite
Edmond, OK

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Hey Jeff!

Thanks for the great question.

MMBS v3 was published in 2017. That book is a 328-page monster. I wrote 90,000 words in 90 days in the peak of my 2016 coaching season. The time pressure plus my years as a full time coach made it my easiest and best book to date.

Everything in the 3rd edition is true and useful. I can’t say the same for the 1st and 2nd editions! For my latest and greatest skills and fit content, including video examples, check out:

1. My library site www.llbmtb.com. A paying membership to this Substack includes full access. Access that site here.

2. My online textbook at ridelogic.teachable.com. This site serves as the textbook for my courses at Colorado Mountain College in Steamboat Springs.

While the core skills remain unchanged, the new bikes do reward some changes in bike selection and riding style.

Geometry and fit

Bikes are way bigger than they’ve ever been, which puts most riders on bikes that are too long for them to handle optimally.

Here are frame reaches for the 2013 and 2023 Santa Cruz Nomad. The 2023 small is longer than the 2013 extra large. My idea of a good fit runs right through the middle.

What you can do:

Many riders size down from their old letter size (eg from an L to a M or even an S). See How to size down your mountain bike.

Use the DiRT tool to model your bike before you spend money.

To help people who don’t fit mainstream bikes, I offer Mistress bikes and custom Dialed bikes.

This Substack channel has tons of fit content. For all the details read the recently published book Dialed v2. This is my best book so far.

Geometry and handling

Head angles are slacker than ever before. A 2000 Stumpjumper was 70.5 degrees. A 2026 Stumpjumper is 64.5 degrees — adjustable to 63! That trail bike is almost as slack as a modern downhill bike.

To compare, a Honda CRF450F motorcycle — made to hit 100-foot jumps and hammer 80mph across the desert — has a head angle of about 63 degrees.

As a result, modern MTBs tend to feel best at higher speeds on less technical flow-style trails like Whistler’s A-Line. They can be hard to handle in tighter, more technical trails like the Alaska at Klondike Bluffs in Moab, UT.

I do not believe any MTB consumer said, “You know what I need? I need my trail bike to handle like a downhill bike or a full size motocross bike. Yeah, I’m too good at making these tight turns.”

Oh well. Once a trend like longer reaches, steeper seat angles and slacker head tubes becomes popular, companies can’t afford to gamble with anything else.

What you can do:

You can ride an older bike or a custom bike that fits and handles the way you want. Despite the Shred Bro Yeah Bro marketing, the big bike companies are not focused on your safe, joyful riding experience. They are businesses, first and foremost, and they must sell you bike after bike. If longer and slacker sold you your last bike, even longer and slacker might sell you your next bike.

An industry colleague owns a prominent bike shop with a well curated Hardcore Bro Vibe. He personally fits his bike using my RAD methods, he sold the book Dialed v1 in his shop. This guy understands how bike fit affects ride quality and safety. But he has to sell as many bikes as he can, as fast as he can. Running a shop is expensive! He told me,

“Look bro I’m here to sell bikes. You walk in at 5’6” and you want a large S-Works, I’m gonna sell it to you.”

That’s business.

Let’s say you want a sweet modern bike that fits you according to the size chart and you want to have fun and not get hurt. What should you do?

Accept that you’re a rider on a bike. As frame reach gets longer relative to your body, you become less of a driver and more of a passenger. Riding is still fun! But you’re relying on the bike’s abilities more than yours.

I am in this Mistress GoodOnya trail bike and in complete control.

Accept an unknowable amount of risk. If you’re an average rider riding the sick drops, jumps and rocks you see in MTB media, you’re relying on the bike’s geometry, suspension and tires to prevent crashes. A new trail or enduro bike gives you a lot of leeway, but how much? Where is the line? Riders often find out after they hit the ground.

Dial in your hip hinge. The bigger, slacker bike requires more arm range to control in corners and bumps. The lower your hinge, the more arm range you have.

Learn to corner. Really corner. This means leaning the bike, driving your hips and loading the pedal or pedals. These long bikes have inherently light front ends. When you drive weight into your feet you increase traction while allowing the front end to steer naturally.

Master the row and anti-row so you can control that beast on modern trails, which tend to have bigger features. If you’re not pumping, you’re a hunk of meat hurtling to an uncertain fate.

Get into shape. Compared with the “dirt roadie” riding style I explored in the late 80s, modern mountain biking is a more dynamic athletic pursuit. Develop the endurance, strength and mobility to handle high Gs, heavy compressions and hard impacts. Think and behave like an athlete.

Use common sense. (The most uncommon kind.) Your hot new bike is a very capable machine. It can insulate you from mistakes, but only to a point. The best solution is to know yourself and only ride lines you can ride with a clear green light (yellow and red are hard Nos).

But that’s not human nature is it? Once most people invest in the expensive bike and the image, they want to Send It. When things go wrong they’re going faster. Speaking of that,

Protection

The destructive energy of a crash is the square of velocity. What does that mean? A little faster hurts a lot more. 2x as fast hurts 4x more.

Protective gear is better than ever. Full-face helmets, knee pads, elbow pads, gloves, padded underwear and armor jackets fit better, feel better and protect you better. Wear everything you need to feel confident.

Full face helmets and pads used to terrify civilians. Protective gear is now common. Don’t be a jerk. Read Sharing trails: Who’s the asshole today

This Specialized Gambit helmet is rated for DH racing and light and cool enough for everyday adventures. Me safe and happy after my DH Worlds run.

Dropper posts

Are awesome. They give you the leg range to pump terrain. Vertical leg range is the key to generating traction in turns and staying safely balanced on rollers, rocks, drops and jumps. Imagine skiing moguls while sitting on a stool.

The 2010 Specialized Command Post had three heights: all the way up, 35mm down, and 100mm down.

If I ran the zoo I’d call it a riser post. All the fun stuff happens with the seat down, then we raise it to pedal.

When I ordered the original 60mm Gravity Dropper post, the inventor Wayne said he was working on an 80mm kit and would send it to me.

I said, “No way I’ll ever use 80mm of dropper travel.”

Ha. I’ve followed dropper from 60 to 80 to 100 to 120 to 150 to 175 and now 190mm.

What you can do

Ride with a dropper post. How much travel should it have? Aim for 10% of your height.

Suspension kinematics

Newer bikes have more and better suspension than older bikes. This helps strong, skilled riders achieve flow on gnarlier trails. More often, it helps ordinary riders enjoy technical trails despite their lack of strength and skill.

This 2005 Specialized Demo race bike was THE SHIT back then. It’s less capable than today’s typical trail bike. My body was showing perfect form before my mind caught up. :)

What you can do

Tune your suspension properly. This sounds obvious, but I encounter a lot of bikes, and most are improperly tuned.

There might be a double handful of true suspension experts in the U.S. If you’re not one of them, follow your bike or fork maker’s guide. I know from experience that the Specialized tuning guides are very good.

When I was doing testing for Dave Weagle (the genius who invented the DW Link and other suspension systems) he taught me a lot. I said to him,

“Dave I used to think I understood suspension. But the more you teach me the less I think I know.”

He laughed and said, “Yep, everyone who understands says that.”

At the very least, make sure the front and rear feel the same. FOX suspension guru Mark Fitzsimmons once told me,

“Balance is the most important thing. Your fork and shock can be way off, but if they’re the same your bike will ride OK.”

To sum it up

Great mountain biking has always required a proper bike fit, adequate fitness, appropriate skills, and solid judgement. Modern bikes:

Make bike fit trickier. If you want optimal handling you can’t trust the size charts. Read Don’t trust the size charts. If you follow the size charts, accept that you’re more a passenger than a driver.

Can lull you into false confidence. These bikes are very capable. But you still have to ride them. Train like an athlete. Commit to your skills development. Make good decisions.

Are super fun. Modern bikes help strong, skilled riders enjoy a higher level of shred. They also help less fit, less skilled riders enjoy these wonderful modern trails.

Have fun out there!

Lee

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Dial in your bike with Dialed v2 and the DiRT tool

The ebook, print book and Kindle of Dialed v2 include access to the DiRT MTB modeling tool and Dialed v2 online. Run the numbers before you run your credit card.