MB is a sport for all ages for both men and women and for boys and girls too. Gone are the day when mountain biking was dominated by boys and men because more than ever women and girls are also conquering the world of MB in the same fashion that the sport has conquered the world by storm.

True enough there are now more girls who are making a big name in MB. If there are women mountain biking there is also the equally famous girls mountain biking.

When girls learn to ride the mountain bikes and mastered the necessary skills like most of the boys do, they were just simply unstoppable. In fact there are now more girls MB teams that are formed at school level.

One of the prominent girls mountain biking teams is the one from Harbor High in Santa Cruz, California. A lone girl who actually made the team successfully running for a year now heading for their second year courageously spearheaded the team.

With this maiden success, the team has provided an impetus for more girls MB teams to follow suit. Soon enough the sport will truly not just exclusively for the so- called stronger sex, because the girls may just as well the a new age group to reckon with as more and more girls are getting interested to learn and master the sport of mountain biking.

Today there are now more mountain biking clinic programs intended for girls. These cool girls mountain biking clinic programs are geared toward the acquisition of new skills both basic and advance. These will help enhance their bike maneuver dexterity.

Some of the activities include riding mountain bikes over logs, racing down a hill especially the steep ones, techniques that are deemed necessary for cross-country racing, high-endurance and short course racing, and the fundamentals of repair and maintenance of mountain bikes.

Other lessons also include advocacy for mountain biking, protection and preservation of the trail and the environment, upgrading the next level of mountain biking, and looking sponsorship.

The clinics will help their boost their confidence in an individual action-packed sport like MB. Hence girls are treated in the same way boy are taught, which truly make the sport fit for both sexes.

For this reason, girls are no longer confined to reading books or playing with dolls because they too can now take a more physically demanding sport. With mountain biking everyone is truly treated equally. Right girls?

These skills can all be practiced by heading to any school, local park, around your house, or on a bike path. The key to the right location is if it has a steep hill for you to practice on.

The pedals are an important part of a mountain bike. You can practice getting a feel for the pedals by doing the following:

Sit on your bike

Place one foot on the ground

Release and Replace your foot while pedaling around

Note: If you have clipless foot pedals or toe clips, you will want to practice this quite a bit.

Sit and Spin for position with the following:

Adjust the seat height so that the leg is a minimum of 70% extended at the bottom of each pedal cycle

Bend arms slightly

Keep the body as relaxed as possible; a position should never occur that requires you to lock your elbows or knees.

Sit on the Mountain bike and pedal

Practice shifting gears with the following:

Make sure you know the differences in gears on your bike

Try a high gear-It is hard to pedal, but rides at a faster speed

Try a low gear-Easier to pedal, particularly useful while on hills

Try shifting prior to reaching the hill-This is important because it is easy to overcome a shift before the hill than it is while on the hill.

Practice coasting with the following:

Practice this while standing on the pedals, not sitting on the bike seat

Do not lock your knees

Keep arms slightly bent

Attempt coasting while shifting the body towards the rear of the mountain bike

Practice pedaling while standing with the following:

This is important in mountain biking

Try pedaling standing up in two different ways, once you have become comfortable with standing on the pedals.

First, pedal while standing in a high gear on flatter grounds.

Then, pedal while standing in a low gear on hills.

Practice dropping down a curb with the following:

Locate a curb in the area; it should be easily accessible in regards to the upper portion

Using a moderate speed, practice coasting and standing off the curb to the lower level from the upper level.

Continue this at different speeds until you are comfortable with it and it is like second nature

The above practicing techniques are important because they will give you the feel of the mountain bike trail, without having to be on one while you are training.

Once you’ve decided how much you want to spend, you need to focus on the kind of riding you intend to do. Will you be riding a road bike, mountain bike, or a BMX/freestyle bike? Are you looking to race or to just do your own thing and get some exercise in the process?

Whether it’s a road bike, mountain bike, or BMX bike, if you’re just going to be a leisurely rider than almost any pair of athletic shoe will suffice. Your only concern should be the grip of the sole. For safety’s sake you need to be sure that your shoes are at least good enough to hold onto the pedals.

Now, if you’re going to be a little more serious about your riding then you need to start looking at more specialized shoes. First we’ll start with cycling shoes made for road bikes. Shoes made for the serious road cyclist feature a cleat on the bottom which hooks onto specially made pedals. This design allows for maximum power transfer as it allows you to generate power while pushing down and raising your feet. The disadvantage to this kind of shoe is that you’re likely to wreck a few times as you acclimate yourself to them. Also, such shoes are no good to walk in as the cleat constantly gets in the way. Such shoes are made just for riding and racing.

There are also road shoes which don’t latch onto the pedals. Typically these have smooth firm soles. Shoes made for mountain bike also may feature a cleat and binding system similar to road bikes. Typically, though, such shoes unhook easier because mountain bikers often have to remove their feet from the pedals. The more common type of mountain bike shoes don’t latch on at all. They feature rugged soles similar to hiking boots and are, in fact, very similar to hiking boots. For a recreational mountain biker, hiking boots will work just fine.

BMX riders and freestylers use shoes which are very similar to shoes made for skateboarding. These shoes have stiff soles with excellent traction so they grip the pedals and provide as much power as possible. The uppers on these shoes are strong and durable to withstand the beating they’ll endure while doing tricks and flying around dirt tracks.

If you’re just an occasional bike rider, any pair of sneakers with a good sole will do, but if you’re a more serious rider than you need to get a pair of specially made cycling shoes. They’re produced by a variety of manufacturers based all over the world. Figure out what your budget is, envision the sort of riding you intend to do, and do some research. Ask the pros at the local bike shop and look online for reviews and information.