10 Hacks and tips for mountain bikers

Adjusting the air pressure in your suspension fork is supposed to be an easy part of routine bike maintenance, but it isn't always. Air caps have a way of being ridiculously stubborn. It's tempting to break out heavy artillery in these situations, but the solution is right under your nose—your shock pump. This can actually be used as a slide hammer to knock the air cap loose. Just brace the handle of the pump on the cap, and then use the body of the pump to initiate a precise impact. This won't scratch your air cap, and it makes use of a tool you already have handy. It also works with most suspension forks. Of course the next time you screw on your air cap, be sure not to make it so tight. Even the best knee pads have a way of sliding around, especially if you're doing a lot of pedaling. If you wear a chamois, you can stretch it over the tops of your pads to hold them in place. I realize that this doesn't work for all pads, and that some of you are so tall that your chamois doesn't actually reach your pads. But for us short people, this does an incredible job. I use Dakine chamois, and they reach all my pads. Another hidden benefit of this hack is warmth in the winter months, as it makes for continuous coverage down your leg. As far as bike racks go, it doesn't get much simpler than the tailgate of a pickup, and today's tailgate pads even include straps to secure your bike. Still, they can bounce around on rough roads. So if you're on a long trip or doing any kind of overlanding, you can use a ratchet strap to hold several bikes in place at once. Just use the tie downs in your bed to hook the strap over the bikes, and then crank it down just enough to hold the bikes in place. If you want even more security, you can wrap the strap around each bike, which will keep them from moving side to side. This trick also makes theft more difficult during quick stops like intersections. These next two hacks come courtesy of Eric Porter, although these are both old tricks. First, a way to secure the rear brake hose on your dirt jump or BMX bike. Because these bikes are made for tricks like bar spins, the hose is often left really long so we can wrap around the steerer tube. That leaves a lot of extra hose that can slap around and make noise. Some people put a zip tie here, but it's only a matter of time before it slides down. For a permanent fix, put a zip tie around the hose loosely, and then pass another zip tie through it and around your steerer tube. This solution is bar spin friendly and costs only pennies, so in my opinion it's about as good as hacks get. Even mountain bikers who ride tubeless still usually carry a tube for emergencies, and if you want that tube to work for as many bikes as possible, use a 29. You can actually shorten a 29 inch tube down to just about any size. Just push down on the tube with your thumb and pull it back so it folds over itself. You can then keep pulling it down to achieve the size you're going for. It's a good idea to do this opposite the valve stem to counterbalance the weight, but in reality you won't counterbalance anything. This hack is strictly to get you home without having to walk your bike. Here's another inner tube hack. Schrader valves are found on BMX bikes, dirt jumpers, and unicycles, while Presta valves are found pretty much everywhere else. Install a Presta tube in a Schrader wheel, and it sits off center, flops around, and allows for dirt ingress. But you can solve all these issues with a Presta valve cap. Just cut it in half, and then screw it onto the stem upside down about a quarter of the way up. When you install the tube, it should make for a perfect fit. Although this looked pretty official and will get you by, it's still a hack. If you run high pressure this could in theory stress the base of the valve stem and damage the tube. That said, I did this for a bit at 60 psi with no problems. Small multi tools like this one are convenient, but they lack leverage. If you've ever tried to break a pedal loose with one of these, you know it's nearly impossible. Assuming your bike has thru axles, you can use one to add leverage to the tool. First remove your thru axle, and then slide it over an unused hex wrench opposite the one in your pedal. It should now look like this. In this configuration, you can apply pressure to both the multi tool and the axle, giving you the leverage to crack loose just about anything. On hex thru axles you can use the hex head, and on quick release thru axles you can use the hollow end. Some may worry about damaging their axle doing this, but I tried several with no issues or even so much as a mark. But I don't know how tight your pedals are, or how strong your axle is. So if you have any concerns about this hack, don't use it. Now for some trail building hacks, starting with one we've already used on Berm Peak. Removing small stumps with a reciprocating saw. For this, you want to use a pruning blade, and just cut around the stump in a circle. For a little shrub, this can get the stump out of the ground in under a minute. Having done this countless times now, I can confirm that it does no harm to the saw itself, but it will put a little bit of a hurtin' on your blade. For slightly bigger stumps, this trick still does work, but definitely takes an extra minute or two. When building dirt jumps, you ideally want soil without any sticks, pebbles, or roots in it. To get perfect dirt, you can use a leaf rake as a sifter. Just rake some of the soil into a pile, scoop it up with the leaf rake, and then shift it around until you're left with just sticks and pebbles in the rake. This takes some time, but if all you need is a top layer on a little jump like this one, it works great and leaves you with perfect chocolatey soil that compacts like it's supposed to. With a little practice, you can do the same thing just by raking, but this is more thorough and kind of satisfying to watch. You're all alone in the woods, the only human being for miles, or so you think. Pull off trail to take a whiz, and it's a scientific fact that you'll get run up on immediately. It's just the way the universe works. So use this to your advantage. The next time you need some local knowledge, just summon a local. I hope you found these bike hacks entertaining, and I'm pretty sure you realize they're just hacks. There are proper ways to do all of these things. Nevertheless, share this video with someone who would enjoy it, and subscribe to see me build a mountain bike trail in my backyard. Ride safe, and enjoy the fall weather. Thanks for riding with me today and I'll see you next time.