As mountain bikers we all like to improve our skills on a continuous basis, if not for ourselves then at least for our Strava times! But what do you do when you find yourself staring at a feature in the trail that you are not sure that you can handle? Do you just do it and risk breaking something (on your body or your bike) just to avoid looking like a wimp? Or do you simply say "pass" and avoid any potential pain and suffering and deal with the smack talk later?

When it comes to trying something new like a jump, drop or steep decent it's very important to check it out before attempting it. Sometimes this is hard to do if you are already in motion like at a bike park and don't have time to stop or may cause a traffic jam or accident if you do. In that case look for what they call a ride around which lets you bypass the obstacle and sometimes allows you to get a look at what's involved at riding it at the same time. If it is somewhere that you can stop safely without getting run over it's a good idea to watch others ride it and see if you think it's something you want to try yourself.

If you have a mountain bike that was made in the last 8 years or so there is a good chance that it has disk brakes unless you got it somewhere like Target or Walmart. And if your mountain bike has V brakes then it's time for you to get a new bike! Mountain bike brake technology hasn't changed too much over the years except for maybe streamlining designs and making brakes lighter and cool better. And there are still hydraulic and mechanical brakes to choose from with each having their own advantages although hydraulic is the overall winner and is what you should be using.

When it comes to rotors there are 2 main types to choose from, 6 bolt or centerlock. There are other types out there but they are not nearly as common. The rotor part itself that comes in contact with the brake pads works the same way on each but it's how they connect to the hub that makes the difference. In our opinion one is not better than the other but it's more of a choice for you to make or not a choice depending on if you already have your bike or hubs.

So you finally got yourself a mountain bike with an aluminum frame, fixed seatpost, 26 inch wheels (with inner tubes of course) and 2x10 drivetrain and are ready to hit the trail. Then you pick up a mountain bike magazine and realize your bike is not "cool" and is totally out of date and too heavy. Of course it would probably do you just fine but now you are wondering if you can do better and don't want to get funny looks from other riders on the trail.

By now you have probably heard of carbon fiber this and that, 27.5 or 29 inch wheels and dropper seatposts etc. but what about your drivetrain setup? Not too long ago everyone was running a 3x9 setup which means 3 chainrings in the front and 9 in the rear for a total of 27 speeds. Then it switched to a 2x10 setup (20 speeds) which utilized the most often used gears and got rid of one of the front rings. Now many people are switching to 1x11 drivetrains which only have one ring in the front and 11 gears total. Of course the gear spacing has to be spread out a little more to make sure you have a high enough and low enough gear to use. But the question of the day becomes is this right for you?

One of the main benefits of the 1x11 drivetrain is that you get rid of the front derailleur which saves on weight but it's one less thing to worry about or to break on you. On a 1x11 setup the chain stays in on gear up front and just changes on the rear rings on the cassette. Another benefit is that you don't have to worry about the chain coming off in the front on gear changes if you do it at the wrong time or are out of adjustment.

Just like cars need to be fixed and maintained, so do mountain bikes. Some people are the do it yourself type that can fix anything and will figure out how to do it themselves before paying someone else to fix it for them. If that's you then you will most likely only make trips to the bike shop for parts and supplies. Then there are the types who either don't want to fix their bike because they don't want to, can't figure it out or just prefer to leave that sort of thing to the professionals to make sure it gets done right. If that's you then you need to find a bike shop that does good work and that you can trust.

Now just because you take your bike to the shop for repairs doesn't mean it will get fixed correctly. Most of us at some point or another have had our bike worked on at a bike shop and got it back either not properly repaired or with something else broken that wasn't broken when you brought it in. Just because it's a bike shop doesn't mean the technicians always know what they are doing. If you feel bold enough you can always ask about the experience level of the people who repair the bikes before leaving yours for service.

If you are lucky enough to have multiple bike shops in your area you can do the trial and error method and take your bike to different ones and see who does the best work. It's also a good idea to talk to the techs and explain you problem and see if they appear to know how to fix it without having to put too much thought into it. One good tip is to bring your bike in for a repairs and service to a place that sells the same brand. That way you know that they have worked on bikes like yours and also have assembled new ones that they put out for sale therefore giving them more experience with your brand. And of course word of mouth and review sites like Yelp can point you in the right direction. Once you find the best shop you will get to know the people who work on your bikes which make for a better experience when you have to take it in.

If you have a decent quality fork or shock that is not quite doing the job for you no matter how many adjustments you make then you may want to consider having it rebuilt with a custom tune based on your riding style, weight and terrain you ride on. This is where a company like PUSH Industry comes into play. PUSH has been around since the early 2000s and is based in Colorado and not only do they do suspension tuning, then also design and build their own suspension components. One of their biggest suspension projects is their ELEVENSIX Shock which they designed themselves and build onsite.

There are many ways to make your bike lighter but some of them can be rather expensive. If you have an old heavy bike then it is most likely not worth the money to try and lighten it up because you will most likely spend more on parts than it would cost to just buy a new bike. And if you want to go really light you would need to start out with a carbon fiber frame which can save you a few pounds right off the bat.

When it comes to buying lighter components for your bike there are many to choose from and there is always a lighter version of some part that you can buy. One of the cheapest ways to start is to get yourself some carbon fiber handlebars. These can save you a decent amount of weight depending on what you currently have and you can usually get them fairly cheap. Just be sure to check things like the width, thickness and riser height so you can get the right ones for your riding style. One more expensive replacement part is the wheelset. Getting a set of carbon fiber wheels will save you a good amount of weight as well as give you less rotating mass to have to push up those hills. Plus they offer greater rigidity which can benefit you on those more intense trails. The only problem is that a new set of wheels can run you over $1000 unless you find some used ones. Too add to the wheelset savings you can get lighter brake rotors, cassette and tires to cut that weight down. If you run inner tubes in your tires then going to tubeless can save you a little weight as well.