Mastering Picking Lines: Choosing the Best Path on MTB Trails

Choosing the right line on a mountain bike trail is crucial for optimizing speed, control, and overall enjoyment of your ride. Many riders tend to follow the most worn paths, which can lead to unnecessary weaving and a loss of momentum. Personally, I focus on picking my trail lines to conserve energy and find fun features like bumps along the way. Let’s dive into the essential skills and techniques for selecting the best lines, so you can ride more efficiently and confidently on technical terrain.

Whether you’re a beginner just starting out or an intermediate rider looking to refine your line-picking skills, this guide will help. While some basic riding experience is helpful, even novice riders can easily grasp these concepts and start applying them on the trails.

What to Look for When Picking Trail Lines

Understanding Trail Features
Recognize and understand the different features of a trail, such as rocks, roots, and bumps. Instead of avoiding these obstacles, learn to use them to your advantage. They can provide opportunities for more dynamic riding and better control.

Choosing a Direct Line
Prioritize the straightest and most direct path to your destination. A direct line minimizes unnecessary movements, allowing for a smoother and faster ride. This approach also helps you conserve energy and maintain better control over your bike.

Momentum Management
Focus on maintaining momentum rather than stopping or slowing down to avoid obstacles. This involves reading the trail ahead and planning your line to keep your speed up, ensuring a more fluid and efficient ride.

Finding the Fun Factor
Let’s be honest—if you’re not racing and efficiency isn’t your primary concern, why not choose a line because it’s fun? As your skills improve, simple lines may start to feel mundane, and those once-challenging trails will become exciting playgrounds. It’s natural to seek out challenges, so embrace them and have fun with your line choices. After all, mountain biking is as much about enjoying the ride as it is about honing your skills.

How to Choose Trail Lines on MTB

• Assess the Trail Ahead: As you approach a section of the trail, take a moment to scan for obstacles and potential lines. Look for the straight path that connects the key features of the trail, whether it’s rocks, roots, or turns. Spotting obstacles early gives you time to plan your approach, resulting in a smoother ride through or over the challenges. This also helps you experiment with different ways to ride the line on future runs, giving you a better sense of the trail’s flow.
• Choose Your Line: Select a line that minimizes unnecessary weaving and helps maintain your momentum. For example, if there’s a rock you can hop over rather than steer around, opt for the hop to keep your speed up. Focus on maintaining a constant flow where your tires can grip the trail securely, avoiding loose stones or unstable edges. Aim for smooth, controlled movements, especially when connecting curves, to ensure that your ride is both efficient and enjoyable.
• Use Obstacles to Your Advantage: Instead of dodging rocks and roots, think about how you can use them to enhance your ride. For instance, a rock can serve as a launch point to clear an upcoming obstacle. However, it’s important not to push yourself beyond your current skill level. Sometimes, choosing a safer line with a better grip is smarter than tackling a rougher, more technical trail. When encountering drops or particularly challenging features, it’s a good idea to inspect them first. This allows you to understand what you’ll be facing and decide if you’re ready to tackle it or if a safer route is more appropriate for your first attempt.
• Practice Absorbing Bumps: Work on techniques like pumping and bunny hopping to absorb bumps and maintain your speed. These skills are crucial for staying stable and in control, especially on rough or uneven terrain. The more you practice, the more instinctive these movements will become, allowing you to handle challenging sections with confidence.
• Experiment with Different Lines: Don’t be afraid to experiment with different ways of riding a line. Trying out various approaches will help you figure out which style works best for that particular section of the trail. For instance, determine whether it’s faster or more enjoyable to go around a feature or straight through it, or how to best approach a curve. For me, the goal is always to find the most fun way to ride a given trail line, so I often try different strategies to see which one brings the most enjoyment.

Common Mistakes to Avoid when Choosing a Trail Line

• Following the Worn Path: One of the most common mistakes riders make is instinctively following the most traveled line on a trail. While it might seem like the safest option, the worn path often isn’t the fastest, smoothest, or most efficient route. It can be full of ruts, loose dirt, or areas that force unnecessary weaving. Challenge yourself to look for alternative lines that may offer better flow, fewer obstacles, and a more enjoyable ride. Developing the skill to identify and ride these less obvious paths can significantly enhance your overall trail experience.
• Fixating on Obstacles: A big mistake many riders make is fixating on obstacles—whether it’s a rock, root, or tricky section of the trail. When you focus on what you want to avoid, you’re more likely to hit it. Instead, shift your mindset to concentrate on where you want to go. Look ahead to your desired line and visualize your path through the trail. This change in focus will naturally guide your bike toward smoother, more controlled rides and help you navigate challenging sections with greater ease.
• Neglecting Momentum: Stopping or significantly slowing down to avoid obstacles can severely disrupt your flow and make the ride more challenging than it needs to be. Momentum is your friend on the trail, helping you maintain balance, conserve energy, and ride more smoothly over rough terrain. To keep your momentum, plan your line well in advance, anticipating obstacles and making decisions on the fly. This proactive approach allows you to maintain a consistent speed, glide over obstacles, and enjoy a more fluid ride. Remember, keeping your momentum not only makes the ride easier but also more fun and exhilarating.
• Overcompensating with Braking: Another common error is using the brakes too much, especially when approaching obstacles or corners. Over-braking can cause you to lose speed and control, making it harder to navigate the trail smoothly. Instead, practice modulating your brakes—lightly applying them to adjust your speed without killing your momentum. This technique allows you to maintain control while still carrying enough speed to flow through the trail effectively.
• Ignoring Body Position: Proper body positioning is crucial for maintaining control and stability on the bike. A mistake many riders make is staying too rigid or not adjusting their body position to match the terrain. On technical sections, ensure your weight is properly balanced—leaning slightly back when descending and forward when climbing. Keeping your knees and elbows bent allows you to absorb shocks and react quickly to changes in the trail, improving both your control and comfort.

When I first started mountain biking, I often struggled with choosing the right line, leading to a lot of unnecessary braking, weaving, and frustration. My rides felt disjointed, and I would frequently lose momentum, making technical sections more challenging than they needed to be.

It wasn’t until I began to truly read the trail and focus on maintaining the momentum that my riding improved dramatically. By practicing these techniques, I gained the confidence to navigate technical sections more smoothly and efficiently.

Mastering the art of line choice on mountain bike trails is essential for boosting your riding efficiency and overall enjoyment. By learning to understand trail features, prioritizing direct paths, and effectively managing your momentum, you can significantly enhance your skills and tackle challenging terrain with ease. Not only does this make your rides smoother and faster, but it also opens up new opportunities for fun and exploration on the trail.

Share your own experiences and tips for choosing the best lines in the comments below—I’d love to hear how others have mastered this skill! And if you’re looking to continue improving, don’t forget to check out our other tips for more insights, techniques, and inspiration to elevate your mountain biking skills!