5 Things That Actually Make You Faster on a Mountain Bike (Most Riders Get This Wrong)

Alex Ackerley
5 days ago
2 min read

The 5 Things That Actually Make You Faster on a Mountain Bike (And Why Most Riders Get It Wrong)

If you feel like you’re working hard… riding a lot… doing all the right things…

…but you’re still getting dropped on climbs or losing control on descents—

You’re not missing effort.

You’re missing the right combination of qualities.

Most riders chase fitness in a straight line.

Better riders build a system.

1. Strength (Legs Drive Everything)

Strength isn’t about the gym.

It’s about your ability to:

Produce force (climbing, accelerating)
Absorb force (descending, braking, impacts)

That means concentric AND eccentric strength.

If you don’t have it:

Climbs feel harder than they should
Descents beat you up
Your position falls apart

👉 Strength is what gives you time and control on the bike

2. Stability (This Is Your Real “Core”)

You don’t need more ab workouts.

You need control.

Your midsection’s job is to:

Transfer force from legs → pedals
Keep you stable over rough terrain
Let your arms and legs do their job

If this breaks down:

Power leaks
Hands and arms fatigue
You get thrown around on the bike

👉 Stability is what makes strong riders actually feel smooth

3. Aerobic Development (Sharpen Both Ends of the Stick)

Most riders get this completely wrong.

They ride:

Not easy enough to build endurance
Not hard enough to build top-end

They live in the middle.

That’s the worst place to be.

Instead:

Build all-day pace (Zone 2)
Build high-intensity repeatability

👉 The goal isn’t just fitness—it’s having the right gear at the right time

4. Skill (Train It Fresh. Make It Automatic.)

Here’s a big mistake:

Trying to “practice skills when tired.”

That’s not how skill works.

You build skill by:

Practicing fresh
Repeating high-quality movement
Dialing in precision

Then—when fatigue hits—

Those patterns hold up automatically.

👉 Skill isn’t what you can do fresh👉 It’s what still works when things get messy

5. Train Smarter (This Is Where Most Riders Blow It)

This is the difference between riders who improve… and riders who plateau.

More is not better.

Better is better.

You need to:

Balance strength, aerobic work, and skill
Manage fatigue properly
Stay consistent

👉 There are multiple qualities you can move forward—but only if you manage them intelligently

👉 This is where understanding something like a minimum effective dose approach becomes powerful:

Do enough to improve or maintain
Not so much that you bury yourself

Consistency beats hero weeks. Every time.

🎯 HOW THIS ALL FITS TOGETHER

Speed isn’t one thing.

It’s:

Strength → gives you force
Stability → lets you use it
Aerobic fitness → lets you repeat it
Skill → makes it efficient
Smart training → ties it all together

Miss one—and you feel it.

🔍 WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU’RE MISSING?

This is exactly why I built the MTB Fitness Score.

It shows you:

Where you’re strong
Where you’re leaking performance
What to focus on next

👉 Take the test here

I'll see you on the Trails,

Alex