Modern high-end light systems offer enough brightness to give your riding companions sunburn (kidding!). And, they come in a wide variety of price points. But, how much light is needed for safe off-road riding?

Light It Up
To illuminate the trail ahead for your own eyes, not just to be seen at night by others, 10 watts is a good starting point. In general, the greater the headlight's wattage, the brighter the light. There are also systems with yellow and white light, the latter being brighter at the same wattage.

Find The Right Features
Modern lighting systems are packed with features. There are twin- and single-beam headlight systems. There are different battery types (rechargeables are found on better lights). There are ingenious quick-release mounts so you can install and remove the light in a blink. Most lights offer high- and low-beam options like your car (use the high beam for downhills, pitch-black woods, high speed and intersections). There are even computerized light systems on which battery usage and light output is controlled via microchip.

Trail Torch
The ultimate trail setup is having one handlebar light and another on your helmet. The head-mounted light illuminates your field of vision and is especially handy for following bends in the trail because it moves with you as you turn to look (just don't look directly at friends when riding because you'll blind them for a few seconds). Meanwhile, the bar-mounted beam allows monitoring conditions directly in front of the bike for bumps, roots and trail irregularities.

Portable Power
High-watt light systems require large amounts of power so battery systems have gotten very sophisticated. In ascending order of cost, bicycle lighting systems use lead-acid batteries, Nickel-Cadmium (NiCad) batteries, and Nickel-Metal-Hydride (NiMH) batteries. NiCad batteries are lighter and less susceptible to power loss at high or low temperatures than lead-acid, and will last many more recharge cycles. NiMH batteries weigh 30% less than NiCad batteries and offer similar run-times and durability. Proper care and feeding of your battery must be followed to insure you get maximum battery life. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions regarding charging and use of any rechargeable battery.

Night Rides Can Be The Best Rides
Having a good light means you can ride safely at night, which is sometimes the best time to ride. It's after hours so the trails are less busy. The sun's gone down, so it's often the most comfortable time of day, too. And, at night, off-road riding can be magical. The best way to decide on a lighting system is to go in and look at some to compare features and cost. Which one is best for you really depends on how and where you plan to use it and how much you'd like to spend. If you can answer these questions, we can help you pick the perfect light.

Braking is the most important piece of the mountain biking puzzle. The better you are at braking, the faster you can go. You can use brakes to change direction, increase your speed, jump better, get through turns faster and glide through some of the trickiest sections of the trail. Your ability to brake will not develop overnight. It will take practice, patience and an understanding of braking concepts.

SETTING YOURSELF UP BEFORE YOU RIDE
Obviously, it is important that your brakes work properly. Good brakes should slow the bike down during their initial application. Wheels should only lock up and skid under hard braking. If your wheels lock up too soon, you will not be able to control your bike when approaching a turn or other obstacle.

LEVER POSITION
Lever position is a key factor in your ability to brake. Both levers should be at 45- to 50-degree angles (four or five o’clock position). Another key lever factor is the “throw,” the distance between the lever and the handlebars. The brake should start slowing the bike down when the lever is about one quarter of the way into the throw, and apply 60 percent of its potential when the lever is parallel with the bars. The last 40 percent of your braking potential should come into play during the last half of the throw. This will minimize hand and finger fatigue, especially on those long downhills.

SLOWING DOWN
When we begin riding, most of us use the rear brake for slowing down. However, the front brake is actually more efficient. You just need to be careful, because too much front brake can be disastrous. As you apply the front brake, you must lean back to keep the rear wheel down. The harder you’re braking, the more you must lean back. If you distribute your weight properly, you can use your front brake until the bike starts to skid. At that point, though, straighten out. You will be in trouble if you have even a slight angle to the front wheel of the bike.

Of course, the rear brake will slow you down, too, but it should be used in addition to the front brake. The rear brake is used more specifically to vector your bike in the desired direction. If you can control your momentum in any direction, you will have braking concepts down.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Different terrain will play a part in how much you use the above information. The best rule of thumb is this: the more slippery the ground, the less likely you will be able to control your momentum. You may want to practice sliding the bike on closed courses. Sliding the bike or pushing it to the edge as race car drivers do is the fastest possible way you can ride. No one can do it 100 percent of the time. Get the front wheel to slow you down as you lean, and with the help of the rear brake you can slide the rear wheel. Sliding the bike will allow you phenomenal direction changes. When you get to this level, you will enjoy the art of riding as never before.
[Please practice on a closed course, wear your safety equipment and have fun.]

As soon as Gary Fisher rigged a multi-gear drivetrain on his Schwinn Excelsior and scaled Mount Tam, the debate began over whether it's better to climb seated or standing. As a rule of thumb, climbing in the saddle is easier, while standing delivers more power at the cost of more effort. With today's hooked-up componentry, though, the rule of thumb is no longer valid. Watch the pro peloton tackle a climb during a World Cup race and you'll rarely see a racer out of the saddle. The modern climber is far better off pedaling up hills glued to the saddle. This raises the question: When is it proper to hammer out of the saddle and when should you resist the temptation?

WHEN TO SIT OR STAND?
There are still situations where standing is best. Refined climbers can smoothly alternate between standing and sitting without wasting a heart beat. Those who make the most of their climbing effort scale hills the quickest and last the longest. This is the MBA wrecking crew's guide to assuming the position.

Sit: Approach the hill in the middle ring and select a gear that maintains a moderate, 70 to 80 rpm cadence. Hydrate at the bottom and before the aerobic effort becomes too extreme and breathing too heavy to sip fluid.

Shift early while seated: If you are running out of gears in the middle ring, shift early to the granny while still spinning a moderate cadence and apply light pedal pressure.

Assume the cosmic crunch: Move up on the nose of the saddle and crouch down over the handlebar with your head forward and the elbows low. Keep the rear wheel churning and move the upper body forward to keep the front wheel down.

Stand: On long, consistent grades, it is sometimes helpful to stand to relieve pressure off the back and to relax the legs by shifting the load to another muscle group. Select the next taller cog before standing.

Remain seated: Continue eying straight up the hill for the firmest packed and smoothest route. Steer around soft terrain and overly difficult sections. Relax and use gears to sustain the healthy pedal tempo.

Definitely stand: If you find yourself entering into a roller or moderate grade in the big ring at speed, rise out of the saddle, sprint and use speed to bring you up the rise. Back off the pedal pressure or sit before making chainring shifts.

Nothing strikes as much fear into a rider as a rock garden. Rocks prove that Columbus was right, the world isn't flat. In fact, large sections of it are round. Climbing and descending through rocky sections can be treacherous. Falling onto hard, pointed objects is a painful way to find out that Queen Isabella was wrong.
Rock sections come in three versions: (1) loose, marble-covered pieces of trail; (2) jagged, embedded swaths of rock that don't move; (3) nasty stair steps that stretch the limits of balance.
MBA will show you how to conquer each type of rock section, making you a better, bolder (or boulder) rider.

Fluid: Descending through a loose rock garden requires the rider to stand and stay fluid. Let the bike jerk around beneath you as your arms and legs soak up the movement. The key is to not tighten up and fight the bike. If you grab the bar with a death grip and spaz, you will fall. It is preferable to brake once you get through the section, but if it is so long that you need to slow down, drag the brakes from the top. Never lock up the rear wheel because it will skip and rebound off every rock, and if you aren't gentle on the front brake, the front wheel will be pushing and sliding against rocks.

Pick down: Descending over embedded rocks is easier than it appears. Find the straightest path with the least amount of bumps and go for it. In this case, speed and a straight front wheel are your friends. If you go too slow, either wheel can stop suddenly on the face of a rock, throwing you over the bars. If you turn your front wheel it will catch on the side of a rock and either slide out or, worse, jack-knife and pitch you over the bars. After the rider gets through this rocky section, he will scrub speed to a comfortable level in the little patch of dirt just in front of him, then attack the next section in the same manner.

Sit, maybe stand: Long, flat rock sections like this require that you stay seated with an even cadence. As with descending, let the bike move under you and just keep pedaling smoothly, without sudden bursts. If the rider entered this section at speed and felt he was carrying enough momentum to make it through, he would stand and choose the straightest line without using the brakes.

Pick up: Climbing in embedded rocks requires patience and sure line choices. Stay seated and steer through the rocks, trying to find the straightest line with the least amount of rock hops. Staying seated gives you controlled power so you won't spin. Be sure to stay in a low enough gear that allows for quick spinning bursts if you have to hop over a rock.

Power up: Here, the rider is crouching over the tip of the saddle, elbows in, for the strongest burst of power. After staying seated and picking his way through the gravel, he wisely chose to climb the steeper pitch on solid rock. The superb traction of the rock face makes it safe (and necessary) to power ahead. Once past this short section, the rider will sit back down and resume spinning.