From Hairpin Turns to Steep Slopes: Tips for Enduro Beginners

It was one of those moments that sends adrenaline racing through the veins of any Enduro rookie: in front of me lay a steep slope, its surface a treacherous puzzle of loose gravel like slippery marbles. My pulse raced to speeds my 450 couldn't match. My forearms clamped onto the handlebars like a vice grip, and the thought "Why am I doing this to myself?" flashed through my mind. Does this sound familiar?

As an editor at 1000PS.at, I've tested countless bikes on asphalt, but off-road is a whole different world. A world where even seasoned street riders revert to being beginners, facing challenges you’d never encounter on smooth tarmac. After countless hours in the saddle of various Enduros and some painful lessons, today I want to address the most common problems that make life difficult for off-road newcomers—and how we can solve them.

The first hurdle many of us stumble over: hairpin turns on gravel. Either you topple over like a felled tree, or you miss the tight radius and suddenly find yourself in the bushes. The problem often isn't where we think it is.

The central challenge with tight turns is—as you might guess—line-of-sight. In off-road conditions, this skill becomes even more demanding because our gaze is irresistibly drawn to every sneaky rock and deep rut, like sirens luring us to disaster.

My top tip: focus your gaze intently on the exit of the turn! Turn not just your eyes, but also your shoulder axis and upper body slightly towards your target point. The bike will follow as if by magic.

For those beastly, rough machines, here's a trick I discovered after many botched attempts: ride in first gear, balance the bike with the clutch and throttle, but use the rear brake for fine control. It stabilizes the bike surprisingly well and smooths out any jolts or unexpected surprises from the engine. This way, you can guide even the most stubborn Enduros through the tightest turns like a lion tamer with his beast.

You know the feeling? After twenty minutes on gravel, your forearms feel like someone injected quick-drying cement into your veins. These infamous "arm pumps" are like warning lights on your dashboard—they signal that something's off.

Tense forearms are a sure sign that you're experiencing too much stress and tension in the saddle. You're gripping the handlebars like a drowning man clinging to a life preserver. Surprisingly, the solution isn't in your hands but in your head and your breathing.

A ritual that always helps me: take ten deep breaths in and out. Consciously focus your gaze far ahead, over the next hill. Take in the scenery, conjure positive thoughts. Sound esoteric? Maybe, but it works like a charm against stiffened arms.

Instead of trying to forcefully relax your fingers (which usually only leads to more cramping), focus on your elbow joints. Do the chicken dance—let your elbows flap up and down briefly, shake them loose. It might look silly, but this little trick has often helped me trick my arms and adopt a more relaxed grip on the handlebars.

Most off-road beginners—including myself—make life unnecessarily difficult. They burn energy like an overheated engine, especially when accelerating and decelerating. Every time we brake or throttle, uphill or downhill, our muscles battle the forces of acceleration. It's like standing in a storm, trying to withstand the wind's force with sheer muscle strength.

The crucial insight came to me like a revelation: balance on the footpegs is the key! Standing on the footpegs allows you to achieve maximum impact with minimal movements. It's as if you suddenly transform from a clumsy pedestrian into an elegant dancer.

Start on simple, straight sections: stand on the footpegs and experiment with your upper body position during acceleration and braking maneuvers. The goal is to channel forces directly into the footpegs and knee grip without putting pressure on your arms.

My golden tip: Don't wildly lean forward or backward. Surprisingly, the most efficient way to change your position is through your ankle joints. Minimal angle changes there have incredible effects on your overall balance. Minimal input, maximum impact—like a conductor guiding an entire orchestra with a gentle wrist movement.

In the paddock, I often get a smirk. "Why do you have Öhlins suspension on your bike? You're not exactly brimming with talent." My answer? "That's exactly why!" Off-road, things are different than on the street. Suspension tuning benefits everyone in the dirt. I always use Öhlins components on my hard enduros, like this fork. The installation and tuning to "super soft" are handled by Damianik. My advantage: the hits are smoothed out better. This is crucial in races like the KRKA Enduroraid, where you spend 99% of two days riding over rocks. The high-quality tuned suspension absorbs the impacts much better than stock suspension. It saves your body and stamina, and it’s especially beneficial for less skilled riders!

The steep hill—a mountain of fear for many, steeper than the spike in your heart rate at its sight. The fear of the hill runs deep, but the biggest issue isn't the hill itself; it's our hesitant approach. The most common cause of failure on steep hills is surprisingly simple: not enough momentum. We approach cautiously, almost creeping, as if sneaking up on a sleeping dragon. But this very approach seals our failure before we even reach the base.

A pragmatic question I always ask myself: What's the bigger problem—being too fast or too slow on a steep hill? The answer is clear: approaching too slowly is the sweat-inducing challenge. You can always reduce speed on the hill, but regaining lost speed is like trying to gather spilled water.

Speed stabilizes like an invisible corset. It's the magic potion that dissolves many Enduro riding issues. Especially when there are no dangerous cliffs on either side of the hill, just bushes or gentle meadows, you can venture into "uncomfortable speed dimensions." A fall might be annoying, but steep climbs—contrary to intuition—are areas where fewer severe injuries tend to occur compared to other sections.

As I transition to the steep hill, I make a conscious push with my whole body into the footpegs, combined with a final burst of throttle—like a javelin thrower putting their entire body into the decisive throw. After that, it's about positioning your weight so the front wheel doesn't aim skyward like a rocket at launch.

A common misconception on steep hills: too much focus on traction and the rear wheel. It's far more important to apply adequate pressure and guidance to the front wheel. An uncontrolled front wheel loses more speed than even the best rear wheel traction can recover. It's like a tandem—if the front rider loses direction, it doesn't help if the rear rider pedals furiously. Whether standing or—if energy reserves are depleted—sitting: shift your weight forward, apply pressure to the front wheel. It will reward you by guiding you where you want to go, rather than taking you where you don't want to be.

Enduro riding off-road isn't magic; it's a craft—one that requires patience, practice, and a few tricks. With the right line-of-sight technique, you conquer hairpin turns; with relaxed arms, you stay fresher longer; with smart weight distribution, you conserve energy; and with the right momentum, you conquer any steep hill.

The most important insight from my off-road adventures: the greatest obstacle usually lies between our ears. Once we overcome our mental blocks, obstacles become challenges, and challenges turn into enjoyment. So: take a deep breath, eyes forward, throttle on—and dive into the adventure!