In 2017, Valerie Levanos moved to Maine and bought a mountain bike.

She took it for one ride, got nervous about the rocky terrain and put the bike in storage for two years.

Today, Levanos is the president of the Carrabasset Valley chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association. Since her bike stopped gathering dust in 2019, she has become passionate about helping new riders get into the sport and overcome the hurdles that kept her off the trail at first.

“I want everybody to know that they can mountain bike,” Levanos said. “It can be a sport for them.”

Local enthusiasts offered tips for those who want to get started.

Connect with other riders.

Megan Andersen of Cape Elizabeth learned to mountain bike with a friend. That first season, she described herself as “timid,” only riding with him or alone. When she finally started going to group rides, she said she found a welcoming community. Now, she leads what she calls an “intermellow” group ride on Thursdays through Greater Portland NEMBA. The event is “no drop,” which means no person gets left behind on the trail.

“Even just watching other riders, you get tips,” Andersen said.

NEMBA has eight chapters in Maine that often host group rides, create new trails and maintain existing ones. Their calendars and social media pages have more information about upcoming meetups, including those suited for beginners. There are also Facebook pages for mountain biking in Maine, including 207 MTB, and Maine Adaptive is another organization that has been running mountain biking and cycling programs for years.

Chris White, chapter president for the Penobscot Region, also leads rides at Rose Bike in Orono.

“If there’s a spot where people struggle, we stop, and we talk about it,” White said about his beginner events. “We just all keep going through it until everyone is successful.”

Don’t get overwhelmed by the gear.

Visiting your area bike store is a great place to start, riders said.

Dan Vaillancourt, owner of Gorham Bike & Ski, said any local shop in Maine would help a customer find the bike for their size, goals and price point. That face-to-face conversation is key, he said.

“We have a lot of conversations with people where they say, ‘I want to ride on trails,’” he said. “You have to really learn about where they intend to ride. A trail can mean different things for different people.”

A new entry-level mountain bike will likely start at $600, Vaillancourt said, and prices go up depending on features. Many shops also offer rentals or demos for those who want to test the gear. Some bikers recommended that beginners scout out used gear sales or Facebook Marketplace for good deals, and a few said they borrowed a bike from a friend to try the sport before committing to a big purchase.

A youth rider uses a recumbent mountain handcycle with e-assist from Maine Adaptive. (Courtesy of Maine Adaptive)

Amy Bannon, co-executive director at Maine Adaptive, said adaptive equipment can be more expensive than a small car and is not typically available secondhand. The nonprofit has a variety of bikes based on the different needs of users and is piloting a program to loan equipment. Some people use a hand crank instead of foot pedals to power the bike, for example, and others might want a recumbent bike, an electronic assist or an automatic gear shift.

“As mountain biking has expanded in popularity, the adaptive technology has grown to make sure that accessibility is there,” Bannon said.

Focus on basic skills to get comfortable on the bike.

Riders said key skills to master include correct body position, braking, shifting gears and navigating rocks and roots. Check the calendars for local bike shops, clubs and nonprofits for classes, beginner rides and special events.

The Bicycle Coalition of Maine runs introductory courses for both kids and adults that cover those topics. Dan Bassett, deputy director, said he developed his skills in part by going to a public park near his home, riding over curbs and grassy hills.

“If you have that proper foundation, building skills on top of that is so much easier,” Bassett said. “But if you’re still struggling with the basics, the higher level skills are just never going to come together.”

Maine Adaptive has regular opportunities for people to try different mountain biking equipment on a flat surface and also to develop their skills on a pump track, a purpose-built loop for cycling, Bannon said.

“How do you go around a banked turn? How do you navigate going over rollers? How do you lean into the turn, maintain balance, brake?” Bannon said. “You can cover all of those skills in a pump track and then take those out to the trail.”

John Rines of Standish rides along the “MBWEEE” trail during a group mountain bike ride in Gorham hosted by the Greater Portland chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association on Sept. 22. (Daryn Slover/Staff Photographer) Purchase this imageLearn trail etiquette.

Riders said the rule of thumb is to yield to slower users.

“Everyone yields to horses,” Bassett said. “People going downhill tend to yield to people going uphill. If you are on a trail that is multi-use, you’re expected to ride in control and in a way that if you run into another user, you’ll be able to stop and avoid them.”

Be respectful and communicative on the trail, they said, and give other users as much notice as possible about your approach.

Find the right routes for you.

Mountain bikers generally recommended the app TrailForks, where trails are rated with a color-coded system similar to ski runs. Local bike shops and NEMBA chapters are also good resources.

More trails are being built with mountain biking in mind, in part because of the Maine Trails Program grants.

“We’re so, so lucky,” Vaillancourt said. “We have tons of trails, tons of places to ride and new trails being built every day.”

Local NEMBA chapters are often involved in building and maintaining trails. Ryan Dunfee, president of Greater Portland NEMBA, said they have three volunteer work crews and invest about $100,000 a year to build and rebuild mountain biking trails. One recent project is called Riptide in the Fore River Sanctuary in Portland.

“We’re really trying to make sure that, from that 5-year-old all the way up to someone who might be aspiring to be a professional, that there are trails that sustain them all,” Dunfee said.

Just get out there.Autumn Nye of Poland crosses a bridge on the trail “Unchained” during a group mountain bike ride in Gorham hosted by the Greater Portland chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association on Sept. 22. (Daryn Slover/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image

Levanos jokes that every bike comes with a hiker.

“To get better at riding hills, you can’t just sit at home thinking about riding hills,” Levanos said. You have to ride the hill, even if that means stopping seven times the first time.”

Keep practicing, they said, and you’ll get more comfortable with every ride.

“As an adult, you can progress extremely well if you’re always reaching just a little bit outside of your comfort zone,” Dunfee said. “Scaring yourself stupid is not as productive as a strategy.”