Climb steps on a mountain bike: pedal kick, upper body back, front wheel onto the step, unweight the rear, keep pedalling. 5 steps with milestones.
The honest answer first: at slow speed uphill you lift the front wheel onto the step with a short, strong pedal kick, shift your upper body forward so the rear wheel rolls up unweighted, and keep pedalling so it does not catch on the edge [1]. Climbing a step is almost never a jump, but a sequence of impulse, weight change and pedal stroke.
BASPO, the Swiss Federal Office of Sport, describes the technique for very low speeds, mainly in climbs [1]. The variant of front-wheel lifting with pedal support is used, according to BASPO, at very slow speeds and uphill, for example when climbing steps [2].
Why learn it? Because uphill a different fall threatens than downhill. Backward falls were rare in a video analysis of 534 mountain bike crashes at 3.2 percent [3], but they are exactly what you must control when lifting the front wheel (practice). And DIMB lists "climbing techniques" as its own learning area in the basic module [4].
How hard is it? You understand the principle in one session. Taking a step cleanly and safely needs several weeks of practice (experience-based), because impulse, weight change and pedal stroke must run in the right order.
The step is not your opponent, your sequence is.
You approach seated or standing, depending on the situation. Just before the step you move your upper body forward and down to gather momentum [1].
Milestone: you reach the step at an even pace and with a constant line, five times in a row.
Now comes a short, strong pedal kick while you shift your upper body back. The front wheel lifts [1]. You lift it only as high as needed, the arms stay straight (practice, cf. [2]).
Milestone: the front wheel lands cleanly on the step without you tipping backward.
As soon as the front wheel is on the step, you shift your upper body forward and unweight the rear wheel. It rolls onto the step [1].
Milestone: you feel the rear wheel go light briefly and hear no hard thud.
At slow speed or if the momentum does not suffice, you keep pedalling while the rear wheel rolls up. Watch for the pedals touching the ground. A short kick impulse may be enough so the pedals do not strike [1].
Milestone: you get over the step without the rear wheel catching on the edge.
For high steps or sharp edges you lift the rear wheel actively, standing or briefly out of the saddle [1]. This is already a step where you may weigh up: does it work today, or do you walk?
Milestone: you take a 15-centimetre step in three of five attempts (practice).
Uphill, when in doubt, you tip backward. Backward falls were rare in the video analysis at 3.2 percent [3], but the most common injury sites in mountain biking are the head and upper extremity [5]. In a meta-analysis across cyclists, a helmet cut serious head injuries by about 60 percent [6], a figure for cycling in general.
Choose a spot with no drop-off behind you, no oncoming traffic and with run-out (practice). If you fail three times in a row, get off and push. The step is not going anywhere. This guide explains and motivates, it does not replace supervised training.
Practise the step at the start of the climb, not in the middle. There you have momentum and pedalling is easier. Only when you take the step confidently while rolling do you try it from slow speed and on the slope (practice). BASPO explicitly gives two variants: with momentum, and if needed with continued pedalling until the rear wheel is up [1].
Gather momentum with your upper body forward and down, kick the pedals briefly and strongly, shift your upper body back, front wheel onto the step, upper body forward, unweight the rear wheel, keep pedalling [1].
Usually you stop pedalling too early or the edge is sharp. Keep pedalling until the rear wheel is up, or lift it actively on sharp edges [1].
There is no fixed figure. BASPO says only that for high steps you must lift the rear wheel actively [1]. If you fail three times in a row or the edge scares you, you walk (practice).
Yes. With clipless pedals, according to BASPO, it is enough to hop slightly with your legs and pull them up [7]. For learning, DIMB recommends flat pedals [4].
Rear Wheel Lift on a Mountain Bike: Pressure Through the Pedals, Not Pull on the Bars