how dangerous is mountain biking?
Discussion
lufbramatt said:
Surely the fun comes in part from the adrenaline rush caused by the danger aspect? If it was perfectly safe it would be boring. If you're that worried about hurting yourself, go take up chess or knitting.
Yes there is an element of that, if you can remain realistic about your skill level and know when you can push yourself you should be fine. Luckily a few of the trail centres I've been to have graded runs but also (and this makes a big difference) nearly all the big obsticles - be it doubles/table tops/ drop offs have an exit route around them so if you don't want to you an go around them.
aka_kerrly said:
lufbramatt said:
Surely the fun comes in part from the adrenaline rush caused by the danger aspect? If it was perfectly safe it would be boring. If you're that worried about hurting yourself, go take up chess or knitting.
Yes there is an element of that, if you can remain realistic about your skill level and know when you can push yourself you should be fine. Luckily a few of the trail centres I've been to have graded runs but also (and this makes a big difference) nearly all the big obsticles - be it doubles/table tops/ drop offs have an exit route around them so if you don't want to you an go around them.
If it wasn't a bit risky it wouldn't be so much fun. I've fallen off dozens of times but only hurt myself (fractured radial cup) once and that was down to inexperience on my part as it was only the second time I'd ever been down a proper trail.
I always wear a full face helmet and hard shell knee and shin guards. 4mm grub screws to the shins HURT! Just ride sensibly, build up slowly and take someone experienced along for your first few to stop you making any silly errors.
I always wear a full face helmet and hard shell knee and shin guards. 4mm grub screws to the shins HURT! Just ride sensibly, build up slowly and take someone experienced along for your first few to stop you making any silly errors.
Chris993C4 said:
Solid little buggers, aren't they? 
Allegedly I was the first to hit a badger on a bike at the local A&E after the incident. And for weeks afterwards at work, all my drawer, tray and paperwork were littered with photos of badgers !! Most people asked how the badger was, not on my broken self. I like to do some things a bit different. Needed to re rim my folded front wheel and my crash hat was cracked up and inbeded with gravel in the polystyrene. In my case helmets worked !!JimmyConwayNW said:
I used to race DH. Had a few big offs. Broken shoulder, collar bone. Concussion.
Out in Morzine one time we took a cable car out onto a random trail. I think it was in direction of Switzerland. Descending on a variety of track approached a 90degree corner which looked like you could just ride off it and have a bit of a drop off to deal with. Turned out it was basically a cliff face and had a mega mega steep drop. Completely s
t it.
Not overly dangerous though.
Sounds like the Swiss National track, ridden it a few times and if its the same corner i'm thinking of, i've seen a few people (myself including) have some rabbits nose moments there! Out in Morzine one time we took a cable car out onto a random trail. I think it was in direction of Switzerland. Descending on a variety of track approached a 90degree corner which looked like you could just ride off it and have a bit of a drop off to deal with. Turned out it was basically a cliff face and had a mega mega steep drop. Completely s
t it.Not overly dangerous though.
bobbo89 said:
JimmyConwayNW said:
I used to race DH. Had a few big offs. Broken shoulder, collar bone. Concussion.
Out in Morzine one time we took a cable car out onto a random trail. I think it was in direction of Switzerland. Descending on a variety of track approached a 90degree corner which looked like you could just ride off it and have a bit of a drop off to deal with. Turned out it was basically a cliff face and had a mega mega steep drop. Completely st it.
Not overly dangerous though.
Sounds like the Swiss National track, ridden it a few times and if its the same corner i'm thinking of, i've seen a few people (myself including) have some rabbits nose moments there! Out in Morzine one time we took a cable car out onto a random trail. I think it was in direction of Switzerland. Descending on a variety of track approached a 90degree corner which looked like you could just ride off it and have a bit of a drop off to deal with. Turned out it was basically a cliff face and had a mega mega steep drop. Completely s
t it.Not overly dangerous though.
I recently was at glentress a few months ago and did most of the black routes without incident and went at my own pace rather than keep up with the group. I have a hardtail and the rest had full suspension so I was never going to keep up.
I did come off later that day when on a log skinny at a very slow speed and tore my medial deltoid muscle in my right arm which goes to show speed doesn't necessarily cause accidents.
Just go out and enjoy and ride to your ability.
I did come off later that day when on a log skinny at a very slow speed and tore my medial deltoid muscle in my right arm which goes to show speed doesn't necessarily cause accidents.
Just go out and enjoy and ride to your ability.
P-Jay said:
bobbo89 said:
JimmyConwayNW said:
I used to race DH. Had a few big offs. Broken shoulder, collar bone. Concussion.
Out in Morzine one time we took a cable car out onto a random trail. I think it was in direction of Switzerland. Descending on a variety of track approached a 90degree corner which looked like you could just ride off it and have a bit of a drop off to deal with. Turned out it was basically a cliff face and had a mega mega steep drop. Completely st it.
Not overly dangerous though.
Sounds like the Swiss National track, ridden it a few times and if its the same corner i'm thinking of, i've seen a few people (myself including) have some rabbits nose moments there! Out in Morzine one time we took a cable car out onto a random trail. I think it was in direction of Switzerland. Descending on a variety of track approached a 90degree corner which looked like you could just ride off it and have a bit of a drop off to deal with. Turned out it was basically a cliff face and had a mega mega steep drop. Completely s
t it.Not overly dangerous though.
[urlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSqj8c8LaBQ[/url]
It would probably take me quarter of an hour to do that in those conditions!
I dont think MTB is particularly dangerous. However, I think some people who do it are a danger to themselves. Its perfectly possible to learn the skills in a careful and controlled manner without hurting yourself.
To learn to ride fast, first you must learn to ride slow. With bikes being so good and capable these days its possible to attempt things that are beyond your skill set.
Also trails have evolved to exploit these better bikes and you tube videos of crazy stuff, fuels the belief that hitting a set of doubles at speed and doing tale whips is all part of skillful riding whmen in fact they are not part of normal riding.
As I said......MTBs don't kill people...people do!
To learn to ride fast, first you must learn to ride slow. With bikes being so good and capable these days its possible to attempt things that are beyond your skill set.
Also trails have evolved to exploit these better bikes and you tube videos of crazy stuff, fuels the belief that hitting a set of doubles at speed and doing tale whips is all part of skillful riding whmen in fact they are not part of normal riding.
As I said......MTBs don't kill people...people do!
One of the best things I learned was a figure of speak used by some Stokey guy who I once happened to ride with at Stile Cop. When he described trails and spoke about jumps/drops, he didn't say "jump", "huck" or "send", he said "yes it". Took me a while, to figure out what he was on about, as I find a strong S-O-T accent is hard to decipher at the best of times, but it's actually a very good way of looking at things - if you are going to do it, commit, say "yes".
When you've (roughly) figured out what you can or can't do, anything you ride/attempt has to be a done deal in your head or you're screwed. I think there's some similar saying in rugby about half-hearted tackles being the most dangerous.
When you've (roughly) figured out what you can or can't do, anything you ride/attempt has to be a done deal in your head or you're screwed. I think there's some similar saying in rugby about half-hearted tackles being the most dangerous.
aka_kerrly said:
Are you guys referring to this track ? 2011 DH cup track at Champery?
[urlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSqj8c8LaBQ[/url]
It would probably take me quarter of an hour to do that in those conditions!
Not Champery, Swiss National is very open and right on the French border pretty much round the corner from the top of one of the lifts from Chatel area. This is the top of the Swiss Nash[urlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSqj8c8LaBQ[/url]
It would probably take me quarter of an hour to do that in those conditions!
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=46.185866,6.81677...
I've ridden Champery a couple of times though, first time you ride it its a bit daunting bit after that you kind of get used to the gradient and just crack on with it.
Edited by bobbo89 on Friday 14th February 12:28
Crippo said:
I dont think MTB is particularly dangerous. However, I think some people who do it are a danger to themselves. Its perfectly possible to learn the skills in a careful and controlled manner without hurting yourself.
To learn to ride fast, first you must learn to ride slow. With bikes being so good and capable these days its possible to attempt things that are beyond your skill set.
Also trails have evolved to exploit these better bikes and you tube videos of crazy stuff, fuels the belief that hitting a set of doubles at speed and doing tale whips is all part of skillful riding whmen in fact they are not part of normal riding.
As I said......MTBs don't kill people...people do!
I agree with some of that, but almost sounds like a member of Brake, as well. Riders seek adrenalin. Adrenalin comes from speed and risk. Risk comes at a price for some. Its a fine balance. Accidents happen. All accidents could be avoided, but thats always after the incident happens. I speak from the experience of being with a friend who was a very experience rider, who managed to crash and become paralysed from the chest down. To learn to ride fast, first you must learn to ride slow. With bikes being so good and capable these days its possible to attempt things that are beyond your skill set.
Also trails have evolved to exploit these better bikes and you tube videos of crazy stuff, fuels the belief that hitting a set of doubles at speed and doing tale whips is all part of skillful riding whmen in fact they are not part of normal riding.
As I said......MTBs don't kill people...people do!
New riders are always more vunerable that seasoned ones, but pushing boundaries is a learning game.
In all the years I rode the only injury I sustained was during the Foot & Mouth crisis & came off on a road ride injuring my elbow!
Only ever saw two injuries, a bloke broke his collarbone on Exmoor & a good mate broke his collarbone & suffered concussion. Ironically this was on a very simple track minutes after coming down a very technical descent!
Considering some of the rides we did, very lucky not to have seen more injuries but I guess as others have said already, stay within your limits & you should be fine
Only ever saw two injuries, a bloke broke his collarbone on Exmoor & a good mate broke his collarbone & suffered concussion. Ironically this was on a very simple track minutes after coming down a very technical descent!
Considering some of the rides we did, very lucky not to have seen more injuries but I guess as others have said already, stay within your limits & you should be fine
In all the years I've been riding I've never really been seriously injured. I broke my arm, 2 ribs and knackered my ACL joint in my shoulder last year but that's really it. I guy at work was paralysed in November coming off his bike so things do happen.
It's as dangerous as you make it but in my opinion trail centers are a lot more dangerous than riding natural.
Get riding, it's the best sport you can take up, fresh air, brilliant scenery and the occasional sexy woman in Lycra shorts :-)
It's as dangerous as you make it but in my opinion trail centers are a lot more dangerous than riding natural.
Get riding, it's the best sport you can take up, fresh air, brilliant scenery and the occasional sexy woman in Lycra shorts :-)
Justin S said:
I agree with some of that, but almost sounds like a member of Brake, as well. Riders seek adrenalin. Adrenalin comes from speed and risk. .
Ha..never ever been accused of sounding like a member of BRAKE. I was trying to sound restrained.Of course the fun bit of MTBing is adrenelin inducing. Its just that you can balance getting adrenalin with learning to improve your skill set.
When you get in a car thats fast do you floor it and forget how to go around corners or do you build up speed whilst learning the limits. I would have thought anyone with a brain will do the Latter.
It might be possible that someone with unbelievable talent and bottle can floor it but they usually become Pro's!
It's as dangerous as you want it to be. I took it up 3 years ago when I hit 40 and when I had a fully developed sense of fear. Hence I tend to stick to the trails in the local woods that have been built for local XCish races. Swinley is rideable to for me and the red trail there is about bang on for me.
I fall off about once a month and it's usually a low speed over the bars moment where I swear, count my bruises and the ride off again. Never suffered more than a couple of lumps on the shins that didn't go down for 6 months or so - tangled up in the frame as I went over.
I fall off about once a month and it's usually a low speed over the bars moment where I swear, count my bruises and the ride off again. Never suffered more than a couple of lumps on the shins that didn't go down for 6 months or so - tangled up in the frame as I went over.
BMWBen said:
+1
You poop yourself the same amount when a wipeout happens but the difference is your brain catches up with what happened and thinks "wow, I'm ok!" Rather than "st I've really damaged myself".
You poop yourself the same amount when a wipeout happens but the difference is your brain catches up with what happened and thinks "wow, I'm ok!" Rather than "s
t I've really damaged myself".
Most of the time I'd pop up from under the water after a hard wipeout laughing like a mad man, especially so when you then see how far away from your kit you landed.And for anyone who thinks windsurfing is a "boring" sport, think again
http://youtu.be/BuYu_pOqVGM
Highly recommended giving it a go, although it is more expensive than mountain biking!!
Mr Gearchange said:
P-Jay said:
schuey said:
road bikes are rubbish!
Amen Brother. You have to dress up in frankly strange clothes which suit nobody - then grind out mile after monotonous mile in the same position without excitement or technical challenge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxXqQqAc2pA
http://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/motoring/motor...
Oh and -
Paris Roubaix - zero excitement or technical challenge
HTH
Edited by superkartracer on Tuesday 15th April 10:39
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