Mountain Biking Safety

Mountain Biking Safety is extremely important, no matter at what level you enjoy the sport. Let’s be honest, not many of us will end up in a situation similar to the photo, well, not on purpose anyway, but even so accidents do happen and it’s important that we keep as safe as possible and have all the right equipment and the right attitude.

Mountain Biking can be one of the most thrilling ways to spend your leisure time, but unfortunately thrills can be too often followed by spills, and it’s the spills we desperately need to try and avoid!

Mountain Biking Safety Tips

Hopefully, if you follow these mountain biking safety tips you’ll be able to avoid any serious accidents, I mean, you’ll never completely eliminate the risk of a fall, that’s part of the excitement, but you do need to keep everything in moderation.

• Safety Equipment – make sure that you are wearing all of the correct safety equipment, most importantly this must include a well fitting, properly designed and suitably safety stickered mountain biking helmet. You should also have a good pair of goggles or glasses, elbow pads and knee pads can be very useful, gloves and maybe even a body protector. The more you wear the safer you’ll be, as long as you are also comfortable.
• Know Your Limits – don’t be afraid to walk some parts of the trail if you feel that it’s just a little beyond your capabilities. If you don’t feel confident don’t let others push you into it.
• Watch Your Speed – don’t go faster than a speed which you feel that you can comfortably control, which will allow you to adjust to any unforeseen obstacles or changes in the trail confiditons.
• Know The Trail – if you are riding on a unfamiliar trail don’t go too fast. You really won’t know what’s around the next corner, the next rock or the next bush do you? Of course, once you’ve ridden a trail and got to know it you can push the limits a little the next time – at least you’ll know more or less what to expect.
• Go Slowly Around Blind Corners – like I’ve just said, if you can’t see round the corner how do you know what to expect? Go slowly enough to be able to stop or take avoiding action if necessary.
• Look Before You Leap – I don’t mean necessary leap like in the photo, but it’s just a saying. What I really mean is that if you think a particular part of the trail might be very challenging for you, stop and have a look first, and weigh up your options.
• Start Small and Build - the better and more confident you become, the greater challenges you will enjoy. Your speed and confidence will build naturally so don’t worry about it.
• Trust Your Instincts – if you won’t feel happy in a certain situation, don’t allow yourself to be put in that situation.

Have you spotted a certain theme running through the majority of these tips? If you have, go to the top of the class. The problem is that many mountain biking beginners join groups which have much more experience and feel like they’ve got to try and keep up with them. You shouldn’t go cycling around the country lanes on your own, I’m not saying that, but you and your companions must understand and accommodate your skills, and don’t be pushed into doing anything you don’t want to do – that’s the single reason why many mountain biking accidents happen in the first place.