Getting Into Mountain Bike Riding
Two things stop a lot of people from getting into mountain biking.
Cost, and the risk of getting injured.
Both are legitimate concerns. Mountain bikes can be hideously expensive, and you can hurt yourself no matter how old you are.
But in my humble opinion, the benefits well and truly outweigh the negatives.
Physical fitness, confidence, skills and coordination, the mental health benefits of being active outdoors, and the social connection if you ride with others.
Those are some of the reasons I agreed to come out of coaching retirement to run the Trail Mates sessions for the Gold Coast's Active and Healthy program.
There's another benefit that doesn't get mentioned as often.
Resilience.
Mountain biking is full of things that don't go to plan. Hills you can't quite get up, sections of trail that look worse than they are, or the occasional crash or near-miss that makes you nervous the next time you encounter something similar.
You get better at dealing with that. You learn what you're actually capable of, and that a lot of the things that felt impossible at the start are just difficult.
Those lessons don't stay on the trails.
But back to the two barriers.
How much should you spend on a mountain bike?
Unfortunately, the simple answer is as much as you're willing to.
But there are limits in both directions.
Don't buy the cheapest thing you can find just in case you don't like it. There's a real difference between something cheap and nasty that isn't built for trails, and spending a bit more on a bike that's actually comfortable and capable in the conditions you ride.
That cheap bike is often one of the main reasons people decide mountain biking isn't for them.
You also don't need the fancy bike with all the bells and whistles. Until you're a reasonably accomplished rider, you're unlikely to notice what many of the expensive components actually do.
And there's something that makes up for high-end components every time.
Knowledge and skills.
What about the risk of injury?
Knowing how to ride a mountain bike properly is worth more than spending thousands on components.
It also helps with the injury side.
You can still get hurt. I've collected my fair share of scars over the years. But learning the basics gives you a better sense of what you and your bike can handle, and how to reduce the chances of crashing.
A lot of mountain bike riding is counterintuitive. Some of the things you need to do are the exact opposite of what your brain thinks is sensible.
That's why a lesson or two with an experienced mountain bike coach early on is useful.
It's a much better option than what I call the scar technique.
Do something wrong, crash, figure out what you should have done, and try to remember it next time.
I've had plenty of practice at that method.
It works, eventually, but it's painful and more expensive than it needs to be.
A good coach can show you the right habits from the start, explain why they work, and help you build confidence without having to discover every limit the hard way.
So where do you start?
Make the decision to give mountain biking a proper go.
That doesn't mean spending a fortune before you've even ridden a trail. Borrowing or hiring a suitable bike is a perfectly good way to find out whether you like it.
What it does mean is giving yourself a fair chance to enjoy the sport, with equipment that's appropriate for the riding you want to do.
If you decide you want to keep riding, buy something suitable and put some time into learning how to use it.
I've written a couple of articles that might help if you're not sure where to start:
You don't need the most expensive bike. You don't need to be particularly fit. And you certainly don't need to be fearless.
You just need a suitable bike, a willingness to learn and a bit of patience.
The rest will come with time.
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