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Scared on a mountain bike


ycowley

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TRUST THE MOUNTAIN BIKE...bikes are so over-engineered, they'll let you get away with (or over) almost any obstacle.

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Loose grip on the bars, no/little brakes, point in the general direction you want to go and the bike will do it all for you.

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Finally, when going downhill, get your butt behind the seat and over the rear wheel.

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I'm dof, so the above is about all I can remember when actually ON a bike.

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I broke my elbow in 3 places in a MTB accident.

Before that I lived by the mentality of, "hit the jump and then worry about where to land it". When I eventually got was able to get back on the bike I was scared, and as others have said, time in the saddle helped. Though I am definitely still more cautious than before the accident.

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Hey I haven't had stitches in 5 months. . I have made peace with falling.. it's gonna happen as some point. . And then it is going to happen again at some other point.

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Mate and I go down to the varsity fields on weekends with flats and practice our bunny hops (real ones), manualling, flicking the back around and onto curbs etc. just doing that a few times makes you so much faster. Sure you won't feel less scared but it may give you more confidence knowing how to control your bike properly.

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Hey I haven't had stitches in 5 months. . I have made peace with falling.. it's gonna happen as some point. . And then it is going to happen again at some other point.

now this is going to take off... boys be boys...hehe

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Hey I haven't had stitches in 5 months. . I have made peace with falling.. it's gonna happen as some point. . And then it is going to happen again at some other point.

and scars build "caricture" (Character)

 

No TRUE Mountain Biker should be scar free ;)

Edited by Mousea
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Hey I haven't had stitches in 5 months. . I have made peace with falling.. it's gonna happen as some point. . And then it is going to happen again at some other point.

There are only 2 types of mountain bikers. Those that have fallen and those that will fall...

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and scars build caricature .

 

No TRUE Mountain Biker should be scar free ;)

 

caricature
ˈkarɪkətjʊə,ˈkarɪkətʃɔː/
noun
noun: caricature; plural noun: caricatures
1.
a picture, description, or imitation of a person in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect.
"a crude caricature of the Prime Minister"
 
http://worldofarts.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/6-hayley-atwell-caricature-artwork.jpg
 
So OP, next time you out riding, just keep in mind that next time you fall, you could end up like that caricature above....besides, someone else did mention all your needs it TITS...
 
I think you'll be just fine otherwise :P
Edited by Capricorn
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A few people have recommended the Brian Lopes/McCormack book and so would I. Improving your skills will reduce your fear. Riding with people who are better than you will also make a big difference. Simply trying to "be less scared" is not really how it works. Learn the technique for riding the things that may scare you and then build up that skill set. 

Edited by Nimo
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caricature
ˈkarɪkətjʊə,ˈkarɪkətʃɔː/
noun
noun: caricature; plural noun: caricatures
1.
a picture, description, or imitation of a person in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect.
"a crude caricature of the Prime Minister"
 
http://worldofarts.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/6-hayley-atwell-caricature-artwork.jpg
 
So OP, next time you out riding, just keep in mind that next time you fall, you could end up like that caricature above....besides, someone else did mention all your needs it TITS...
 
I think you'll be just fine otherwise :P

 

Character

Character

Character

Character

Character

 

OK now that we have got this correct :)

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practice small bits at a time, but every now and then you should ride stuff that scares you!

 

firstly, you mention that you tend to brake on your road bike.  this is one of those things that may feel scary, but it isn't.  a bike becomes more stable how faster you go, so barring that there are not turns or poor surfaces in a given section you are better off by going faster.  so go to a long straight downhill, put your hands on-top of the bars (away from the brake levers) and just go.

 

once you got the speed issue sorted, baby steps to the rest, but be sure to challenge your skills from time to time in a controlled environment where your won't get yourself hurt.

 

important thing is to keep on practicing skills and not to accept that you are a scared rider!  i have friends that just believe that they are not technically capable, so they ride smooth roads every week and get fitter, but not better...

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Look Where you want to go,

Bend your elbows,

Get you'r ass off the saddle and bend your knee's

 

Keep Breathing!!

 

The rest is practice. 

 

Books do help clarify movements.

 

TRASHZEN if you wanna be super boss

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Know what you mean.

 

And the bugger with fear is that you tighten up, you hold the bars with a death grip, lock your elbows and knees... which all makes falling off an almost certainty.

 

I find talking (shouting sometimes) to myself while I'm riding helps, 'look where you want to go', 'loosen up', 'use your hips'.

 

Sometimes there is a lot of swearing in these monologues. But it helps to kick me out of my fear zone.

 

I have a mortal fear of a front wheel washaway. I moered the ground flippin hard like that a year back. So now I tend to not put any weight on the front wheel which leads.... to more front wheel washaways...

 

Sometimes MTBiking feels like two steps forwards and three steps back. But I still love it.

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