Wyatt Earp Posted October 17, 2014 Posted October 17, 2014 @OP. It depends on you age I would say? The older you are the harder you fall! I am also not scared but PETRIFIED of coming pipe. The last time I fell it cost me R60 000 and a pinned hip and leg. I have had plenty subsequent saddle time (thankfully) but unfortunately fear wins every time these days. My, how things have changed.I hope it is not the same with you? I would love to go balls to wall again.Yawn.
Slowbee Posted October 17, 2014 Posted October 17, 2014 Thanks everyone. I will get the book and read it and then get out there and practice. Then I will also look into a skill's clinic.This is going to sound really corny, but I helped get the wife over her fear by riding up and down the street with her. We bought those cones from Sportsmans, and she did figure of 8's around the cones, through the cones, zizzag paths through the cones, some close some far. It gave her some confidence on bike handling. From there we went to shortish hills where she would normally brake alot. Slowly she learnt to not brake, when to brake etc. Small steps to building the confidence again.
Sepia Posted October 17, 2014 Posted October 17, 2014 Yawn.Tired? Bad day at the office?(Would not have expected anything more)Sigh...!
GroenHoender Posted January 5, 2015 Posted January 5, 2015 Now that depends on where you are . But generally on the hub it means Time In The Saddle Thanks for that! I was about to ask and was afraid to get the wrong answer (not that I would mind it) :-P :-)
GroenHoender Posted January 5, 2015 Posted January 5, 2015 I know this is a strange thing to post, but here we go anyway. I admit I am scared on all bikes, but a mountain bike scares the life out of me after I fell so badly in the last race I did. How do I get rid of the fear so I can actually ride my mountain bike like it was built to ride it. Also, how do I get rid of the fear of going downhill on my road bike. Silly I know but it is in my mind all the time. I was in the same position as you was....had a great ride (last year), on all kinds of dirt trails, without any accidents, until I had to swerve out for jogging students in my town, on a tarmac road (which has loose gravel on the sides = very very bad for skin! A really really stupid and amateurish accident. Till to this day I still never know what happened - a lady MTB'er saw everything and told me that my front wheel got into a hidden groove which simply went away beneath me. Long story short: I scraped my right knee so bad that my house doctor actually considered skin crafting! That is not counting in the pieces of skin I also lost off my right arm and shoulder, and the big knock / scrape I experienced on my head (thankfully my helmet took the full brunt of it). Took me 4 months to recover fully (no skin crafting, thankfully). And the first time I got back on the bike, I was so afraid, so extra careful, that I actually fell over again (luckily on my own front yard of soft grass). It was all in my mind, which caused the 2nd fall. I promptly bought some proper knee pads, and switched to flat pedals and rode around very slowly, in my neighbourhood, until I felt I could handle dirt trails again. And that is how I got over my fear of riding / falling again: getting rid of the nagging doubts in my mind. Doing some skills training riding could also help. But the most important lesson is simply to ride relaxed and when falling, keep the body limp (something I have learned from my rugby years).
Iwan Kemp Posted January 5, 2015 Posted January 5, 2015 I know this is a strange thing to post, but here we go anyway. I admit I am scared on all bikes, but a mountain bike scares the life out of me after I fell so badly in the last race I did. How do I get rid of the fear so I can actually ride my mountain bike like it was built to ride it. Also, how do I get rid of the fear of going downhill on my road bike. Silly I know but it is in my mind all the time. http://www.treadskills.co.za/ Book a skills day with Sean from Tread. Will make a huge difference to have someone next to you to help you.
Oomkool Posted January 5, 2015 Posted January 5, 2015 I busted both my knees in the last 2 months and have been poep scared ever since. Eventually decided to buy kneepads and it has made a huge impact on my riding. You will feel safer with them on. As some people said, keep going, relax and start small...with knee pads.
TrailWarrior Posted January 5, 2015 Posted January 5, 2015 My take on this: If you worried about falling, wiping out - there is a good chance it will happen. If you focused on falling/not falling its bound to happen. Riding MTB is all about momentum. Pick your line ahead of you. Go with the flow. Sense your body responses. Relax on the handlebars. Loosen the shoulders and go with that flow.... I know, sounds easier than done.....but it can be done....just takes time....
popcorn_skollie Posted January 5, 2015 Posted January 5, 2015 I've taken quite a few tumbles.I'm pretty sure at some point ...I will fall again.Its the serious injuries that really scare me.Its always in the back of my mind when i go ride.Keeps me from attempting things which will probably get me killed.Fear keeps me alive. But...I don't let it stop me from having fun.The more fun I have the more motivated and confident I feel to push my limits.I'm not saying you should forget about what scares you.But maybe you need to remind yourself why you love riding and focus on that instead.
Louis for real Posted January 5, 2015 Posted January 5, 2015 know i'm late.....my 2c sell your "race" bike and buy a trail(120-140mm) bike
Uni Posted January 9, 2015 Posted January 9, 2015 Weekend reading for when it's too wet to ride.Who would've guessed mtb would come with a dose of RTFM Tx for the tip ppl.
Pikey Posted January 9, 2015 Posted January 9, 2015 I've taken quite a few tumbles.I'm pretty sure at some point ...I will fall again.Its the serious injuries that really scare me.Its always in the back of my mind when i go ride.Keeps me from attempting things which will probably get me killed.Fear keeps me alive. But...I don't let it stop me from having fun.The more fun I have the more motivated and confident I feel to push my limits.I'm not saying you should forget about what scares you.But maybe you need to remind yourself why you love riding and focus on that instead.ditto exactly
Izak Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 My take on this: If you worried about falling, wiping out - there is a good chance it will happen. If you focused on falling/not falling its bound to happen. Riding MTB is all about momentum. Pick your line ahead of you. Go with the flow. Sense your body responses. Relax on the handlebars. Loosen the shoulders and go with that flow.... I know, sounds easier than done.....but it can be done....just takes time....Couldnt agree more. Best two pieces of advice someone has ever given me are to relax your grip and shoulders and to look where you want to go instead of where you dont want to go.Momentum and position on the bike is king and will carry you through quite a few hairy scenarios. All of this coupled with some rule#5 and your set
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