As a beginner one of the biggest setbacks to growing in the sport of mountain biking are bad crashes. The more times you crash the more opportunity to have a bad one that could lead to stoping altogether.
One of my buddies is constantly preaching if you are not crashing then you are not riding hard and/or fast enough.
While there is some truth to this when you reach a point in your riding career, beginners should focus more on staying upright as they are trying to build up skill and confidence.
So what are some simple tips for beginners to prevent crashes? I looked back on the crashes that I could remember from my last 12 years or so of riding and believe that the following simple tips could help beginners prevent crashes while out on the trail
- Stay focused
- Ride the right bike for the trail
- Ride with similar group
- Ride at your own pace
- Stay relaxed
- Stay balanced
- Learn how to bail properly
- Research the trail you are riding
- Have a trail map handy
- Walk obstacles and/or features prior to riding them
- Ensure you have gone through your pre-ride checklist on your bike
Stay Focused
This may seem like the simplest thing and yet it’s one of the easiest things to mess up while mountain biking. If you are like me then you use mountain biking as a way to decompress as well as a way to get some awesome exercise.
Depending on the trail you ride you might be able to get away with loss of focus here and there but inevitably its going to bite you in the ass.
So why does it happen?
That’s a good question that all depends on when it happens. If you think back to your falls it will help you identify what you need to change. If it hasn’t happened yet then listen up so we can help limit if not prevent it from happening to you.
Lost focus reason 1. Tiredness
This is one of the main reasons I lose focus on the trails. I have a lot going on in my life and sleep is usually limited so I can squeeze everything into the day.
If you are tired prior to riding it is only going to get worse with a ride. Yes, you may get an initial rush from riding your favorite trail but inevitably you will lose focus and crash.
Lost Focus Reason 2. Distractions
Distractions is another big cause of loss of focus crashes while mountain biking. When we were riding Massanutten’s western slope trails on our trip back in September of 2018 my worse crash was caused by distraction.
We had biked all the way to the Massanutten Resort overlook from the trails parking lot and descended through some rocky terrain. This stretch was a lot of fun with the occasional flow-y stretch.
I had some difficulty with my clip-less pedals that caused me to fall a bit behind Jason and Jeremy. In an effort to catch up I was flying pretty fast where I could.
Distracted by other riders
I finally caught up to them near a switch back that was next to the fire road we would cross over shortly. I took a brief second to look to my left to see just how far ahead they were and that was when it happened.
There was a slight jump in the middle of the single track and it felt awesome going over it. That was until I landed on a stump on the edge of the trail.
Because I looked over to my left at my buddies, I started to verde in that direction. Just before the jump I slightly corrected which screwed up my angle of attack on the jump.
When I landed on the stump over the bars I went. I rung my bell pretty good which led to slight blurriness in one eye that hung around for a little while.
Distracted by wildlife
If you ride trails long enough you are going to come across wildlife. It can happen while riding or resting.
When you are resting it is really neat however while in motion that is a different story. I have been distracted by squirrels, birds, snakes and turtles while riding, but only one animal actually distracted me enough to wreck.
I was riding in Lake Crabtree Park on their trail system early one morning catching my fair share of spider webs being the first one on the trail. As I was cruising down the trail just before the pump track it happened.
A came around a corner and spooked a doe I didn’t see at first. She took off running parallel to me on the trail. As I looked to my left in shock of what was happening I started drifting left.
WAM! My left hand smashed a medium size sapling. Damn that hurt. Not the best sensation in the world and led to a shortened ride due to swelling that needed to be iced.
Distracted by Life
Let’s face it, there is a lot going on in the world. Some times it’s just impossible to totally clear your mind.
Whether its work, family, health, financial, that creeps into your thoughts throughout your day, when you are riding you need to try your best to push them out while on the trail.
If you are like me, riding is a chance to take a break from what is always on your mind and just try to unwind. Its a great cardio workout that helps you burn some calories while having fun.
Moral of the Focusing story. The moral of this part of the story is to do your best to stay focused while out on the trail. The slightest distraction could send you off track and crashing.
Ride the right bike for the trail
So this one is pretty straight forward in regards to how it prevents crashes. There are a number of types of bike trails in the world today from greenways, single tracks, gravity parks, bike parks and more.
If you don’t bring the right bike for the trail you are planning on riding you could be in for a world of hurt. For example, your typical greenway bike won’t do well at a bike park of gravity park.
The frame and suspension are not built to sustain the amount of abuse that those trails can put on a bike. To find out more about the different types of bikes and trails check out our post on A beginners guide to the different types of Mountain Bikes and disciplines.
Downhill bikes are specifically designed for downhill trails. Their longer length and their aggressive slack allows the rider to soak up the big hits and drops.
Full suspension bikes are designed for larger budgets and more technical trails. The rear suspension on these bikes really soak up the rough terrain making it easier to attack the trail.
Hard tail bikes like my Specialized Fuse Expert are designed for smaller budgets and smoother trails. The stiffness of the hard tails make for a better climbing experience
While you can ride a hard tail on technical sections some would argue that a full suspension gives you a better ride and ability to finish the trail in one piece.
Plus Size Tires can help your hard tail bikes perform better in some of the more technical sections as they give a little more on the trail. This helps your bike soak up some of the impact making for a better ride.
Ride with similar group of riders
If you are lucky enough to have friends that also ride this part is easy. If your friends are not into the sport yet there are still options. I do almost all of my riding exclusively with two of my buddies.
While we try to get together and ride as much as we can sometimes it just doesn’t workout. I had been filling in the other riding times just shredding the trail alone until I stumbled on a local Facebook group.
This Facebook group informed me of several new trails that were not on the any of the trail apps.
Ride at your own pace
In that same Facebook group I started posting about riding locally and found out that there were several weekly rides that I was more than welcome to join in on.
This was pretty exciting to me as it has opened the door for several opportunities for me to do more riding when time permits. One of these rides is a night ride which is only 10 mins from home.
The other is called Dirt Church as they get together at a particular trail every Sunday and shred for a couple of hours followed by a chill session of chatting and partaking on your favorite beverage as you recover.
The Dirt Church ride I simply rode at my own pace as they were much faster than I. For one they new the trail better and secondly they just rode a lot more than me.
If you ride with a group that may be faster and/or more skilled simply ride your own pace or you could be in trouble. When trying to keep pace with more skilled riders you could become fatigued more quickly which could lead to trouble.
You could also lose focus on your line due to the fear of falling too far behind your group. This leads to the earlier mentioned issue at the beginning of this post.
The cool thing about this Dirt Church group is that their advanced riders get there early to get in a lap before the larger group gets rolling.
Their second lap is considered a drop lap in which they ride as a group making frequent stops to ensure they don’t drop anyone behind.
There is the saying that to become a better rider one of the things you should do is ride with riders better than you to help you grow. It is true that this helps but you should still ride within your limits.
Learn how to bail properly
Say what? Yes there are proper ways to bail and you should do your best to try and reproduce the steps if you can. In the event of a crash there are several tips to help prevent injury.
The key here is to try and remain relaxed and calm. If possible you will want to try and ditch the bike while staying upright and on your feet.
If that doesn’t work you are going to want to try and do a tuck and roll maneuver to minimize injury.
You initial reaction will be to extend your arms, especially when going over the bars, but this could lead to a number of injuries from your wrist to your elbows and/or arms.
The problem is that you probably won’t be able to escape unscathed but the goal is to get out without any major injuries.
Stay calm and relaxed
This one goes hand in hand with staying focused. If you are able to stay relaxed you will end up with a much better ride.
Start tensing up and you are more than likely going to get worn out much quicker and have slower reflexes.
It is only natural to tense up some when approaching a tough feature or obstacle. Just try and stay as relaxed as possible as it will afford you a better opportunity of bailing out when needed.
Work on balancing the bike
Some crashes are simply caused by the loss of balance caused by the terrain. For example, if you come up on a rocky section and you get hung up a lack of balance could cause you to topple over onto those very same rocks.
If you have your balancing down in this situation you can balance the bike using your core while using your legs to reposition the pedals to allow you to get the most torque to the rear wheel propelling you over the rock feature.
What’s that? You say your core isn’t strong enough? Well, check out our post on what muscles are used when mountain biking, scroll down to the section on core and review some exercises that could help you strengthen it for better stability.
Research the trail you are riding
Research the trail you are riding before you get started. Having a good understanding of what to expect has profound effect on your probability of crashing if you come upon a feature you weren’t expecting.
Two things that help with this are too
- Have a trail map handy
- Walk obstacles and/or features prior to riding them
Have a trail map handy
By having a trail map ready, this gives you the ability to review the trail periodically throughout the ride. This helps all riders who are new to those trails.
It is wise to pick flat portions of trail to take brakes when needed as this helps you get going easier. As you stop for your hydration and/or snack breaks take advantage of this time to review the map.
This will allow you to anticipate what may be ahead on the trail as well as how much further you have to go. A trail map can be in the form of an app on your phone or even on your bike computer if equipped.
If you do not have a phone that can handle the app then simply grab a printout of the trail map if one is available at the trailhead or print one out before you leave home.
Walk obstacles and/or features prior to riding them
Researching the trail can also be done while on the trail. What I mean here is that as you are riding look for areas that are marked in regards to various obstacles.
If it perks your interest then walk the line with and without your bike. Try to see if you can identify a good line and whether or not you feel comfortable with the feature.
If its your first time on a particular trail and you come up on a feature with multiple lines take the easier one first. This allows you to navigate past the feature and investigate it.
If it looks like something you would love to try, simply ride or hike back a little ways and attempt the feature after you have decided what line you want to take.
Ensure you have gone through your pre-ride checklist on your bike
Another way to help prevent crashes is to ensure you have gone through your pre-ride checklist on your bike outlined in my Beginner Mountain biker pre-ride checklist; What, Why and How! post.
Now while this pre-ride checklist can’t prevent crashes per-say, by ensuring your bike is setup and ready for the ride it could help you mentally.
What options do you have to protect yourself if you do fall?
If you ride long enough you are going to take a spill from time to time. There are options in gear to help protect you when you do fall.
Of course your main source of protection should be your helmet to protect your melon. Other options include elbow and knee pads as well as gloves.
While you may still be battered and bruised after a fall, these protective items would prevent major cuts and scrapes.
In conclusion
While you can’t prevent all crashes as its just the nature of the sport, hopefully these tips can help you limit them where you can. Bookmark or favorite this page to ensure you can easily navigate to it prior to your next ride.