Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes or hybrid/cross road bikes. Most mountain bikes share similar characteristics with other bicycles, but incorporate the properties of increased durability and improved performance in rough terrain: knobbly tires, front fork or dual suspension, 26 inch and also 29 inch tires and large frame tubing. Compared to other bikes, mountain bikes also tend to feature wider gear ratios and a more frequent use of disc brakes and indexed gears. Generally speaking, enhanced durability and off-road capabilities also result in a heavier bicycle weight to rider ratio than road touring bicycles.. Recent trends include the use of fixed gear systems, single speed systems and internal gear systems.
Mountain biking is growing but can generally be broken down into multiple categories for example: XC cross country, DH downhill, FR freeride AM All Mountain Urban trials/street riding, DJ Dirt Jumping. Each has differing levels of safety-consciousness and varrying types of mountain bikes and riding gear. A combination sport named mountain bike orienteering adds the skill of map navigation to mountain biking.
This individual sport requires endurance, core strength and balance, bike handling skills (time in the saddle) and self-reliance. Advanced riders exhibit extreme risk taking performing aerial manoevers and steep technical decents. It can be performed almost anywhere from a back yard to a gravel road, but the majority of mountain bikers ride off-road trails, whether country back roads, fire roads, or singletrack (narrow trails that wind through forests, mountains, deserts, or fields). There are aspects of mountain biking that are more similar to trail running than regular bicycling. Because riders are often far from civilization, there is a strong ethic of self-reliance in the sport. Riders learn to repair their broken bikes or flat tires to avoid being stranded miles from help. This reliance on survival skills accounts for the group dynamics of the sport. Club rides and other forms of group rides are common, especially on longer treks.
History
Main article: History of the mountain bike and mountain bikingThe history of the mountain bike includes contributions from cyclo-cross in Europe, the Roughstuff Fellowship in the UK, and modified heavy cruiser bicycles used for freewheeling down mountain trails in Marin County, California. However, it was not until the late 1970s and early 1980s that road bicycle companies started to manufacture mountain bicycles using high-tech lightweight materials. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, mountain biking moved from a little-known sport to a mainstream.
Equipment
Main article: Mountain bike
- Mountain bikes differ from road bicycles in several ways. They have a smaller, reinforced frame, knobby, wide and high profile tyres which are mounted on a rim stronger than those used on most non-mountain bicycles, a larger range of gears to facilitate climbing up steep hills and over obstacles, a wider flat or upwardly-rising handlebar that allows a more upright riding position, and often some form of suspension system for either the front wheel or both wheels. Mountain bikes sometimes come with disc brakes similar to those used in automobiles, rather than rim brakes used on road bikes.
- Bicycle pedals vary from simple platform pedals, where the rider simply places the shoes on top of the pedals, to clipless , where the rider uses a specially equipped shoe with a sole that engages mechanically into the pedal. Pedals with toe cages ( clips ) are rarely used anymore as they take longer to get out of than clipless or platform if one takes a fall on the rough terrain.
- Helmets provide important head protection, as falls can occur over rough, rocky, sandy, or mountainous terrain. Helmets include full-faced helmets or regular.
- Gloves differ from road touring gloves, are made of heavier construction, and often have covered thumbs or all fingers covered for hand protection. They are sometimes made with padding for the knuckles.
- Glasses with little or no difference from those used in other cycling sports, help protect against debris while on the trail. Filtered lenses, whether yellow for cloudy days or shaded for sunny days, protect the eyes from strain.
- Shoes generally have gripping soles similar to those of hiking boots for scrambling over un-ridable obstacles, unlike the smooth-bottomed shoes used in road cycling. The shank of mountain bike shoes is generally more flexible than road cycling shoes.
- Clothing is chosen for comfort during physical exertion in the backcountry, and its ability to withstand falls. Road touring clothes are often inappropriate due to their delicate fabrics and construction.
- Hydration systems are important for mountain bikers in the backcountry, ranging from simple water bottles to water bags with drinking tubes in lightweight backpacks (e.g., Camelbaks).
- GPS System is sometimes added to the handlebars and is used to display and monitor progress on trails downloaded from the internet or pre-made mapping systems, record trails on the fly, and keep track of trip times and other data. The GPS system is often a handheld GPS device with color screen and rugged, waterproof (IPX7) design.
- Pump to inflate flat tires.
- Bike tools and extra bike tubes are important, as mountain bikers frequently find themselves miles from help, with flat tires or other mechanical problems that must be handled by the rider.
- Body armor Similar to the armor worn on motorcross bikes. These can consist of knee pads, elbow pads, padded shorts or armored under jackets. These are made by companies like Dainese, sixsixone, Alpinestars and others. It is especially popular with downhill cycling.
Injuries and protective gear
Prevention
The risk of injury is inherent in the sport of mountain biking, especially in the more extreme disciplines such as downhill biking. Injuries range from relatively minor wounds, such as cuts and abrasions from falls on gravel to serious injuries such as striking the head or spine on a boulder or tree. Protective equipment can protect against minor injuries, and reduce the extent or seriousness of major impacts, but it cannot protect a rider against the most serious impacts or accidents. To truly reduce the risk of injury, a rider needs to take steps to make injuries less likely, such as picking trails that they can handle given their experience level, ensuring that they are fit enough to deal with the trail they have chosen, and keeping their bike in top mechanical shape. If a mountain biker wishes to explore more dangerous trails or disciplines (types of mountain biking) such as downhill riding, they will need to learn new skills, such as jumping and avoiding obstacles. Fitness is another issue; if a rider is not in good enough shape to ride a certain class of trail, they will become fatigued, which puts them at a higher risk of having an accident. Lastly, maintenance of one's bike needs to be done more frequently for mountain biking than for casual commuter biking in the city. Mountain biking places much higher demands on every part of the bike. Jumps and impacts can crack the frame or damage the derailleurs or the tire rims, and steep, fast descents can quickly wear out brake pads. Thus, whereas a casual in-the-city rider may only check over and maintain their bike every few months, a mountain biker should check and lube the bike before every ride.
Protective gear
The style and level of protection worn by individual riders varies greatly and is affected by many factors including terrain, enivironment, weather, potential obstacles on the trail, experience, technical skill, fitness, perceived risk, desired style and others too numerous to mention. As a general rule, if everyone else at the bike park is wearing a lot of protective gear it is a fair guess that a degree of protection is desirable. However, it does not follow that if someone is wearing no protection at all it is a good idea to copy them. They may be a very good rider, completely foolhardy or have no idea whatsoever what he/she is doing or how dangerous what they are about to ride is. A cross-country helmet and simple long fingered gloves are a good minimum for the majority of riding.
Limb protection becomes important when speeds rise, surfaces become loose and sketchy, terrain technical and crashes more common and more severe. Full-face helmets and armored suits or jackets are more suited to "gravity" and "air"-orientated disciplines which use jumps and drops, where their extra bulk and weight is outweighed by the bigger and more frequent crashes with worse consequences. Still, within XC community, the typical road-racing attire is what most riders use. Whatever protection is used it should fit well, be comfortable (or it won't be worn) on the bike as well as in the sh
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