overcoming fear

[stu bryant]

i am new to mountain biking and due to my age(i guess) i go too slow!!!
i also have to do all my riding alone. i bought some armor and am going out thurs. and will try to ride it like i stole it!!!
any suggestions???
stu

 

[triguy98]

I don;t have the age problem...yet. However, riding it like you stole it, even with armor isn't the path I'd take. Tried it once. Still have the scars. The best way is to build up your skills and dont exceed your comfort level...too much. Push the envelope, dont throw it.

i am new to mountain biking and due to my age(i guess) i go too slow!!!
i also have to do all my riding alone. i bought some armor and am going out thurs. and will try to ride it like i stole it!!!
any suggestions???
stu

 

[bholde]

Do you know someone who is experienced that can take you out and show you some of the skills you need to know? There is a lot of skill involved in mountain bike correctly. It can be learned through trial and error, but it's a lot less painful to be shown what you need to know.

I don't think age has anything to do with it. I'm a female and I took up mountain biking two years ago at the age of 43. I'm still not great, but I have a lot of fun trying. Good luck.

 

[Tmax1]

Howdy.

I started mtb'ing last year and found Ned Overend's book to be helpful. Last the poster - ride at your comfort level and ride some more. You'll be alright!

Jerry

 

[stu bryant]

thanks for the advice i do have the bible(neds book)
stu

Howdy.

I started mtb'ing last year and found Ned Overend's book to be helpful. Last the poster - ride at your comfort level and ride some more. You'll be alright!

Jerry

 

[stu bryant]

no i dont have anyone to ride with and by age i mean that when we are young we seem not to worry so much about the consequences as we do when we get older.

Do you know someone who is experienced that can take you out and show you some of the skills you need to know? There is a lot of skill involved in mountain bike correctly. It can be learned through trial and error, but it's a lot less painful to be shown what you need to know.

I don't think age has anything to do with it. I'm a female and I took up mountain biking two years ago at the age of 43. I'm still not great, but I have a lot of fun trying. Good luck.

 

[bholde]

I'll put in another vote for Ned's book. It's terrific. It explains a lot of the techniques you need to know. I was afraid to fall at first. But when I got my first pair of clipless pedals, I feel so many times, I kind of just got over the fear. I still walk my bike down some of the steeper down hills. (Being female does have some advantages, I don't have quite as much ego involved as some people.) I'm sure you'll do just great.

 

[DecSim]

Dirt Magazine have made a dvd called Fundimentals (http://www.4130.com/boxoffice/index.html)

It is mainly aimed at downhill riders but is very informative for all types of riders, left me itching to go out and try some of the techniques shown

 

[tyler_derden]

I'm 46 yo and can sympathize with you on the age thing. I have recently given up on Aikido lessons because I was accumulating to many small injuries (46 yo bodies aren't made to roll around on the floor). I gave up years of kung fu before that...

I am a rank beginner at MTB riding, but I have found that it is like skiing- you have to learn to trust the equipment a bit because doing it well requires that you do things that are counter intuitive. After 6 or 8 rides I now ride much faster through the woods (though my goal isn't usually speed) than when I first tried and no longer even think about how to ride along sloped trails, etc. I just keep moving and let the momentum, suspension, and knobs on the tires do the rest.

There are certain things I still won't try- riding over felled tree trunks, etc. I still get off and carry the bike over them. I will try working up to riding over such things this coming summer, but won't feel bad if I never master the technique. My old bones don't heal nearly as fast as they used to and I'm not in a hurry to bust myself up.

A little fear is a good thing.

TD

 

[mcortazzo]

For me it was two things uderstanding my limits and confidence. Everything is fine and dandy on the fire trails but the scary stuff like rocks, logs, water etc. that got me at first. Living in the land of horribly placed large rocks, confidence was hard to come by. I had to learn to pick lines before I hit a rough area. Then the hardest part to overcome was realizing that if I didnt go over a rough area with confidence which really means decent speed, I would just get caught up and land on very hard rocks.

I can understand the age thing but for me as im getting older and supposedly wiser I feel I have more less about my body and getting hurt. The injuries I incurred in High School are still urking me but as I get older theres less time for any new injuries to come back to hit me.
-Mike

 

[shewhobikes]

Then the hardest part to overcome was realizing that if I didnt go over a rough area with confidence which really means decent speed, I would just get caught up and land on very hard rocks.

You're so right. At some point you realize it's easier to push on through than get off the bike and get started again, especially if you're going uphill.

 

[Muddy Beast]

now the age thing affecting you in your ride is not nessasarly true...im 13 y/o and iv mtb for a few years now and it seems like wen i was riding before big falls and insane crashes i would speed threw are local gultch but after going threw so many painfull falls i slowd down alot more infact today i went for a ride and i noticed the things i was worried most about wat the wet spots were there was no traction, logs, roots, and rock these things in the beginning of my ride started to throw me off and sliding my rear tire as i went over it so i slowd down on the way home...so yeah i think its more about trusting your self in cababilities and just ingeneral wat you have expierienced if it werent for all the things im trying to get to heal right now i would be alot more brave *i cant wear and of my protective gear except my helmet or i risk damaging my alrdy smashed up body,...so i have to wait for it to heal to wear my protective gear*

~Scott

 

[weasnaw56]

Howdy.

I started mtb'ing last year and found Ned Overend's book to be helpful. Last the poster - ride at your comfort level and ride some more. You'll be alright!

Jerry

i second that , and another good way to find instructional mtn bike books is to go to your local book store.

i read alll the instructional books i could get my hands on they help alot. even to 14 year olds

 

[Muddy Beast]

hmm not a bad idea...ill look in to buyn some books, cuz at skool we have 20 minutes of read only time everyday and they dont care what you read as long as its not a lil kid book...so hey maybe i can actually enjoy reading time with thoughs books.... *any perticular book i should aim for? im looking in to racing cross country*

~Scott

 

[triguy98]

Spelling and grammar books are good place to start.

After that, see what your local library has. The libraries around here have a decent selection, and can usually get it for you. I spent a little money on a couple triathlon books, read them, and now they collect dust. I would imagine MTB books would be the same.

hmm not a bad idea...ill look in to buyn some books, cuz at skool we have 20 minutes of read only time everyday and they dont care what you read as long as its not a lil kid book...so hey maybe i can actually enjoy reading time with thoughs books.... *any perticular book i should aim for? im looking in to racing cross country*

~Scott

 

[Muddy Beast]

HEY NOW!...lol...but its true i suck at spelling....i got like 30 on my wasl scores...*thats a big test in washington*

~Scott