Mountain Biking - What makes you think you're bomb proof?

What makes you think you can jump, drop or gap anything: your bike, your skills or your body armor (if you use it)?

No one is bomb proof. Some are more resilient than others.

The bike can only provide a limited amount of confidence. A good bike will enable the rider to make some mistakes and the suspension will "SAVE" the rider.

However, the most critical aspect is ability! The only way to get better is to ride more. The key is not only riding more, but riding slightly beyond your ability each time. Improvement, pushing yourself, risk taking, what ever you call it. Each time you go out, you clear that drop, or make that climb, or rail that berm faster.

Ability is critical, equipment is secondary!

L8R

WHat are you talking about a2psyklnut my bike makes me the fastest person on earth! No on can touch me....and if i put on my body armor...watch out cause I'll loose everyone even faster!

Just kidding guys... Ya a2psyklnut I couldn't have put it better myself.

:D

I don't think that...You have to have some degree of knowing how much you can take and if it worth the risk. Even the best make mistakes no matter how good they are. It is taking that risk and running with it...

I was starting to think I was bomb proof. I hadn't gone over the bars since I upgraded to a longer travel fork. I ride about 40-50 times a year on technical singletrack with fast, rocky, off-camber, you-name-it downhills. This last Sunday I was flying down a singletrack very familiar to me. I was jumping all the rock formations that are all over the trail, feeling good. Went off a rock just a little wrong, landed a little off, was forced to immediately jump a bigger rock off balance and pretty much ate it worse than ever! I ended up flying forward over the bars with my feet still in I think. I'm pretty sure the first thing to hit was my head. I broke my Giro on both sides (not sure exactly how you do that), above the ears. Next to hit was the back of my left shoulder- pushing it forward around towards the other shoulder. I think I have some bruising where all the bones meet each other...It's been a few days and I still can barely put a shirt on in the morning. I can breathe fine so I know it's not a rib, but my chest under my coller bones is hurtin(can bang on the bones, they're ok). There's the usual "pedal bite" in the ankle and a skinned knee, but not a lot of blood on this one. Also wasted my seat.

I guess I'm slowly gaining perspective as I re-enforce my login name...:rolleyes:

If I don't crash once every ride I am not pushing hard enough....

No doubt that the best get hurt too, but everyone is always pushing the limit. Riding on the edge of out of control is what I like to say. If I don't crash at least twice on a ride, I know I didn't push myself. I need that adrenaline rush from doing something I shouldn't have. Sometimes I make it, other times I don't. (No wonder I carry a first aid kit in the car!)

I also know my limits, both of my ability and my bikes (usually mine!). I'm not going to be hucking a 10', I know I WILL hurt myself. But a 3' drop that scared the bejeesus out of me a year ago, is now a cakewalk.

If you're not crashing your going too easy!

L8R

If your flying down some hill thats has big rocks all over it on some little cross country bike, something is bound to happen. If your going to start doing big stuff, then the first step is trying something big......and after you do it and stick it then you'll have the balls to do more and more.

Thats the thing, I'm flying down a hill on a little xc bike and I'm kinda freaked to go big becuase I might break my bike and possibly myself but I'm mostly worried about my bike (I have insurance my bike doesn't). So I kinda feel like my bike is limiting my skills, thats why I'm wondering if I need to get armor or a new bike ( I'm getting a new one anyway so its not that big of a deal) or if I'm just a wuss and I need to go and huck myself off some 20 footer :eek:

What makes you think you can jump, drop or gap anything

NUTS OF STEEL

I have saved that picture for future reference...and I spilled my drink :)...thankyou

Originally posted by mountaindew
Thats the thing, I'm flying down a hill on a little xc bike and I'm kinda freaked to go big becuase I might break my bike and possibly myself but I'm mostly worried about my bike (I have insurance my bike doesn't). So I kinda feel like my bike is limiting my skills, thats why I'm wondering if I need to get armor or a new bike ( I'm getting a new one anyway so its not that big of a deal) or if I'm just a wuss and I need to go and huck myself off some 20 footer :eek:

I thought you had an AC? ARE YOU ON CRACK? That's no little XC bike! You can hit alot of stuff on it. It'll take alot of abuse....
especially with those longer travel plates!


:beer:

Ok... I'm the one on CRACK... I just saw some of your other posts and noticed you had a Norco.... that would explain it. Good luck finding a new bike! There's tons of good ones out there!



:crash:

I WANT an AC. If I had an AC and I was just using for xc then I would be a wuss.

I have an AC Air Lite...it's an awesome freeride, light DH rig that ain't to big a drag when XC'ing too...

When I go to the downieville downhill, I know that if I had a bike better suited for it, that I could go a lot faster and be a lot better, but ive taken the klein down it 2 years running now and the only damages I have encured is having to true the rim after each trip. My family generally goes up there during the summer.