cpblue

I'd like to hear from other riders who are over 45 and how they avoid injuries on the trail. Thanks

mtbtrek

i am not over 45 but i would think that if you dont wreck you wont get hurt

santiago

Ride road and take up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Seriously - plenty of guys here are over 45 and ride. I don't think they think or do anything differently.

gwhunter

Tuck and roll

mtnbiker66

patentcad

I'm 50. Crash less. Ride Wussy Trails. Works for me.

kenhill3

I'm 56 and have plenty of scars as witness to the fun I've had on my MTB. I have also taken it in the eye (lost one of 'em). I suppose I would have to say that my days of taking lots of risks are over. I ride with caution these days. This is still a risky activity any way you slice it, but I love riding enough that there is no way I would willingly give it up solely because of the risk factor.

Bosock

I ride trails in the local area and when i become familiar with them i get more and more aggressive each time i ride them. Used to be a day, when riding atv's and motorcycle, that i just went balls to the walls whether i new the riding area or not. However, as i have become older, reflexes slower, and injuries taking longer to heal, i attack new riding areas rather conservatively and once familiar i start getting more and more aggressive. This has kept me out of the cast and the hospital.

Take some of these peoples input with a grain of salt. They dont understand that some people do it to get outdoors, others exercise, and some, even though they do not throw total abandon to the wind, the excitement and challenge. Anyone that goes up on the hill and thinks that getting hurt is part of the game more than likely rides above their ability and is a pain not only to themselves but other riders as well. Now, does that mean its a totally safe sport, mishap can always happen, but if you know your limits and the trial then you can minimize injury and have a pretty fun and aggressive ride.

If you talking muscle pulls and aches and pains...well, that is part of aging and only thing that helps there is stretching, warm-ups and advil or moltrin...oh yea, keep hydrated. Have fun riding and as a couple of poster above reference you do it smartly and you still have several years of riding ahead of ya.

G-Monkey

Wow...that's the smartest thing I've heard from this dude.
Granted he's not a mountain bike rider.

scrublover

Stretch after riding. Drink lots of water. Use Ibuprofen as needed. Don't do (too) stupid *****.

cyclops

Its a lot like flying, the trick is to miss the ground. Or you could just stay on the couch.

patentcad

Au contraire mon orangotange. I am on my MTB at least once each week. Well, not this week. But for the last two months I've been averaging 1-2 days weekly.

I am a mud-spattered hard core Wussy. A roadie in the woods is like a 5 year old in water wings trying to swim the English Channel.

DevilsGT2

Warm up and then stretch, ride as desired, stretch afterwards as well.

xcracer13

It aids recovery time if you do some light stretching.

DevilsGT2

Says the one who never stretches before or post ride.

Proof, you say? (And no, pete, I'm not talking about recovery times, I'm talking about the bit where it says that "Stretching may help prevent injury.")

Bosock

Vocal mime i believe i was clear in my statements above and that mishaps do happen do to the nature of the sport. However, if your tellin someone that wants to minimize injury that if that is there intent then they might as well sit on a couch or take up another sport, then to me your exaggerations or inability to avoid injuries in this sport either lies with the fact you ride above your ability or your trying to make yourself out as some hardcore 15 year old that doesnt know better...and unfortunately even the majority know better. You also provide great insight into stretching which just sends home the fact your some great fitness or sport medicine expert. Stretching is helpful in preventing injuries before a ride by warming the muscle group and starting blood flow as well as after the ride...actually in a similar way that massage can help....however, we know that getting a massage is so much cooler than stretching and its about being kewl than being injury free.

cyclops

BFG

Just don't get old. Works for me so far.

dminor 

Easier said than done .

To the OP: Hone your skillz; roll up on big stuff a couple times before launching it; armor-up and wear a helmet appropriate to how big you're going; if you don't feel it that day, don't bust it - - there'll always be another day when the flow is there.

Cheeto

you walk around half cocked dont you?
worse then me, lol

rhyno

take a bunch of pillows and tie them to your entire body

roccobike

OK, I'm over 45, way over. I ride MTBs within my means, (As Clint Eastwood said, a man's got to know his limitations). If at all possible, I stay away from rock gardens. If I know the trail, I ride it as fast as I can. If I don't know it, I ride it at a moderate pace i.e. slow. Yeah, I still have the occaisional fall, its going to happen and I don't worry about it. If I'm tired, its time to head home, cause that's when I have falls.
As for major falls that result in significant medical bills. Yeah, I've had two, both on my road bikes. I lost count of the number of times I fell on my MTBs, but none resulted in a visit to the doc.
I never thought of dirt as a soft, then I fell on asphalt, no broken bones, but stitches, shoulder injury, operation and so on. So before you start riding road because you want to avoid the injuries associated with mountain biking, check how hard a roadway is, then check the trail you're riding. I still ride both, but the truth is, I worry less about falling on the MTB than the road bikes.

kenhill3

+1. I am much more concerned about a fall on the road bike, usually guaranteed to be on the nasty side. Depending on where you ride, dirt may be what your body meets on the trail. If you're riding rock then it's almost a tossup, though the MTB's gonna be slower on the whole.

BFG

You're only as old in years as the drop you hit is high, in feet, Doug.

patentcad

What would cause you to fall on your road bike? Clipless pedal challenges?