buffoon

new guy here, been riding for a bit but nothing major. ok, about crashing or possibly avoiding it.
There is that moment when flying down a trail and your approaching the turn and ya just seem to take it too wide and the next thing ya know is your shooting through a field with rocks, tall grass, holes etc, your bouncing all over the place and it becomes apperent that you just may lose control...

for me, I freaked or rather froze up and went down in a less than glorious crash. The problem is, my buddy was with me and watched it happen. He swears that it didnt seem that bad and I could have taken control.

Now I have that crash-phobia when on trails which kills the whole joy of the ride because I hold back, always lagging the pack.

Any tips on control or getting confidence up to ride better?

I love the ride but the wussy inside holds me back.

trialsin

time build confidence...the more time you spend on your bike the more steady and confident you will become. If you ride everyday, you will naturally start to hit **** faster and harder. Don't worry about the crash...it happneds to the best.

WoodyUpstate

I climbed aboard a mountain bike last summer for the first time after having ridden on the road for a couple of years.

The first time I was "launched" I was very stunned. At 40 years old I hadn't been over the handlebars of a bicycle in maybe 25 years. It didn't seem like something this husband and father should be doing.

Even so, I started to race and learned that crashing every once in a while is part of the game. As the summer turned to fall I crashed less. In November I won my last race of the season and I didn't crash. I'm still not sure which was the bigger victory.

Now I crash less, and I've survived enough crashes that I no longer worry about them. However, as a racer I feel that if I don't crash every once in a while I'm not pushing myself hard enough.

toolfreak

First of all, if you had a big bang and everything is allright, get up the bike and ride!
The longer you wait, the more nervous you get and if you sit down, your body will be painful and stiff too.

Second, everybody chrashes, but how to?
I don`t practice chrashing anymore (costed me to much money
) but after a while you learn to roll of your bike.

But the best advice is Trialsin`s; spend more and more time on the bike to build confidence.
Soon you will be flying down the trail (on two wheels)

cheers

Dwagenheim

Maybe you should try some controlled risky situations to build your confidence. I know that whenever I put my bike in the air after a jump, I get a surge of exhillaration, and after I come down, I gain confidence. Maybe if you repeat difficult parts of a trail, little by little, you can get that confidence back.
I know its most peoples instinct to say, suck it up, don't worry, you'll be ok. But thats easier said than done. I've been pretty timid following a big crash before. It sucks.


Good Luck

Dave

Diligum

If you aren't in a race and you crash I wouldn't spring back up on the bike too quickly. Even if you think you're alright, an adrenaline rush can mask the pain of an injury. Catch your breath, walk a few paces and make sure you're good to go.

hosehead

I just crashed about 1/2 hour ago. I feel alright, a bit sore, but nothing bad. I don't mind crashing so much. It seems with me whenever I crash I am so high on adrenaline and endorphins that I don't notice until later, when I can relax and take it easy.

It seems to me that the worst crashes I ever hear about aren't on the mountains - they're in the city. Ask some die-hard commuters about their war stories. I've heard some that hurt just thinking about. Over the handlebars in a field of grass, rocks, and the occasional cactus? That's nothing compared to being smacked by a 2 ton hunk of steel.

Cheers

copper RS

I would much rather crash on a mountain bike than a roadie. god at that speed on asphalt, i cant even imagine how bad it would be. i mean rocks and all that hurt really badly i've wrecked plenty, but roadrash just seems awful. props to the road guys

uhm...yea.

I wrecked a couple of hours ago. the worst part was trying to get the bike out of the bushes.

nathank

about 2 years ago i had a really bad crash - had totally bonked on a long early-season pre-ride of a mountain bike race course and going downhill completely out of control i didn't see a 3ft whoop-de-doo until after i hit it at 30mph... flew 20 feet head first in the air, landed on my head, shattered my helmut and slid 15ft on my face -- scared the crap out of me b/c i thought i broke my neck, but in reality *only* broke my nose, 2 teeth, ripped my lower lip off, and skinned my whole face up... it all repaired really well... my face is amazing almost unscared and my nose looks different but not better or worse.

i used to be a 'no fear' major downhiller who dropped in and tried it first and then thought about if it was rideable or not... the 1st month or so was tough, but i slowly regained confidence and then completed the race on the course i crashed on where my confidence was also boosted b/c the 2nd place pro also wiped out on the same spot and ripped half his ear off (he got up and rode the last mile to the finish dripping in blood)

but even 2 years later i 'chicken out' a lot more than i used too... i mean i'm still a great technical rider and i'm still often the guy trying what my buddies won't (especially in Europe where there are fewer technical riders and people take less risk in general)

take you time to build back up... pushing it and getting scared and having another crash won't help... forget the hype and just do what's fun for you... mountain biking is dangerous and you can kill yourself if you just try and be cool, so you don't have to impress anyone except yourself... a little fear is healthy and natural and will make you a better rider --- most of the pro downhillers i've seen in interviews say that you're not a *real* rider until your first near-death crash and i believe that too --- you have to experience the fear of the crash and STILL do the dangerous stuff to be a great downhiller...

toolfreak

Sorry Dilligum, maybe i had to say;if everything looks allright ,but i disagree with your point.
If nothing is broke, take advantage of your natural painkiller, cause some cuts hurt lik h*ll and the rush makes it sometimes bearable.
Btw, i have always my first aid kit with me, but some riders don`t

Weasel

Wow, there's some good advice on this thread. Like Dwagenheim said, I like to try a few tame jumps to get a bit of a "rush" just to build up a bit of confidence, then I pretend I'm the best biker out there (don't laugh ) - even though I am totally crap!

I don't know about you, but I tend to ride faster with a group anyway - so as not to be left behind . Experience breeds confidence but I suppose you have to know your limits.

trialsin

I just bailed yesterday on ashphalt and of all things I landed on my face(I was wearing a helmet). I ride trials but i was just biking over to a buddies house with my mind elsewhere. My chain fell off as I was going quite fast off a 4 foot drop. needless to say it was a nasty spill. I look like roadkill.....but after a a day on the couch drinkin beer .....I went back out and hit some huge stuff. The point is to get back out there a soon as possible and overcome you demons.

uhm...yea.

Ooooh... that story about breaking teeth brings back painfull memories! My front two are fake, because i was trying to be cool. I was riding fast down a sharp downhill curve... with only my left hand. too much speed, hit a small rock, and I laid my bike down frontside, and did a very graceful faceplant. came up spitting pieces of teeth.

recusant

I guess I'm just saying the same stuff as all of the previous comments, but it is always best to get back on the MTB. Once your healed up its always best to get back on and ride, last time I really stacked I was trying my first X-up but landed it wrong!! I kinda got skewed around and my elbow and my side took the brunt of it!! I now have an elbow with a great new patchwork of scars on top o the old ones and I could hardly move in certain directions for about three months with a suspected broken rib. But when I was well enough I went straight back on the bike!! It felt absolutely great!! Still I'm not gonna try another X-up for a little while!!

PS, I don't know about continental europe but in England there's a massive MTB and BMX dirt jumping scene and my injuries are far from that bad comparatively!! So you cant say that Europeans don't take risks.
Oops! Rant over