Mountain biking: the track less travelled
Mountain Biking. Some people love it, and some people hate it, but with a notable increase in the amount of people taking up the sport over the last 10 years, we felt it was something worth sharing. In fact, only recently did we three start our adventure into the wild world of Mountain Biking.
It began one wet, dreary Tuesday, when Scott asked if I’d ever considered mountain biking. I turned around and told him he was crazy. Not two weeks later, I found myself reborn. Reborn as an awesome, super, ninja-skilled mountain biker.
In all seriousness, though, it is an amazing sport. It’s utterly exhilarating, and can - I kid you not - terrify the living daylights out of even a veteran (truthfully, this does not include myself), and certainly a novice.
I know what you’re thinking: “Isn’t it dangerous?”
It is. All three of us have had our fair share of close shaves.
Story number one: it was a cold, gloomy day, and we’d decided it would be a good idea to go for a quick ride. Myself and three others hopped on our bikes and tried to wheelie off. Not too long after, we headed down the rough, yet fairly fast, streambed-come-trail, chasing each other’s tails. The other three passed me by, and I took up the rear, with quite an extreme wobble. Round the bend we went - suddenly I found myself flying. Over the handlebars, onto the floor. Soon after, I became aware of a pain in my hand; it was bleeding.
The cause of my fall? A coconut. Yep. You read it right. In some inconceivable way I’d managed to collide with a coconut.
What we love
I don’t want to put you off with spooky stories of blood and mayhem. Behind all this, there is an unimaginable amount of fun to be had. Whether it be nailing that jump you spent so long on or just going really fast down your favourite track, there’s always a general love for progression in mountain biking. While I started with an inclination to avoid most of these things, I soon grew an urge to try them. Now, all I want to do is jump, wheelie, drop and simply ride. However, even off the bike there is a real sense of mechanical accomplishment; especially when you’ve finally upgraded or fixed that really important component of yours. The feeling of pride that fills you when you’ve managed to progress is quite indescribable.
Getting Started: Gear
To start riding you really don’t need much gear at all; if you have a bike then there are only a few more things you should have. The most vital piece of equipment you need is (and I can’t stress this enough) your helmet. For beginners, any helmet will be sufficient, as long as it is suitable for a similar
purpose - such as road cycling (which is a lot less exciting), skating or the BMX sport.
If you want to invest in a helmet specifically for mountain biking, then you need to think about what kind of riding you intend to do: if just dirt jumps or streets then a dirt-jump helmet would suit your style. If you ride trails, and possibly some jumps, then a trail helmet would fit the bill, with good ventilation and protection of your lower head. The other main type of helmet is a full face. This style is popular with enduro mountain biking (racing with a physical endurance element) and always used in downhill biking (a form of the sport done on rough, steep terrain).
When it comes to footwear, there are shoes specifically for mountain biking by companies such as Specialized and five ten. Some have attachments for clipless pedals (those that clip you in) and others have flat and sticky soles for flat pedals (those that don’t clip you in). The shoes are fairly expensive, and so a lot of riders use skate shoes as they still provide a lot of grip and can sometimes actually last longer.
It would definitely not be a bad idea to wear knee and elbow pads when you go on rides. You can find fairly cheap ones; however, the fit and quality is often rather low, and they will last less time than a good quality pair that would also provide greater protection.
As for tools and maintenance, the basics to keep your bike going consist of a puncture repair kit, a pump (either a more portable hand pump or a quicker normal pump) and a multi-tool, which will have a chain tool and most of the hex keys for your bike.
Where should you ride?
Well, the answer depends upon where you live. There are bike parks, but no matter where you are there is almost always another place to ride. Almost anywhere in a decent-sized woods (such as Heathfield or Abbot’s Wood in Hailsham) you can find or even create a trail. There is always someone else near you who has been riding - and where there’s a rider, there’s a trail.
When you’re starting, I would always suggest trying it with your friends. However, if this isn’t possible, don’t worry; there are always other groups of people you can meet. Even when riding on our own we’ve come across numerous bikers, some of whom have ended up regularly riding on our little adventures.
When riding on trails, always be thoughtful of others: it’s important to avoid areas where people may be walking, but also you should be considerate of the mountain bikers who built the trail - try not to change or damage it for those who spent a lot of effort creating it.
If you can’t access a wood, you can practice wheelies, endos and bunny hops to your heart’s content in skate parks or even empty car parks.
Bike parks are quite an interesting tale of their own. Many people ride them, but it is always good to be aware of the challenges of places near you (such as Bedgebury). Despite this, don’t be afraid to push yourself! Bike parks are especially good places for meeting people due to such a large ride count. This makes them perfect for finding regular riding buddies.
Would we recommend it?
Absolutely. There is no doubt that we all thoroughly enjoy this amazing sport. Even an ‘indoor’ person like myself has learnt to love mountain biking, and while it may not be for the faint-hearted, a good challenge and a wonderful sense of accomplishment is always present.
We hope to see you on the trails in the future!
Hayden Harris and Scott Candoğan, Year 10
It began one wet, dreary Tuesday, when Scott asked if I’d ever considered mountain biking. I turned around and told him he was crazy. Not two weeks later, I found myself reborn. Reborn as an awesome, super, ninja-skilled mountain biker.
In all seriousness, though, it is an amazing sport. It’s utterly exhilarating, and can - I kid you not - terrify the living daylights out of even a veteran (truthfully, this does not include myself), and certainly a novice.
I know what you’re thinking: “Isn’t it dangerous?”
It is. All three of us have had our fair share of close shaves.
Story number one: it was a cold, gloomy day, and we’d decided it would be a good idea to go for a quick ride. Myself and three others hopped on our bikes and tried to wheelie off. Not too long after, we headed down the rough, yet fairly fast, streambed-come-trail, chasing each other’s tails. The other three passed me by, and I took up the rear, with quite an extreme wobble. Round the bend we went - suddenly I found myself flying. Over the handlebars, onto the floor. Soon after, I became aware of a pain in my hand; it was bleeding.
The cause of my fall? A coconut. Yep. You read it right. In some inconceivable way I’d managed to collide with a coconut.
What we love
I don’t want to put you off with spooky stories of blood and mayhem. Behind all this, there is an unimaginable amount of fun to be had. Whether it be nailing that jump you spent so long on or just going really fast down your favourite track, there’s always a general love for progression in mountain biking. While I started with an inclination to avoid most of these things, I soon grew an urge to try them. Now, all I want to do is jump, wheelie, drop and simply ride. However, even off the bike there is a real sense of mechanical accomplishment; especially when you’ve finally upgraded or fixed that really important component of yours. The feeling of pride that fills you when you’ve managed to progress is quite indescribable.
Getting Started: Gear
To start riding you really don’t need much gear at all; if you have a bike then there are only a few more things you should have. The most vital piece of equipment you need is (and I can’t stress this enough) your helmet. For beginners, any helmet will be sufficient, as long as it is suitable for a similar
purpose - such as road cycling (which is a lot less exciting), skating or the BMX sport.
If you want to invest in a helmet specifically for mountain biking, then you need to think about what kind of riding you intend to do: if just dirt jumps or streets then a dirt-jump helmet would suit your style. If you ride trails, and possibly some jumps, then a trail helmet would fit the bill, with good ventilation and protection of your lower head. The other main type of helmet is a full face. This style is popular with enduro mountain biking (racing with a physical endurance element) and always used in downhill biking (a form of the sport done on rough, steep terrain).
When it comes to footwear, there are shoes specifically for mountain biking by companies such as Specialized and five ten. Some have attachments for clipless pedals (those that clip you in) and others have flat and sticky soles for flat pedals (those that don’t clip you in). The shoes are fairly expensive, and so a lot of riders use skate shoes as they still provide a lot of grip and can sometimes actually last longer.
It would definitely not be a bad idea to wear knee and elbow pads when you go on rides. You can find fairly cheap ones; however, the fit and quality is often rather low, and they will last less time than a good quality pair that would also provide greater protection.
As for tools and maintenance, the basics to keep your bike going consist of a puncture repair kit, a pump (either a more portable hand pump or a quicker normal pump) and a multi-tool, which will have a chain tool and most of the hex keys for your bike.
Where should you ride?
Well, the answer depends upon where you live. There are bike parks, but no matter where you are there is almost always another place to ride. Almost anywhere in a decent-sized woods (such as Heathfield or Abbot’s Wood in Hailsham) you can find or even create a trail. There is always someone else near you who has been riding - and where there’s a rider, there’s a trail.
When you’re starting, I would always suggest trying it with your friends. However, if this isn’t possible, don’t worry; there are always other groups of people you can meet. Even when riding on our own we’ve come across numerous bikers, some of whom have ended up regularly riding on our little adventures.
When riding on trails, always be thoughtful of others: it’s important to avoid areas where people may be walking, but also you should be considerate of the mountain bikers who built the trail - try not to change or damage it for those who spent a lot of effort creating it.
If you can’t access a wood, you can practice wheelies, endos and bunny hops to your heart’s content in skate parks or even empty car parks.
Bike parks are quite an interesting tale of their own. Many people ride them, but it is always good to be aware of the challenges of places near you (such as Bedgebury). Despite this, don’t be afraid to push yourself! Bike parks are especially good places for meeting people due to such a large ride count. This makes them perfect for finding regular riding buddies.
Would we recommend it?
Absolutely. There is no doubt that we all thoroughly enjoy this amazing sport. Even an ‘indoor’ person like myself has learnt to love mountain biking, and while it may not be for the faint-hearted, a good challenge and a wonderful sense of accomplishment is always present.
We hope to see you on the trails in the future!
Hayden Harris and Scott Candoğan, Year 10