Mountain Biking is one of the most popular action–adventure sports, a favorite among outdoor enthusiasts, especially those with a thrill-seeking-sense and a daring attitude.

For more on Mountain Biking:

• Buying a Mountain Bike
• Mountain Biking and Trails

Inexpensive rooftop bike racks, detachable front tires and lighter bikes enable riders to easily travel with their mountain bikes. These new innovations make it so you can now go mountain biking practically anywhere in the world!

The sport was popularized by the ESPN extreme sports program, The X-Games. In general, the sport has really caught on fast over the past 20 or 30 years, quite possibly because mountain bikers can enjoy a sense of freedom that comes from no other sport. (terry - I need a quote. Your neighbor, matt)

Clearly, mountain bikers have options; they can ride the trails at a leisurely pace; or they can explore whatever wilderness terrain is open for business with galant swiftness and speed! Remembering to Leave No Trace.

Some favor jumps. Others avoid them. Some like a mud bath. Others go only when the weather is nice. But the great thing is, there is so much variety, excitement and pleasure to be found riding outside on a mountain bike trail, there's a niche market for everyone who might think to give it a try... it's no wonder the sport caught on quickly!

Simply put: It’s a whole lot of fun!

It's thoroughly exciting, thrilling and gripping!!

Not to mention exhausting if it's done aggressively; or better yet (for a calorie burner), in a race! It also means it's an incredible workout (no matter how you ride). In the image below you can see this woman is stopped for a breather... she also looks behind her to see how far she has come... probably several miles already!

If you have no idea what the sport is all about, and what kind of equipment you'll need to try your hand (and legs) at it, then

Read this article and let GettingOutside.com get you caught up to speed!

How Do Mountain Bikes Compare to Normal Bikes?

By using thick-tread tires that can grip to almost any surface—even in the slop of the mud, just like an off-road 4x4 vehicle—mountain bikes enable cyclists to ride where no one has ridden before; i.e.: Off the beaten path! Riders are also aided by new shock-absorbing technology, which bikers refer to as the “suspension system.”

There are two main varieties: a front suspension, which only has a front tire shock absorber connected to the bike’s handle bars by a “fork” which is loaded with either spring absorbers or air shocks (see below); and the other variety of suspension (found more commonly on the more expensive bikes used by professionals and serious mountain bikers) is called a “dual suspension,” where you’ll find both the front and back tires are equipped with shock absorbers.

With a dual suspension bike, since you not only have shocks built into your fork, you also have a way to allow the back tire to give a little, whenever you hit a bump with either tire, the impact is absorbed and the bike holds tightly to the ground.

This allows mountain bike riders to maintain their control and traction at higher speeds, because if your tires aren’t firmly touching the ground, you can’t turn and if your back tire isn’t gripping to the ground, you’ll be spinning out of control! So again:

The main types of shock absorbers are titanium and steel spring loaded or coil shock absorbers, and air shocks, which are like hydraulics.

There are three main types of mountain bike brakes, all of which can be purchased as after-market upgrades, or they come already installed directly from the bike manufacture’s factory. The three versions include:

• Disc Brakes,
• Rim Brakes and
• V-Brakes.

Disc brakes perform the best in water or mud, because of the increased surface area which allows for more contact and thus, more friction. This is one of the newer bike technologies (car braking technology applied directly to mountain biking), so they are a bit more expensive. They are also somewhat heavier than the other two types of brakes. But you get the most in the way of stopping power and consistency out of this type of brake.

Rim brakes are like your normal bike brakes. These can be affected negatively by wet conditions. You should keep keep your tire rims in good condition if you have these types of brakes on your mountain bike. And—know your bike and the limitations of your skills and equipment!—if you are mountain biking on a bike with rim brakes and it is raining out or the path is muddy and wet, allow yourself more braking time or keep the speeds down so you will still be able to stop quickly in case of an emergency. 

V-brakes are a type of “linear pull-brake” which are common because they are lightweight and inexpensive. They allow for better braking power than a standard rim brake, but they are also hindered by moisture on the bike’s tires. It is recommended that you maintain your brake lines if they are V-brakes by oiling them frequently, as they are prone to rust.

Mountain Bikers and Their Calling

Most mountain bikers are just “Regular Joes” with a taste for action, and this form of healthy excitement more than suits their needs! The off-road variety of biking is their calling: The woods, their playground. These bikers want to get outside and enjoy some action packed excitement as they navigate spine-tingling dips and valleys, plow through the mud, water and/or gravel; and maybe hit a jump or two for a moment of dramatic, hair-raising and brazen elation! (see first image below)

It should be noted that not all parks are “mountain-biking” friendly... make sure you look into the park’s rules about permitting mountain bikes inside their parks and on their trails. Some places encourage mountain biking on certain trails, and actually forbid people to use the trails for walking, so bikers can have the run of the road! This makes it much safer for both parties trying to do what they love the most. Sometimes mountain bikers do have a dedicated trail to follow, but sometimes bikers just have to make their own...

First you have your normal mountain bikers, and then you have your BMX and Trick Mountain Bikers. These riders do more than just ride. They fly! Riding often on one wheel, jumping their bikes high into the air, pulling tricks (like spins, flips and grabs), balancing on railings or thin elevated boards, these riders go above and beyond the average level of daring when it comes to mountain biking.

The sport of mountain bike racing has drawn a decent following (while their fanbase is still growing), mainly because of all the action and excitement that goes with the challenge of riding through these wilderness trails. It’s an aggressive sport requiring participants to be in peak physical condition—having both incredible strength and stamina! Racers are often given sponsorships from bike companies in exchange for endorsing their biking equipment or a particular mountain bike.

Increased attention and interest from fans and participants, as well as recent involvement from sponsors, has made the sport commercially and economically viable. The draw has given expert mountain bikers an opportunity to pursue the sport professionally.

It probably isn’t going to become the next “American Pastime,” or surpass the popularity of any of the major sports any time soon, but mountain bike racing is gaining popularity in America and it will continue to draw crowds, sponsorship and money!

See the USA Cycling Mountain Biking Nationals Calandar and World Championships Events Page by clicking here: http://www.usacycling.org/mtb/

Mountain Bike Riding—At Whatever Level of Intensity, Still Remains—A Great Form of Exercise

There is not much you can do outside which will count for better exercise than riding a mountain bike on an off-road, unpaved trail—up and down hills—at a decent clip!

Whatever you do, as far as riding a mountain bike on trails, is good exercise. You’ll be challenged by hills and valleys (use those gears and brakes to your advantage); and the extra effort you will have to put forth to maintain control of your balance on the bumps makes the sport of mountain biking a real calorie burner.

Riding a bike around leisurely you burn about 350 calories per hour. But mountain biking you double that—and then some! So getting outside and hitting the trials with a mountain bike is a great way to get in shape, stay active, have fun and satisfy a need for some excitement—all at the same time! Bet you never thought it was that good for you!

The climbs are the really tough part—but also the best workout!
Just be careful—always stay within your own limits for what should be attempted (as far as appropriate speeds, navigating turns and attempting any jumps)—if you are not accustomed to high level of activity or exercising, make sure you consult your doctor before taking up a sport which requires as much effort and physical exertion as mountain biking does. And obviously, as with all forms of cycling, but definitely mountain biking (it shouldn’t even have to be mentioned):

Always Wear a Helmet!

(and other protective gear when riding in an extremely aggressive manner; X-Gamers are required to wear not only helmets, but chest protectors, gloves, shin guards, as well as elbow pads.)

Mountain Biking and Mountain Bike Racing as Green

(At Least When It’s Compared to Other Similar [EXTREME] Outdoor Activities)

Uphill, downill, over logs, bumps and stumps, all the while having to produce your own energy for propulsion. Compared to dirtbike racing, mountainbike racing is as green of an outdoor activity as you can get—so long as one is not crushing vegetation or eroding the landscape when riding.

Park preservation and conservation experts are usually responsible for making sure people are not damaging the parks. We here at GettingOutside.com are honored to write about their valiant efforts; they are literally saving the world, and we feel that a great deal of gratitude is owed to hard-working, eco-friendly individuals! Thanks guys and gals: Your Doing A Great Job! So Keep It Up!

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