There’s always some new sport brewing, whether it’s something more extreme that somehow makes its way to the mainstream, like skateboarding and rollerblading, or something so weird that not many people are ever going to take it up, like kiteboarding or skydiving. And most sports that have been created have something to do with invention and innovation, where there’s a need for a new use for an area, or an object.
One of the more popular new sports initially started growing around ski areas where no one knew what to do with the mountain during the time there wasn’t snow. Like many other famous sports, it developed from just a good idea to a national craze. The sport in question? Mountain biking.
Instead of simply going for a hike, or going for a bike ride across town, mountain biking managed to combine the two elements of getting around on a bicycle with maneuvering one’s way through the wilderness. Since its initial inception, different riders took the sport in different directions. Some were interested in keeping the bikes in urban environments but using them differently, while others were more focused on creating a challenging speed-based environment that looked more like downhill slalom ski racing.
But more than that, there are different types of mountain biking, some of which spend time on more manicured surfaces, some who go all out and head to the middle of nowhere, and others where the riding is more built on creating one’s own type of style and implementing it, but in the dirt instead of out on the street.
Often, people think that there’s just one style of mountain biking, that involves riding a heavy bicycle with large rubber wheels around trees on the way down to the bottom of some hill. Nothing could be further from the truth, with a number of different innovators creating different variations and styles, which all have their draw and charms. Knowing those different styles is the first step in figuring out which type of mountain biking sounds best for a new novice rider.
The most popular type of mountain biking to watch, and a style that’s known for packing crowds at The X-Games, is dirt jumping. In this type of mountain biking, riders propel themselves off of large dirt jumps with the intention of doing any number of arial tricks, including flips and handlebar stands, before safely landing on the ground.
A good transition from the type of mountain biking that most people picture into the more trick oriented riding is urban or street mountain biking, which many people would rather just categorize as an “extreme sport” but in an urban manner. The trick of this riding is to head to either deserted urban areas, or into more natural settings, and try to perform tricks and maneuver locations that are as they are when arriving. Often, the bicycles are a great deal lighter than those used for all-around mountain biking.
For most people with access to the trails, the obvious starting off point for riding is to begin with cross-country mountain biking. Just as simple as the name sounds, cross-country is all about the bicycle and the terrain, with no added obstacles or epic jumps. Cross-country riders have larger, more durable bicycles, and tackle everything from bumpy uphill trails to muddy, tricky downhill slopes. It’s a great way to learn about balance and endurance.
Other more extreme variations on regular cross-country mountain biking that involve more remote locations include downhill, where riders just try to get to the bottom of a run as quickly as possible, as well as short cross, which is a combination of downhill, where the idea is to get to the bottom as fast as possible, but this time on even more challenging slopes. The extreme short slopes have a lot more obstacles and there is a much higher risk of crashing.
No matter the style, there’s no mistaking how helpful this sport can be to building a connection for the young and the old alike with taking their sporting endeavors outside. Like many sports of innovation, mountain biking and all of its new forms is truly here to stay.
Damian Papworth loves the thrill of mountain biking, but always makes sure he takes his bike water bottles for his trips. A cycling water bottle is so important to maintaining hydration in this grueling sport.
categories: mountain biking,cycling,biking,extreme,health and fitness,exercise,fitness,sport,sport and,recreation,health,travel,lifestyle,people
