There are numerous ways that you can improve your mountain bike safety.  Many riders will tell you that wearing a helmet is the most important step to staying safe.  The second most important step is that you should always ride in control of your mountain bike.

By riding in control you’ll not only prevent crashes, but keep others on the trail safe as well.  When riding out of control you loose the ability to adjust to the terrain as you ride over it.  This can and usually does result in serious injury to yourself and others.

Follow these helpful guidelines and you’ll remain safe when riding your mountain bike.

Gear
Always make sure that you wear a helmet and other necessary safety gear for the conditions that you
plan to ride in.

Never Ride Beyond Your Control
There is never any shame in walking the areas of the trail that you don’t feel comfortable in riding and you should never let anyone else tell you that there is.

Keep Your Speed Under Control
Always make sure you keep your speed at a level where you can quickly adjust to any obstacles or change in the trail.

Know Your Trail
You should never push the limits on trails that you aren’t familiar with.  You should take trails you aren’t familiar with at slow speeds until you learn them better.

Slow Down Around Blind Corners
If you can’t see past a corner you should always slow down, as you never know who or what is around it.

Start Small Then Go Big
Work your way up to stunts or obstacles.  Practice in less difficult or dangerous situations before you move up to something more dangerous.

Playing It Smart
If you start to question what your doing, you probably shouldn’t be doing it.  Always think about what you are doing and go with your instincts.

As the name implies, downhill bikes are built to endure rugged downhill riding.  Riding takes place on steep, downhill terrain.   This results in high speed downhill rides and extended time in the air when you come to jumps and other obstacles.

The key to down hilling is relaxing your upper body.  The steeper and rockier the hill is, the more tightly the rider tends to put a death grip on the handle bars.  Most riders tend to slow down as they approach obstacles such as rocks, then apply both brakes.  If you don’t apply your brakes, the rock will stop your wheel.  This isn’t good, as the rock can throw you off balance and completely kill any type of momentum you have.

Relaxed riders won’t slow down as much.  The combination of extra momentum, no front braking at crucial moments will allow the wheel to bump over the rock and continue onward with little effort.  If you are going slow, it’s essential to release your brakes as much as possible when you approach an obstacle.  This may entail going a bit faster, although the result is much less painful.  On steep hills, going really slow will always make things much more difficult.

One exception to this is a very tight turn.  If a hop is out of the question, you’ll need to slow down to allow the smallest radius of turning circle.  This kind of thing takes practice, although track standing isa great way to improve on your balance.

Although down hill biking is one of the most extreme methods of mountain biking, it can also be one of the most dangerous.  If you’re new to mountain biking you shouldn’t start out with down hilling, as it takes a lot of practice.  With a bit of practice and knowing the right techniques, technical down hilling is something you’ll find fun.  It can provide quite a rush and a lot of excitement for those who seek adventure.