Trust Metrics
Written By Cycling Enthusiasts
Established in 2016
Top 100 Cycling blogs
Indepth Research
Disadvantages of Mountain Biking
What are The Drawbacks of Mountain biking. Is there Any Flaws or cons of hitting the trail
Mountain Biking
The mountain bike is not always the best form of transportation.
If everything goes well then it can be extremely well for your health.
But sometimes the insane speed can cause problems. We will provide here some of the bad things about riding a mountain bike.
Mountain bikes are designed for riding on bumpy roads.
These bikes are heavier than usual. It is designed to run on the mountains and hills rather than running on plain city roads.
Read our Beginners guide to mountain Biking.
Crashing
Falling from a bike with speed might lead you to smash your face or even bigger accident.
The pain causes for crashing can be unbearable.
With no distinction of a small or big accident, crashing off will give your severe pain for sure.
Find out the pros and cons of mountain biking.
Mechanical Errors
It is not sure that a good bike can offer you silky-smooth performance.
Even a top-class bike can cause an accident for mechanical errors.
Remember that, no machine is flawless. How to make your mountain bike faster.
Besides the advantages, there are many disadvantages to mountain biking. We will now focus on them.
Time and Fun
Riding a mountain bike requires a lot of time which is sometimes not possible to manage.
The time management of mountain biking is the main issue for people today.
When you plan to go riding then it is difficult to get riding partners.
The time and company problems often reduce the fun factor of mountain biking.
The proper set up of mountain biking takes much time that often kills the enjoyment.
The suiting up, wearing pads, ready the drinks, and checking the bike parts that are okay or not takes more or less over thirty minutes.
It can kill the two-hour biking session time in a significant amount.
How to take a corner on a mountain bike.
Disadvantages Of Mountain Biking
Time
Mountain Biking Can Eat Into Your Free Time
Fitness
Mountain Biking Can Be Hard Work
Cost
A Financial Cost
Unnecessary Competition
People often take this mountain bike buying issue as an unnecessary competition.
They forget the main objective of buying the bike.
They join the unhealthy competition of buying a mountain bike and often end up leaving biking.
It causes them to back into their unhealthy routine.
Maintenance
The full suspension mountain bikes are equipped with extra components and materials.
The extra parts will cost more during the repairing and maintenance.
The most unfortunate thing is that there is very little option for a good quality full suspension mountain bike.
So, the repairing, upgrading, or even replacement will be costly for the mountain bikes.
How to tackle a technical on the trail.
Weight
Having a suspension on your bike means having more components on your bike.
It causes extra weight gain. Simply, a bike with more weights will be difficult to carry faster.
The weight naturally has an impact on the speed of the bike.
But there is the option of having lighter bikes but you have to increase the budget to lower the bike weight.
Expense
A modern mountain bike can cost around a thousand US dollars which may exceed many people’s budgets.
But, the normal bikes may cost less with almost similar benefits.
The more manufacturing cost and consumer cost is advised.
A good quality full suspension bike can increase the price tag.
The same model rigid or hardtail bikes are low in cost where the full-suspension bike is more costly.
So, think and decide whether you want to do biking or you might waste your money by just buying a bike.
Competition
Many want to join the competition after biking for a short time.
But if your goal is to do a little bit of exercise then avoid this competition. Focus on your daily exercise routine. Competition is not that easy, many experienced riders cannot take the pressure of competition.
There are shoes designed specifically for the pedals. They normally have a flat design, with small pins that help you have a better grip, improve traction and have better control over the bike. The dark side of mountain biking.
Keeping the heels low and relaxing the ankles will allow you to take advantage of a centre of gravity and allow you to transfer your weight over the cranks and the wheels.
Knees
To have the perfect posture, the knees should be bent and a shoulder width apart. Allowing the legs to easily stretch or bend and act as an added suspension. By putting weight over both wheels, allowing you maintain a central body position and maximising traction.
The pelvis should be kept behind, or slightly above the saddle when you’re not tackling an exceptional big incline or jump.
The torso should be titled forward, with the head over the handlebars. Arms are bent with elbows wide opened, while you’re looking straight ahead.
Shorts
Downhill riding causes the body to never be static. The intense pedalling, weight shifts and repeatedly going in and out of the saddle causes shocks not to always be absorbed. Wearing a specifically designed pair of shorts for downhill riding will help reduce friction. Normally, the saddle is titled upwards to reduce interference and is safer in the event of a bump or a scrap.
For the brief moments you’re in the saddle, the position of the pelvis is slightly backwards. A decent pair of cycling shorts will take the posture into account with the ischial area. Without hindering your freedom of movement. Purchasing quick drying and good quality chamois fabrics will help improve comfort and maximise performance. Next in the article on How to Downhill Mountain bike we look at looking ahead.
Looking Ahead
The number one rule for mountain biking is to keep your eyes focused on the line. Mountain biking down difficult terrain comes with experience. Getting into a good habit of looking three to six meters ahead helps tackle difficult terrain. If you can’t handle the terrain, you must slow down.
Pedals
The pedals need to be level while riding downhill, with the cranks at six and nine o clock. Allowing you to have a better stance when pumping the bike.
Downhill mountain bikers need to be ready and active, anticipate obstacles and absorb shocks and bumps.
The rider needs to pivot there weight on the bottom bracket when they move up, down, right or left. Focusing on imaginary vertical line from the core. Help creating a rider MTB system that is stable and dynamic.
Braking
After the sight, weight distribution and position are correct. The next one on the checklist is the braking.
Braking needs to be done with one finger, the hands need to have a tight grip around the handle bars. Therefore, the brake levers need to be correctly positioned.
Getting into a good habit of checking the brakes on a regular basis and making sure there is no wear and tear. Learning how your brakes reacts at different speeds, terrain and weather conditions.
Braking should be done with precision, feeding the brakes on and off. Using the front brake over straight sections, steep gradients and before a corner. By weighing the front wheel to improve grip; can help slow you down.
Difficulty In Up Hilling
If you ride a full suspension bike then you might have noticed the difference in traction.
It is much easier to track with a hardtail and rigid bike than a full-suspension bike. The main reason is the back wheel.
The back wheel is not fixed in a full suspension bike.
During pedalling to the uphill, the back wheel gives a hard challenge to get good traction.
When you are fighting to lift on a trail, the center strength of the gravity remains on the backside of the mountain bike.
If you try to sit still upright on the bike seat while pedalling up on the vertical position then you might bounce back from the position.
You must stand up at that time to move the bodyweight forward and use the full strength to push the bike in front.
Checking out mtb advice for beginners.
It will shift the gravity center weight to the front wheel and effectively pull you up to the hill.
It will reduce the amount of pressure from the back wheel and allow you to rise. Pitfalls of road cycling.
A hardtail or rigid mountain bike can help you further in this regard.
This type of bikes is more solid which will allow easier traction on the back wheel. It works like a liver to pull up your weight. The flexibility offers by the full suspension is the main obstacle during the up hilling.
The fixed situation that a rigid and hardtail mountain bike offers helps to give the necessary traction power for the rear wheel.
The rear wheels get the power of recoiling from solid frames. That is the point when the suspension works to obstruct your power rather than helping you.
Suspension
Suspension or full suspension is not needed for plain roads.
Full suspension set up on front and rear which helps in pedalling in the bumpy roads instead of propelling the bike during climbing.
Suspension can be locked if not needed.
Still, it is a needless weight for many riders and additionally, it has to repair costs.
So, who doesn’t need suspension it is an extra expense for them.
Health Disadvantages
Trauma
It might be the least of the losses from mountain biking but the most irritating.
The trauma of the road rash causes rash driving on bumpy surfaces.
The cyclists might often have the worst nightmare like falling off the cycle and having an accident.
Lower Back Pain
Handling the bar for hours can give back pain even severe injuries.
The piriformis muscle is mostly affected which helps the thighs for rotating.
This muscle inflammation can cause hip pain.
It might later lead to leg pain and can damage to the sciatic nerve.
If your bike is properly set up for you then this problem will happen.
Foot Pain
Foot pain is very common among cyclists.
Most of the time the knee is the center of the pain.
A compressed knee condition changes chemical reaction and causes pain in other parts of the leg.
The cramping toe pain is also not avoidable.
The toe remains numb while you experience that pain.
A specific cycling shoe can improve the cyclist’s foot condition in this regard.
Heel Pain
Another foot issue with cyclists is heel pain.
A strain and over-worked arch ligament cause ubiquitous heel pain which resulted in plantar fasciitis.
Usually, these cases can be overcome by therapies and stretches.
But if it doesn’t work then this shockwave can be treated by Lithotripsy.
It is a sound wave therapy that works as the option of surgery.
It has no harmful side effects and has a success rate.
Bone Loss
As cycling is the lowest impact exercise this could be effective and harmful at the same time.
Honestly, cycling is bad for the bones.
American medical team has tested the competitive male bike rides leg bone.
The comparative result with the same age group of people who don’t ride a bike was better.
The non-riders bone scans were better than the bikers.
The bike rider’s bone loss was even worst at a younger age.
Some younger cyclists have osteopenia which is the prerequisite to osteoporosis.
Nerve Compression
After a long time of bike riding, many bikers experience numbness and other effects.
Spending a lot of time on the bike has many negative impacts.
The seat of a bike may occur in your sexual numbness as well.
The sitting position might reduce the blood flow by two-third to the private parts of both men and women.
A narrow bike seat is more accused of this. It might lead to loss of sensation and many other problems.
Other Injuries
Cycling is good although mountain biking has some risk factors. Besides the mentioned injuries there are also some injuries like collarbone fracture, accidental injuries in the ankle, knee, shoulder, and head.
Some common injuries are persistent. They need to be treated well by the doctor’s suggestion. There is a say that prevention is better than treating. Try some precautions and use pads for safety. Take advice for safe riding from the expert riders before trying something new to avoid accidents.
Conclusion
Bike riding is a great exercise if done properly. It keeps the body well and fit and also a good exercise for the heart. For a challenging workout, going off-road often causes accidents and crashes.
Challenges and adventures might go wrong if you mismanage or the bike fails to perform. There are many advantages and disadvantages of mountain biking so, keep the things in mind for safe biking.
Relaxing: Downhill mountain biking is meant to be fun. It will be easier to reach your full potential if you are relaxed and enjoying your time on the trail.
Trust Your Bike: Mountain bikes are designed specifically for tackling tough terrain. Getting into a good habit of letting the bike move beneath you and let it do the its job.
Body: Keep your body centred. A downhill mountain biker will look like they are standing on the pedals when they are tackling a steep spot.
Small Steps: Try a small jump or a small drop. Try and power the bike off the jump and keep the bike level when it leaves the obstacle.
Looking Forward: Focus on the trail ahead; pick a line and keep your eyes fixed on the line.
Braking: Try and not to brake for no reason. When you come across a scary part of the trail, get the bike pointed in the right direction and let it roll.
Taking a Lesson: Booking a training session with a coach will allow you to gain some expert knowledge.
We hope you have enjoyed this article on How to Downhill Mountain bike. Support our website by sharing the article on your social media.
Related Posts
How to Ride A Technical Mountain Bike Trail
Mountain Biking Trails In Wales
Pros and Cons of Mountain Biking
How to make your mountain bike faster
How to corner on a Mountain Bike
