I started MTBing as an adult a few years back. At first, I was mega scared of anything slightly risky, I would always be visualising the worst thing that could go wrong.
Over time my bike handling and confidence has improved and I now find myself going pretty quick on stuff I would have walked down before. But still very much an XC novice in bike skills.
The other day, I clipped a tree on an easy section I've done many times before, and almost got launched off the bike. My previous off was on a gentle part of the SDW, I got distracted by the view and caught the edge of a rut, came close to breaking my collarbone.
Does anyone else find that familiarity creates more danger than new and challenging trails? And how do you stay mentally switched on when your brain has already decided a section is easy?
It's not just mountain biking, you can apply this theory to pretty much anything in life. We talk about it a lot in work, (power station engineering) to keep it in peoples minds that if your mindset is to use a quick shortcut and they become habitual, you're putting yourself at risk of an accident. Well, incident because in that circumstance, it wasn't really accidental.
There is almost no familiarity with the trails on the south downs - especially ruts. They get deeper and move around every winter. The only way is to concentrate on where you are going, looking ahead and lots of movement to not commit to a rut line that is going to be bad news. All part of the fun 😎
I think it's quite common to have 'offs' on non-technical parts of trails. I've had a stick flick between the spokes of the front wheel and lock against the fork on a flat section I was rolling through (and at that point you're not even properly braced on the bike). One of the guides at a holiday company we go with broke his collarbone rolling down a firetrack.
It's just part of Mtb life
im going to say yes. I've just decided to do my motorbike test having put it off for 30 years. I do like to throw myself off things and perceive risk quite differently to some (clearly not all), which became apparnt whilst doing the risk and hazard awareness tests you now have to do . I was seeing things that i thought, nah not a problem ive clocked it im in control, but then highlighting something else which wasnt even part of the marking - weird!
Yes, was trundling down a trail that I have been riding for 30+ years a couple of weeks ago. Chain link fence to the left, post and handrail affair to the right guarding a 30ft drop into the river below.
Distance between the two is about 1000mm.
Was day dreaming and clipped a fence post on the right, the bars twisted and I was on the ground in an instant. If I had gone left I would have been fingers first into the chain, right and I would have been headfirst into the Irwell. Luckily I went straight on and landed in the dirt.
Everyone who doesn’t know the section takes it carefully. Because I have ridden it probably a hundred times I was singing songs in my head.
Have been picking the scabs off my shins and elbow all week.
To stay switched on riding easy familiar stuff I try to either focus on riding it perfectly or focus on improving one particular aspect of riding.
For example, there’s a section of trail I ride all the time that’s around 30 little berms in a row. It’s very easy to ride and can get a bit boring so I focus on something different each time. One day I might really try to focus on my body position in each berm, or try to only use front brake, or no brakes at all, or manual as much as I can, or focus on pumping everything possible etc.
Not strictly MTB specific, but yes.
I'm a skydiver and normalising that type of risk is, in my experience, very common. We've recently made a big push to try and re-center the focus we have on safety specifically to stop the "norm" from moving too far away from safety (which it apparently has done in the last few years).
I see the risk nbormalisation in y own jumping when I am filming groups. I have nearly dozed off on the trip up because all i have to do is wait for the light, then climb out before the team. As long as I get the exit right, it's all good and I just have to pitch at the right time. I used to take the motorbike to the DZ a lot, but there was a serious clash between how my brain processed speeds and risk on the way home and I had to stop.
On an MTB or normal bike, especially when commuting, I can feel myself accepting the close passing taxis and busses as normal and the main feelings are impatience and anger, rather than the normal response of fear when I get forced to jump a curb because someone has blocked me at a corner. I am not sure that's 100% healthy.
@iainc saw me flip my bike and hit the deck on a very easy track in Rothiemurchus Forest just after we had descended the Lairig Ghru path. To this day I still have no idea what happened. There was no obvious obstacle, we weren't riding fast, I had a clear view of the track. FWIW I still have a bloody good look at that bit of track every time I ride it now!
@willard I recall cycling into Edinburgh each morning and I could almost feel the adrenaline building as I neared the busier bits of the city centre. It wasn't fear - it was more like excitement at the prospect of dealing with other traffic. I didn't think that was very healthy or conducive to a long life.
^^ it was certainly a totally innocuous bit of flat wide path. Weird how things like that happen though.
My last crash was clipping a small stump on the side of a flat, wide walkers path... after spending all afternoon "safely" riding slabs and drops. It's always the easy stuff that gets me.
@iainc saw me flip my bike and hit the deck on a very easy track in Rothiemurchus Forest just after we had descended the Lairig Ghru path. To this day I still have no idea what happened. There was no obvious obstacle, we weren't riding fast, I had a clear view of the track. FWIW I still have a bloody good look at that bit of track every time I ride it now!
Haggis ran across the trail.
I used to take the motorbike to the DZ a lot, but there was a serious clash between how my brain processed speeds and risk on the way home and I had to stop.
That's genuinely really interesting. Cognitive psychologists would be salivating over that.
Does anyone else find that familiarity creates more danger than new and challenging trails? And how do you stay mentally switched on when your brain has already decided a section is easy?
Its not easy, you're just not trying hard enough.
In seriousness, when you've decided it isnt worth your bother to do it properly - whether thats coasting along sat down, not bothering to drop the seat, looking at the view rather than concentrating on the actual riding.... that swhen you are likely to come off. something that is easy when done "properly" with correct weight distribution, absorbing small impacts, correcting steering inputs, can be beyond your/your bike's capability when you've got your weight on your arse and pedals at 12 and 6, thinking about whats for dinner.
That's genuinely really interesting. Cognitive psychologists would be salivating over that.
Available for research, weddings and birthdays
I've had a stick flick between the spokes of the front wheel and lock against the fork on a flat section I was rolling through (and at that point you're not even properly braced on the bike).
I've had this happen to me, took me off the bike for a good 6 weeks. Highly frustrating.
I used to cycle to work from west to central London every day for basically a decade, and I'm sure that did something to my risk perception and normalisation around traffic. Six+ years later, I think I'm much more circumspect now.
A couple of times I can think of. 1st like ScotRoutes is a trail local to me. Nothing mad crazy but a nice bit of downhill where the local kids have built a few jumps/kickers and some drops.
I went OTB on a completely flat section. Managed to tear a shoulder ligament so was off the bike for 6 weeks over summer 🙁
Same as ScotRoutes, I look at that section every time and wonder how the hell I managed to cock it up.
The other time as similarly riding a slightly rocky gradual downhill section. Nice and easy done loads of times before but caught a pedal and spannered it. That time I was just overly tired.
Conversely went to Antur on the hardtail last year. Not my normal type of riding and out of my comfort zone, especially in the pissing rain and strong wind. Really enjoyed it and didn't cock anything up. But it's fair to say I was hyper focussed.
