Reserve Mountain Bike Jumps For Experienced Riders
Monday, October 1st, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
For different unknown reasons, many riders believe that when owning a mountain bike, jumps are a mandatory part of riding. While riding down mountain trails or on bicycle moto-cross tracks jumping will be part of the trail, either on purpose or by the nature of the trail, however those who are inexperienced or uncomfortable with mountain bike jumps should avoid them.
When using a trail with mountain bike jumps there are a few points of proper etiquette to remember when screaming down hills. First, if you are not the one that made the trail or the mountain bike jumps, do not make any changes to them. The person who made the trail is the only one with the right to initiate any changes. Additionally, if you come across any jumps that may be broken either mark them in some manner or move them out of the way, so riders behind you do not get hurt.
If riding a trail with mountain bike jumps or other stunts, and one breaks, do not go off about how useless the construction was. Either fix it right or move it out of the way. Another important aspect about mountain bike trails, if you are building a beginner trail; do not place it around a serious stunt trail. This can prove harmful for the inexperienced who get in the way of those doing stunts, as well as the more experienced riders running into the newbies.
Stick To What Experience Allows
When on a new stunt course, the rider should never attempt to do stunts without a more experienced rider to offer suggestions. Attempting an unfamiliar stunt, especially alone could have disastrous consequences with no one else around to go for help. You should also never walk on mountain bike jumps, as there is a good possibility they can be damaged. Many sturdier ramps may be able to take it, but those with poor construction could break under the concentrated weight of a person walking on them.
While there are many mountain bike jumps available to purchase that can withstand a lot of wear and tear, they can also be costly and not many individuals have the budget to buy professionally built ramps. Most build their own out of cheap lumber and for individual use in learning how to successfully negotiate mountain bike jumps, they work fine. If a large group of people begin to use them, the homemade jumps may not withstand the abuse.
