5 Things NOT To Do When You're New To Mountain Biking

What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made? Have you made any of these mistakes?

Looking get my first mountain not for anything crazy just going through forest and a few ruff roots. But mainly trials I don’t have a lot of money probs up to about £350 max for a bike can anyone point me in a good direction thanks.

Biggest mistake when I started was doing stuff that was too technical for my skills. Ended up upside down in a tree while still clipped into my bike.

May I add "Not taking breaks". Take a break from time to time on the trail. Mistakes and blunt force trauma injuries can happen when you don't take a break and ride fatigued. Learned that life lesson the hard way.

Don't expect to heal as fast as you did when you were 20.(Started MTB at 65)

I did a jump in which I did not lift up at all

Just getting back into it. Starting to get into a little more treacherous trail riding.

Great video. I keep forgetting to keep my cranks level. Also don't trust the sizing calculator on bikesonline, I got an unrideable, too-big bike that according to them should have fitted me perfectly!

I'm so new to this I haven't even ride yet. I'll let you know my mistakes. I did get a older good bike to start. So I'm good so far.

I had 1st generation specialize stumpjumper, which came out in 1981. I figured I could ride it at slow speed of a 6 foot drop onto flat ground. Mountain bikes weren’t a thing before that. My friends and I had no idea what mountain biking was all about but we had a good time.

I am in the UK, 40 year old but a fat man. I have lost 2.5 stone through a personal trainer at the gym, I am now 21.5 stone. I having been using my push bike which looks like a mountain bike but has road tyres, which works ok in the road. However, I want to bike on the south downs. What type of new bike should I be looking at and what model for a fat lad? I've been recommended to see Rayment Cycles in Brighton, but I don't want to be fat shamed as I am trying to do something about it so a bit hesitant to go see them.

Going too far. I don't shred, I just go out for nice cross-country trail rides to enjoy the bike & the scenery. Going too far usually happens when I'm on a new trail, and am presented with the lure of that ever-beckoning curve in the trail. At a point where I'm getting tired and should turn around, I always end up thinking "I'll just go as far as the top of that next little hill, just to see what's on the other side." So I do, and of course then there's the next one, and the next one. The last time I made that mistake, luckily for me I had just come back to a paved road that would lead a short distance to my parked car. Going back the way I came would have been a long, slow ride. I had actually already turned around to ride back the long way, but my legs made the decision for me. They said, in no uncertain terms, "NOPE. Not today."

Biggest mistake, riding in woodland (away from the tracks) without a drink on a hot sunny day. I was so glad when I found the blackberries and ate loads of them.

Computer wireless gears on any bike is just superfluous and not necessary 😊 Like the dude says get yourself a hardtail these are big boy bikes only for the headstrong hold it down 😊

I cannot conceptualize any form of allure regarding road cycling

As a beginner I went straight to blue trails and now I’m suffering the consequences with shoulder pain from a fall😅 definitely start easy until you get the skills to go on harder trails

I headplanted off of a big drop because i went too slow

Not really a big mistake but: on my first trail ride. I kept forgetting te color I was following. I started with blue then came purple and then came red. Eventually made my way back to blue. I but made 20km extra. Ended up doing 45km. It was quite something. :)

Great video lads! im 10 months in and started on a Trek marlin 5. Just ordered a Norco sight as the trek was very uncomfortable attempting any jumps aside from drops. very keen to get my hands on it and progress upwards

I’ve been riding the same mtb. For 21 years. I just put new derailleurs and chain on it was shifting funny again. Probably about time for new forks as well there factory and rebuilt a few times. It’s a mongoose XR-100. I don’t ride as much as I used to and will probably land on my face if I try jumping again.