How Dangerous Is Mountain Biking? Mountain Bike Riding Safety Tips
Are you going to start mountain biking? Hmm, you want to do it for spending leisure, making fun, or professional purposes. But you should know that biking in the mountains doesn’t always bring happiness. There are dangers, too! So you must know – how dangerous mountain biking is and safety tips to get rid of them.
Accidents are unavoidable, and a mountain biker faces them often. But some safety tips can prevent most of them. That is why, in this blog post, we will tell you about the dangers of it and safety tips to lessen the damage or get rid of them. Let’s have a look:
Dangers in Mountain Biking
Undoubtedly, mountain biking is pleasurable. That is why many people do it either for fun or for professional purposes. If you are a beginner, you should know about the mountain biking risks, too, before starting it. Of course, knowing the mountain biking vs. road biking differences can help you eliminate the coming dangers. However, let’s know how dangerous mountain biking can be if you are unconscious:
Bone injuries
Bone injuries are also known as bone fractures. These are common dangers that mountain bikers frequently face. Always bear in mind that they can destroy a biker’s career. In this regard, mountain biking injuries statistics can give you a clear idea about it.
Generally, most of the time, the injuries occur on the upper body. And the Clavicle bone is the most affected part. Fractures frequently happen in other parts, such as the cervical, pelvis, lumbar spine, distal radius, thoracic, tibia, rib, scapular, and proximal femur.
Skin and soft tissue injuries
Contusions, lacerations, and abrasions are skin and soft tissue related injuries. If a mountain biker becomes the victim of deep cuts or wounds due to a bike wreck or any other issues, prompt treatment and quality medication can help him recover soon. Naturally, when the injury is less severe, the biker gets back to cycling again without waiting for recovery. The sprains on the joints and neck and back strains also belong to this category.
Read More About How Much Should You Spend on a Mountain Bike?
Injuries in and out of abdomen and chest
Mountain bike fails can lead to severe injuries in and out of the abdomen and chest. Usually, children become the worst sufferers here. When it occurs, severe damage can be caused because of a collision with the handlebars. Injuries to the liver are remarkable incidents here.
Head and facial related injuries
Mountain biking deaths per year are increasing day by day due to accidents. Our head is the most sensitive organ of the body, and when you have a head injury, the possibility of death becomes acute. Or it may cause severe brain damage. Also, facial injuries are so common here. But a good quality mountain bike armor can quickly help you get out of the problems.
Joint injuries
If you go through the statistics on mountain bike accidents, you can easily understand the consequences of joint injuries. When you face an accident because of poor control, skids, or falls, it puts pressure on your joints, such as fingers, wrist, knees, and ankles. Here, the most common types of injuries are the acromioclavicular ones. Besides, the dislocation of knees and elbows, lateral menisci, and cruciate ligaments are also common.
Other fatal injuries
Because of mountain bike mishaps, you can be a victim of fatal injuries like chest trauma, transected coronary, pulmonary contusion, ruptured diaphragm, intracranial hemorrhage, and so on. In that case, wearing mountain bike safety gear can keep you safe a bit more.
Reasons for the dangers
No biker can guarantee that a bike accident will not happen in their life. Of course, it has some reasons, and to lessen the damage during the period should be your target. Firstly, let’s know the reasons for mountain biking accidents at a glance:
- Firstly, the nature of the terrain is mostly responsible in this regard. If you ride on a loose mountainside terrain or take trail turns sharply along the downhill, the possibility will increase.
- The bike’s technical faults during a race can accelerate the possibility of various dangers during the sessions.
- The mistakes of a biker are also responsible for accidents. A wrong move or selecting the wrong side can be the cause of suffering. Other errors can include low concentration, unintended braking, poor balancing, offensive maneuvers, loss of control, drunken cycling, and misjudging vertical falls.
- The type of cycling is another reason behind mountain bike danger. Some types are more dangerous than normal ones. They need more accurate techniques and determinations to avoid risk.
- The lack of experience is also responsible in this regard. To avoid the coming dangers, one needs to acquire more riding skills. And of course, you cannot be a professional rider in a day. You have to practice it continuously and gradually, can turn into an experienced one.
Safety Tips to Avoid Mountain Biking Dangers
Only better skills will not keep you, danger-free. So apart from these, you have to maintain some safety tips. You will have some valuable suggestions in the following, and I guarantee they will help you avoid dangers more than before if you follow them strictly. Let’s see them at a glance:
- Learn safety measures: if you are a beginner or a professional, learning safety measures is vital. It will save both you and your bike before falling on a road. For parents, we always suggest teaching their kids how to stay safe during a ride. And of course, you must choose a lightweight and easy to control bike for mountain biking. It’s very convenient for biking.
Riding is undoubtedly fun, and if the level reaches the highest peak and you become less attentive, a severe mishap can happen. In this case, your bike can be damaged so seriously that only repair may not solve it. And before riding on unfamiliar terrain, you should carefully know about the road conditions and then start the day.
As nobody can guarantee about a coming accident, you should always maintain safety measures and cycling rules. As most of the accidents are preventable, you must be careful all the time.
- Never go beyond your skills: Whenever you go on an unknown trail, you should consider the potential risks. “Keep your brain cool” is easy to advise but difficult to follow. Nevertheless, you have to be conscious as an accident can spoil your career. So when you perceive that the road is risky, you had better get down from the bike and walk to pass over the place. Don’t cross the limit of your skills. Advance slowly, and one day, you will be an expert, I guarantee.
- Increase your landing skill: Landing skills are essential to avoid accidents. As a biker needs to face different trails, he/she should enhance the landing skill to stay safe. It happens that you are riding at full speed and suddenly find a ditch. What will happen then? Truly, controlling the speed and getting down quickly from the bike can help you overcome a collision with ease. Therefore, to become an expert, you should learn how to land nicely and smoothly.
- Put on mountain biking gear always: The proverb goes that prevention is better than cure. Accidents can happen at any time and are also preventable. Yes, always putting on mountain biking gear can prevent you from severe damage even if you become the victim of an accident. Therefore, keep your head, legs, knees, arms, and elbows safe by wearing necessary safe-guards.
- Ride slowly while riding around blind corners: Some bikers don’t consider adverse road conditions and ride at a high speed. As a result, they often face accidents, but isn’t it ideal for riding slowly while riding around blind corners. Hmm, the spots are dangerous as the soils are a bit loose there. If you suddenly fall, can you imagine the consequences? Therefore, you have to be careful while passing the areas.
- Don’t ride without a helmet: Helmets are essential to keep your head safe. You can fall at any time during the session, but wearing a helmet can protect your head from serious injuries. Whether you are a road biker or a downhill racer, a helmet always lessens the possibilities of brain damage. Besides, it saves your head from rainwater or sun heat.
- Know about the trail beforehand: Naturally, you choose a route before starting a ride. So we request you to do a quick research about the road beforehand. This one will help you know the ins and outs of the road. On the other hand, Google Maps can play a vital role in learning about an unknown road with ease.
- Insurance Policy: Acquiring insurance policies for the bike and yourself can help you ease the pressure of spending money on bike repair and your treatment. If you have the policy, the agency will bear all the expenses, and you need not break your bank in this regard.
The Conclusion
The above post will help you know about the dangers of mountain biking and their safety tips. If you follow them minutely, it’s possible to overcome many of them. Besides, when you face an accident, they will help you lessen the damage. Now I would like to request you that please, keep your brain cool and ride carefully. Otherwise, you have to repent in the long run.
