Mountain Biking and Why I Love (the idea of) It
Out of all the highs, you could possibly seek, the high an adrenaline rush gives you can be the healthiest, yet the most dangerous. And there is no better way to achieve it than manoeuvring through rough terrains and impossibly narrow roads, accompanied by the thrill of conquering mountains armed with just a bike. Since we are too broke to afford a decent motorbike in college, biking here refers to cycles.
In recreational biking, there are three main types respectively, Road, Mountain and BMX.
Road bikers are concerned with being aerodynamic, improving their average speed, and shaving off ALL their body hair for some reason. They try to use the lightest bike they can afford, with the dropped handlebars and really thin tires that you may have seen.
BMXers (bicycle motocross) aim to have the most fun. They ride in skate parks and off-road trails and focus mainly on learning and performing stunts. They use small bikes which to the uninitiated eye, may be mistaken for a toddler bike.
These bikes generally don’t have multiple gears and have an unusually low seat.
Mountain biking is somewhere in the middle. Despite the name, mountain bikers don’t just limit themselves to mountains. We ride on dirt trails, forest paths, rocky terrains and hilly areas. We use sturdy bikes which are built to take a beating. Mountain bikes with both front and back suspension are called full suspension MTBs.
However, some mountain bikers prefer only the front suspension, to feel the trail with higher accuracy and not lose pedalling power. These are called hardtails. They tend to be cheaper and are the bikes which most beginners start with.
In some countries, there are well-developed MTB parks with man-made “single tracks”. These off-road trails are only wide enough for a single person to ride through. They have obstacles like jumps, sudden drops, meandering turns etc. These obstacles are called “features” in our lingo. “Cleaning a feature” refers to riding through an obstacle with full control and speed. The main aim of mountain bikers is to complete the trails as fast as possible and with maximum control. There is a high chance of serious injury, like broken bones, every time we ride in the trails. So why do we do it?
For me personally, it’s the thrill that comes from extremely rapid decision making upon which I rely to stay in one piece. The thrill is interactive. It is not like a roller coaster in which you are, literally and figuratively, just going along for the ride. You are solely responsible for your bike. Each split second you need to choose a line (an imaginary line on the ground which you ride on). Your mind races with thoughts like “Do I go over the jump or do I choose a line to circumvent it? I can’t see beyond the jump. A possible sudden turn may send me off the trail. On the other hand, the line to go around it is lengthy and adds valuable seconds to my run time.” All this, while hurtling towards the said jump with full speed and just a blink of an eye away from it.
I find the experience very similar to flying a jet fighter. Chris Hadfield (Canadian astronaut and test pilot), in his autobiography, describes it as requiring complete focus. He says a preoccupied mind is like a death sentence. All that matters in the next few seconds is how you handle the plane. And absolutely nothing else. Though the stakes in mountain biking are not as high as life and death, a fall has the potential to paralyze you for life.
However, I wouldn’t call it a dangerous sport. MTB trails have signboards at their starting points which gives them a difficulty rating. As long as you stick to trails that match your skill level, you should be fine.
If done properly, mountain biking rewards the riders handsomely. You often feel the adrenaline rush, learn to discipline the mind and get to see breath-taking views. Here are some pictures I took while riding around TAPMI.
The United States of America has well-established trail systems maintained by the government, private companies and/or volunteers. Riding there is a whole different experience. India is woefully undeveloped in terms of trails. Hence the unfortunate title.
If you feel like giving it a try, look to borrow a Hercules Rodeo A75. It’s a decent hardtail and many are present in the MIT (Manipal) campus.
