Mountain Biking Basics

Posted bysolidoaksrvtrailPosted inMountain BikingTags:, , , , , ,

How do you keep 3 active boys and a girl happy on our camping trips outside of hiking, swimming, and s’mores? Mountain Biking. Most of our planned trips revolved around parks with trails designated for mountain bikes.

Check out these tips to see if you’re prepared.⠀Paved bike trails & mountain bike trails are not created equal. Swipe to see a MTB trail & road back to the campground in one ride from our Map My Ride app which doesn’t show the BIG hill to get back to the campground. 5 miles on a MTB trail can easily feel like 10+ road miles.⠀

  • 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹: Take a look at the park map, https://www.mtbproject.com/, or www.single tracks.com to see the length, difficulty, path, & elevation change. Trails could be closed if they are wet, because it could tear up the path. Print out a map in case GPS doesn’t work well. Not all trails are marked well.⠀
  • 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀: pedals are tight, tires pumped up, water bottles are full, seat at the right height, brakes work well. MTB tires work best for traction⠀
  • 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁: good-fitting helmets, shoes to grip the pedals, first aid kit (w/big bandages), clothing that won’t get caught in the 🚲 & can get wet or muddy going through puddles or creeks. We’ve had someone tumble EVERY trip—some worse than others, so travel with a friend!⠀
  • 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀: bike-sized tool kit (socket set, Allen wrenches & bits) & air pump, extra inner tubes, sturdy backpack or bike bag to hold extra items & snacks. You WILL burn calories and we typically refuel halfway through. Inner tubes may seem extreme but we’ve had to walk one all the way back out from the furthest point due to a bad rock hit. 🙄⠀
  • 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹-𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: You need to be comfortable on your 🚲 with balance, brakes, gear-shifting, quick turns & elevation changes. If you’re uncomfortable you’ll be walking 1/2 of it which isn’t fun. Kids should be off of training wheels (not in a seat or trailer) & be able to handle following directions well while moving. We almost lost our youngest over a cliff & into the Muscatatuck River our first trip out because she didn’t hear to turn left with her brothers nor notice. 😬 Thank God for a big old tree that grew 50 years earlier.⠀

Check out IMBA’s difficulty rating system on their site: www.imba.com. Do you feel like you are better prepared to hit the mountain bike trail now?

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