There's always some new sport brewing, whether it's something more extreme that somehow makes its way to the mainstream, like skateboarding and rollerblading, or something so weird that not many people are ever going to take it up, like kiteboarding or skydiving. And most sports that have been created have something to do with invention and innovation, where there's a need for a new use for an area, or an object.
One of the more popular new sports initially started growing around ski areas where no one knew what to do with the mountain during the time there wasn't snow. Like many other famous sports, it developed from just a good idea to a national craze. The sport in question? Mountain biking.
Instead of simply going for a hike, or going for a bike ride across town, mountain biking managed to combine the two elements of getting around on a bicycle with maneuvering one's way through the wilderness. Since its initial inception, different riders took the sport in different directions. Some were interested in keeping the bikes in urban environments but using them differently, while others were more focused on creating a challenging speed-based environment that looked more like downhill slalom ski racing.
But more than that, there are different types of mountain biking, some of which spend time on more manicured surfaces, some who go all out and head to the middle of nowhere, and others where the riding is more built on creating one's own type of style and implementing it, but in the dirt instead of out on the street.
With so much innovation to the sport, it's sometimes difficult to tell which are different styles, and which are just new takes on old concepts that aren't actually a separate riding school. That's not as important as figuring out what type of riding one wants to be participating in, but can also be helpful for making a choice--and even figuring out a bike to use--at some point down the road.
Probably the most famous variation of mountain biking is the kind seen everywhere from ESPN's X-Games to "bike parks" around the country. The style, dirt jumping, or big dirt riding, involves bicyclists with a significant amount of padding and smaller, durable mountain bikes taking on a large dirt jump. Riders are judged by the tricks they perform in the air, usually variations of twisting, flipping, and maneuvering the bike but still having a safe landing. While fun to watch, this is definitely not the spot for aspiring mountain bicyclists to begin.
A good transition from the type of mountain biking that most people picture into the more trick oriented riding is urban or street mountain biking, which many people would rather just categorize as an "extreme sport" but in an urban manner. The trick of this riding is to head to either deserted urban areas, or into more natural settings, and try to perform tricks and maneuver locations that are as they are when arriving. Often, the bicycles are a great deal lighter than those used for all-around mountain biking.
Most people interested in mountain biking would do best to start out with basic cross-country riding, which is simply taking on terrain either on a trail or in more general wilderness. Cross-country can be as simple or as difficult as the rider desires, and there is usually no clock to beat. It's more about testing one's own limits, and learning to handle a mountain bike while developing more of an understanding of different types of terrain and the skills needing to maneuver a mountain bike through them.
For riders who have graduated past basic cross-country, a number of professionals in the field have more challenging styles ready and waiting. The newest and fastest take on cross-country is something called speed cross, which is also known as short cross. With short cross, a very short course with a great deal of obstacles is prepared, and riders take turns seeing who can maneuver it the fastest without falling down.
Since mountain biking is such a new and exciting sport, surely many other different variations and styles are bound to pop up in the next few years. But far from being just an outsider's sport, it's beginning to get the kind of acclaim that could eventually mean Olympic trials. Regardless of how mainstream or not it is, mountain biking is an incredible opportunity to participate in a sport that actually involves heading out into nature. Even if the closest thing to nature that's around is a park in New York City, those who are participating in mountain biking are outside in a way that other sports just haven't done, and the result will hopefully be more people of all ages who are healthy and not glued to screens all day long.
One of the more popular new sports initially started growing around ski areas where no one knew what to do with the mountain during the time there wasn't snow. Like many other famous sports, it developed from just a good idea to a national craze. The sport in question? Mountain biking.
Instead of simply going for a hike, or going for a bike ride across town, mountain biking managed to combine the two elements of getting around on a bicycle with maneuvering one's way through the wilderness. Since its initial inception, different riders took the sport in different directions. Some were interested in keeping the bikes in urban environments but using them differently, while others were more focused on creating a challenging speed-based environment that looked more like downhill slalom ski racing.
But more than that, there are different types of mountain biking, some of which spend time on more manicured surfaces, some who go all out and head to the middle of nowhere, and others where the riding is more built on creating one's own type of style and implementing it, but in the dirt instead of out on the street.
With so much innovation to the sport, it's sometimes difficult to tell which are different styles, and which are just new takes on old concepts that aren't actually a separate riding school. That's not as important as figuring out what type of riding one wants to be participating in, but can also be helpful for making a choice--and even figuring out a bike to use--at some point down the road.
Probably the most famous variation of mountain biking is the kind seen everywhere from ESPN's X-Games to "bike parks" around the country. The style, dirt jumping, or big dirt riding, involves bicyclists with a significant amount of padding and smaller, durable mountain bikes taking on a large dirt jump. Riders are judged by the tricks they perform in the air, usually variations of twisting, flipping, and maneuvering the bike but still having a safe landing. While fun to watch, this is definitely not the spot for aspiring mountain bicyclists to begin.
A good transition from the type of mountain biking that most people picture into the more trick oriented riding is urban or street mountain biking, which many people would rather just categorize as an "extreme sport" but in an urban manner. The trick of this riding is to head to either deserted urban areas, or into more natural settings, and try to perform tricks and maneuver locations that are as they are when arriving. Often, the bicycles are a great deal lighter than those used for all-around mountain biking.
Most people interested in mountain biking would do best to start out with basic cross-country riding, which is simply taking on terrain either on a trail or in more general wilderness. Cross-country can be as simple or as difficult as the rider desires, and there is usually no clock to beat. It's more about testing one's own limits, and learning to handle a mountain bike while developing more of an understanding of different types of terrain and the skills needing to maneuver a mountain bike through them.
For riders who have graduated past basic cross-country, a number of professionals in the field have more challenging styles ready and waiting. The newest and fastest take on cross-country is something called speed cross, which is also known as short cross. With short cross, a very short course with a great deal of obstacles is prepared, and riders take turns seeing who can maneuver it the fastest without falling down.
Since mountain biking is such a new and exciting sport, surely many other different variations and styles are bound to pop up in the next few years. But far from being just an outsider's sport, it's beginning to get the kind of acclaim that could eventually mean Olympic trials. Regardless of how mainstream or not it is, mountain biking is an incredible opportunity to participate in a sport that actually involves heading out into nature. Even if the closest thing to nature that's around is a park in New York City, those who are participating in mountain biking are outside in a way that other sports just haven't done, and the result will hopefully be more people of all ages who are healthy and not glued to screens all day long.
About the Author:
Damian Papworth loves the thrill of mountain biking, but always ensures he fills his bike water bottles for his trips. A cycling water bottle is crucial to maintaining hydration in this grueling sport.
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