49 Things You Have to Do on Your MTB This Summer, Starting Today

Memorial Day is the unofficial kickoff to summer here in the USA, and we don’t want to waste a single moment! With that in mind, here’s a list of 49 things you have to do on your mountain bike during the roughly 100 days between now and Labor Day. Print this out and check off the …

By Jeff Barber
May 30, 2016 Last Updated: July 22, 2024

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Enter a mountain bike race.
Go for a night ride.
Ride a fat bike on dry trails.
Build a trail.
Go on an overnight bikepacking trip.
Change a tire yourself.
Ride at a bike park or resort. Take the chairlift to the top!
Go for a dawn patrol ride that starts before the sun rises.
Start (and end) a singletrack ride from your front door.
Explore a trail this isn’t marked, or blaze your own across open land.
Complete a dirty century (100 miles off road).
Review a great trail on Singletracks. Review a terrible one too.
Buy something you might normally buy online from your local bike shop.
Go for a ride on a day when you think you’re just too tired.
Book a guide and ride somewhere new with a tour group.
Learn how to manual.
Spend half a day maintaining your local singletrack.
Take a kid mountain biking.
Jump your bike into a lake.
Ride above treeline.
Go for a ride that involves more than 2,000 feet of climbing.
Learn how to bunny hop without relying on your clipless pedals.
Ride in another state.
Build a ramp.
Ride a 1,000+-foot continuous descent.
Ride a pumptrack.
Demo a bike you’ve never ridden.
Ride a hardtail.
Go for a ride with flat pedals instead of clipless.
Ride with a dropper post if you don’t already have one. Or, just manually lower your seat on a big descent.
Invite a friend who has never tried mountain biking for a ride.
Put a new chain on.
Wash your mountain bike thoroughly using dish soap and an old toothbrush.
Ride in another country.
Go to a mountain bike festival.
Volunteer at your local bike co-op.
Ride a rigid and/or singlespeed mountain bike.
Bring your favorite bike mechanic a 12-pack.
Stick a singletracks sticker somewhere.
Shuttle a ride using a friend’s vehicle.
Dip into a swimming hole mid-ride.
Help a rider stopped on the trail by offering a tire change or a snack.
Listen to the singletracks podcast on your way to the trail.
Replace the sealant in your tires or go tubeless if you haven’t already.
Take a selfie on the trail and share it with the hashtag #singletracksummer.
Spend all day riding.
Organize a group ride with half a dozen friends.
Go for an analog ride: no GPS, no music, no phone.
Attend a skills clinic–you’ll probably learn something even if you’ve been a mountain biker for years!