How Often do you Mountain Bike at Your Limit? [Survey]

Do you go all out every ride, or only on special occasions?

By Jeff Barber
May 10, 2020 Last Updated: September 17, 2021

7 comments

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Two mountain bikers ride all out in a compeitition.

During this unusual time, many of us are being told to be extra cautious and to ride well within our limits to avoid injury. But judging by pretty much every mountain bike video we’ve ever watched, mountain biking is all about sprinting out the door and pinning it straight through to the finish every time. We suspect for most riders (during normal times anyway), reality is somewhere in between the two.

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7 Comments

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m.krupp Kentucky // 2018
May 11, 2020

I am not confused. I understand the survey to mean pre-COVID 19 how did you ride. I think about every ride I go on at some point I push myself to or past my limits. I interpret this in multiple ways. Sometimes it is my fitness on a climb or to get a trail or two in as fast as I can or to ride as much as I can in a given time frame. Sometimes it is climb that is techy or long or difficult. Sometimes it is a feature or skill. Dialed in back some last couple of months but as things have developed and evidence is telling I have started pushing myself more. Specifically in pushing obstacles and skills that can lead to crashes. Even on those days I feel chill starting out and maybe tired and tell myself I am just out to ride and enjoy. At some point I find myself mashing on the pedals climbing hard or trying get more speed and looking for some obstacle to smash through. Being on a bike just brings out the inner-self that wants to test myself and feel the thrill of success.

0 reply

SKeen 2019
May 12, 2020

Agreed, there are limits of cardio, general technical up flat or downhill, all out downhilling, jumping/hucking. All very different ways to go all out. Frequency of each depends on time of year, training cycle, mood, etc... But I'd estimate 20% of the time maxing out in one way or another.

killer climb Pennsylvania // 2019
May 10, 2020

Limits is more complex for me. My crashes for one mainly come from just bonehead moves riding along no pressure, quite comical to see Im sure. So riding limits and crashes for me dont correspond with each other. And limits on just shredding are not to often and when they do happen it will be in a fast decent which are only a small percentage of the trails i ride. Clipping along at a pace if you crash its going to be really bad and ya have that rush of holy $#%? that was so close and would have gone so wrong but that was so exhilarating and man I feel alive! Lastly climbing which is the majority of our trails. Punchy , technical climbs one after another that will test you over and over for your fitness and skills at a snails pace only to try and stay on the pedals. At 3mph its a limit I feel thats part of the ride some feel but to me its just the norm. Just as I think I just rode my limit I'll one up a ride or just the opposite, because I'm growing old my limits are starting to narrow up as the reeper is on the best equipment forever and always aways at my heels. Shred on !

rmap01 Maryland // 2013
May 12, 2020

Not sure why there appears to be confusion as to the question since it specifically pertains to riding within our limits to "avoid injury". For me, it has to be at least once a ride where I am pushing my limits. Maybe it's the way I'm wired but I thrive on the endorphin rush from pushing my limits. Getting out of your comfort zone is the only way to improve. Just be smart about risk assessing and don't take on too much too soon. No one wants to end up in the ER, especially these days!

mattyhawk California // 2017
May 10, 2020

The wording is a bit confusing. What I gather from the survey is related to defending specifically. That I usually only push 60-80% most times. If we are talking ascending, I pin it based on my training plan.

Mick-e 2017
May 10, 2020

The wording is confusing. I wasn’t sure if the question is how am I riding right now, or how I normally ride, or normal pre covid. I answered pre covid, but others may vary. I’m currently doing 2 things. Primarily riding the closest trails which are mostly dirt roads so not very gnarly there, and when I do get some proper single track 95% of the time I’m riding in the suggested 80% with only the occasional can’t help myself full send.

enduroexpert78 Virginia // 2019
May 10, 2020

Agreed. Riding only social (bandit) trails in the neighborhood greenspace due to COVID. Pre-COVID I aim to ride at the limits of my competence. When I go beyond my capabilities without understanding the technique, I typically crash, which is okay. I learn through failure. And practice. Lots of practice.

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