Safety First When Riding Downhill Mountain Bikes

Downhill mountain biking is a gravity-assisted sport where riders race to navigate the steep, rough terrain to reach the bottom in the shortest time possible.With the extreme nature of this sport, it is impossible for any racer not to have fun.However, if people do not practice caution, all of the fun can quickly become dangerous.Always remember these important guidelines to keep yourself safe whenever you ride downhill MTBs.

When riding your downhill mountain bike, a helmet is the most important safety gear that you will have.Choose a full-face, motocross-style helmet to protect your head from all angles.A helmet will prevent injuries like head trauma or a broken jaw should you fall off your bike while riding downhill.

Choosing the right type of biking shoes will help you keep your feet on the pedal and to avoid twisting your ankle or bruising your shins.In order to protect your hips and thighs from getting scraped in case you do fall, you should wear reinforced cycling shorts.You can also protect your eyes from dust and focus your attention to the road by wearing safety goggles.

By wearing a full armour, you can safely ride the fast and bumpy road downhill, with little risk of body injuries such as scrapes, road burn and broken bones.A full armor consists of items like chest protectors; shoulder, elbow and knee pads; and shin guards.See to it that you also wear gloves at all times; not only will they improve your grip on the handlebars, they will also prevent you from scraping your palms should you fall.

There are some other things that you can do to be safe while on a downhill mountain bike.Keep in mind that tightening any of your bike’s clamps or levers too much can cause them to break, and increase your risk of falling.In addition, you can prevent mud and dirt from sticking to the frame of your mountain bike by using penetrating fluid like WD-40.

James Robinson loves to ride MTBs and is an author at The Bike Inspector a bike shopping site.