A lot has changed over the years of Mountain Biking. Bikes have gotten lighter, trails have gotten harder, and riding has gotten faster, but one thing never has and never will change: If you ride a mountain bike (beginner or expert), you’re going to crash. Here are some tips on how to brace for a Mountain Bike fall without getting hurt:

Before we start, here is a quick checklist to better prepare you:

• Always wear a helmet
• Tuck, roll, and relax
• Keep your arms close to your body
• Wear cycling gloves
• Loosen up your pedals (if you’re clipped in)
• Make sure your bar end plugs are secure
• Bail early before it gets worse

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Always Wear A Helmet:

This is a non-negotiable and a must. It was still a success if you learn nothing else from this article. Always wear a helmet. If you ask any rider, they unanimously agree that helmets have saved their lives. It doesn’t seem real until you are sitting on the side of the trail holding a helmet bashed in from every side, and you feel completely fine. There is never an excuse to go without a helmet.

The University of Minnesota completed research on helmet use and the risk of head injuries. Their sources indicate that the use of a helmet while cycling reduces the risk of head injury by 85%. Helmets have come a long way in the last couple of decades. MIPS (multi-directional impact protection system) is arguably the best and safest helmet design. Simply put, it adds protection against rotational motion and redirects outside forces. Next time you buy a helmet, look for the MIPS sticker attached.

Tuck, roll, and relax: 

As difficult as it may be in the heat of the moment if you know you are going down, think, “Tuck, roll, and relax.” Tuck your head in toward your chest. That reduces the risk of hitting head-first on the ground. Once you hit the ground, focus on rolling. If you stop dead on impact, the force is greater and increases your risk of large contusions and broken bones. If you hit the ground and slide, the risk of road rash (or trail rash) is greatly increased. Rolling is the best way to avoid serious injury. Finally, relax. Relaxing your body and muscles makes you more likely to move with the impact and avoid injury.

Keep your arms close to your body:

When you fall off your mountain bike, do not reach your arm to brace your fall. This maneuver causes injuries so frequently that medical personnel actually have an acronym for it: “FOOSH” (Falling on an outstretched hand). You place all your weight through your arm by falling on an outstretched hand. The bones in your arm flex and can break at the weakest point… including the hand, wrist, forearm, humerus, or even the collarbone.

Wear Cycling Gloves: 

Many people are abandoning gloves because they feel closer to their bikes with their bare hands gripping the bars. No matter how hard you try to avoid a “FOOSH,” your hand will probably drag on the ground at one point or another.

Full-fingered gloves are highly recommended. The amount of cushion you pick is up to you. Some gloves have gel inserts on the palms that can help avoid those big impact bruises, whereas others are just a small piece of fabric to avoid blistering your hands. If you still need more reasons to wear gloves while riding a mountain bike and you wear a ring, look up “degloving ring injuries.”

Loosen Up Your Pedals (if you’re clipped in):

A lot of beginners choose to ride with flat pedals, in which case you are already safe from this crashing danger. Some beginners, however, come from a road background or are seeking extra watts on the trails and decide to clip in. If you are new to clipless pedals on the mtb, loosen them up before hitting the trails.

Make Sure Your Bar End Plugs Are Secure:

This is probably the easiest thing you can do to avoid a catastrophic injury. Bar end plugs aren’t just for aesthetics; they help avoid impalement injuries. By riding with bar end plugs, not only are you protecting yourself, but you are also protecting others. You can’t always control where your bike goes once you fall off it. On the mountain bike, the handlebars are wide and can act as a sword. The bar end plug makes the end of the bars dull instead of sharp carbon or aluminum. It prevents the bars from impaling your abdomen or leg once you crash.

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Bail Early Before It Gets Worse:

Sometimes the safest thing to do is to force yourself to crash. This is your last-ditch effort or your worst-case scenario. Falling off your mountain bike isn’t always a bad thing, but sometimes you know that you are about to get hurt. For example, you’re riding down the trail, ripping around a corner, and a tree is down in the middle, or you are pedaling up over a small hill only to discover a five-foot drop on the other side. These are examples of when you employ the other strategies detailed in this article and lay the bike down.

If you are going to get “clothes lined” by an object or fall over a small cliff, the safest thing to do is fall to your left. By falling to the left, you preserve the derailleur and hanger of your bike. Allow your feet to unclip from the pedals, fall away from the bike, keep your arms close to your body, and roll. Then get up, laugh, smile, and keep riding. You just fell off your bike without getting hurt, and it wasn’t that scary after all, right?

Finally, the best advice I can give to a new mountain biker who is nervous about crashing and the repercussions of crashing is to Practice, Practice, Practice! As you get more comfortable on the mountain bike, your body will create new motor patterns, and the ideas and concepts expressed in this article will become second nature to you. Before you know it, falling off the mountain bike will become less frequent and the repercussions less severe and demoralizing.

You will no longer fall off your mountain bike purely by chance but because you are pushing your limits and becoming a better rider. All experienced mountain bikers have epic crash stories… some of how they “almost got hurt” and others where they did. So, the next time you crash, smile. You are one step closer to becoming a seasoned rider!

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