The FlowYou yourself are a keen mountain biker, and you’ll know all about why it’s such a fantastic sport. Maybe you have a friend who wants to take up a new sport, but isn’t so sure about mountain biking. Perhaps they’re put off by certain aspects of it. Sure, it isn’t for everyone, but there’s a lot of reasons why they should give it a try at the very least. Here’s how you can sell mountain biking to a skeptic, and show them just why you love it so much.
The Cost Isn’t As Bad As You Think
Yes, sure, mountain biking can get expensive. Your sceptic friend may be put off because they feel they have to lay out a lot of money before they can even get involved. Why would they do that, when they can try out other sports for much less?
The thing is though, mountain biking costs as much as any other means of keeping fit. Gym membership costs mount up when you add up how much you spend throughout the year. Sports like football, cricket or tennis require you to buy equipment before you can start playing, not to mention you may need to pay fees to play in a specialised field or court. Whatever you do to be active, it’s going to cost you money.
Compare this to mountain biking. Yes, sure, you’re going to need to pay out for a new bike, protective gear, and any other equipment you may need. However, using it is totally free. The world is your oyster when you have a bike. Ride on the roads, on trails, or take them up to the mountains themselves and put them to the test. There’s nothing better.
You will hear people talking about why you should buy this expensive bike, or bragging about how their equipment is the best because it has this or that feature. Once you get into mountain biking and want to upgrade your stuff, you can totally splurge on something if you want. As a beginner though, you can spend around £100 on a bike and get started right away.
You Can Go Biking Anywhere
As just mentioned, mountain biking is fantastic because you can do it almost anywhere. If you live near a local park, you can happily go biking around them. If you like doing tricks, you’re in luck in the city, thanks to all the areas you can pull off jumps from. If you live near a local biking track, then you’re in luck. You can pull the bike out and take on a track whenever you feel like it!
Of course, not everyone is quite so lucky. If you don’t live near a good track, then yes, you’re going to have to load up the car and head out to one. It sounds like a pain, but it’s nothing you wouldn’t do for any other sport. After all, it’s unlikely that you have a football pitch or tennis court on your doorstep, is it?
It’s A Fun Work Out
Sure, you can go to the gym and work out. It’s boring though, isn’t it? You’ll pound away on the treadmill, listening to podcasts or watching TV as you do so. You’ll keep going for as long as you think you should, then come home having gone almost literally nowhere. You’ll see the same faces every day as you hit up the same gym. It’s all just very dull, isn’t it?
Any sceptic that’s tired of their work out routine needs to give mountain biking a try. Every time you go out on your bike you can see something different. You’ll be out in nature, which means you’ll be the first to see the flowers come out in spring, or the snow fall when winter rolls around. You’ll also see plenty of wildlife, making mountain biking the most visual and exciting workout around.
And of course, there’s the challenge of the bike tracks themselves. You’ll climb steep hills and get the sweet, sweet descent on the way down. There’s no better rush that rolling down that hill that you worked so hard to get up. What other workout gives you that kind of reward? You’ll never want to go to the gym again.
It’s Not A Lonely Sport
Many people have it in their heads that mountain biking is something that you do alone. You can only get one person on your bike, after all. You’ll go out on your bike alone day after day, travelling through trails by your lonesome. People who need interaction on their workouts, or in their sports, think that it’s the worst thing about mountain biking.
Except, this isn’t the case at all. Mountain biking is an active, sociable sport that encourages riders to get together. You certainly can go it alone, if that’s your style, but you’re always better off with a buddy. They can help push you that little bit further when you want to give up, helping you get the most from every bike ride. As well as this, there’s the competitions. There’s lots of opportunities to meet up with other enthusiasts and really make connections with others. When you put it like that, there’s no good reason not to give mountain biking a try!
It’s The Best Form Of Therapy
If you’re faced with a sceptic who doesn’t really see the point of mountain biking, ask them this: Has any other sport you’ve tried really help you relax after a long, hard day? We’ve all been there. We’ve had days where everything has gone wrong, work was a nightmare, and we just want to go home and slump on the sofa. However, that isn’t the best way to deal with a bad day. Instead, jumping on your bike and tearing up the track is the best therapy around.
Any exercise will help you feel better if you’re having a bad day. Mountain biking is excellent for it though, as you get your whole body and mind involved in the process. If you’re focusing on making that jump, or getting up that hill, you don’t have time to dwell on the bad day you’ve had. Once you finish your ride, you’ll feel a whole lot better about what was troubling you, we promise.
It’s A Friendly Sport
From the outside, it can feel as though mountain biking is quite an aggressive sport. Competitions involve you racing against each other, trying to hit the finish line before the others do. When you’re fighting so hard against other riders, there’s no way you can be friends right?
Wrong! In fact, mountain biking is one of the best ways you can make friends as an adult. When you attend a race of competition, you can meet up with lots of other like minded people who’ll be happy to include you in what’s going on. There’s lots of groups online too that you can join and start learning about the sport.
Wherever you get involved, you’ll find friendly faces along the way. As a biker, you’ll know this yourself. If you’re looking to start mountain biking, you’ll have lots of help along the way.
There’s Always A New Challenge
If you’re looking for a new way to stay fit, you’re going to need to look for new challenges. The gym is all fine and well, but after a while what do you have to strive for? It’s the same gym, same equipment, same classes, day in and day out. Where’s the challenge and the adventure? You’ll actually find it’s out on the biking trails.
As a biker, you can always go out and find a new challenge. There’s new bike tracks to be conquered every day, and they’re full of new challenges that you can take on. There’s new hills to climb, new obstacles to navigate, and new experiences wherever you go. You’re not tied to the same place as a biker, so you’ll always be able to find some new, fresh experiences when you head out on a ride.
It’s Not All About The Mud
Non riders may watch a biker come home in horror. Often, they’ll be covered head to foot in mud and dirt. Who wants to go out for a workout if they’re going to have to chip the dirt off afterwards? That’s nothing to say of the dirt you’ll have to sluice off the bike itself…
In all the pictures you’ll see, bikers will always be biking through the muddiest conditions. It can put a lot of people off. However, there’s no real adventure without a little mud and dirt. When you’re riding through nature, you’re not going to stay squeaky clean. However, it’s not always going to be incredibly muddy either! Any new biker needn’t fear, they’re not always going to be scrubbing mud off themselves and their bike after every single ride.
The Competition Is Invigorating
A new biker may not want to get involved in competitions at first. They may watch a race and decide it just isn’t for them. There certainly isn’t anything wrong with this. There are plenty of mountain bikers out there who will never enter a race, but love riding the trails in their free time.
However, it’s well worth entering a competition at least once. There’s nothing as fun as racing others to the finish line, and new bikers may find that they actually love it. It’s another new challenge that biking brings, and it’s a lot of fun. It’s a good way of bringing your non biking friends together with your biking group, too. You can always invite them to come watch you, and show them just what’s so great about the sport.
Even if you’re a new biker, who knows? You may even win! If you don’t, it’ll give you something new to strive for. Competitions really give a lot to the biking community, and you’ll be able to push yourself further than ever before.
Explore The World On A Bike
If you’re the type that likes to explore, then a bike is for you. You can explore the paths that others can’t get to in their cars, meaning you’ll see things that others may never get to see. You sure can ride on the roads, but why not take it off road and start checking out the hidden gems in your areas?
Once you start mountain biking, you’ll be sure to find trails and areas that you never knew existed before. There’s no better feeling than finding a track that barely gets used. You can ride it without fear of others coming and getting in the way, which gives you a lot of freedom.
This ability to get on your bike comes in handy when you’re on holiday, too. Want to get off the beaten path and see what others may not get to see. You’ll often be able to hire a bike for not a lot of money, or even bring your own bike. Start exploring, and see where you end up. It’s incredible what you get to see when you’re on a bike.
Get Away From Your Gadgets
Gadgets are everywhere these days. You’ll be using your phone from the moment you wake up to when you go back to bed. It’s so easy to stay glued to a screen that you start to miss the things that are happening all around you. Then there’s TV, your computer at work, and all the other gadgets that are pulling your attention away from the things that really matter. How can you start reclaiming your time back from the gadgets that are supposed to be helping you?
Any mountain biker will tell you that biking is amazing for getting away from it all. In fact, some liken it to a form of meditation. If even if you won’t go that far, you can’t argue that it’s a great feeling, getting away from it all when you’re on your bike. You can take some time to recharge and really experience what you’re doing, rather than staying glued to a screen.
A lot of biking advice says that you should keep your phone in your bag when you’re biking, in case of emergency. That means you won’t be able to get away from things entirely, but keeping it in your bag means you can still appreciate the world around you, but be connected in case you need it.
Boost Your Confidence
In this day and age, we’re used to relying on others to fix our problems. Got a mechanical issue? Get onto a mechanic to fix the problem. Need your boiler repaired? There’s a service for that. We don’t even do things like ironing or cleaning any more, as we outsource these jobs to others. If there’s a job that needs doing, we’d much rather pass it off to someone else. After all, we don’t want to do it wrong or cause further issues down the line.
On a bike though, you’re the person in charge. At some point when you’re riding, you’re going to need to take care or a problem. Whether you get a flat or your chain breaks, it’s you who’ll need to diagnose the problem and fix it.
Being so in charge of your own bike can do wonders for your confidence. You’re the person you’re relying on, so you’ll learn to take care of yourself and your bike when you’re out on a ride. It’s a good feeling.
Practice Will Make Perfect
Mountain biking can look intimidating at first. There’s a lot you’ll have to master. You need to navigate obstacles, master jumps, and get up those climbs. As a beginner, how are you ever going to do all that? It looks as though you’ll never be as good as the experts.
Don’t despair though, because if you can ride a bike, you can do all these things. All it takes is just a little practice. At first, you won’t be amazing, but that’s ok. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the same goes here. New bikers just need to get out on their bikes and keep practicing. Right now, they’re not going to be amazing, but all they need to do is keep at it.
Biking is a great sport for anyone who can persevere at anything. All you need is some patience, and you’ll be able to improve every time you head out on your bike. Riders who are nervous about starting out don’t need to worry. More experienced bikers are always willing to offer tips online, so you can get help on everything from changing a tyre to perfecting your jump.
As you can see, there’s a lot of reasons why sceptics may not thinking mountain biking is all that. They may have worries, or think that there are better ways of working out. As a biker though, you can show them that there’s a whole lot more to biking than they think there is. Show them why they should try it!
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