You love the adrenaline rush of biking, but you always try to be safe too. A friend has asked to join you on your next bike ride, and they too prioritize safety. You want to pick an activity that will make them feel comfortable. Is mountain biking the safer option, or is road biking the best choice?
Both mountain biking and road biking have their risks, although road biking might have more. Mountain biking involves possibly injuring yourself while riding down a steep hill, or jumping while road biking could lead to deadly collisions with motor vehicles.
In this article, we’ll outline the risks associated with both forms of biking so you can decide whether mountain biking or road biking is the better option for you. We’ll also provide must-read biking safety tips, so check it out!
The Risks Associated with Mountain Biking
Let’s begin by talking about mountain biking, which is the polar opposite of road biking. Mountain biking is a form of off-road biking that uses a specialized bicycle called a mountain bike.
There are five forms or disciplines of mountain biking: freeride, downhill, all-mountain, trail riding, and cross-country. Let’s provide a quick overview of each type now.
- Freeride: Freeriding on a mountain bike encompasses disciplines like freestyle BMX, dirt jumping, and downhill biking. If you’re a trickster on a mountain bike, freeriding is the activity for you.
- Downhill: Downhill mountain biking is known for the steep terrain and the obstacles such as rock gardens and drops. You must be very confident on your bike to excel at downhill mountain biking.
- All-mountain: Referred to as Enduro biking, all-mountain biking is downhill riding that’s usually timed to add an extra challenge.
- Trail riding: Trail riding might sound leisurely, but the terrain is covered in roots, loose gravel, sand, rocks, logs, and other unpaved areas. Jumping on your mountain bike is also usually a requirement when trail riding.
- Cross-country: The last mountain biking category is cross-country riding, which has been featured in the Olympics since 1996. The terrain is smooth in some areas but not all.
Now that you understand more about mountain biking, you can see where the apparent risks are. Here’s what you need to know.
Falling Off Steep Hills
Mountain biking earned that name for a reason. Steep terrain is the name of the game. When you subtract that from mountain biking, you might as well go road biking, as it sort of becomes the same thing at that point.
You must expect steep hills, both uphill and downhill. As difficult of a slog as it can be to pedal uphill, riding downhill can be even worse for many new mountain bikers. If you don’t have prior hill experience, you might not hold onto the handlebars firmly the whole time.
You could try to fight against the hill and brake too much. This can put pressure on the tires, potentially causing them to pop. You might even try to accelerate on the way down the hill, going down too quickly. If you’re not balanced, you could tip over the side of a steep hill.
So what kind of damage are we talking about here? Well, everything from lacerations to broken bones could happen. Depending on the hill’s steepness and how far you fall (if that’s what happens), death could even occur.
Tripping Over Rough Terrain
Few mountain biking paths are smooth, as we established. If you’re not feeling sure on your bike, you could ride over the rugged terrain the wrong way and pop a tire or fall over. In some instances, if you come upon a rock or another protrusion quickly enough, you could be thrown over your handlebars.
The injuries here range from mild to very serious. Falling off your bike or tripping on rough terrain might cause some bruises and lacerations, but nothing too serious. A hard fall could certainly break your bones, especially on terrains such as rocks or stones.
If you were thrown over your handlebars, the severity of your injuries is much greater. You could expect several broken bones accompanied by deep lacerations.
Badly Executed Tricks or Jumps
Mountain bikers love doing tricks on their bikes. It takes practice to get good at tricks, but if you make a mistake after executing one and land wrong, you could get very hurt for your troubles. The same is true if you botch a jump.
The extent of your injuries wouldn’t be that much different than falling down a hill since you’re still making a huge landing. We wouldn’t say that a bad jump or trick should be deadly, but you never know.
Crashes Into Other Cyclists/Trees
You’re probably not the only one on the trail, and failing to be cognizant of those around you is to the detriment of your health. You could crash into another biker, hurting both of you in the process. You could also hit trees and other surrounding objects.
Depending on how bad of a crash it is, the impact damage could be severe. Colliding with another biker will mangle both of your mountain bikes. If you two were wearing helmets, then you can avoid cranial damage, but bruising, broken bones, and lacerations are all likely.
If you slam into a tree or a rock, then the risk of being thrown off your bike is higher. We already talked about those potential injuries.
The Risks Associated with Road Biking
The other form of biking we want to talk about today is road biking. This is by far the most common form of biking, and it’s a form of exercise that people all over the world engage in regularly.
When you see a bike race or marathon on a large scale, it’s usually a road bike race, although it can involve mountain biking as well. When the average person learns how to ride a bike, they do it through road biking. That’s likely how you became a cyclist yourself, road biking on training wheels (until they someday came off).
Road biking doesn’t require a mountainous trail or treacherously tall terrain. You only need a street or a paved road. That street can be private or public and is usually the latter. Many streets and roads have a bike shoulder for riders to use. Others lack those shoulders, and bikers sometimes don’t stay squarely within the shoulder, even on the roads with shoulders.
Here are the risks that could occur when road biking.
THE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO 8 MOUNTAIN BIKE DISCIPLINES.(Opens in a new browser tab)
Falling Off Steep Terrain
Not all road biking is on terrain that’s straight and level the whole way through. Although the landscape won’t be rough like when mountain biking, road bikers often have to pedal hard up steep terrain so they can enjoy the ride down.
Well, the ride down is usually enjoyable, but your fun can be interrupted. Cyclists might feel like they’re going down a steep street or path too fast, so they try to brake quickly, and this can throw them off their bikes.
They might coast but go too fast and veer off the side of the path, falling. They can also fall off the side of the hill. Unlike mountain biking, in which falling off the side could mean taking a tumble down a rocky wall, there is usually grass on either side of you when road biking.
Your injuries wouldn’t be nearly as severe. You’d be scraped up, sure, with some bruising and perhaps a few lacerations. You might dislocate a bone or break it, but you’d be otherwise okay.
Losing Control and Crashing
Some cyclists panic when road biking. Perhaps another cyclist sneaks up behind you, and you feel thrown out of balance, or there’s a sudden turn that you need to take. In other instances, you can be riding straight for so long that you go into autopilot. When you come to, you can lose track of your surroundings for a moment.
In any situation that causes you to lose control and crash, the injuries won’t be pretty. Your bike could be wrecked. If you land somewhere soft and you weren’t riding very fast, then perhaps you’re a little shaken up with some bruises but generally acceptable.
You could also have contusions and perhaps sprains or fractures. In some instances, such as a hard landing at high speeds, broken bones are likely.
Hitting Other Bikers, Trees, or Buildings
One of the benefits of mountain biking is that you’re out in nature. You won’t be totally secluded, but you’ll feel like you have plenty of space around you. Road biking can be more constricted, especially when riding in a bike lane or on a sidewalk.
You could crash into anything surrounding you, from other cyclists to trees, rocks, parked cars, and even buildings like homes or commercial properties. The force of the crash can knock you off your bike or even fling you from it. Depending on where you land, your injuries can range from mild (as we’ve discussed to this point) to much more serious and even life-threatening.
Collisions with Motorists
The most significant risk when road biking is in sharing the road with motorists. If you stay in your lane (quite literally in this case), then you’re less likely to have issues, but still, you never can say that for sure.
If you’re struck by a moving car, the thousands of pounds of speeding metal could very seriously injure you. In many cases, the impact can be deadly.
How to Stay Safe When Biking
Both mountain biking and road biking can lead to loss of life if you’re not careful. That’s why we thought we’d present a section full of safe biking tips to follow every time you hit the road.
Wear a Helmet
It’s a rite of passage into young adulthood to ditch your bike helmet and ride free, but adults later smarten up and put the helmet back on. After all, the reason your parents made you wear a helmet was to protect your head in case of a bike accident.
If you’re ever flung from your bike, a helmet can literally be the difference between life and death. Don’t leave home without one!
Be Aware of Your Surroundings
To avoid hitting stationary objects and moving ones such as cyclists, passersby, or motorists, you need to stay alert and aware. Keep your head on a swivel. Before you make a turn, look both ways.
Don’t Go Against Traffic.
As a cyclist on a busy road, you’re already at risk more so than any motorist is. Meld into traffic (staying in your designated lane, of course), going in the same direction rather than fighting against the flow of traffic.
Use Reflectors
Reflectors are another one of those bike features that seem made for kids, but cyclists of all ages can and should use them. Whether it’s a reflector on your bike, a reflective helmet, or reflective gear (or all the above!), reflectors help motorists and cyclists see you when conditions are dim or dark. They can save your life!
Follow Road Signs
Cyclists are not above the rules. When you see a road sign, you need to follow it as if you were behind the wheel of a car. That means stopping when you spot a stop sign and even indicating when you want to make a right turn on red with your arm.
Keep Your Ears and Eyes Free
It’s tempting to check your phone while cycling (hey, your other hand is on the handlebars) or listen to music with your earbuds in, but we would advise you against doing either. These distractions can prevent you from hearing and/or seeing risks and avoiding them before the worst happens.
Conclusion
Mountain biking and road biking are two prevalent forms of biking, and both can be dangerous in their own ways. Whether you’d rather go mountain biking or road biking, we recommend you read the rules in the last section and always play it safe!
