Mountain biking is immensely popular in the US.
Indeed, almost 40 million people around the country regularly partake in the sport.
Clearly, people enjoy strapping on a helmet and hitting the trail on two wheels. But why? What explains the popularity of mountain biking?
Well, it turns out there is all manner of benefits to getting involved. Are you interested in mountain biking and want to learn more about how you stand to gain?
We wanted to help.
Related Read: Can Mountain Biking Be Dangerous?
Keep reading to discover 8 reasons why everyone should learn to mountain bike!
Reasons to start doing mountain biking
1. Improved Fitness and Strength
Mountain bikers benefit in all manner of physical ways.
Sure, you can expect a fair few tumbles and bruises. Falling from the bike is never fun. But it’s all part of the learning process!
Equally, the good far outweighs the bad here.
Start biking and you’ll enjoy increased stamina, leg strength, balance, and coordination. Riding a mountain bike is hard work, heading up and down steep slopes. Over time, this inevitably leads to heightened levels of fitness and strength.
Of course, all that exercise means you’ll lose weight in the process too.
2. Less Chance of Illness
Here’s another physical perk to learning how to mountain bike:
All that time on the track successfully reduces the likelihood of falling ill! Serious diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and strokes become less likely.
That alone might be enough to convince you to give it a go!
Think of it as a natural remedy. Of course, most exercise can have a similar positive impact on our health. However, the combination of a high-intensity workout in the great outdoors (more on this later), makes mountain biking particularly conducive to it.
3. Better for Your Joints
Running and walking is great exercise too.
However, over time, the constant impact involved in feet hitting the floor can lead to all manner of joint issues.
By contrast, riding a bike is a non-impact, non-load bearing sport. For that reason, many people take it up later in life. However, the advantages extend to anyone, regardless of when you start.
Of course, you can come off the bike! That provides its own inherent set of bodily challenges. However, overall, the non-load bearing nature of cycling makes it altogether better for ailing bodies.
4. It’s Fun
Life can be serious.
It can be full of heartache, pain, and suffering. It can be boring, mundane and routine-like.
Building anything fun into your weekly routine is important for your overall wellbeing! Can there be anything more fun than speeding down a track, going over jumps, and dodging rocks and roots, all the while outdoors in beautiful surroundings?!
If you’re looking for something new and fun to do, then mountain biking can definitely tick the right boxes.
5. Spend More Time Outdoors
Nature holds a lot of power.
Simply being around green spaces is known to have all sorts of positive effects on our wellbeing.
Mountain biking is by its very nature an outdoor sport. Spending time on two wheels gets you away from the computer, out of the city, and into the great outdoors.
The fresh air and stunning scenery are food for the soul. You’ll feel more positive, alert, and inspired. Life is about more than getting ahead in the rat race! The hustle and bustle of daily living can be stressful and deleterious to physical and mental health.
Spending time in nature on a mountain bike provides a welcome break from the normal routine.
6. It’s Meditative
There’s also a meditative aspect to being a mountain bike.
Riding around the local block might not have the same effect.
But hurtling at high speed down a rocky trail, with nothing but a few pads and a helmet for protection, is a different story.
Biking requires focus and concentration to perform properly.
That means there’s no time to think about the struggles of life. There’s no opportunity to dwell on the stresses of work, family, and finances. It’s just you and the track. Lose concentration for a split second and you can come off!
Combined with the intrinsic benefits of being in nature, mountain biking as a distinctive therapeutic component to it.
7. Feel the Rush
Meditative, yes. Therapeutic, check.
Feel absolutely epic after the ride? Absolutely.
That’s because you’ll automatically be stimulating your brain and body in all the right ways. Endorphins will flood your system and energize you like nothing else.
These are happy hormones. Your mood inevitably improved as a result.
Feeling glum? In a slump?
Then contact this rental service, saddle-up and hit the track. All that up-hill effort, rewarded with a high-speed descent, leads to a system flooded with mood-enhancing chemicals. It’s like a fully natural drug. No tablets required- just two wheels and a whole lot of outdoors.
8. Do It Alone or with Friends
Mountain biking is a great sport to do with family or alone or in groups.
Fancy some ‘me-time’? Then pack your things and hit the trail alone. As we’ve already noted, you can escape the rat-race, get a break, and take the opportunity to have some much-needed space.
Alternatively, use the sport to meet cool new people. Join the local mountain biking club or a social group that’s partial to the track.
You’ll learn of new areas to bike, and spend time with like-minded mountain bike enthusiasts as well.
Recommended Read: 6 Things to Know Before Getting Ready for Your First MTB Trip
Time to Learn to Mountain Bike
There you have it: 8 reasons to learn to mountain bike today.
Mountain biking is an incredibly popular pastime around the country.
You can see why! Everyone who chooses to saddle-up and hit the tracks stands to gain in all manner of ways. By its very nature, mountain biking lends a helping hand to physical and mental health.
You walk away, albeit on wobbly and worn out legs, feeling epic. Expect a few falls along the way. But get back up and you’re sure to fall in love with the sport.
Want some ideas on where exactly to go mountain biking? Head to the travel section of our blog now!
