confidence...

jeannot18

Does it really build up with time. Tonight went out with my cousin, whom has been doing MTB for a little while. And there was one slope that I did not have the balls to take, I can't see myself doing it, but would it come a day when I will think yes I can do that and just go. Do you do things now that you really thought at the beginning "No way I can do that" but now do it without even thinking?
JC

supersonic

I'll probably never jump of a cliff with the bike lol, but yes, building up slowly improves confidence no doubt.

cooldad

Some things you will do, some you won't, as SS said. I ride with some much better/more heroic/stupid people and they think nothing of huge drops etc that I wouldn't even consider.
But I do things that my non riding friends think are heroic. It's all relative.
Main thing is to have fun.

whitestar1

I was very timid riding under canal bridges - just too clost to the edge! Not so much afraid now since I have been commuting to work on the main roads.

Fenred

cooldad wrote:

Some things you will do, some you won't, as SS said. I ride with some much better/more heroic/stupid people and they think nothing of huge drops etc that I wouldn't even consider.
But I do things that my non riding friends think are heroic. It's all relative.
Main thing is to have fun.

This^^ Combined with a little bravery/I'll feel good if I do this/I wont sleep tonight if I dont kind of attitude....Push yourself but dont die!!

angry_bird

Yup, it's strange how you look back and think "why did that ever bother me before". The more you ride and work on your technique the more confident you'll find you get with time. Once you learn how to tackle a particular type of obstacle or feature you can then apply it to larger or more technical ones.

The problems come when you doubt your ability, if you go up to something and start thinking that you can't ride it or are going to crash, chances are that unless you can get your focus back on track then you will crash which is why you start small and build up.

Having said that I very much doubt I'll be doing anything too insanely stupid on a bike (or at least not on my bike), doubt I have the ability and can't really afford to be injured too massively (and don't really like the idea of the pain either) so I'd rather limit the chances of that happening.

mtb crazy

i had that same feeling.... i thought my confidence woudnt grow but it is surprisingly quickly. the more you go out the more you learn and get better. ive onlyt been mtb for about a month but previous to that i did road biking. tbh you will probably learn stuff without realising as thats what happens sometimes. a week or so ago i would look at quite big descents and think no way can i get down there!! but slowly im getting able to tackle bigger things, so all in good time you will. just take it slow.

clamps81

If you stack it or do something especially daft then go elsewhere, ride more and come at it again and you'll likely be fine. First time up Cwmcarn I got spat out of a berm and first time in Brecon I was felled by a particularly slippy and rocky path, but I've done both now with no problems just by riding elsewhere in the intervening period and coming back at them fresh. It's as much a mental thing as it is pure technique.

jeannot18

Thanks guys, hopefully I will improve and be able to go faster and take more "risks". Tonight ride was fantastic, my cousin took me to new places and it was great. When we did return to our cars both of us had big smiles and I felt very happy which I guess is the more important no matter what I did or didn't. Considering that my cousin did that trail 3 times before and this was my first time (only fifth on my new bike) I would say that I am quite happy with the ride. We did a total of 20km and I was happy with that too. this beats cycling on the road.
JC

SurferEv

JC,

When you return to Blighty, I'd love to join you on one of your jaunts to Danbury. It sounds like I really need to get over there as I'm loving the various woods around here but want to experience what I've now heard from a few people about Danbury.

I ended up getting out yesterday lunch for 10 miles and went through Cherry Orchard Park and this time through into Grove Woods behind Rayleigh.. Was a fun ride.

Cheers,

Ev

unityjon

My first ride on a MTB was at Danbury, i go once a week now with mates and love it (from Benfleet), we always have a blast and laugh the evenings away, shame its dark in the woods so quick, need to invest in some lights so we can 'play out' longer. More importantly my confidence is growing every time out and i find myself eager to get more air and go faster.

All the people that ride Danbury are very friendly (IMO)

jeannot18

SurferEv wrote:

JC,

When you return to Blighty, I'd love to join you on one of your jaunts to Danbury. It sounds like I really need to get over there as I'm loving the various woods around here but want to experience what I've now heard from a few people about Danbury.

I ended up getting out yesterday lunch for 10 miles and went through Cherry Orchard Park and this time through into Grove Woods behind Rayleigh.. Was a fun ride.

Cheers,

Ev

Hi Ev, I asked my cousin if you could come for the next ride and he said no problem. SOme of it was just awesome, a couple of bits that I could not do (too steep) but other than that it was great. One section was like a video game, just bend after bend, with roots, a few water tricks etc. We did about 20 / 21km in total which just about right, some climbs got me as I had the wrong gear on and had to finish by foot, but this will come with experience and knowing the route better. I would not be able to remember the route myself, I will need to do it a few times before I venture on my own.

UnityJon, do you go over the bit with the very steep drops? Some of them are just pure scary.

JC

nozzac

Confidence is the expectation of success really. So if the challenge is only a bit harder than things you've done previously then you'll be reasonable confident. So it definitely builds up. However you do have to push it up a little to the next step each time or it won't grow much.

Being a mostly male pursuit, there is a lot of macho BS in MTBing but in reality hurting yourself badly on a bike is bloody miserable. I hurt myself last year and was off for months. I could have avoided it.

IMO where the fun is to be had is at edge of your current ability. Too easy is boring but going too far isn't much fun either and is just plain stupid. if you can't nail a 2 foot drop off perfectly then you have no business at all trying a 4 foot one. This is great because it means you can always have fun and progress without taking idiotic risks with your body.

jeannot18

NozzaC wrote:

Confidence is the expectation of success really. So if the challenge is only a bit harder than things you've done previously then you'll be reasonable confident. So it definitely builds up. However you do have to push it up a little to the next step each time or it won't grow much.

Being a mostly male pursuit, there is a lot of macho BS in MTBing but in reality hurting yourself badly on a bike is bloody miserable. I hurt myself last year and was off for months. I could have avoided it.

IMO where the fun is to be had is at edge of your current ability. Too easy is boring but going too far isn't much fun either and is just plain stupid. if you can't nail a 2 foot drop off perfectly then you have no business at all trying a 4 foot one. This is great because it means you can always have fun and progress without taking idiotic risks with your body.

Point taken, the thing is that at 49 nearly 50 I don't bounce too good these days and can't really afford to injure myself because of family commitments. Though still nice to feel those little butterflies in your stomach...
JC

miss notax

jeannot18 wrote:

Does it really build up with time.

Yes

Although you have to push the boundaries a bit, otherwise no-one would ever improve at all!

And I certainly agree with the previous comment about there being lots of macho BS in MTBing