[Closed] What's enjoyable about riding an MTB down a hill?

Everything... absolutely everything...

Apart from crashing.

I enjoy doing things right, chasing mates down hills, seeing my teen lad destroy me...

Going fast, feeling a bit dangerous, being in control of the bike (just about), challenging skills.
Smooth just doesn't cut it.
I fink it's something to do with adrenaline.
I didn't mind crashing when I was young and tough. Quite enjoyed it really.

Adrenalin.

Be it from pushing the bike or your abilities to the edge - the emotional release in doing so is addictive.

Probably why being ‘over biked’ is a thing. Bikes are so good now that to get the same feeling on the same trail as previous, a more capable bike has to go faster (in most instances) to get the same rush of adrenalin as a ‘lesser’ bike.

If the trail doesn’t allow for that speed increase, the new super bike becomes boring.

Go back to fully rigid with v brakes and we will likely all be excited jumping off a curb lol.

I gain little enjoyment from going downhill but I recognise it’s 100% because I lack the balls and ability to get anything from it. Mostly I’m just relieved to have made it down.

But a totally appreciate why people with ability love it.

The adrenaline rush of living life on the edge.

Fear factor. Adrenaline. Sense of achievement for staying on the bike.

The hoots and hollers on videos lead me to believe that these riders are actually enjoying the experience at the time, but what is it that they are enjoying?

The release of endorphins as we enjoy the moment. Magic.

Most of the above. But also the feeling of being solely focussed on one thing (particularly at speed, in technical conditions) and being able to clear your head of stresses, worries, to-do lists - the simple need to stay upright, on course, hit that corner just right, does wonders for my state of mind/ mental health 🙂

All this above. Also explains why when you're having one of 'those' days when you can't time your body English for torffee, smacking your pedals into stuff, stumbling over insignificant obstacles, it really pisses you off.

Thanks and apologies if I sound like a robot trying to figure our how humans work 🙂

So far we have:

Competition, chasing mates, being chased, even the great god Strava. Still sounds like something you'd enjoy more after the event (when you knew if you'd won or not) but no, fair enough, there is a pleasure to be had from the act of competing. Being beaten by your son is just fatherly pride I guess, but I can totally get that.

Adrenaline, life on the edge etc. Yes, that would fit. I've watched loads of videos where the loudest whoops come when they've almost crashed. It seems the closer some people come to disaster the happier they become. It's not something I've ever experienced though. Nearly crashing just reminds me that if I keep doing this I will crash and crashing isn't fun. But it's clearly a big part of the appeal (addiction?) for some people. I wonder if it's just the old fight or flight response. A near crash gives an adrenaline rush. If that provokes a fight response you want to attack the trail and fun ensues. If it provokes a flight response you just want to stop riding.

Mindfulness. Yes I get that. I get that from climbs where I'm working so hard that all I can think about is breathing and not stopping. But yes, a descent that is just challenging enough to hold my attention (but not challenging enough to make me start worrying about crashing) can do the trick too. That might actually be what keeps me riding now I think about it.

Same reason bouncing on a tramoplone is fun, or swings in the park, running fast down a hill, driving a car fast, riding a road bike fast down a hill, hitting a ball really hard with a bat, jumping into a river, snowboarding, jet boating, sex (either on your own or with a partner) waterpark slides, catching the eye of a really fit lady. It just gives you a rush!

Flow is important. Just linking up features and picking a fun line down the trail is immensely satisfying to me.

I sometimes get just as much satisfaction from riding a relatively easy trail as I do a more technical one. Slow and steady is often as fun as flat out fast too. Depends on mood.

It is sometimes type 2 fun. I have definitely found myself riding down things that at the time weren’t 100% enjoyable but afterwards (once I’d survived) I did enjoy.

It’s good to push the envelope every so often. Reminds you that your alive.

On the edge of control.

I had a girlfriend who didn't get the enjoyment of speed - riding bikes or skiing, always just a pleasant pootle, always with a smile on her face. Used to do my nut in as she rode down a lovely hill, brakes on or skiing sideways. Then one day she crashed on her face. Ah, that's why! 😆

It's as much being on the edge of control as high speed puzzle solving.
And next time, solving that puzzle faster.
I'm sure you could get puzzle solving from a play station & not get dirty or injured, but where is adrenaline from the risk?

Flow! Making flow happen despite the fact many fun trails don’t want to flow. Managing to hold a vehicle on the edge of control. Going fast. Getting air (but not too much).

I don’t like the big adrenalin surges, too much of that freaks me out, which I think is why my jumping has stalled at gaps. And fear of heights makes me struggle with really steep stuff or exposure.

Some of the flow thing when MTBing is similar to the groove thing for me, when playing bass. Operating beyond consciousness.

Being really focused on getting every corner/feature/jump/drop ridden as well as I can and stringing together a quick (relatively - for me anyway) run. It's like a puzzle or climbing. Each bit of it is satisfying to get right, but put it all together and it's great.

I think it's also a biological effect experienced here. You know, the bit where the intuitive, unconscious state kicks in over the planned and methodical.

I forget when the flow happens. I don't have to remember to brake, to turn and to stop. I survive because my body/brain knows how to do this stuff now (after quite a few decades) and it really appreciates the state of conscious/unconscious disentanglement.

Going uphill, it all about ignoring the pain, pacing yourself and finding the easiest path/route. Very planned and arranged (for me anyway).

Flow! Making flow happen despite the fact many fun trails don’t want to flow. Managing to hold a vehicle on the edge of control. Going fast. Getting air (but not too much).

I don’t like the big adrenalin surges, too much of that freaks me out, which I think is why my jumping has stalled at gaps. And fear of heights makes me struggle with really steep stuff or exposure.

got to agree with this, and I'll add when its a trail you ride more than once (or even if its similar) that "getting it right" feeling, when your body english, your steering inputs, and that really expensive suspension and tyres you spent ages getting to work, all sort of gel together. Whether thats linking 2 berms together, or navigating a rock garden without dabbing a foot.

I dont understnad the whooping and yeah boiing thing, I think its the youtube generation playing to the camera - and their fans then copying them infront of their friends - rather than a natural reaction.

Flow is important. Just linking up features and picking a fun line down the trail is immensely satisfying to me.

It’s as much being on the edge of control as high speed puzzle solving.

It’s like a puzzle or climbing. Each bit of it is satisfying to get right

Those are what I get from it. Same as skiing and picking a line down whitewater in a canoe or kayak. I'm motivated by the technical challenge I'm not by adrenaline; I don't really like being on the edge of control. The technical challenge doesn't have to be what other riders might call technical, just up to my limited ability.

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If you've never whooped with delight then you've probably never ridden down/off anything that truly scared you.

🙂

It's a very natural reaction at times - particularly when you ride out of something gnarly that for a second it looked like you weren't going to.

I dont understnad the whooping and yeah boiing thing, I think its the youtube generation playing to the camera – and their fans then copying them infront of their friends – rather than a natural reaction.

Garbage! My son has told me to shut up before, cos I'm laughing a whooping down a trail. Little sod, won't even fist bump me at the end!

If you’ve never whooped with delight then you’ve probably never ridden down/off anything that truly scared you.

Not sure if this is serious. It may be a natural reaction for you, but I've ridden stuff that has terrified me and never felt any urge to whoop or felt any delight. Relief that it's over (and that I don't have to do it again) but never any joy. I think that is a key differentiator between mountain bikers. Clearly there are some who do get that sense of joy (elation even) from flirting with disaster. But what about those of us who don't? Are we just doing the wrong sport?

Maybe not. There are some other interesting responses here. Flow is one that I don't fully get, but I think there may be something in it.

It may explain why I look at various videos and think "I don't get it" though. You're enjoying the fact that you almost seriously injured yourself? You do realise that if you keep doing it then it's only a matter of time before you do injure yourself seriously, right?

I dont understnad the whooping and yeah boiing thing, I think its the youtube generation playing to the camera – and their fans then copying them infront of their friends – rather than a natural reaction.

I agree. To me, it seems forced and done as a kind of a show. I doubt if most people do it when riding solo so find it all a bit weird.

I met a rider at Afan a few years ago who was deeply suspicious of "fast downhill" stuff, as he put it. He'd been riding for years, I met him as he was partway through some massive loop around the area but he'd only recently started bothering with downhill singletrack and still seemed unconvinced by the idea. So you're not alone (unless it was you).

The rush of adrenaline/endorphins when you finally clear something you've dreaded, attempted, failed multiple times is superb... pushing that boundary, that limit, that "heck no, i can't do that...." .... "can i ? errrrrm "..... "ok, here goes"....... " SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEET i survived ! "

That is an epic feeling... Addiction you said as a phrase a bit further up, yup, that's a thing, 100% a thing... Addiction.

For me, it varies.

Sometimes I'm quite racy, it's very rare, but I'm actually a really fast rider when the planets align. I've always got another (metaphorical) gear, I surprise myself, no I'm not going to be breaking the beam at a WC any time, but on my day, when it clicks I think "bother me, you're brilliant at this" and I fly off. Happens about twice a year.

Mostly though, I'm in the Zen camp, my mind is ****ed at the moment, ruined. My depression and anxiety is as bad as it's ever been, and I'm talking to my Dr. tomorrow about medication, a first for me, but it's very, very rare that I can't at least buy myself a little mental holiday riding through the trees, because you can't worry about real world shit when you're looking at every root, every turn, every rock, you're feeding that front wheel through the smoothest line and hoping the back will follow. I use the climbs to rationalise my feelings, and then I use the descents to blow them all away.

I don't mind saying, I'm a gruff, middle aged man who's, more than a few times, been reduced to tears of joy because of the mental release of just riding my bike though the woods on my own.

Oh, and flow, oh the flow, it's sublime. Sod how fast you're going, don't try to ride like Sam Hill, ride like Fred Astaire would.

Mindfulness. Yes I get that. I get that from climbs where I’m working so hard that all I can think about is breathing and not stopping.

I don't think that's actually mindfulness. Emptying your mind and sitting with your thoughts is different from simply blowing out of your backside on a climb. I know what you mean, but it's not mindfulness, more focussed distraction.

There's a lot of overthinking on this thread. It's enough to just ride a mountain bike down a hill because you enjoy it. It's enjoyable because it's enjoyable. If you don't enjoy it, then it isn't enjoyable.

You know that bit in return of the Jedi, when they're razzing speeders through the forest of endor? Yeah, it's that ......

roverpig
Full Member
But what about those of us who don’t? Are we just doing the wrong sport?

It's a wide ranging sport full of all abilities. You don't need to copy everyone else or what you see on youtube, find what you enjoy about it and batter in.

Everybody has their own limit and most will ride within that limit.

For some that limit is full on downhill, for others it's nice blue trails.

For me, I've never been much better than reds, which are about my limit, but tbh, I'm still kicking about on a 26" hardtail. So the sport has also somewhat passed me by in the more enduro nature of things these days.

But there're a million trails out there for everyone, of all abilities, both man made and natural.

Just enjoy what you do and ignore everyone else. It's all good.

Over thinking is what I do best 🙂

I'm not looking for justification for what I enjoy though. I know what I enjoy about riding my mountain bike and it's rarely the downhill bits. I'm just trying to understand what motivates other people to take part in what, on the face of it, looks like a pretty stupid activity.

That's not meant as an insult by the way. Most hobbies are pretty stupid when you look at them and often that's part of the appeal. But getting enjoyment from flirting with disaster just isn't something I understand, so it's been interesting hearing from people who do.

I like the living in the moment feeling you get (someone said it further up) - where you forget about all the other stuff going on in your life: work/relationships/bills/stress and all that matters is the ride, that moment, it's like a freedom from the usual humdrum. It doesn't have to solely be a tech downhill, could be a long xc, not dabbing on the tech uphill, the wind in your hair, having a laugh with your mates and yes, adrenalin too. Everyone is different though so just enjoy what you do.

EDIT: for me it is all the things I've mentioned on my post

Why does it look like a stupid activity?

How is it any different than riding up a hill other than the skill set required is different?

There is inherent risk in many/most sports - horse riding, kayaking, rugby etc.

I was hospitalised playing golf for peat’s sake!

The risk is all relative and usually well assessed.

Was watching YouTube on the weekend.

Child: Dad, is that what you do when you go bike riding?
Me (out loud): Ummm... well.. sort of but not really... but yeah... sort of.
Me (inner speech): Well, that's how I feel, I don't give a **** how lame I look to spectators.

my feeling, people’s brains aren’t all the same. some folk may need a squirt of what their brain makes when negotiating their preferred type of descent. other people may not like the physical feeling that the brain chemicals produce when in that situation.

personally i like steep rooty and rocky trails over flowing berms and jumps. jumps scare me but rolling over steep, slippery jagged rocks does not.

i like the amount of calm that i need to ride bikes down hill. it is the most calm i ever feel. i also like the adrenaline spike when it goes a bit wrong.

if you person is worried about injury when riding their bike in a particular place, best to ride somewhere that you enjoy.

on the topic of whooping and hollering, it’s not something i tend to do, but i did let out an involuntary chuckle rocking down a mountain the week before last. and i was on a flow trail!

If you’ve never whooped with delight then you’ve probably never ridden down/off anything that truly scared you.

🙂

It’s a very natural reaction at times – particularly when you ride out of something gnarly that for a second it looked like you weren’t going to.

For those truly out of my depth scaring myself situations, for me its a constant under my breath string of F-words (and I'm not a normally sweary person)
And a heavy "oooof" or "koooof" on a hard landing or compression, the exact tone of which will vary, depending on where in the f-u-ck progression I was at the time.

@Robz "Stupid" was an unnecessarily judgemental and emotive word. Just laziness on my part really.

We're getting off topic, but the difference with those other sports is that the risk taking isn't the point. Of course there is risk in everything, but you don't play golf for the risk. What I was struggling to understand was those people for whom the very act of taking the risk is what makes the pastime enjoyable. People who set out with the specific intent to take some risks. For whom a ride becomes more enjoyable if they have flirted with disaster. These things are anathema to me, so it was interesting to hear from those people as well as other who get very different things from the sport.

Shits n giggles sums it up 😬 Im old tend to bail when it gets too steep or on exposure but my idea of heaven is mile after mile of swoopy loamy singletrack 😎 Its funny im slow in comparison to a lot of others but my mate rides downhill like hes popping out for a paper! When i ask him where hes been he says im ok just get here in my own sweet time 😎

I don’t think it really needs to be downhill for me, I just like riding without pedalling.

I think I’d get just as much enjoyment from a 30-40lb electric motorbike that was limited to 20mph.

Downhill just means you’re going that fast with your weight it the right place and not shifting it all over the place.

Shits and giggles innit.

Operating beyond consciousness.

Ooh, I like that.

What I was struggling to understand was those people for whom the very act of taking the risk is what makes the pastime enjoyable.

I think the same way. I enjoy myself most when there's little or no risk.
I don't enjoy feeling out of control and don't get any particular buzz from going fast.
My favourite way to get down a mountain is just tootling down and picking a safe route.
That's why I don't really enjoy bike parks.

I like the tactile feel of trundling along and feeling all the roots/bumps, rather than just hurtling down something.

Slow mountain biking should be a thing. Like Slow TV and...other slow things.

I tend to prefer 'adrenaline' sports, I've wound it back from what I'd do before hoppy jr arrived. Back then I did things that if they went wrong could conceivably kill me, the management of that risk through your control of the situation was the fun.

If you get a kick from that it's what it is, getting close to the edge and coming back is the what drives the fun. On the flip side I find things like rollercoasters tedious as there is no risk involved. Biking for me is a bit different, in the whole it's pretty safe and it's more about the flow and linking stuff to get it relatively effortless.

I don't know why I like it, but I know I like it. The same way I love to be powered up on a windsurfer blasting across some ocean swell, trying to stay just in control, knowing that it's just me, a bit of simple machinery and the elements. And I hope to be doing both of those things next week in Tarifa. Ooh, it's good to be a pensioner these days!

roverpig
Full Member
Over thinking is what I do best 🙂

I’m not looking for justification for what I enjoy though. I know what I enjoy about riding my mountain bike and it’s rarely the downhill bits. I’m just trying to understand what motivates other people to take part in what, on the face of it, looks like a pretty stupid activity.

Well it only looks stupid cause you are comparing it from your own perspective. Like i said it's about abilities.

Other than that's it's just a buzz and an adrenaline rush.

Guess you just get your adrenaline more from the uphills.

Different strokes init.

Flow

It's the tunnel vision. Just focusing on the trail and getting to the bottom in one piece. Last year I rode New York New York for the first time wlth my brother. I gave it all I had and by the bottom I was absolutely buzzing. When my brother finally rattled out onto the fire road he was almost in tears.

Everything that's already been mentioned is true and I guess some people are wired up to enjoy risk and some aren't. No shame in it. I (briefly) felt terrible for dragging my bro down NYNY when he clearly hated every second. I also wanted another go, immediately!

That said I do have a risk ceiling, I'm aware of my company's sick pay limitations and my mortgage repayments 😂

What's weird is I'm generally risk averse, but stick me on a bike...

For whom a ride becomes more enjoyable if they have flirted with disaster.

do many people flirt with danger or disaster? i’d have thought that most folks would only ride something they think that they can ride safely. you can ride something that scares you without it being dangerous.

thinking about it, i stopped riding on the road because i consider the risks higher than i’m happy with. or do i mean consequences? if a car hits you, you are buggered and the accident would possibly been outside of your control.

i think i now understand your question!

Friday fails.

As much as my initial reaction to the OP was "Whaaaaaat?!" I think it's an interesting one to think about and probably is different for a bunch of people.

Without knowing your background OP and what else you enjoy, it's harder to draw parallels.

You know that feeling when you are surfing and just catch a wave right, the rush of the speed and precise timing, riding that as long as you can? Or, I dunno, riding a really fun roller coaster that doesn't terrify you?

But anyway, for me riding a bike fast downhill has a same feeling for me. You can't do it when you are pedalling constantly, your weight goes wrong and the bike stops feeling lively underneath you. This isn't to do with risk, adrenaline or being scared.

Adding difficulty is the fun challenge. Can you still get that feeling while riding harder trails, without the rough bits making you stall and ruining the feeling? Will it feel even better if you go even faster? What about the floaty feeling of jumps and being in the air? Happy to agree everyone finds their own level though.

This helps explain it. As a beginner I rapidly went from stage 1 to stage 2. Now the joy is in getting to stage 3 and sometimes stage 4. Depends on the trail and depends on the day. Trails that are too hard for me push me back to stage 2 but suffering stage 2 makes me appreciate stage 3 more.

Flow happens in stage 4. Normal life has far too little of this!

Adrenaline is definitely a part of it but isn't something I seek out, as they usually immediately follow a massive "oh sh!t" moment. It's a glorious feeling when it happens though.

I suspect there are 2 reasons people enjoy MTB:
1) A feeling of control. I believe people inherently know that there's almost nothing that, as an individual, you can fully control but MTBing provides a sense of being able to choose how much control you have from total (flow trail) to minimal (tech trails beyond your ability). I wouldn't be surprised if this is the core of feeling satisfied with how you ride a section of trail where you controlled the bike just right.

2) Experiencing G forces. Most people enjoy the sense of G force; G force and noise creates the sense of speed for boy racers, kids enjoy being thrown in the air by their parents, some MTBers like the feeling of pushing through berms or holding on through long corners

The pub is more often toward the bottom of the hill than the top.

Adrenaline rush and essentially putting yourself in a more risky situation (risk level is obviously subjective to the individual). As others have mentioned numerous times, the flow and that fantastic feeling of nailing each obstacle on the trail at pace.

And finally…

To quote one Dr J Clarkson

“The Speeeeeeeeeed!”

Thanks to the OP for starting this thread. I have some descents that I love and some where I just fall apart. Just back from a couple of days in the Qs & Exmoor and I definitely didn't have my downhill pants on - Bin & Weacombe were as good as always but a couple of Exmoor descents had me off and walking at times - steep, loose and steppy just didn't feel at all comfortable. Naturally MrsP was fine - she's a far better descender than me(*) and was waiting at the bottom, brakes barely used, knowing that I was having a bad time of it. So why thanks to the OP? Well rather than feeling bad about being "rubbish" I managed to get into a state of accepting that this was just my pace on the day, that other people probably felt the same as me on these trails, and that was absolutely fine.

(* but she's a rubbish climber so I get to wait at the top!)

I love fast downhills most of the time, you can often catch the pure joy of being in the moment and trying to master something challenging and exhilarating. I think of the times we’ve gone down trails at places like Revs in a train, fast but not on the edge and the massive smiles of joy on all our faces at the bottom, just such good fun. Even shorter, easy flowy trails, when you get it right, don’t lose any speed and they do just flow. 🙂

I also enjoy kayaking, climbing and car sprints / hillclimbs / trackdays… but nowadays it’s mountain biking that gives me enjoyable excitement.

That bit of fear makes you want to do stuff again. My 8 yo went down a steep descent the other day and launched herself off a big rocky drop off she hadn’t done before. She said, “wow dad, that was scary, I’m not doing that again”. Then she went straight back up to the top and did it again. Big smiles.

I enjoy just pedalling and forcing myself faster uphill, but the downs. It's about being in control of the out-of-control (just) and completely concentrating on the moment so all of life's stressors disappear. The bike is there just to get me down to the bottom of the hill 99.9999% of the time. I'll take the 0.0001% on the chin/shin/knee/elbow/other random body part

what is it that they are enjoying?

The moment and reaction? Climbs for thinking time, descents and singletrack flow for a state when you only react and feel. No thoughts. It's a unique state. So many of us need more of that in our lives.

for me, the technical challenge of steering/maneuvering an inherently unstable vehicle down an (largely) unsuitable track in a way that's controlled, predictable, and precise. By which I mean the right bit of input at the right time to make it "just so" Throw into that the added fun/fear of a technical obstacle like a rock roll, or a drop off, switch back etc which adds timing and technique into it as well. Then do it again with more flow, more agility, more control, more speed (if you want) It's knowing that you're not just hanging on, but controlling and understanding why the things you're doing are effecting the way the bike behaves underneath you. It's a constantly developing skill that you can never really reach the limit of. As some have said already: Addictive

And that you're out in the fresh air, with all the the sights ,sounds, smells, of ever changing seasons and weather just adds to the pleasure.

@Robz and also @cheifgrooveguru pretty much sum it up for me.
It's all about the flow for me I think.

Probably worth saying that flow exists at a number of levels. Yes on a DH it is most intense, and there is the highest shot of flow-reward, coupled with the adrenaline etc.

However flow is not just a dh thing. For me, the whole ride, or day, or biking weekend can also have a flow to it. Every perfect moment effortlessly leading to another perfect moment. No time wasted, everything enjoyed.

I guess it's a reason why I am just as happy (maybe moreso) doing a lovely gentle gravel ride with Cafe stops and a bivvy at the end, as I am lapping DH on the ebike.

So many reasons about adrenaline,pushing boundaries, or even 'living life to the limit' problem solving , and yet come on near daily to whine about 'Broke me forks', tore off a pedal or 'fell off and injured myself' looking for tea and sympathy.
Maybe for the justification of spending thousand upon thousand of pounds on a once a week hobby 😕

interesting observation. are the people talking about adrenaline also posting about breaking parts?

Alexa: Does adrenaline break EBike motors? 😉

'What's enjoyable about riding a MTB down a hill?'

Is this sport for you?

Some of the flow thing when MTBing is similar to the groove thing for me, when playing bass. Operating beyond consciousness.

A pretty good comparison, actually - I’ve been doing both for a very long time. Hopefully my bass playing is more consistently accurate than my riding sometimes is otherwise no more gigs for me......

I guess it depends on what kind of hill, the view ,time of day and how hard you worked to get up said hill

Maybe being stuck in a transport office during a crisis-shortage , then spending 3 hours to get to the top of one to watch a sunset then ride back down in the dark ... then thats my answer

for me, the technical challenge of steering/maneuvering an inherently unstable vehicle down an (largely) unsuitable track in a way that’s controlled, predictable, and precise.

Yep, all about the control and precision.