Do you mountain bike alone?

[limewave]

I really like to mountain bike and I have a flexible schedule at work. However, I also have a 2 year old and a husband, that is for all basic purposes, gone 6 days a week.

This all means that I can sneak away during the business week to do some trail riding. All of my friends are at work during the day and plan their rides in the evening--which I can't do because I'm taking care of dd.

I'm nervous about trail riding alone for several reasons:

1) Injury. If I get out 6, 8, 10 miles and crash, I could be out there a long time by myself. Most trails by me do not have cell phone reception and are in remote locations.

2) Weird guys. Without fail, every time I go out riding there's strange men wandering the trails. Out in the middle of no where. They give me the creeps.

3) Mechanical. Something breaks on my bike, it's a long hike out alone.

Am I just being wimpy? Should I suck it up and hit the trails? Or do I have legitimate concerns? Does anyone else go mountain biking alone and do you have any tips or suggestions on staying safe?

[ny biker]

I don't go mountain biking alone, for the reasons you cite, plus I have no sense of direction in the woods so I'd probaby get lost.

This is one of the reasons that my mountain bike doesn't get used very much.

[Veronica]

I do mountain bike alone, but there tend to be a lot of other walkers/hikers/riders where I ride. I email my husband when I'm heading out for a mountain bike ride and again when I get back. Mostly to make me feel like someone knows where I am. I also don't do a trail that is at all technically over my head. It's essentially a big, steep climb on a fire road.

Try to find a trail that does have other users. For mechanical issues get a good set of tools to carry with you and know that bikes really aren't that complicated. You'd be amazed at what you can fix if you just look at your bike and think.

V.

[TahoeDirtGirl]

99% of the time I ride alone. I ride for upward of 5 hours sometimes-the Sierras to the east coast.

If you aren't comfortable doing it alone, then don't. Listen to your gut. I know the first times I went out alone I didn't ride very far. But you have some valid concerns as I did.

1) Injury- I carry bandaids and a space age blanket. I figure if I get hurt I might as well stay put as someone will come and find me. In all seriousness, make sure you have a copy of a map or some kind of written 'route' and time you should be back. If you aren't, then someone should come looking for you. I also ride much more conservatively when I am alone- I don't do things I wouldn't normally do or if it's a new trail I will walk really technical rock gardens or very technical areas where I feel I am either too tired to pound through or just not well adapted. Always pack a power bar or something to that extent in case you get stuck by weather or otherwise.

2) Creepy peeps- Just keep riding. I can bear spray and have never needed to use it. I have seen some real doozies. Like I said about the gut though. If it doesn't feel right....go with your gut.

3) Mechanical- Learn how to fix everything or at least patch it. My camelbak is like a McGuevyr (spelling?) tool kit. I have a patch kit, tube, multitool, tire bars, pump for both tires and shock, extra chain link, SRAM quick link, couple of safety pins, paper clips, wire, and a small round of duct tape. When I find something I can use in the pak it goes.

One of the last things that I don't take my own advice on is a light. Doesn't have to be a $$$$ nightrider, but a $25 catseye is better than, well riding in the dark. I just wish I would learn that lesson! And always have maps or directions yourself on where you are going. You would be surprised how engrossed you can get in the world's problems and then lose the trail...

Good luck! It's usually the only way to ride, I'm starting to wonder if I'm becoming somewhat of a 'hermit'?

[limewave]

These are some great responses. Thanks for all the advice. Getting a map is a good idea and so is carrying a first aid kit with a blanket and a light for my bike. And an extra snack. And my tools. I think that would make me feel better about going out. I'll designate a buddy that I'll call right before I leave and when I get done so that someone knows where i am and at what times.

Thanks ladies!

[bike4ever]

I do ride alone. Mainly because my schedule gets screwy and it's hard to find riding partners when I'm free. I also only go my limit - I won't try aggressive stuff without someone else along.

[Aggie_Ama]

DH goes alone sometimes. While he wouldn't have the problem with creepy people he is a risk taker and sometimes comes home covered in dirt or blood. I second a first aid kit.

What about getting a SPOT or Find a Spot? Whatever those satellite GPS are? We are thinking about getting one because we enjoy hiking and our cell phones can get a little dicey if we get off the beaten path.

[sundial]

I ride alone but then the trails aren't too technical. If it was, I'd probably have a riding partner.

[katherine]

I'm noticing a trend of mothers with small children who bike alone. It's too bad we all don't live closer to each other as then we would have someone to trade childcare with and someone to bike with! That being said I bike alone all the time, my partner worries about me more than I worry. I am prepared and carry tools, snacks, H2O, cell phone, a warmer layer. I bike wherever I feel like biking, we have a beautiful network of trails half a mile behind our house. The upside is even if I end up on a new trail (which is always super-technical) I can head down and return home. Our trails also tend to be busy so I (foolheartedly?) assume that I would be found within a reasonable amount of time. On that note I am more worried about bears and mountain lions than scary men. Odds are, around here, you will be attacked by a bear first.
In my humble opinion fear is a crappy reason not to do something.

[crazycanuck]

Well..if you mtn bike in Western Australia the biggest things you'd have to deal with would be:
Kangaroos
Snakes
Pea Gravel (only danger there is if you have anymore than 25psi in both tires..say goodbye to any traction!!!)

Limewave-I train on my own for big mtn bike events!

[gnat23]

Another good tip: just before you leave, let someone know where you'll be and what time to reasonably expect you back.

-- gnat!

[Aggie_Ama]

I do not mountain bike alone mostly because I am a clumsy fool and prone to slow-mo falls. Once of twice we have gone to the local beginner to intermediate trail and beat DH there so he catches up. The trail is very well traveled so I guess if I wrecked bad someone would be along at sometime. I know how to change a flat and other basic fixes. Plus as I found when I broke my seat post, it doesn't take that long to walk out of the trail.

[tzvia]

My very first mtb ride was alone, on a trail I had never been to, on a brand new bike I had never ridden on clipless pedals I had never used.

Talk about being nervous.

Those first few pedal strokes in the dirt, back in '96 on Chesboro trail in Agoura were the hardest I ever took. I had no idea how it would feel or if I would fall in the sand or what would happen if I hit a rock or root. I did not carry enough water but I did have some tools and a spare tire and pump. I wanted to scream on the first little downhill (wasn't so little then )

Loved every moment- Went back over and over on my days off till I could ride all the way to the very back of trail. Got a Camelback for more water, and learned about how to make a splint from small branches and shirt tails .

Flash forward 14 years. I still ride alone a lot of the time as my schedule is not the same as any one else. I've gone on vacations alone and rode trails in places I've never been (now with the help of a Garmin on the handlebar.) I like the prep; taking the time to make sure the bike and the stuff I take is all good as I don't want to walk out (did once, due to injury, walked/coasted to trailhead.)

I've crashed, had rattlesnakes swipe at me and frogs leap about my tires. Been stared down by a coyote. Had to take shelter from 102f heat to collect myself. Seen a Mountain Lion. Sometimes, things happen when you are alone because you are not with a noisy group. Sometimes, the peace is truly golden.