mountain biking fears

[Irulan]

I might be making the change to MTB soon as we are looking at buying a business in the Blue Mtns of northeastren Oregon and there is not too much opps for a roadie to ride up there but lots of dirt trails. So I may need all the help I can get with the change over. I know I will need the help as MTB scares the hell out of me right now.
Dea

I'm curious, what is it you are afraid of? I've had( and have) my own set of fears, but I've encountered many others.

some examples... fear of getting fear of not being good enough, fears that come from being shown too hard of a trail for one's first ride and getting terrifired, fear of injury....

care to discuss?

I.

[Adventure Girl]

I have WAYYYYY more fear on my road bike than on my mountain bike. For lots of reasons:

The mountain bike is much more stable (lower center or gravity).
I'm in a more comfortable, controlled position.
It has disc brakes that stop on a dime.
The speeds are usually slower.
I don't have to compete with cars.
And if/when I fall, it's usually on dirt, so I don't rip half my skin off.

Luckily (knock on wood), I haven't taken a big spill on my road bike. I've fallen lots (and lots and lots and lots) of times on my mountain bike, and I just get right back up and ride again.

But the bottom line is I have a big fear of falling on asphalt and of being hit by a car. And if I fall on my road bike, I don't want to get it scratched up.

[annie]

Waaaay more fear on the mountain bike for me! It's not logical, I know, 'cause I've never gotten seriously hurt off-road and I sure have on the road! But I still find myself on the edge of fear most of the time I'm on the mountain bike. I don't feel in control if I go fast and if I go too slow, I not only fall way behind, but it's impossible to get over some of the technical stuff with no momentum. So I blunder along and do my best, never feeling as comfortable as I'd like. Part of it is simply needing more time on that bike. I plan to ride it more this year so maybe that will make it better. I hope so!

The road bike feels like an extension of my body sometimes. It's awesome.