When it comes to MTB, there are quite a few “golden rules” floating around the trails, passed from rider to rider.
OK, OK, fine – most of these rules exist for a reason. Moreover, we’ve been nagging you for most of them for years. Mostly because they make the trails safer, the rides smoother, and the crashes and mechanicals slightly less frequent. But let’s not pretend we haven’t broken every single one of them at some point. On purpose. Usually, while thinking, “It’ll probably be fine.”
So, in the true spirit of mountain biking—equal parts adrenaline and the unwavering belief that everything’s going to be just fine, let’s have a look at the ten unspoken MTB rules you absolutely should break at least once.
Never ride alone
Riding in the mountains is always accompanied by a bunch of unexpected dangers. So, riding in groups—or at least in pairs—gives you the safety net that if something goes horribly wrong, someone will be there to film it… and call for help… after posting it on YouTube.
Still, you can’t always count on someone for a post-work ride. People have jobs, families, and excuses. So you go alone. Just you, the trail, and that suspicious rustling in the bushes that definitely isn’t a bear. Probably.
Is it smart? Not really. But it allows you to think. It gives you the chance to ride at your own pace and challenge your own personal records on Strava.
So, go for a ride alone once in a while. But do it smart. Bring a phone and tell someone where you’re going. So go ride alone. Just be smart. Bring a phone. Tell someone your plan.
And if you get eaten by wildlife—hey, at least you died doing what you loved: ignoring advice.
Don’t ride a trail unless you’ve walked it first
Yeah, when you’ve climbed for three hours just to drop into a single descent, you’re definitely not stopping to walk it first. What’s the point of modern tech and those overly enthusiastic YouTubers if you can’t just ride a trail based on second-hand opinions and GoPro footage?
Sure, in theory, walking it first prevents crashes. But you know what else helps? Riding slower and not sending it like you’re in a Red Bull edit on your first go.
Yes, riding blind has its risks—like surprise drops, off-camber roots, and the occasional identity crisis when you realize that “feature” was actually a jagged rock looking to ruin your season. But it also builds skill: speed control, reaction time, and the ability to panic gracefully.
Be smart. Follow someone who knows it. Ask them to chill. If you’re first, take it slow. Give yourselves rest, don’t take unnecessary risks, and for the love of God (which coincidently you may meet if you don’t heed this advice), don’t jump from anywhere if you don’t see the landing.
If you follow this advice, the worst that could happen is you fall down, you stand up and move on.
Avoid skidding
Skidding is bad. It ruins the trails, shreds your tires, and makes your bike handle like a shopping cart that lost some of its wheels sometime during the great housing collapse. Moreover, whether you are riding in the wild or in a park, the trail you’re using will have other users as well.
Yet… skidding is SO-MUCH-FUN.
Sometimes, when the trail’s wide, the dirt is loose, and your inner 12-year-old takes over, you just have to throw a little roost. It’s science. It’s art. It’s also chaotic. And we love chaos, especially when it’s under control.
So, yes. Definitely avoid skidding – except when you don’t. But be smart about it. Don’t ruin tracks. Don’t do it on steep switchbacks, delicate features, or anywhere someone’s trying to clean a tricky line. Save it for safe zones, wide corners, or that pointless fire road where you’re trying to look cool for exactly no one.
Because skidding isn’t the problem.
Doing it like a caffeinated toddler on rollerblades? That’s the problem.
Be chaotic. But be classy.
You must earn your descent
Sure… but why?
Isn’t the whole point of downhill riding to avoid going uphill? Otherwise, it would be called U&DH—which sounds like a terrible fashion brand. Yeah, it feels noble to ride six hours just to hit 90 minutes of nonstop descending. But wouldn’t it be better if you just… descended?
I know, I know—”You have to take the good with the bad.” But sometimes, you just want the good. The wind-in-your-face, tires-barely-holding, brake-squealing kind of good. And if there’s a lift, a shuttle, or a guy named Zoran with a rusty pickup willing to drive you up for 10 euros – take it.
So, yeah. Ignore this rule altogether. You don’t have to earn anything. You’re there to enjoy yourself, not to pay tribute to some nameless nobody who felt they knew better than most.
Taking a chairlift doesn’t make you soft. It makes you efficient. It also means more descents in less time, which sounds dangerously close to smart riding.
Because gravity doesn’t care how you got to the top. It focuses on bringing you down.
Wearing goggles with an open-face lid
Some say it’s a crime against fashion. Others say it’s how you identify a rider who forgot half their kit at home. But here’s the truth: goggles with an open-face lid look ridiculous…
and feel amazing.
Sure, you look like a cartoon character trying to cosplay as an enduro racer. But when the dust is flying, the bugs are suicidal, and you’re bombing through a pine forest at warp speed, those full-seal goggles start to make a lot of sense.
“But why not just wear a full-face?” you ask.
Because, my good fellow, I enjoy not dying of heat stroke while climbing a 10km at 10% average. I like airflow and I love not having implants in my head after falling.
And why should I care what the fashion police think? My eyes are protected from those tiny winged kamikazes that would otherwise turn my retinas into Pearl Harbor.
Yes, I look like I escaped from a post-apocalyptic rave. But my vision is clear. And my glasses didn’t eject themselves on the first root section.
So go ahead—wear them. And let the haters squint their way down the mountain while wiping a meatloaf’s worth of bugs from their eyelids.
Always dress for the ride
Nah, I’m not doing that. If I want to enjoy a quick ride to the mountains after work, I’m not going back home, changing into superhero-grade Lycra, and then riding back to the trailhead—especially when the office is right at the foot of the mountain, and home is 15km in the wrong direction.
So, the notion that you have to wear technical gear on every ride – is nonsense. You’re not obligated to wear: bike clothes” to ride a bike. You can ride in jeans. You can ride in a hoodie. You can even – brace yourself – ride in a 10-year-old cotton t-shirt with questionable integrity.
Will it breathe well? No. Will it dry fast? Also no. Will it stop you from riding? Absolutely not.
So wear what you want. Lycra. Cotton. Chain grease as a statement piece.
You’re here to ride, not audition for a Rapha catalogue.
Always bring some food along
Now that’s sound advice, and you should follow it closely… unless you forget. Or you don’t have anything handy at the moment. You’re not about to shove a steak in your back pocket. There are a million and one reasons why you might head out without food—none of them good, but all of them relatable.
It always starts as “just a quick spin.” Then, it turns into an impromptu epic with one more climb, one more trail, and one more catastrophic drop in blood sugar.
That’s when rides become spiritual. You stop pedaling with your legs and start pedaling with your soul.
Still—not the end of the world. When you do something stupid, try to do it smart.
Keep the ride short-ish. Reroute to somewhere with actual food. If that’s not an option, stick to trails you can bail from easily. The goal is to avoid needing three climbs and a life coach to get back to civilization.
And most importantly, if you forgot food, don’t try to beat your PR on Strava. That’s not “brave” , that’s poor energy management… and a massive tell that you’re an egomaniac. But let’s focus on the first part.
Always clean your bike after a ride
We’ve said it ourselves—many times. And we’ll keep saying it, because it’s true: a clean bike is a happy bike.
Cleaning your bike regularly is like brushing your teeth. Skip it enough times, and eventually, things start falling off. But there are days when that advice can get stuffed right into your soggy back pocket. Like when you’ve just spent an hour riding in sideways rain, everything you wear is now 400g heavier, and your hands are so numb you could perform surgery and not notice. You think you’re going to stand in the cold, lovingly hosing mud off your derailleur like some sort of medieval bike butler?
Absolutely not.
You’re going inside, dripping all over the hallway floor, making tea, and warming yourself up. Sure, mud eats drivetrains. But so does pneumonia. You’ll probably deal with it tomorrow. Maybe. At some point before your rear brake seized entirely. Clean bikes are great. But sometimes, not getting sick takes priority.
Never use pressure washers
Whoever said that, obviously, never rode through clay mud. This thing gets into places. Places I’m not ready to talk about. But more importantly, it sticks around… forever.
So, when you get back home, and your bike looks like it’s been dragged from a swamp, your garden hose might as well be spitting from a juice box.
Extreme cases need extreme solutions, and the pressure washer is precisely that. An effective, brutal solution that will strip anything away – yes, grease, lube, and maybe the will to live out of your bearings—but it will also remove the mud that would otherwise take a toothbrush and two weeks of your life to clean properly.
Just don’t go full industrial-blast mode on your linkage. Aim smart. Respect the seals. Avoid turning your bottom bracket into a fish pond. You’ll be fine.
Just don’t forget to treat your bike with some ointments after this rather aggressive spa day.
Rules… what rules?
Rules are great. They give structure, guidance, and something for us to immediately ignore the moment we’re out of sight.
Sure, some of them make sense—until you’re tired, hungry, covered in mud, and emotionally compromised. Then it’s just instincts, stubbornness, and “it’ll probably be fine.”
So, break a few rules. Skid a little. Ride in jeans. Pressure wash recklessly.
Just don’t forget to enjoy yourself while doing it.
Because in the end, the only real rule is to have fun.
