Bike Park Basics Pt 2

Listen to or watch our chat on youtube (below) or on our podcast. Also, read a break down below on what gear you’ll need and how to understand tail matrixes! 

•  Helmet is 100% required! Half lid vs. Full Face: A full face helmet may be required at the bike park where you’re riding. Check the park requirements ahead of time. Lots of new-to-bike-park riders start off in a half lid but keep your riding expectations in line with the level of protection you will be using. Many bike parks will rent full face helmets through their bike shop.
•  Pads/Protection: Knee pads are highly recommended, even if they’re the same ones you use on your local trails. Elbow pads are often a personal preference. Cover your skin! Even if it’s hot, it’s more important to protect your skin against potential impact injury. Gloves, long sleeves, pants, etc are highly recommended. Chest protectors are used for a higher level of impact protection for your sternum, upper and/or lower spine as riders progress to more aggressive park riding with a higher risk of impact or potential injury. Check out our podcast episode where we discuss many different options for women’s chest protectors.
•  What kind of bike should I use at a bike park: Most midrange full suspension trail bikes are a great place to start (make sure your bike is safe to use for a park by taking it to your local bike shop). Have an idea of what your bike park goals are, or what type of riding you want to continue pursuing to help guide your decision-making process when it comes to picking a great park bike. Downhill bikes (DH) offer more suspension (usually around 200mm travel suspension in both the fork and rear shock), but are also very heavy, and not easy to pedal – DH bikes also don’t have dropper posts and are meant for more aggressive out-of-the-saddle riding.  DH bikes are often available to rent through many bike parks.
• Not sure what bike to ride? Look for feedback, reviews, suggestions from other riders! Your local bike shops, bike parks, local riders, are all a wealth of knowledge and information that can offer invaluable insight and resources. Bike shops, bike parks, often offer bike demos where you can “test drive” a bikes. Don’t be afraid to ask for help to avoid spending money unnecessarily.
• Suspension set up: Whether renting or using your own bike, make sure your suspension is set up appropriately. Suspension settings vary from rider to rider and are based on a rider’s weight or terrain – this can be set up at your local bike shop, or by a mechanic at the bike park. Take the time to review your bike’s settings and options regarding rebound (how fast your suspension responds/bounces back against compression), and level of compression (how much your bike compresses against impact). Ensuring your bike’s suspension is set up correctly will have a huge impact on your bike park experience!
• How to read a trail maps, and what the heck is a trail matrix: Learn the specifics about the bike park where you will be riding. Every bike park has its own progressive trail rating system (usually color-and/or symbol coded) specific to only that bike park and is not designed to be comparable to other bike parks or trail systems. Flow (usually defined as machine-made trails including berms, jumps/tables, wooden features) and tech trails (features occurring naturally where that trail is located including rocks, fallen trees, natural drops, boulders) are often marked with different types of symbols. Start off easy! Pre-ride, Re-ride, Free-ride: warm up slowly, re-ride the trails slowly to learn the terrain before you go full-send and “free ride.” Warm-up is essential to having a fun, safe day at the bike park. No matter how excited you are to send it, it’s imperative to progress your day’s riding slowly and safely by starting off slower and easier. Scout out new or unfamiliar trails with the same mindset: “pre-ride, re-ride, free-ride” to ensure you’re prepared for a safe, fun ride.
•  Safety and trail etiquette: Bike Park trail etiquette dictates that slower riders always have the right of way, but it is imperative to be aware of your surroundings, and it’s ok to safely yield to faster/more experienced riders. If you do need to pull off from a trail, make sure that you have safely cleared the trail. Move away from the middle of the trail and onto the side, safely away from features or fast-moving/technical segments to ensure the safety of everyone riding