metz1295

I'm new to this. Big guy. 6'3" - 235. And not the fit kind, so my weight will come down in time. My question is, at my size, how much effort should I put in to trying to get air coming off jumps? Or maybe I should just stay away from them? Oh, and I'm 53 yrs old.

thehammerdog

oh my clyde you silly goose.
​​​big fellas when they fall at 50+ yrs old go boom.
and things break

Happy Feet

At 57 I now say there are no freebies for falling off; I have to pay every time.

It's not unusual to show up Monday morning with bruises, scrapes, a tensor bandage and/or a limp while I help others walk as a rehab assistant.

veganbikes

I don't tend to "get air" but I am not a super skilled mountain biker. I wouldn't want to fall either but have some fun.

Canker

235 isn't that heavy so I wouldn't really worry about it. I ride with several 250-270lb guys. The 270lb guy broke a few frames but I've also broke a frame at 160lbs being stupid and jumping to flat without enough air in my fork. The biggest problem the big guys have is destroying cheap rear hubs. They usually ride whatever the bike comes with and then upgrade to a DT Swiss 240 once the stock hub blows up.

Russ Roth

Not too heavy for getting in the air, has upsides to doing so like learning how to land the bike which will help you in not loosing control when riding off drops as well as learning how to pull up as you leave the drop to land the bike better. Course getting it wrong hurts but start small and build up confidence.

Snotrub

We're the same size and age and I say if you enjoy catching air, are a decent bike handler and have a good full suspension bike, go for it. I also do motocross with my grandson as well, so catching air is normal, even on bikes. I will say that I don't like doing it on my hardtail. My knees just can't take it.

prj71

At your weight....bike frames and hubs sometimes don't like the landings. Breakage may occur.

I'm 49 and don't do a lot of jumps. 1.) Due to the lack of skills to do them properly, 2.) A lot of jumps have deductible written all over them and 3.) Recovery time from a crash takes longer.

Crashed once last year and bruised my ribs on the back side. I was off the mountain bike a month after that happened due to the pain that was felt when moving my upper body around. Ended up doing a lot of road biking that month.

I'd rather skip a jump and avoid the possible crash so I can ride again another day. My fearless spring chicken days are behind me.

DMC707

49 year old Clyde myself who has been riding MtB's for 30 years. Came into the sport in my college days because being a student i could no longer afford to motocross

I just celebrated my first knee replacement surgery and in the past 3 years have gone through a meniscus tear, torn labrum surgery, rotator cuff surgery, deviated septum and a mastoidectomy to relieve concussion symptoms (i've had a good time )

--- Smile at the younger crowd as they do their turn downs, whips and gap jumps --- but my advice at this point in your career is to find a way to ride around them
- even with amazing medical insurance - (which i dont have - the downtime can suck )

Get the diet in order -- much more weight is lost at the table than on the pedals in general

zjrog

58 year old Clyde... A lot more busted up than 30 years ago. But, 30 years ago on full rigid bikes I was doing the 4' drops. Weighed 220-230 at the time, and broke a lot of things. Suspension anything was out of my affordable ranges.

Left knee replaced a bit over 11 years ago, got me back on bikes. Mostly road, but a little dirt on a 91 Fisher HooKooEKoo with a suspension fork.

Not long after that I crashed on the road bike and have 2 rods and 10 screws in my Thoracic section for my troubles (45MPH downhill beating a younger friend...). But the knee was never even scratched... Took me three years to get back on a bike.

That bike (front suspension 29er) was a gift from a kid I got involved in cycling 30 years ago, and showed up at the time I needed a boost. That was almost 7 years ago. Still was a rough road getting back to the bike and being active...

The last year that 29er has been more fun as I've lost weight. From a high of 378 to my current 240ish. I've even been on a neighborhood BMX track with a 90 rigid MTB and caught a LITTLE air. But catching air just isn't as comfortable or fun as it used to be. Even if I move to a fatbike or full suspension bike.

At my age, and now with a second knee replacement, I'm a lot more cautious than I used to be. Doesn't mean I can't stretch that envelope a little, now and again.

kq2dc7

I started riding mountain bikes and gravel bikes 3 years ago at 280 lbs. I was 56 at the time and paid the price learning the mountain bike skills. A few hospital trips and a few broken bones later I have slowed my expectations down. Now I enjoy the trails that include rocks and drops but no jumps. I'm taking my time with the jumps but the lips are all different. The steep take offs throw me off balance and I do not feel like I have any control.

Kapusta

I know guys your weight that do downhill and take big jumps. There are bikes and wheels that can handle it to some extent, but how well your equipment holds up will vary greatly based on how smooth you are with the landings.

Start small, and see how it goes. 53 is not old. Do small drops and jumps, and see if you are having fun. Do NOT feel like you need to be hitting big jump lines. Also, beware of bigger jumps out in the world built by random strangers. A poorly designed jump can end badly if you are not expecting it and don't know how to handle them.

All that said, there is a lifetime of progression, skill development, and fun to be had mountain biking without getting into jumping man-made jumps if you want to focus on keeping your wheels on the ground. At some point it is useful to learn how to handle natural drops, though.

travbikeman

I'm about to turn 51 and down to 278 lbs,

Honestly, I'm more into just going down hill on some great trails such as in Cacapon State Park. But will admit have hit a few areas too fast and did some small jumps.

Not sure if I will ever be comfortable with too much air time myself. Strangely, starting to enjoy being able to make it up the hills without feeling like I'm having a heart attack!


Hmmm, do see hitting some jumps on my hard tail as a good excuse to break the frame. Good excuse to upgrade to a full suspension frame.....hmmm......

curbtender

Trying to get air usually follows a bad attempt at trying to get air. Always helps to know how to do it before you try. There are videos up.

Gravel Rider

No worries. Just send it. You'll figure it out when you get back to Earth!

SquishyBiker

I'm 48, 247lb, and do small jumps, but I rarely do anything that I'm not confident in.
For me, I put flow ahead of style, so with a jump I look to how I want to be when I land, not to how I want to be when I'm airborne...