Things every rider will encounter on their way to becoming a mountain biker

Mountain biking is different for everyone, and the experience of being a mountain biker is not the same for any of us. Some riders love the green lanes, others travel with love. Some are born to climb, some don't even have a drivetrain. Using e-bikes has finally made mountain biking fun for some riders, while contradicting everything mountain biking is about for others.

Mountain biking is not an old sport but it has changed. From a side sport that found purpose in competition, mountain bike racing is close to becoming a sport of a lifetime. So what does it mean to be a mountain biker? Here is a list of things you may or may not have on your way to becoming a mountain biker. It's not a checklist to achieve, but you can tick off many of these if mountain biking has taken over your life. But as diverse as this list is, it doesn't even touch on how broad the definition of mountain biking is, and what makes people a mountain biker.

Stock up on tubeless tires. Plan a route online and share a .gpx file – successfully. Get KOM or QOM. Fix a flat tire. Stop to help another passenger with the machine. Create a trail. You've lost a KOM or QOM, and be good about it. Understand that illegal routes have a limited life. Join a mountain bike club. Help run a club race. Participate in a day of trail work. Sell ​​the bike, and regret it. Give the things you don't need, to the person who needs them. Go pack a bike, you don't have the right equipment but all the right experience. Go for a night ride. Do a 24-hour race. Do the hardest thing on the bike, it brings you to tears. Turn off your lights when riding at night. Make friends with the new people you meet on the ride. Avoid riding in a group for comfort during a solo route. Take a skills course to improve. Get a trainer, get strong, hustle.

Call in sick from work to walk and ride your bike. Learn how to make the most of your bike service. Respect and appreciate the bike mechanics who handle all the work that you cannot do yourself. Find your perfect mountain biking playlist. Go rock climbing. Do a spring ride that leaves you refreshed from the changing seasons like trail stoke. Go and soak in the ride. Pick up trash from the trap left by others. Perform repairs without proper equipment or tools. You're flat out hard questioning mountain biking and your life choices so far. Have a car that costs less than your bike. You missed a big commitment because you'd rather be riding your bike. Break a bone. Do a gravel ride that reminds you that mountain biking is the best off-road riding.

Do a cross country race. Help a friend or family member get into hiking. Take off your chain and do push-ups without chains with friends. Close cheat lines on the track. Ride a scary line. Go up something you can't go down. Get off something you can't climb. Catch a storm. Ride across the mountain range. Ride in all weather conditions. Smile or wave at every road user. Earn, even if you have the right to travel. Do a gravity race. Ride one speed. Understand and be able to explain the difference between high and low speed compression damping. Go ride the lycra. Ride with a slower rider on your group ride. Stop at a pub during the journey. Ride the Cannonball DH. Ride your bike to another country. Learn how to make a wheel. Commit to flawless pedaling. Know how to fit your toe properly. Learn to ride flats. Explain with confidence the difference between Shimano Hyperglide and Hyperglide Plus. Ride an e-bike. Break the chain when riding. Take on such a difficult journey that you cannot imagine that you will succeed. Win the bike race. He lost the bike race but felt really good about participating. Plan to ride directly to see the sunrise. Learn how to fix a tire. Ride technical trails without dropper posts. Ride a strong bike – fast. Have a moment of zen when you go on a downhill bike ride. Go with jeans and a t-shirt. Go watch a World Cup mountain bike race.

Tell one of your mountain bike heroes how much you respect them. Do it consistently so you can be someone's mountain bike hero. Commit to recycling your tires, worn drivetrain parts and batteries. Shave your legs. Come back from injury soon, because you can't stay off the bike. Sign up for Zwift. You are moved to tears by the beauty of mountain biking and its destinations. Ride somewhere where wild animals can kill you. Go helibiking. Ride the Kuranda downhill. Went on a bike ride for so long that the descent wasn't worth it – but the ride was still good. Ride a mountain bike mecca: Moab, Crested Butte, Mt Beauty, Morzine or Vancouver's North Shore. Watch Mud Cows on VHS. Make your own tubeless sealant. Make a ride that you are not interested in, because it is important to the person who invited you. Totally laugh on the ride.

Understand that while you have a great mountain bike playlist, the sound of dirt under your wheels is even better. Explain and understand the pros and cons of both Garmin and Wahoo. Lend someone a spare tube, even though you know it leaves you stranded far from home. Plan and ride the route only with the topographic map. Learn how quick links are used once. Do $200 worth of damage trying to service or repair something that costs half that. Buy your local bike shop staff a coffee or a beer the next time they take you out of the bind – or bake them a cake. Join a cycling advocacy group. Hike a multi-use trail to get a feel for what mountain biking is all about. Buy a workspace. Build the bike up from the frame. Learn how to build a chain. Go for a ride with one of your mountain bike heroes. Break the bike frame. Successfully install and remove tire inserts. Share your trail food. Get on the party train. Learn how to jump a rabbit correctly. Subscribe to a cycling media magazine or paid digital content because you value your independent content. A bike is stolen and you feel a deep sense of loss. Ride, don't drive, to the moon track. Realize that some of the best days of your life have happened because of mountain bikes. Comment that you liked that mountain biking used to be easy, and mean it.

Successfully set up a new frame with a silent internal router. Take your SRAM vs Shimano feelings to the level of Ford vs Holden. Ride drop bars off drops. Make a day of cycling at Maydena Bike Park. Spend time on the pump track. Ride the Fainters trail in the Victorian High Country. Understand that a 2psi difference really makes a difference. Learn how to bleed your brakes. You've lost all fitness and motivation to ride, and you love mountain biking over and over again. Ride the singletrack so fast your eyes water. Stop when you see someone doing trail work to appreciate what they are doing. Watch the exam competition. Join AusCycling. Ride the railroad. Riding every day for a month. Learn how to jump, and the world. It has successfully serviced the cup and cone bearings. Plan to ride around the picnic stop. Sell ​​your CO2 for a pump. Start a group of riders that ends up being more than just a group of riders. Ride enough to understand that it's not what you ride, how you ride or why you ride – but that you ride. Spend time digging dirt jumps. Build a set of wheels. Note that you do not need to shave your legs.

Mountain biking is many things to many people. Use this list not as a checklist, but as a reminder of how great the mountain bike experience can be.