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Great question! First off, your fear is healthy. Mountain bikes can throw you really hard, and it's important to maintain a healthy fear of them. People who are fearless eventually have to stop riding, either because they're tired of being hurt all the time, or they're so hurt they can't ride anymore. Fear is good, so fearless people don't last long. You mentioned "old age," so I think it's worth mentioning something that most people won't tell you: If you're over the age of 30 and you haven't already mastered jumps, drops, manuals, and other tricks, you've missed the golden...

TeamRobot said everything I would say. That said, I wanted to ask, when did you start riding? Do you have any other experience in another sport that might translate? I ask because a "virgin" mountain biker at 40 who has 15 years of B level moto under their belt is very different than a 30 year old D1 lacrosse player who just picked up mountain biking. (This is actually a real case study I've coached).

Very cool. Thx for the reply. As Team Robot alluded to, there is a "golden window" to really get good at this sport. I picked it up when I was 12, and by today's standards, I'd say that is still too late to be *really* good. Case in point, with exception of a handful of riders, pretty much every pro MX guy started around FIVE! The modern crop of mountain bike pros, too, started silly early. I realize you aren't looking to be a pro, but this does go to show there is a development window that is really important...

All the input here so far is really good. I would also add go for a few rides that are easy, really easy. Don’t do anything that would have felt even mildly hard precrash. Do that a few times and you will start feeling comfortable again.

I started when i was between 28-30 I think. Very late. Had maybe 5 years of snowboarding experience at that time. I live in Whistler so rode a lot of bike park and technical trail riding from the start. I was always very timid (and probably am more so now). I think coaching and bike parks are the best way for you to overcome your fears if you can afford it. Just the repetition of being on the bike so much without having to work for the climbs and being exhausted etc. Living in the PNW you have plenty of...

I'm early 30s and am coming off back to back major injuries on the bike. I know I'm not going to be in mid-season form when I return but I have the mentality that there is a "trail speed" you have to ride at to hit lines and features safely. Anything less and you also risk a crash. Knowing that I have to ride a certain way/speed gives me confidence in the moment. But all the time off the bike sure makes you second guess what you're doing on the bike in the first place which will subconsciously be in...

Bike riding of all kinds has always blown my mind in how many people dedicate ions of time to getting good with no payoff besides simply being good. I'm one of those guys, though I wouldn't say I'm really good (I sure have put piles of time into it though). Go to any race at any level and you'll see freaks (I say this in the best way) who would most certainly be candidates for some sort of bike rehab if it wasn't deemed "healthy". I only mention this because there really isn't a substitute for time, and you can't...

Time is your friend also. Had a bad crash autumn 2018 with a broken collarbone and a rib and a also totally crushed my foot on a rock spring 2018. Took me a good half year on the bike to feel confident on again. You just need to continue to push slowly. And I'm past 40 years... can't really jump or manual but do drop up to 5-6' if the circumstances are good and love steep chunky descents.

The body tee airflex stealth is a new piece from Leatt that I went with for riding in the park. All pads are removable except the chest piece. Very well ventilated. Integrates with a neck brace as well. Also the Leatt 3df 5.0 Shorts. Pads that cover the pelvis and tailbone in addition to the hip. No chamois, so just for the park. It's hard to beat the G-form stuff for trail riding. Their elite padded shorts with good hip coverage do have a chamois.

I'm a very experienced MX rider and a very novice MTBer. (48 years old.) I relish the thought that nobody expects me to be good on the bicycle, and instead of trying to go faster, I ride like I'm still learning everything. Try it with that mindset and you may surprise yourself. If you want to start jumping, find a small jump and just session that all day (or as long as you can.) Next, find a bigger one. Then find an even bigger one. At some point, use your best judgement as to how big is within your abilities...