I've done a lot of mountain biking, and for years I rode bike trials¹. I think on a bike it's fine to push your limits, because the consequences are less sever

I've done a lot of mountain biking, and for years I rode bike trials¹. I think on a bike it's fine to push your limits, because the consequences are less severe than for hang gliding, especially if you aren't doing big drops. Trials riding is technical, but it isn't fast, so one unexpected thing is that you get better at crashing. Kind of like in Judo, where there is a correct way to fall, falling often enough at slow to moderate speeds teaches you how to fall better. Now I mostly ride cross country, but every once in a while, when I get into a sketchy situation, I fall like a cat, whether it be over the bars, off the back, hopping off the side, I have a deep well of experience from previous crashes to draw upon. I'd say in mountain biking the enemy isn't falling or crashing, it's falling or crashing at speed. I _know_ it's fun to go fast, but if you switch your mindset from: "I'm going to get through this section faster than you" to "I'm going to get through this section _better/cleaner_ than you." you can keep the fun alive while keeping the consequences down. So what is 'better,' it could be without putting a foot down, without shifting down to the granny gear, without skidding etc... This is why I think mountain biking is way more fun than road riding. I don't have to have elite level fitness, or massive quads to be 'good' at mountain biking. Take a roadie out on a mtn bike ride for the first time and they will probably blow all the steep climbs at first, cos they don't have experience in modulating traction through the back wheel. Eventually they would learn to project though the bike and feel where the back wheel is touching the ground at all times, which takes your riding to the next level. 1: Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRZJylpYJec https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRZJylpYJec