Mountain Biking Needs Its Own Rulebook
There’s a reason road cycling feels like a religion: it has rules.
Unspoken ones, printed ones, and the kind that sound ridiculous until you realize they give the sport its soul. Sunglasses go over the straps. Socks have hierarchy. The tan lines are sacred.
Road cycling has a language, a visual identity that tells you who belongs. Mountain biking doesn’t. Not yet.
The Dirt Is Cool, but It’s Directionless
Mountain biking nailed the energy: chaos, freedom, dirt-under-your-nails authenticity. But in chasing “no rules,” we lost the shared code that turns a hobby into a culture.
You can spot a roadie from across the street, the symmetry, the attitude, the clean lines. A mountain biker? Could be a park rat, a dentist, a racer, or a guy in cutoff jorts and flat pedals. It’s the wild west of self-expression and that’s fun but a little bit of structure gives chaos meaning.
Rules Don’t Kill Freedom. They Create Culture.
We don’t need rules to control anyone. We need them to celebrate what makes this world weird and beautiful the little rituals that make someone go, yep, that person rides.
So maybe it’s time for our own commandments.
The Mountain Biker’s Bible (Draft 1):
Thou must always say hello to any and all trail goers
You can’t wear goggles unless you’ve earned a full-face tan line.
Flannels are fine, but only if you actually ride in them.
Never trust anyone whose bike is cleaner than their shoes.
The pre-ride coffee is a ritual, not a beverage.
Clipless or flats pick a side, but never preach it.
Trail dogs have right of way. Always.
Air pressure is personal. Don’t ask unless you’re ready for a 10-minute debate.
Visor on helmet is required
Fingerless gloves are of the devil
A post-ride beer counts as electrolytes.
No one cares about your Strava time unless it’s hilariously bad.
These aren’t rules to follow — they’re moments to recognize. The quirks that say, this is what it means to ride dirt.
Add to the Bible
We started it. Now it’s your turn.
Drop your additions. The unspoken laws, the inside jokes, the weird truths that only real mountain bikers know.
Because culture doesn’t come from a brand or a blog — it comes from the people who live it.
