Preparing yourself and your bike for Ray’s MTB Park
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By Mike Farley, CAMBA Founder
We’ve posted articles on this site about preparing for a ride outside, so I thought I’d share what I’ve learned about preparing for riding inside at Ray’s MTB Park. While reading, keep in mind that I’m not exactly a natural at this kind of riding, but I do really enjoy it and I like to try most everything in the park. That means I try and be as safe as I can be.
Minimum park requirements: Ray requires everyone to wear a helmet, long pants, and gloves.
Helmets
Minimum: Your normal helmet will work fine.
Next level: Skate/BMX style helmet provides more protection of the forehead and the back of your head.
Best: Full-face downhill helmets provide the best protection since they protect your face from an impact. These are becoming increasingly popular at the park. They are actually very easy to get used to and aren’t any more expensive than most cross country helmets. If you want to try some of the more advanced stuff, the protection they offer is well worth the investment.
Armor
Knee/shin pads: Ray has these available at the park. I highly recommend these since occasionally the pedal can hit your shin if you’re doing any of the north shore stuff.
Elbow pads: If you choose to venture into the more advanced sections, some type of elbow padding is a good idea. Hitting your elbow on concrete does not feel good and elbow pads can make the difference between a bruise and a break.
Gloves: Definitely go with a full fingered glove and preferably something a little heavier than a summer weight glove.
Body armor: I am one of the few people at the park who chooses to wear full body armor and so far nobody has made fun of me! It has saved me more than once, so I don’t ride without it. When you get used to it, it’s actually very comfortable. My suit protects the chest, back, elbows, and shoulders.
Preparing Your Bike
Hardtail vs. full-suspension: I recommend a hardtail for Ray’s. You really don’t need rear suspension on much of anything in the park and it tends to make some things more difficult (like the pump track).
Seat height: Drop your seat all the way down! This helps a LOT on any of the technical sections.
Pedals: It may seem tough to get used to flat pedals after being clipped in all the time, but give it a try and you’ll never go back. The safety of flat pedals is well worth the short learning curve.
Strip your bike down: If you ride with stuff like a pump or an under-seat bag attached to your bike, take them off. They will only get in the way and you won’t need them.
Demo/rental bikes: Make sure to try a demo bike (free) or rent a park bike. These bikes offer a slacker frame geometry that provides a stable ride. They also feature a super-low seat height means you have room to move around if you decide to try the jumps or the more difficult north shore sections.
Consider a new bike: If you really start to enjoy Ray’s, a dedicated bike will make things a lot more fun. I’m not an expert in this category of bikes, but in general you’re looking for bikes that most manufacturers market as “dirt jumping” or “urban” bikes. These are hard-tail bikes with super-relaxed geometry and heavy-duty frames. Just about all of the big manufacturers make a model or two.
