Know Before You Go: Mountain Biking
with our friends from
Ruta Del Jefe
Photo by John Watson
Know Before You Go
A note from The Oath:
Inspired by our participation as guest speakers at the Ruta del Jefe 2024 mountain biking race, The Outdoorist Oath is excited to collaborate with Sarah and the RdJ team to bring this Know Before You Go Mountain Biking resource to the entire community. Enjoy!
Riding bikes brings us joy because it is a pure form of movement that enables us to cover large distances under our own power while feeling immersed in the surrounding landscape. This experience provokes empowerment, adrenaline, and curiosity in the world around us.
Like all things outdoors though, mountain biking includes risks and investments, and it isn’t something one should try without due preparation. We hope this guide helps you prepare to try it out.
Basic Gear:
Helmet: First and foremost, protect your brain! Every ride, on every terrain.
Bike: For mountain biking, you’ll want a bike with wider knobbier tires designed to grip on loose terrain. Whether you ride with flat or drop handlebars, suspension or no suspension, is personal preference but most folks prefer flat handlebars and some suspension while mountain biking. You don’t have to have the latest and greatest equipment to get out and experience the trails near you. Used bicycles are less expensive, more accessible, and better for the planet!
Apparel and Accessories: As with any outdoor pursuit, the amount of gear can seem intimidating. Start with basic, comfortable outdoor attire that’s suited to the weather when and where you plan to ride. The best way to learn what you need is to get out for a ride and see how it feels and find out what people in your area take with them. Wear a hip pack, backpack, or strap a bag to your bike to store your layers, snacks, and repair equipment.
For Ruta del Jefe: The routes for the bike portion of the event take place on rugged double track roads that are steep, rocky, loose and generally technical. A mountain bike is recommended to be used at the event.
Safety Precautions + Tips:
When you ride, always carry a cell phone (for emergency and navigation) and a small repair kit with a spare tube specific to your tire, a small pump, a tire lever, and a multi-tool.
Ensure you stay properly hydrated and nourished by bringing an ample supply of snacks and water with electrolytes. This will help prevent a drop in blood sugar levels, commonly known as "bonking," which can lead to reduced energy levels and cognitive difficulties.
Make sure someone knows your plan: where you are riding, when to expect you back, and how long to wait before they should worry. If you are new to the sport or the area you are riding, we always advise going with a friend or a group who can help with basic mechanical issues or first aid.
How to Find Places to Ride:
There are several great apps for finding mountain bike-specific trails or routes other people have created. Ride With GPS (@RideWithGPS) is our favorite mapping tool, and TrailForks and MTB Project are great for helping you discover sanctioned mountain biking trail systems in your area. Trails are typically designated based on difficulty level and use the same color system as ski trails (green = easiest, blue = moderate, and black = most difficult). If you are new to mountain biking, start with green trails and work your way up from there.
Better yet, visit a local bike shop and connect with them about group rides or favorite routes for someone with your specific gear and experience level!
Environmental Impact
Always stick to sanctioned trails when exploring by bike. Official trails are mapped for your safety and to mitigate the environmental impact of human traffic on the natural environment.
We encourage riders to practice Leave No Trace principles and to understand their region’s trail etiquette – like riding through puddles instead of around them, avoiding using wet trails if the terrain does not support it, and recognizing the various uses and stakeholders of the land. From native peoples to rare plants and animals, many other beings value the same spaces we do and we strive to be mindful and grateful for every opportunity to share space with them.
How to find community in mountain biking
There are many great ways to find community in mountain biking. Check out the following groups, look up your local mountain bike trail association, or visit your local bike shop to ask for more information on cycling groups in your area.
Cycling events/group rides/gatherings can also be great ways to find community in mountain biking. To find a community that you align with, choose an event that promotes initiatives that align with those values.
Photos by Dominique Powers
About Ruta Del Jefe
Ruta del Jefe is a binational festival celebrating adventure, education, community and advocacy in the US-Mexico borderlands. Our mission is to provide the cycling community with a greater understanding and appreciation for the places where we ride our bicycles, and, as a result, build advocates for the outdoors and the borderlands.
The event is named after El Jefe, a jaguar that roamed southern Arizona’s Santa Rita Mountains from 2011-2015. In 2015, the jaguar El Jefe was believed to have been killed or migrated south to find a mate, but his spirit lived on through conservation efforts to protect the habitat for threatened and endangered species in the borderlands. During the summer of 2022, a camera trap in Sonora captured an image of legendary El Jefe, alive, healthy, and one of the oldest living jaguars. This image confirmed that El Jefe had migrated south of the border, providing hope and inspiration to all fighting to protect viable habitats for jaguars in the U.S. and Mexico.
Like the jaguar’s migratory behavior, Ruta del Jefe has transformed into an event that crosses borders, aiming to illuminate the unique borderland region through environmental recreation and education.
Over four days, participants will have the opportunity to camp and stay at Cuenca los Ojos, a remote conservation area in Sonora Mexico, and partake in a variety of bird walks habitat tours, community rides, and workshops such as “the Legal Immigration Simulation” by Borderlinks, “The Oath” by the Outdoorist Oath, and how to build living sculpture habitats for bees.
Ruta del Jefe also hosts a fundraiser where each participant raises funds before the event to help meet a collective goal of $45,000 to be distributed among five conservation and humanitarian organizations based in the borderlands. This year the beneficiaries are N’dee/N’nee/N’dé Nation, Borderlands Restoration Network, Frontera de Cristo, Por la Defensa el Rio de Casas Grande, and Cuenca los Ojos. A representative from each of these organizations will speak to the rider collective before they head out on their big adventure ride.
At Ruta del Jefe, we use the mountain bike as a tool share stories about a region and a point of connection for a diverse group of participants to unite and share experiences outdoors while focusing on education and advocacy well beyond our time on the trails.
How you can take action w/ Ruta Del Jefe
While the Ruta del Jefe March 21-24, 2024 event is sold out, the event is presently hosting a fundraiser to support local conservation and humanitarian efforts in the US-Mexico borderlands. If you are not already attending, you can contribute to Ruta del Jefe's mission of adventure, education, community, and advocacy by donating to any participant's individual fundraiser. Together, we aim to reach our collective goal of $45,000 by March 28th. Your support makes a difference!
Ruta del Jefe is a regional event that happens every spring, but our mission and activism are year-round. We hope that you find a form of outdoor recreation that brings you joy and empowerment so that you can become a curious and invested stakeholder for the ecosystem and marginalized people in your area – and on our entire planet.
Photo by Gideon Tsang
About the Author
Sarah Swallow is a professional adventure cyclist, cycling advocate, community organizer and founder of Ruta del Jefe. She is based in Tucson, Arizona and when she is not bikepacking in some far flung place around the world.
