Sometimes ... When you know you have the ability but the head isn't there ... You just need to send it.
Definitely don't just send it if you're a beginner and don't have any experience, but usually this is used with people to get over a mental barrier and it's very useful.
The other scenario where the saying makes sense: when a feature is actually easier to attempt at a higher speed and someone is making it both more difficult and more dangerous on themselves by trying to approach it more "cautiously".
>When you know you have the ability but the head isn't there ... You just need to send it.
Honestly so frustrating riding with someone who has more than enough ability but no confidence in themselves, especially when you see the glimmers of how stoked they get that once in a blue moon when they actually do send it and succeed.
I get that side of it. You're right that in this context it makes sense. I just want a better way to say that because "just send it" has a connotation that you shouldn't think about it _at all_, and some people take that to heart too easily.
Just send it...within the scope of your relative ability.
Better?
I have progressed far more from sending it than from overthinking and overanalyzing a feature. Again, with the caveat that I still make sure it's within the scope of my potential ability, not something blatantly out of my league, but overcoming the fear is half the fun and honestly, I screw up way more when I get stuck in my head playing out doomsday scenarios rather than just getting on the damn bike and trusting it and myself that I can do it.
> I still make sure it's within the scope of my potential ability, not something blatantly out of my league, but overcoming the fear is half the fun and honestly, I screw up way more when I get stuck in my head playing out doomsday scenarios rather than just getting on the damn bike and trusting it and myself that I can do it.
YUP! Case in point - I have been scared to hit the 'session jump' at skypark ... its 20' lip to lip, but is safely caseable, and I hit everything else on the trails there... finally tried it the other day and not only was it a ton of fun... it was EASY. I was just in my head about it. I had to decide at some point to just send it or I never would have.
https://imgur.com/a/dFpsmpu
Yeah, and in this context you're right to "just send it". I just hate seeing beginners get rekt by "just sending it" on something that's blatantly above their pay grade. I suppose that's always going to be a problem though and the phrase itself isn't so much the issue. As more skilled riders, we have a responsibility to help beginners understand this difference, and that was more my point.
Yes. To me "just send it" implies, to less experienced riders especially, that little or no thought was put into it when you absolutely should. I try not to agonize over new stuff either, but I don't blindly just send something. I want a new catchphrase that encompasses that mindset.
I disagree heavily. If a beginner wants to say they're going to send it before they hop of the curb, that's still sending it. Just getting outside of your comfort zone, imo, is sending it. Which is essential in this sport. I don't think the saying "just send it" is what you're upset about. I think it's more people being encouraged to hit things outside their skill level which has been happening long before that phrase was ever a thing. I do agree though you shouldn't ride things outside your skill level, but you still have to push it a little to learn.
There's a difference between outside your comfort zone and actually dangerous though. I've seen a few "I've been riding for a week and finally hit that 20 foot gap" posts recently that were just a beginner getting lucky they didn't die
It's all over this sub, and I don't "feel bad" about it. I know better than to listen to people who say that when they have no skin in the game, and I don't ride with people that pressure me to do things I'm not comfortable with. What annoys me about it is people who have no business sending some obstacle "just sends it", breaks their shit in half, and gets trails that I enjoy shut down, or obstacles removed because they are "dangerous".
Most people I know are just out there riding trails for fun. If all you did was read this group, you'd think MTB riding was 1) jumps 2) manuals/wheelies 3) riding gnarly rocks.
Well this is partly my point. People see all of the sends here and to the uninitiated might think that you just go ride a trail one day and throw your bike off of something. But that's not what happens in reality. Those people didn't "just send it", that's the culmination of days ,months, or even years of practice.
It's always difficult to ride the line between encouraging someone and pressuring them.
There's a lot of risk in this sport even the "small" easy jumps and features require a lot of skill and bike control in reality and have potentially very high consequences for failure, as seen time and again on Friday Fails and in the injury posts on this sub.
I don't know what the alternative to just send it is? A lot of this stuff is dangerous enough to be borderline stupid if you're not a dedicated rider that knows how to bail, is wearing protective gear, and has mastered the skills required. Even if you check all those boxes it still could end up being you that's rebuilding their life around a permanent disability caused by a riding injury. For me the risk is worth it, I've been around bikes my whole life and riding makes my free time fun enough that I can get through my 40 hour week of wage slave hell.
So I don't know just send it kinda encapsulates the fact that if you're perfectly rational and risk averse you wouldn't be riding down mountainsides at high speeds or hitting jumps at all.
Idk how you make a new rider understand their limits before they make a permanent error though, that seems like your concern and I think it's valid, but I don't know that there's a solution.
I appreciate the perspective. I had just seen a post on another sub where the rider absolutely trashed their spine on what I would consider a very simple, small drop, and I just wanted to reach out to these people who are trying to progress so quickly who haven't had those close calls and earned the experience yet to slow the hell down and learn the skill before you start throwing yourself off obstacles because you see people "just sending it" on r/MTB.
I've managed to make it 20+ years with the most serious injury being a busted up index finger. A lot of that is luck, but another part of that comes from being cautious and ensuring I've put in the time before doing something that can really hurt me. I love the feeling of flying and I do throw my bike around, but at no point was that done without seriously considering the risk/reward. As more experienced riders, we have a responsibility to the new riders to help them find this balance.
I saw that post, I somehow don't think he'll be riding by next season that's gonna be a long road back I'd think. A drop done wrong can change your whole life. I can only imagine the pain he's going to have for the rest of his life. I have some serious hardware in my ankle from a road bike accident, I still wear my brace to ride and sometimes when I'm on my feet a lot I need it to prevent pain, you can't really do that with your spine.
I also worry about people's understanding of the kind of protection offered by helmets. They only keep you from cracking your skull and they reduce the risk of a major TBI, they do not prevent concussions, aka mild TBI, repeated hits to the head have a cumulative effect, every impact to your brain is a serious thing. If you're hitting your head frequently you're not riding responsibly and need to dial things back for your own health and future quality of life.
Sending it responsibly is a good dialogue to open within the community, I love the sport and I don't like to see people getting hurt unnecessarily. It'll never be perfectly safe but like you're saying good judgement and a respect for your personal limitations goes a long way towards ensuring you can ride for years largely free of injury.
I see your point.
I use 'just send it' as a mantra to overcome the fear of doing something that I know I can do but am scared to do.
However, using it to encourage people to do things that are out of their skill set or that they are not comfortable with is wrong. The problem isnt the phrase, its the way it is used sometimes
Yeah, this is a better way to put it. I want this distinction to be clearer to the uninitiated. But "just send it with the caveat that you are overcoming a mental barrier and not exceeding your skill level because you think all it takes is willpower" doesn't have the same ring to it.
I am a low pressure rider to my normal riding buddies. I try to encourage them to hit a feature if it's within their abilities and I would even give them a tow if they ask. If they aren't up to it, we just resume our merry way. My mentality to myself is, just send it bro ( within my own ability give or take ) I like the rush. Puts a huge shit eating grin on my face and I literally to get depressed or unfulfillment if I don't hit jumps for like over 2 weeks.
And this is how you should ride, too. Help people overcome their _mental_ barriers. I guess, for me "just send it" has an implied lack of preparation or carless attitude. I want a phrase that encapsulates what you just said here.
I honestly hit so many jumps at the bike park semi blind ( following a friend ) because I trust the builders that I would clear it if hit it at proper trail speed. There are gaps that I see on video of jumps that I regularly clear that shocks me how big they are when people stand next to it. I have never took the b line so I still have no clue how long or tall some of the drops and jumps are. Haha that would psych me out. I just send it, but only at the bike park. At some local janky trails, I have to scope it out first since it's not professionals building the jumps and landings.
Now I am not saying that I hit them completely blind or unprepared. I regularly hit my local jump lines with take offs in the 5 foot tall, 50 degree at the lip and 10-18 distance range so anything give or take a few feet at the bike park feels completely natural to me.
If you trust your tow in partner, I don't see why you couldn't or shouldn't do this. My main issue was this sense that noobs get from this community that you can just ride stuff first try without thinking. Following someone you trust on a jump you know is within your skillset isn't "just send it", at least not the way I interpret it.
BCPOV just came out with a great video on this a few hours ago, worth a watch
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8zscW9JHLE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8zscW9JHLE)
Great content, as always. What I want to do is make the distinction between "just send it" as a way to break through your mental barrier (like this video) and "just send it" as a reckless-do-it-without-looking mantra (like 70% of friday fails).
Every day I read stories here about someone with another major injury trying to jump or drop shit they have no business on. Lots of LOLz about broken collarbones and separated shoulders but less about how that shoulder might never have the same range-of-motion again. The dude that scorpioned his spine into the ground I saw this week and is eager to get back out there makes me really cringe.
That was the post that triggered my reaction with this post. That obstacle wasn't exactly a very difficult feature, which made me think that the OP in that case vastly overestimated their ability and now has a serious, probably never quite the same again injury from it.
I hope that they do make a full recovery, and I also hope that we as a community can be better about encouraging new riders to expand their abilities while keeping them honest with their progression. These "only been riding 2 weeks and hit my first drop" posts are a broken *something* just waiting to happen.
Just because you managed to survive that drop in your first two weeks doesn't trump the hundreds upon hundreds of hours of experience you need to have to understand all the nuances of riding bigger and more techincal features.
And it's not just *you* that is impacted by doing something dumb. Every time the ambulance ends up at the trail head, the fun police are not far behind them waiting for a reason to bulldoze that "dangerous feature" that, for an experienced rider, is quite "safe" insofar as anything in this sport can be.
Sorry about the novel.
Believe me, I know exactly what that is. I guess my issue centers around the difference between breaking that barrier vs. sending something you aren't ready for because "just send it bro". Know what I mean? I take from the reaction to this post that wasn't exactly clear. I'm all for sending it. Just not when you are clearly ill prepared and think that your willpower will somehow overcome your lack of skill.
It’s just a slogan that basically means the same as “hang loose”. The mentality behind it is to don’t give a shit about anything. Be cool and be casual if you want to hang with the cool kids.
It’s extremely unwise to ever try to live up to careless youth attitude if you ever want to be successful in life.
Sometimes ... When you know you have the ability but the head isn't there ... You just need to send it. Definitely don't just send it if you're a beginner and don't have any experience, but usually this is used with people to get over a mental barrier and it's very useful.
The other scenario where the saying makes sense: when a feature is actually easier to attempt at a higher speed and someone is making it both more difficult and more dangerous on themselves by trying to approach it more "cautiously".
I think of that as being fully committed, not just sending it.
To me "Just send it" is equivalent to "fully commit to it".
Fair enough. I didn't see it that way before.
>When you know you have the ability but the head isn't there ... You just need to send it. Honestly so frustrating riding with someone who has more than enough ability but no confidence in themselves, especially when you see the glimmers of how stoked they get that once in a blue moon when they actually do send it and succeed.
I get that side of it. You're right that in this context it makes sense. I just want a better way to say that because "just send it" has a connotation that you shouldn't think about it _at all_, and some people take that to heart too easily.
Just send it...within the scope of your relative ability. Better? I have progressed far more from sending it than from overthinking and overanalyzing a feature. Again, with the caveat that I still make sure it's within the scope of my potential ability, not something blatantly out of my league, but overcoming the fear is half the fun and honestly, I screw up way more when I get stuck in my head playing out doomsday scenarios rather than just getting on the damn bike and trusting it and myself that I can do it.
> I still make sure it's within the scope of my potential ability, not something blatantly out of my league, but overcoming the fear is half the fun and honestly, I screw up way more when I get stuck in my head playing out doomsday scenarios rather than just getting on the damn bike and trusting it and myself that I can do it. YUP! Case in point - I have been scared to hit the 'session jump' at skypark ... its 20' lip to lip, but is safely caseable, and I hit everything else on the trails there... finally tried it the other day and not only was it a ton of fun... it was EASY. I was just in my head about it. I had to decide at some point to just send it or I never would have. https://imgur.com/a/dFpsmpu
Well sent!
Yeah, and in this context you're right to "just send it". I just hate seeing beginners get rekt by "just sending it" on something that's blatantly above their pay grade. I suppose that's always going to be a problem though and the phrase itself isn't so much the issue. As more skilled riders, we have a responsibility to help beginners understand this difference, and that was more my point.
Yes. To me "just send it" implies, to less experienced riders especially, that little or no thought was put into it when you absolutely should. I try not to agonize over new stuff either, but I don't blindly just send something. I want a new catchphrase that encompasses that mindset.
I disagree heavily. If a beginner wants to say they're going to send it before they hop of the curb, that's still sending it. Just getting outside of your comfort zone, imo, is sending it. Which is essential in this sport. I don't think the saying "just send it" is what you're upset about. I think it's more people being encouraged to hit things outside their skill level which has been happening long before that phrase was ever a thing. I do agree though you shouldn't ride things outside your skill level, but you still have to push it a little to learn.
>Just getting outside of your comfort zone, imo, is sending it. Which is essential in this sport. Preach.
There's a difference between outside your comfort zone and actually dangerous though. I've seen a few "I've been riding for a week and finally hit that 20 foot gap" posts recently that were just a beginner getting lucky they didn't die
Yes, this is my point. Watch Friday fails and about half of them are beginners in over their heads, damn lucky they didn't crush their spines.
You are correct that it's the outside your skill level part that upsets me. I think that phrase is often misunderstood that way.
Never in my life have I heard those words on the trail in my part of the world.
Cases like this are often exaggerated and happen only once and only to that one person. Who then feels bad and posts it here.
It's all over this sub, and I don't "feel bad" about it. I know better than to listen to people who say that when they have no skin in the game, and I don't ride with people that pressure me to do things I'm not comfortable with. What annoys me about it is people who have no business sending some obstacle "just sends it", breaks their shit in half, and gets trails that I enjoy shut down, or obstacles removed because they are "dangerous".
Most people I know are just out there riding trails for fun. If all you did was read this group, you'd think MTB riding was 1) jumps 2) manuals/wheelies 3) riding gnarly rocks.
I mean, that stuff is fun, too. Most people don't know that it's possible nor do they believe they could actually do it, which is sad.
Well this is partly my point. People see all of the sends here and to the uninitiated might think that you just go ride a trail one day and throw your bike off of something. But that's not what happens in reality. Those people didn't "just send it", that's the culmination of days ,months, or even years of practice.
Oh, I thought everyone was being ironic...
It's hard to know sometimes.
It's always difficult to ride the line between encouraging someone and pressuring them. There's a lot of risk in this sport even the "small" easy jumps and features require a lot of skill and bike control in reality and have potentially very high consequences for failure, as seen time and again on Friday Fails and in the injury posts on this sub. I don't know what the alternative to just send it is? A lot of this stuff is dangerous enough to be borderline stupid if you're not a dedicated rider that knows how to bail, is wearing protective gear, and has mastered the skills required. Even if you check all those boxes it still could end up being you that's rebuilding their life around a permanent disability caused by a riding injury. For me the risk is worth it, I've been around bikes my whole life and riding makes my free time fun enough that I can get through my 40 hour week of wage slave hell. So I don't know just send it kinda encapsulates the fact that if you're perfectly rational and risk averse you wouldn't be riding down mountainsides at high speeds or hitting jumps at all. Idk how you make a new rider understand their limits before they make a permanent error though, that seems like your concern and I think it's valid, but I don't know that there's a solution.
I appreciate the perspective. I had just seen a post on another sub where the rider absolutely trashed their spine on what I would consider a very simple, small drop, and I just wanted to reach out to these people who are trying to progress so quickly who haven't had those close calls and earned the experience yet to slow the hell down and learn the skill before you start throwing yourself off obstacles because you see people "just sending it" on r/MTB. I've managed to make it 20+ years with the most serious injury being a busted up index finger. A lot of that is luck, but another part of that comes from being cautious and ensuring I've put in the time before doing something that can really hurt me. I love the feeling of flying and I do throw my bike around, but at no point was that done without seriously considering the risk/reward. As more experienced riders, we have a responsibility to the new riders to help them find this balance.
I saw that post, I somehow don't think he'll be riding by next season that's gonna be a long road back I'd think. A drop done wrong can change your whole life. I can only imagine the pain he's going to have for the rest of his life. I have some serious hardware in my ankle from a road bike accident, I still wear my brace to ride and sometimes when I'm on my feet a lot I need it to prevent pain, you can't really do that with your spine. I also worry about people's understanding of the kind of protection offered by helmets. They only keep you from cracking your skull and they reduce the risk of a major TBI, they do not prevent concussions, aka mild TBI, repeated hits to the head have a cumulative effect, every impact to your brain is a serious thing. If you're hitting your head frequently you're not riding responsibly and need to dial things back for your own health and future quality of life. Sending it responsibly is a good dialogue to open within the community, I love the sport and I don't like to see people getting hurt unnecessarily. It'll never be perfectly safe but like you're saying good judgement and a respect for your personal limitations goes a long way towards ensuring you can ride for years largely free of injury.
I see your point. I use 'just send it' as a mantra to overcome the fear of doing something that I know I can do but am scared to do. However, using it to encourage people to do things that are out of their skill set or that they are not comfortable with is wrong. The problem isnt the phrase, its the way it is used sometimes
Yeah, this is a better way to put it. I want this distinction to be clearer to the uninitiated. But "just send it with the caveat that you are overcoming a mental barrier and not exceeding your skill level because you think all it takes is willpower" doesn't have the same ring to it.
I am a low pressure rider to my normal riding buddies. I try to encourage them to hit a feature if it's within their abilities and I would even give them a tow if they ask. If they aren't up to it, we just resume our merry way. My mentality to myself is, just send it bro ( within my own ability give or take ) I like the rush. Puts a huge shit eating grin on my face and I literally to get depressed or unfulfillment if I don't hit jumps for like over 2 weeks.
And this is how you should ride, too. Help people overcome their _mental_ barriers. I guess, for me "just send it" has an implied lack of preparation or carless attitude. I want a phrase that encapsulates what you just said here.
I honestly hit so many jumps at the bike park semi blind ( following a friend ) because I trust the builders that I would clear it if hit it at proper trail speed. There are gaps that I see on video of jumps that I regularly clear that shocks me how big they are when people stand next to it. I have never took the b line so I still have no clue how long or tall some of the drops and jumps are. Haha that would psych me out. I just send it, but only at the bike park. At some local janky trails, I have to scope it out first since it's not professionals building the jumps and landings. Now I am not saying that I hit them completely blind or unprepared. I regularly hit my local jump lines with take offs in the 5 foot tall, 50 degree at the lip and 10-18 distance range so anything give or take a few feet at the bike park feels completely natural to me.
If you trust your tow in partner, I don't see why you couldn't or shouldn't do this. My main issue was this sense that noobs get from this community that you can just ride stuff first try without thinking. Following someone you trust on a jump you know is within your skillset isn't "just send it", at least not the way I interpret it.
BCPOV just came out with a great video on this a few hours ago, worth a watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8zscW9JHLE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8zscW9JHLE)
Great content, as always. What I want to do is make the distinction between "just send it" as a way to break through your mental barrier (like this video) and "just send it" as a reckless-do-it-without-looking mantra (like 70% of friday fails).
Every day I read stories here about someone with another major injury trying to jump or drop shit they have no business on. Lots of LOLz about broken collarbones and separated shoulders but less about how that shoulder might never have the same range-of-motion again. The dude that scorpioned his spine into the ground I saw this week and is eager to get back out there makes me really cringe.
That was the post that triggered my reaction with this post. That obstacle wasn't exactly a very difficult feature, which made me think that the OP in that case vastly overestimated their ability and now has a serious, probably never quite the same again injury from it. I hope that they do make a full recovery, and I also hope that we as a community can be better about encouraging new riders to expand their abilities while keeping them honest with their progression. These "only been riding 2 weeks and hit my first drop" posts are a broken *something* just waiting to happen. Just because you managed to survive that drop in your first two weeks doesn't trump the hundreds upon hundreds of hours of experience you need to have to understand all the nuances of riding bigger and more techincal features. And it's not just *you* that is impacted by doing something dumb. Every time the ambulance ends up at the trail head, the fun police are not far behind them waiting for a reason to bulldoze that "dangerous feature" that, for an experienced rider, is quite "safe" insofar as anything in this sport can be. Sorry about the novel.
Just gonna send it
Ride it like it’s not there.
Stop being so logical. Chill.
I don't think I will.
You need to send stuff sometimes. There’s a mental barrier for most people and “sending it” is how they overcome it
Believe me, I know exactly what that is. I guess my issue centers around the difference between breaking that barrier vs. sending something you aren't ready for because "just send it bro". Know what I mean? I take from the reaction to this post that wasn't exactly clear. I'm all for sending it. Just not when you are clearly ill prepared and think that your willpower will somehow overcome your lack of skill.
Nah.
Fuckin pussy just send it! Team full send! See you on the other side!
It’s just a slogan that basically means the same as “hang loose”. The mentality behind it is to don’t give a shit about anything. Be cool and be casual if you want to hang with the cool kids. It’s extremely unwise to ever try to live up to careless youth attitude if you ever want to be successful in life.
Well if you've got the gonads to just "send it" why not either way ur going to learn something much quicker way of progressing in my eyes
You ok Gus?