Hopefully, you are as excited about the cooler temps as I am! Fall riding can be truly spectacular. Crisp air, changing autumn hues, and less-crowded trails are the perfect setting for reflection on important matters of life (such as whether you should upgrade your bike’s pedals). Falling leaves provide fun variation to trails, but can be tricky to navigate. Since being covered by a big pile of leaves can be fun when you’re six, but likely isn’t your goal when you arrive at the trailhead, we’ve provided some leaf-riding tips below.

Maintain a solid ready position
Leaves can hide smaller rocks, roots, holes, and drops. Don’t just send it! Instead, ride confidently by scanning ahead for hints of hidden hijinks, and using a flexible ready position to absorb fluctuations along the trail.

Slow down
Leaf-covered trails are often either damp or dusty, and both are a recipe for wheels that slide out beneath you. Riding over leaves can be similar to riding on snow or ice, so it’s important that you slow down — especially before tackling tricky sections or corners.

Use bike-body separation
Remember that your goal is to keep the center of mass of your body over the center of your bike, especially as you descend or go around corners.

Consider wearing a little extra padding
If you know a trail is going to have damp or dusty leaves (check apps like Trailforks and Alltrails for conditions), you might want to wear some elbow pads and knee pads to help buffer your bones and skin from any slides or falls. In addition, wearing a durable jacket and pants can help protect against the autumn chill and abrasions. And as I always preach….wear full finger gloves when you are mountain biking (check my stories to see how they saved my fingernails this weekend).

Now that you have some tools in your pocket, get out and enjoy those magnificent colors and incredible temperatures!