It has been my personal opinion, for quite some time, that mountain biking is a weight-bearing activity. I’ve had many mountain bikers refute this because, after all, we are just cyclists. We sit and we pedal. I call shenanigans.

I know that I stand a lot when I ride. I know that I must wear super-stiff shoes, or my feet will hurt really badly from supporting my weight. I know that I can use a really crappy saddle on my mountain bike because I don’t sit on it enough to cause any discomfort. I know that all of this is evidence that mountain biking is a weight-bearing activity.

This is really important to me because mountain biking is all I really care to do. Sure, I ski in the winter, but I am a mountain biker, first. It is also important to me because the threat of osteoporosis is very real. Working in a radiology department, I see x-rays and how the bones appear with mineral loss. I also see the outward signs of osteoporosis, such as the classic hunchback. I see how debilitating poor bone health can be.

With my mother, I see how the precursor to osteoporosis, osteopenia, can affect one’s bone health. With ostepenia, one has slightly decreased bone density and is more susceptible to breaks. For me, this is simply unacceptable. When you make a habit of flying off of your bike and getting momentarily intimate with the ground, trees, or rocks, you pretty much bank on having bone health, or you’re going to visit the ER. Personally, I hate being a patient, so, again, this is simply unacceptable.

Since all of this is unacceptable, it is quite acceptable that my style of mountain biking promotes osteogenesis, or bone growth. Together with my handy-dandy multivitamin, mountain biking will help me keep my bones strong and healthy.

Before you decide to argue with me, I’ve presented the facts, here: Mountain biking can serve as a weight-bearing activity and promote bone density Mountain Biking Can Serve As a Weight-Bearing Activity and Promote Bone Density