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If you've been yearning for excitement that gets the heart pumping and adrenaline flooding your veins, try hurling yourself down a steep freeride course. It should test your bike handling skills to the limit, and teach you a few valuable lessons. But it's an exploit which must be carefully planned in advance. In less hectic riding, a mechanical fault or a steering mistake is no great problem, even on a technical course – you can always put one foot down. But when you're dodging trees, pushing the envelope and close to the edge, the famous Murphy's Law applies: Prepare on the assumption that the worst will happen. You and your bike must obey Murphy – and here's how to do it.  Let's assume that you have a standard mountain bike, and an urge to tackle a freeride course for the first time. To keep yourself out of  the emergency room, there are certain upgrades you can apply to your bike, and we're going to outline them for you.