Freeride And Downhill Riding - Cannondale SuperSlice Owner's Manual

PART II
FREERIDING & DOWNHILL
WARNING
FREERIDING AND OTHER FORMS OF "EXTREME RIDING" RE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. YOU CAN BE
SEVERELY INJURED OR KILLED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT.
Freeriding, jumping, hucking, dirt jumping, mountaincross, downhill, slalom, slopestyle, urban or street
riding or other evolving forms of extreme or hard core mountain biking are inherently dangerous and can
lead to serious accidents. Wear all safety gear and be sure your bike is in excellent condition. Follow all the
instructions and warnings below. These steps will reduce, but not eliminate, the inherent risks. Even with
state of the art protective safety gear you could be seriously injured, paralyzed or killed. If you do not want
to take these risks, do not engage in this type of riding.
Fundamental Risk
Freeriding, jumping, hucking, dirt jumping, mountaincross, downhill, slalom, slopestyle, urban or street
riding. It seems that everywhere you look, from Mountain Dew® commercials to the X-Games® to the Red
Bull®Rampage, riders are grabbing big air and sticking sick drops. And it sure looks fun.
But what the videos and bike magazines and ads don't always tell you is that extreme riding takes an
amazing amount of skill. Some of the riders you see are well-paid pros who have gradually built up their
skills through endless hours of practice, and who have also had their share of stitches, concussions and
busted bones (and bikes). Others are daredevils who have chosen to accept or ignore the risks. Would you
allow anyone to say that you are so weak in the head, and have such poor judgment that you copy those
you see in the media without thought of the serious risks?
The stakes are high if you screw up. Realize too late that you aren't up to the challenge, and you run the
risk of major injury or even – say it aloud – death, paralysis. In short, extreme riding carries a high degree of
fundamental risk, and you bear the ultimate responsibility for how you ride and what you attempt to pull
off. Do you want to avoid these significant risks? Then do not ride this way.
Product Limitations
Problems of pilot error aside, hard-core riding also beats the heck out of your equipment. Although we
build and test our bikes to make them tough, there's no way that we can guarantee they'll survive your
umpteenth six-foot drop. For starters, there is no industry "jumping" standard. The many circumstances
of takeoff, landing, speed, rider technique, etc. are unique. The judgment, lack of judgment or insanity of
a rider who may ride a Cannondale bicycle cannot be completely predicted, so it's flat-out impossible to
predict how anyone's equipment is going to hold up.
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