Turned 58 and just starting to learn to jump, Im glad snow summit built Blue Steel, after a couple of days I now get air and case them but Im loving my progression.
That trail is a blast. It's all about having fun. It seems like there are many of us grown-up men acting like kids and jumping our bikes. What a great group to be in :)
I'm 50 and had been skateboarding more than half my life. handrails, big gaps, etc.. i've been out of it for at least 15 years, and my balance seems to be a little off when I'm on the trails with my bike now. I'm hoping loosing this gut is helping me gain back some of what is missing. Maybe more yoga to help my mind get in tuned with my body again.
I’m 55 and a grandpa and I’m still trying to increase the air I’m getting. Dual suspension combined with different jumps (lips) is a challenge and I’m loving it! I am so excited for Blue steel because I haven’t had the nerve to launch off of the big stuff on party wave! Great topic...Cheers 🍻
Loved the vid! I am 64 and discovered MTB when I was 55. For years I was happy doing flow trails and staying on the ground but riding behind my grandson and watching him try to get air on every little feature that he could find made me realize that I was missing out on some good stuff. So two years ago I committed myself to get out and practice almost daily, manuals, wheelies, jumps and drops. I am having more fun than ever! Crashes?...you bet but I wear the scars proudly and my grandson loves it that PopPop shreds😎 Just subscribed thank you for the added inspiration 👍
10 years for me 50 as well. It's taken a season to feel a somewhat comfortable but still glued to the ground 😔😁....can still ride the gnar with young folks though 👍ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3dA9l6xU6tU.html
Just crossed the milestone of 60 and I have been riding mtb on and off since 1989. Just got into learning drops and jumps. The keys are conditioning, commitment, progression and repetition. Now I go to the local jump line and look almost like I know what I'm doing!
Love everything about this because I’m currently living it! Determined to have so much of my footage be “before” and looking forward to the “after”. Movin’ toward smoothin’! ✌🏼🤟🏼
Great video. 55 and really started jumping last year. I built a series of kickers and took them to the local school and set them up on a sloped lawn. Low consequences and great for building skill and confidence
I'm 46. Been mountain biking for 13 months. I started small. Am now clearing table tops 3 bike lengths long with a little style now. All from watching (or should I say obsessing over) MTB videos and tutorials. Great video bro. Just added you to my other 32 MTB subscriptions!!
Started jumping this year at 50 on flow trails. By the end of the season i actually started to progress and am REALLY looking forward to next season. Great vid.
I rode bmx bikes since I was 5 and always liked to jump sidewalks and build ramps with milk crates, wood or any that could look like a jump. Got my 1st mtn bike in the mid 90s when I was 14. Stopped riding and got back in to it 2 years ago. I am now 42 years old and my progression is way up. Your video is basically all those steps you mentioned. Yes I have crashed, but nothing major. Last time at snow summit I cleared all tombstones and starting to manipulate bike in mid air adding my style. Glad to hear there many guys our age ripping it. Keep up the good work and keep motivating.
I can relate with how skateboarding has basically taught me the same mindset. What really helps me is to not think about it too much. When I was about to ollie a stair set that was way bigger than normal I would just think, it's just like every other set I'll just be in the air a few seconds longer. Made things much easier. Once you think too much stop and don't go for it.
Two tips I want to add as a 47yr old shredder: #1 confidence is key. If you aren't feeling it. Don't send it. There is always another day. If you are feeling good you will be loose and have a WAY better chance for success. Number two, get a tow in! When hitting a jump for the first time knowing the right speed is key and following another rider who is constantly cleaning the jump is a huge help.
Here I thought I was late to the world of MTB but apparently not and I appreciate the words of encouragement. I’m new to the sport been riding for a month but continue to push for progress and loving everyday I get to ride.
Visited my first bike park ever this summer. 68 and getting better, 2 years back riding, did my first drop (middle one at the park). Still not air born, but it's coming. Can't believe you replayed the handle bar breaker? That one dampened my enthusiasm! Great Video, love the channel!
thanks for the video, my man. i'm exactly that guy riding sleigh ride at sky park just starting to get a little bit of air. good to know i'm right where i should be.
41 and just got my first full squish 2 year’s ago. The advice you give in this video is really good. It’s actually pretty much what I’ve been doing, starting small, working my way up, committing and all that stuff. And my jumping skills have progressed a LOT. At first I was super uncomfortable in the air, drifting sideways and not having control of where my front tire was going. But after a lot of repetition and BABY steps I can clear some good sized jumps and drops now. Feeling a lot more comfortable now and having a ton of fun!
Dude such a great video👏 great information. Im 38 and just barely started my jumping career in the last 9 months. Definitely having a great time learning. Its nice to see my progression in the last six months cause I never thought I would get there.
Movie clips are on POINT on this vid. Great tips. I get so frustrated when I hear people claiming they're too old to ride well (or at all for that matter) when they're only in their 30's. I'm 31 and make no plans to stop riding, surfing, skating, etc ever. You're never too old for anything!
I'll be 47 next month, this is exactly what i needed Tony. You nailed it on the head what i am going through in my progression. Thank you for this video 😁👍
Very nice advices for someone to get in to jumps you nailed it. After a litle bit of practice its one the things that most mtb riders are seeking on trails cause its really really really FUN.
Really enjoyed the video I’m 47 and a Grandpa, been riding for 3 years had a bad accident in March putting me in the hospital for two days, after I recovered went straight to the same jump I wrecked on and cleared it. Ever since then I’ve ridden the best I’ve ever ridden including more air! Thanks for the video!
Man this video has is so on point bro, im 45 and i just got back into biking about 6 months ago and I’m slowly but surely trying to build my jump skills / confidence up lol , been riding the Fullerton loop a lot lately to get my stamina up! Great video though thanks a lot bro and happy trails 🤙🏽
Thanks for the video! Helped me a lot. I am 50 and just got back into biking after about 10 years. (Thanks to Covid and furlough). Family all bought new mountain bikes so i finally upgraded my 15 year old GT hard tail to a full suspension trail/enduro bike. This inspired me to train for regional enduro's coming this next spring. I seem to have guts enough for technical black climbs and downhills with speed, but my hang up has been the jumps for some reason.... your video has given me some good tips and insight. So... Stay tuned... I need to develop some better jumping mojo to be faster for enduro's..
Tony - great as always. I'm 59 (but not a grandfather!), pretty much an intermediate rider, and made my first trip to SkyPark 2 weeks ago - spurred on by you, Alan, and Tommy Huynh. Quickly found Arrow as my favorite trail. Just like you said, a great trail to try out some jumps and wall rides. By the end of the day I rolled the pump line. So I'm at least starting down the progression you mentioned. (And I even got a few jumps in at Mammoth a couple weeks later.) Outsiders: if I can do it, you can too! Suggestions for great MTB/jumping tuts: - Dropin MTB " What the Pro's Won’t Tell You About Learning to Jump on a Mountain Bike" - idea being, jumping is the 2nd half of a bunny hop - this really clicked with me. - anything by Phil Kmetz
All great tips! Just shy of 40 here. I never felt more confident on a bike, for sure next few years are peak. Setting goals and still slowly progressing. So I was just out riding with two dudes (late 20's, almost 30), we ended up @ a huge set of gap jumps and I noticed these young guys were really gun ho to try them, first go. I passed this time around...but it really made me realize the difference in decision making that happens because of age. Anyway, one of them mentioned how he hopes to still be ripping as hard as me when he's 40... I was tak'n back, in their mind, they felt that 40 is too old to rip hard or do jumps? I couldn't understand that mentality. I'm literally just getting started. Some of these kids are WAY to addicted to the adrenaline high. Go Big for that instagram photo, zero focus on cardio or other valuable riding skills. It's all about that rush. Been there done that, get's old quick. Need to leave some room for progression boys.
Over 50, finally got around to learning to bunny hop and jump. It’s not that I had never been airborne or jumped off of small ramps as a kid, but mountain biking and launching airborne is definitely a different learning experience to go through.
Excellent vid. late 50s always looking to progress skills. The pump before the jump is what I was missing for years. Also need to session more drops. Practice!.
Good video Tony. I'm going to add some advice as I started mountain biking this year at 49 and though still fairly athletic with good balance I've struggled with jumps and drops. Even with watching many videos, trying to practice, and building a small ramp in the yard to hit over and over I kept having trouble with my feet coming off the pedals on even medium size jumps and drops, which of course means no control on the landing and no confidence. What has allowed me to progress more lately is foot technique to grip the pedals a bit, with the pedals neutral (horizontal) I drop the heel on my front foot and the toe on my back foot which gives me enough grip on the bike to finally start gaining some confidence. I haven't seen that mentioned in any "how to jump" videos, but it is working for me. The second thing to deal with is your #6, commitment, you can't just ride over a jump and expect good results. You really need to compress the bike into the lip so the front suspension is rebounding as you go off and you are shifting your weight back. Earlier this summer I went down a trail well above my skill level for jumping, heavy berms and jumps, and stupidly figured I would just take the jumps at moderate speed. Wrong speed, no commitment, hesitant vs confident, and despite coming down nose heavy on the first few I kept going until the inevitable OTB and getting pogo'ed off the bike onto my head and shoulder. No real injuries, but a painful lesson to stay within your skill level until you are confident and comfortable, then step up a notch...
I definitely have trouble committing. I know I have the skill, and I know I'll be fine if I commit, but I my head tends to go to the "what ifs" on the bigger jumps. Maybe the taco song will help.
So what you're saying is the next time I try to jump my bike, just sing in my head "its raining 🌮 🌮 yum yum yumity yum" got it 👍 😆 Awesome video as always Tony!
Great advice. I've been riding a couple years and have been steadily working on my jumps. I am extremely risk-averse (living in a country with no nationalized health service!), so it's slow going but that doesn't bother me. I've gained a lot from watching instructional videos, particularly GMBN, but sometimes micro-analyzing technique can make you forget that just hitting a roller/tabletop with enough speed will give you some air - I definitely want to keep working on technique but for now it's fun just to roll at speed and enjoy the experience! Repetition is a huge help - I have a few favorite trails, and I started out taking air off small rollers to flat, then tried a small tabletop, I just got clearance on a bigger tabletop, and am happily starting to case some of the shorter gaps on the trail!
I've been riding mtb for many years and was hitting 20 to 30 foot gaps and drops when I was in my mid 30s. I'm 50 now and ride regularly. Definitely not hitting the big jumps like I once did, and feel like I don't have anything left to prove to myself with jumping. I still ride aggressive and will hit whatever I feel like, in my own time. Amazing sport.
Man, just turn turn 47, watching your vid, and decided to do it, never MTB before, just street. My Bike coming this Friday, I hope I have time to do Skypark or BigBear before season ends. Ty for Video. I hope I see you next time in Skypark!
THANK YOU TONY !!! I'm about to turn Sixty-Three and this video really has inspired me to work/play harder toward my progression goals. I love Sleigh Ride AND Arrow at Skypark , but have not progressed to Jumpline yet. Working on Party Wave and Westridge ( and now Blue Steel ) at Snow Summit. As a lifelong thrill seeker, man I wish I was doing this thirty-five years ago. 😁 I want to be able to properly call myself....The OLD MAN and the SHRED !!!
Thanks for putting out this video! Much like a lot of other commenters, I'm just getting back on a bike after a bunch of time. I'm also in my early 40s and just getting my bearings around jumps again. Great to hear your experiences everyone! Gives me hope that it'll get better. I can't seem to find anywhere local to run that has some good roller type jumps so having to work on ones that I think might be a bit too big... :)
@@TheOutsiderMTB Thanks! That's actually my local trail area... :) I'm still a bit intimidated by some of those but I found a side trail off of Escalator that has one that I think will work. Totally open to other suggestions for sure! Oh, and LOVE your content man, super fun to watch and with great commentary.
Started jumping at 53. And still going strong. But what gives me confidence to do jump is, I use to play baseball as a left fielder in high school. So I know how to tuck and roll. And I did that a lot learning to jump. Hehehe
I'm a 53yr old now and hadn't messed with bikes since the 80's bmx scene. Ending up at ⁶6'5" tall, I literally out-grew the bikes and stopped riding...for 30yrs I was above average, racing, ramp, vert back then on a 21lb steel, rigid 20". I say that to say this.... Got a Ragley, a phenomenally aggressive hardtail, two yrs ago and was amazed at how well I could ride. Muscle memory is an amazing thing I guess. I'm on a Transition Scout now and doing 25+foot gaps. Only one shoulder surgery MTBing so far....😂😂😂🤣🤣. Like the man says,... understand and practice body position, body/bike separation (be fluid on the bike), and progress.... meaning start small and slower and be patient and progress up. Above all, ride ALOT
Great video and tips. I’m 45 yo and want to jump like 20 yo kids. Hardest thing to do is to start small. I found the perfect line (Blue Steel) at Snow Summit to make my jump progression come true. Not too small, but not too scary either!
Great video! I’ve just started biking again after leaving it for more then 20 years! I’m now learning mountain biking techniques that I never knew back then. Thanks for the motivation. Oh, and l’d recommend watching Kyle Warner and April Zastrow ‘s RU-vid channel (Kyle&April). Very detailed and well explained step by step techniques that will surely motivate anyone to ride. Thanks again for the motivation.
Great stuff, 47 here but I keep up with the younger guys I ride with and sometimes I’m the one pushing them🤙🏻 “Did I get a boo boo”😝😂😂😂speaking on body position...I always watch Loic Bruni. I’m not a downhiller but that guy just floats over everything! His body does most of the suspension work if you watch him. Beast
Thanks for this Tony! I have been in that mindset of too old for this shit. I'm 47 now, started riding only 5 years ago. I'm ready for this, but had an accident last year that affected my confidence. Hitting Party Wave, but have been too scared to send it and mostly landing on the table tops. Love Blue Steel to get more comfortable with jumps. Appreciate the motivation!
Never use age as an excuse. A friend and I were working on some jump progression and we ended up riding with a guy that was 65.... He sent some stuff I have Bern avoiding for a while now. It was beautiful.
I’m 38 and I’ve started learning to jump. I don’t even have a full suspension trail bike yet. It’s coming someday but until then I’m practicing on my hardtail because I just have to
The part about crashing is dead on. I made an unwise decision a few weeks ago and warmed up on the black diamond trail at the bike park. I've ridden it hundreds of times but it was still my first run of the day. Launched myself right over my bars and bellyflopped onto a rock garden. At 46, I expected it to suck a lot worse than it did but all that happened was a small scuff on my ribs and a little scrape on my hand where my glove otherwise kept me from shredding my palm (for reference, I play guitar for a living so my hands are my livelihood). Yes, I grew up in bmx and at one time I held a pro card (it didn't mean I was fast, just that I was foolish. LOL) but times are very different and I'm not the same rider I was 20 years ago. I ride fully padded (knee,elbow, and a crash shirt from Leatt) and to be honest, that aforementioned crash was barely more than incidental. Got up, dusted myself off, finished the trail and got back on the lift. **MOST** crashes are little more than an embarrassing reminder that crashes are worse in our heads.
Great video, great guy, too bad its monday. You have peaked my interest at trying out jumps, but I still think the simple things of mountain biking still make me really happy at the moment.
54. Started MTB 18 months ago. I can air a couple feet on jumps and just cleared my first 3 foot drop. But I want to hear from someone 50+ that has CRASHED seriously, recovered from a broken clavicle or whatever, and came back for more progression. At my age I am taking things soooooo slow because I'm afraid recovery time from a serious injury will just take too long and I'll never come back. I don't want to end my days of MTB forever for one silly mistake, and I'm willing to be patient since that is a skill I HAVE learned by this age in life.
Really the worst I've had from an MTB crash is a broken wrist and thumb. But when road biking I was hit head on by a truck at 40 mph (at about age 50), and that is more the type of thing that is hard to come back from regardless of age. Best thing you can do is look after your overall fitness (weight bearing exercise to keep your bones and joints strong), and most important, learn to crash. Crashing is a skill in itself, learning to drop and roll, push the bike away, protecting your shoulders by not trying to brake with your arms.
@@sapinva Dude! Head on at 40mph? Glad you lived to tell the tale! I do agree, and must do my best to remember this perspective, that road biking is much more dangerous. Yes, I've had a couple of crashes I was able to roll through and walk away from, with the worst needing stitches (that I neglected to get, but healed anyway). But more and more I realize I benefited from good fortune in my tumbles at least as much as any special crash skills. And maybe some flexibility from yoga. Respect to you. Thanks for the feedback!
Hey Tony - another great vid! I'm (also) in SoCal so thanks for all of the great 'local' trail content. I'm planning my first trip to Sky Park in a week to work on my jump progression so your trail order recommendations is exactly what I've been looking for. I do have random question about the park: How many laps can you do in a (typical) day there? [Lap count isn't the goal but I've always wondered about this.] Thanks!
Sounds great Brent! I'd say it all depends because you can take half laps or full laps. What I can say is after two hours you're going to definitely feel like you had a full day eve with the climbing. You get a lot of runs packed into that trail system as it is wound very tight.
You should check out the little local spot on the “road less travelled” at the Fullerton loop. It’s been given a decent revamp and it truly is the perfect progression for riders. I’m 17 and will send anything, eat it, and feel fine the next day, but for older riders it’s a seriously good thing to try.
I'm not trying to be rude here, but, Rich Drew maybe an amazing" rider" , but he definitely, definitely ain't got what it takes to " teach" MTB skills! At least, I don't personally get his way of teaching!
I been riding mtb 20 years I'm over 50 definitive I'm more scare at this age than 5 years ago of having a big crash attempting something out of my comfort zone and getting hurt, not so scare of the crash but get a injury believe me my skills are good not the best ones but good but I have second thoughts always when something big is on my way for my is long jumps whit gaps on it and very very steep down hills.
I got a progressive geometry bike with a progressive leverage curve but I added more volume spacers to make it more progressive and all this meant I progressed on the jumps. Progressing though 2020 into an even more progressive 2021. Don’t forget to use Shimano pro parts because you can’t be progressive without being pro.
Hey love your attitude and your videos. I am 63 and want to learn how to jump. Had my first lesson last month. Been riding for 20 years . Oh trainer said I had to learn how to bunny hop first. Is this correct.?
I've been riding since I was 7 been riding MTB for 35 years was a rabid mtbr thru the 90s and up till about 2012 when my prized custom FSR was stolen, then life got in the way and I spent about 7 years off the bike. I got back into it again 2yrs ago 1st restoring one of my old bikes then built a new geo. (used) frame as well..now I'm hitting the parks every two weeks making up for lost time and kick-starting all those old skills and muscles I used to take for granted. My 1st ride back in June 2019 ended 8 min in when my buddy inexplicably crashed popping off a small boulder next to the trail, I was right behind him & he took us both out, I ended up with the worst injury in my life with a shattered collar bone in about 8 pieces, now I wear a titanium bar and about a dozen adamantium screws inside my chest. This really fucked me up mentally not gunna lie 1st major injury on a bike jacked my head... it has taken me well over a year esp with this pandemic shitshow to get my head around jumping again but the last 2 months up at big bear ive been on a fairly rapid progression and the old skills are coming back fast.. I still scared the shit outta myself on the bottom half of miracle mile,. And at 56 I'll NEVER be sending shit like I used to back in the day....But now I know what to expect and I'll be on top of it by end of summer..keep up the great videos thanks for the work.!
Alright, where are some good spots to progress in the SoCal/OC area? Is skypark the best bet? Does snow summit have some trails to build up on? I'm getting much more comfortable with drops and small jumps but I don't know if the bike parks will be too much of a jump, so to speak.
@@TheOutsiderMTB thanks brother, appreciate that. Already broke my collarbone a couple years ago trying to learn drops too quickly, I'm not trying to make that mistake again.
Just turned 30. Broke my elbow on BMX at 29 (after over 20 years of riding). Thought I would never jump bikes again until I bought a full suspension. Going to Summit Friday to ride a proper park for the first time... The biggest advice that people never take honestly is DONT BE STUPID. Especially around the influence of others. It's already hard enough to dial in your limits riding solo. Doing so with riders who are more skilled than you is extra challenging and you have to man up and skip features or entire trails if the features are above your skill level. If you have to skip half the features or are white knuckling the whole way down, don't just hack away at it. Put in that time on lesser trails, come back to those features later. Way way way too many people on blues or blacks stopped in the middle because they lost confidence and it's why I've been avoiding parks but... I need to go eventually (before seasons ends) :/
About the same age as you and my issue is when I try to properly bunny hop boost a jump. I can english bunny hop boost some jumps but when I try to proper boost there's so many steps involved to piece that together into a smooth fluid motion I usually only do part of it and then stiffin up of something else dumb. I did this on the medium slopestyle line at the bike park in Tahoe. Did the firsts steps and boosted really high but I stiffened up and dead sailored it came down hard and broke my collar bone. So now I'm sidelined and ruined my whole trip when I did it. Was on jumps I had done and cleared before too numerous times. I've been going hard on features this summer and had a lot of progression but had some good falls too. I really wanted to get better a boosting because I'm sick of depending on speed to clear things. One of the issues I have is finding jumps at my progression level that are close by but not gaps.
Any non-park trails that have some progressive jumps built in? Is that little session area on the top of Santiago Oaks still around? Thanks for the vid!
