It might be the angle, but your bars look like they are rolled too far back. That could be why your thumbs get sore. Take your bike to a bike shop or ask someone on the trail if they think your bar position is OK. You don't want to keep riding with your thumbs above your bars because that's not going to end well. THANKS for the video.
Dude, I absolutely love your commentary. I laughed out loud so many times. I am giving you a 10 for trying that on a hardtail. I have ridden Capt. Jacks a few times on my hardtail, but I wouldn't even think about riding Capt. Morgan's on a hardtail. Plus, I am a true cross country guy. I am not into the super technical stuff. I actually enjoy the uphills. LOL! Keep up the good work Bro!
nice job kid - been looking forward to riding this, thanks for posting and giving me something to look forward to. best wishes on getting your FS - keep pushing!
People underestimate this new wood feature all the time. It's very new and I've already heard lots of crash stories (I live in town and work at a bike shop). If you go out here, spot it very well. The air time isn't huge, but the landing is very challenging. You come in with a lot of velocity and the traction is not great on the landing.
Good job I rock my trek Marlin 7 gen 3 on everything it's my favorite xc racing bike getting speed is all about using your body weight to get the correct center of gravity and don't be afraid to get in a crash just focus on getting down the trail and ride it multiple times until you get the confidence to go faster and the more you practice the better keep on working hard
Wow, they changed all sorts of stuff since I used to ride that area in 2015. I used to love Captain Jacks! That Captain Morgans is no joke! Way to give it a try on your HT! I also really liked the chutes a lot!
Good storytelling, the Marlin isn't built for steep tech. You are wise to dismount. First thing & it's big, whoever told you to keep the thumbs over the grip hasn't had their hand slip off the grip at the worst possible moment. It's very ugly and I recommend thumbs around the grip for hard braking and handlebar security. Personally I only use the pinky fingers to death grip the end of the bar. The middle two fingers are just along for the ride. Second, please turn that frown upside down. The bars that is. Especially in steep chunk that hand position puts your body position at a disadvantage. Rolling them forward 10-15 degrees will make it happier. Kudos I'm subscribing for you
Now I gotta get out and ride it.. Try turning your handlebars up some, they look pointed too far downward. I would definitely recommend a full sus bike in the near future too! Nice work!
Rode a Marlin 6 for 4 years, put 5k miles on it. More of an XC bike, and thats the style i ride so i got a Santa Cruz Blur. They have some nice trail and enduro bikes too! How much you got saved for a trail bike? I live up in Fort Collins.
I'm impressed you were able to ride that much of it on the Marlin, there's some properly big features on that trail. Also who the heck told you to ride with your thumbs over the bars through chunk, I've literally never heard of that? Sounds like someone was feeding you some really bad advice.
My problem is my thumbs getting sore while trying to keep my hands on the bars on the chunks, so I can imagine how easy it'd be to lose control if I didn't at least have that going for me. I'd say bad advice, but I'd like to hear otherwise if anyone knows better.
looks super gravely... sketchy even on a full suspension. Props for hitting it tho. I rode for years on a janky hardtail, made it that much sweeter when I got a full suspension. You'll get there. The whole "thumbs over the bars for gnarly terrain" is total BS. Don't do that lol. You have less control over the bike and your hands have less grip strength that way.
Wholesome video. Don’t ride with your thumbs on top of the bars though, haha…just no. Also, if you can’t afford a full suspension but still want a big upgrade, there are plenty of nice hard tails.
Looks like your bars are tilted down too much. Bring them up for more control. Don't ride with your thumbs under the bars, you have way less control. Whoever told you to have them over is wrong. Also that gold foil on your bars will corrode over time, I'd recommend taking it off.
you don't need an FS bike, just ride more (FS bikes are fun though). I can see that you have no technique for the drops and rocks and you skid way too much. Gotta learn to let go a bit. Speed is your friend once you get the skills part down. Just go ride allot, it just keeps getting better and better.
In all fairness, riding the trails in this area is like dirt skiing XD. It's all kitty litter so there's not much traction regardless of tires or braking technique.
