hey seth, idk if youre reading comments but if so I just wanted to let you know that I finished my hardtail build last week. i havent been riding for over a year due to my cassette and chain being worn also my derailleur wasnt doing its job anymore... never had the will and courage to repair it... however when summer started in germany youtube started recommending your videos to me again... as if it wanted to say its time... well after binge watching your videos for days and you building up my confidence through your videos I decided to give it a try and now its like a new bike ! I customized the heck out of it over the last 2-3 years watching your videos and every time it took some of my soul seeing my bike only standing in the garage... but now Im back on the trails lol ! just wanted to share this...much respect from germany !
I am not a beginner but I'm stoked for this series! Always good to get a refresher and there is something about Seth's content where I could just watch it all day.
Reading is a good analogy for riding a trail, but I think reading music is even better. In music you might do something called "sight reading" where you try to play a piece of music just by reading it off the page without looking through it first. That's just like riding a trail "blind". You might also practice a piece of music at a much slower tempo before trying it at full speed, sort of like the "pre-ride, re-ride, free-ride" strategy. Finally there could be a really tricky section with lots of notes or a weird rhythm that you have to just practice over and over, just like we stop to session features.
Plus with music performance there's often opportunities for improvisation, or finding a new creative line on the trail. People don't typically insert extra words into something they're reading off a page.
Having spent my younger years whitewater kayaking and having moved into MTB as I've got older and had less free time, it surprises me how much of line reading is the same across both sports. That said I always felt better paddling in wet conditions than I do riding my bike in the wet 🤣
I've been paying attention to line choice a lot lately as my wife has recently started riding MTB with me. She rides well but at 60 years old(I'm 56) she has no interest in most features and can't jump(yet), although she's starting to enjoy some features. On most trails I follow her and do some coaching from behind but on the intermediate trails she wants me to lead so she can watch what I do. The nice thing about her following is that it forces her to keep her head up and look forward.
Many years of MX and oddly enough, offroad RC car racing have taught me line reading to be almost 2nd nature. Maybe this is why I love rough technical trails so much. One thing for new riders to remember also. Don't focus on one object for too long. Especially something you want to avoid, like a tree or a rock. Your body tends to get drawn into that object whether you want to or not if you concentrate on avoiding that object too much.
Its always nice watching videos like this way before riding a bike, because first of all there is no bad habits to break because you haven't ridden before, and secondly, if you already know these tips before hand, your riding experience will much safer because you already know what to do, a thus making the activity more fun.
Excellent video Seth. Reminds me of Kyle and April's channel. He's very good at instructing as well! Great for us newbies... especially us newbies who already have titanium parts, here and there, in our bodies... not bikes. 😊
I think it comes with experience. The more you ride, the more you are able to "see" a line quickly that fits your riding style. In my case, I ride a rigid mtb, so I've pretty much conditioned myself to pick a line that is most likely to be the smoothest.
I’m lucky that after 50+ years riding off-road, I’m able to read trails. This video will help me with older noobs who are just exploring off- oad riding as you articulate why things work better than I can. Keep making these instructional videos 👍
Hi Seth, was surprised to run into you while you were filming this, it was a pleasure to chat for 30 seconds! Could have used these tips before riding the trail 😮
Great stuff Seth! This applies to pretty much every form of transport, not just MTB. Your videos are becoming required watching for teaching my kids everything MTB related.
Thanks for the ride section at the end, great demo. Hope you upload a longer video on trail riding in wet weather, (it also looks great, vivid colors).
I really like that you keep posting these guide videos. They're a great help. I just realised that there is a need for an intro/tip video of this kind for newbies: How to test ride a bike. There are plenty of videos of how to set up your bike and bike sizing etc. But I can't find a single video that would go through the things to test and look at when you're test riding and checking out a bike that you might buy. This thought came to me since a couple friends are getting bikes and have no idea if a bike is good for them and if something sold used is worth buying. I'd love for there to be like a quick overview of what to look for in a hardtail and in a fullsquish and what kind of things to look out for when riding both for the condition of the bike and the fit of the bike together. Since you've done the flipbike series I think you'd have some perfect material and expertice for such a guide video.
I remember cutting all the dirt and roots off of that off camber rock (and cutting back the trees) when I was 16 years old to create a better line. Glad that line is still looking good so many years later. Better than all my other unsanctioned lines that I stupidly created in Dupont and Pisgah in my teenage years. Don’t build unsanctioned lines kids, they usually suck. 3:00
Duuude! Currently working on this and perfect timing, the first mins talking about look further has been something getting used to even though been practicing that for months now , definitely see the difference in avg speed and max speed. This channel has awesome content man keep them coming very very welcomed… someone give this channel an option for two like per videos lol
Thank you so much seth! I just got my first mountain bike a month ago and I joined a local mountain bike team here in Arizona, so there is tons of rocks and loose dirt that I kept messing up on during practice. This helped me a lot as I always am looking at my tire to put it in the right position but I'm working on breaking that habit. Keep making these videos please, they are super helpful!
Hello Seth, not sure if anyone else commented on this but I find I try to keep in mind when a choosing a preferred line, I may be causing, “trail creep”: contributing to widening the trail, potentially impacting more flora/fauna. Thanks for these vids.
I'm still a beginner MTBer and I really enjoy these lesson videos that you do. You explain them very well and you illustrate what you mean just as well. I wish you were out here on the West Coast teaching lol. I will have to settle with your videos I guess. Thanks!
Good intro to the concepts. As a vintage 26” mtb rider, I can see that the choice of line matters much less to even beginner riders on their fancy 29” trial bikes: they just fly through stuff that I have to carefully anticipate and navigate. In the end I think I develop and maintain my skills better.
Would love to see you expand in the ending commentary in the video, or maybe you’re planting that seed. Want to learn advanced stuff like cornering and more
Another awesome and informative vid! I really enjoy the way you explain and demonstrate. I am an old slow rider but your vid have been helping build up my skillset. Thank you very much and please keep them coming.
Very nicely explained and you are a speed reader Seth. Just got back from a 11 mile in Ringwood after a rain. Extra care and perfect focus is required not to get hurt. I read slower after being on same single tracks for 40+years. Wet rr crossings and wet moss on North side of boulders catches you out fast. Start out slow maybe air down tires a pnd or two. I run 18 and am mindful of it. Technical riding is fun and picking line takes your mind off everything else for a 😢while. ENJOY !Hey what about when a mosquito is biting your face when riding line in rock garden ? Do you stop, try a one hander or get distracted and crash or just keep going like nothing is new ?
Choose a braking zone on the far side of the object... ride to that zone and brake... look back.... now stop and look back... you've already 'done' the hazard.... Now try that on the go... Come up to an obstacle, look beyond to a safe zone and get there before braking.... then while braking, look beyond for the next safe zone... Focus on the clear areas and you'll find you aren't really thinking about the rough stuff between them.
This the 1st in the fundamentals of mtb I stressed to my son, as he has jumped full in on riding. Picking good lines will translate into a better experience ie: efficiency, less abuse on your bike and your body. The last one is for me, since I’m older and that’s where I feel it these days. Lol
Perfect bro.. currently building out the Ozark Trail I got my son on your recommendation and now he can watch this. I'm a bit horse from yelling this stuff from behind him on the trail this weekend lol
good stuff man! you make instructional videos fun and cool again, looking forward to more. After many years of trail riding bad habits manage to pop-up now and then... we're always learning and sometimes re-learning. I think these types of videos are more interesting than bike porn and adrenaline filled POVs, variety is the spice of life
Great video! Its amazing what your brain can process if you've seen an obstacle and are no longer looking at it - this blew my mind as a beginner! This video is inspiring me to work with my kids on this - any advice out there? I'm planning to have us walk roots while looking up - doing it slowly first - that's how I learnt to trust my instincts on my motorbike. Thanks for all the great content, Hex.
Excellent advice for beginners and intermediate riders alike. I concur that you should look 15-20 or more feet ahead depending on your speed. I find myself looking down when I want to make sure to navigate an obstacle correctly, but that should really be a quick glance.
Amazing video Seth I’m always looking forward to the next video and I mountain bike but that’s not the only reason I watch your videos. your videos are also entertaining and enjoyable.❤
Rocks are actually pretty grippy when wet. When being *only* wet though. Add some mud or moss, and you're going to have some fun going down the offcamber direction. Also, the less you brake, the more grip your tire can generate to not slip away. You only have one "resource" for grip, and you can either spend it for braking or for keeping your line. Spend it for one thing, and you'll have less for the other.
Racing dirtbikes in the woods will teach you the importance of line choice lol. Lot of similarities in the sports, been loving mtb now that I picked a decent one up.
Looking down the trail is also crucial if you ride single speed. Knowing when an obstacle or hill is coming up, you stomp on the pedals to keep your momentum.
Seth, that advice is not only good for MTB riding but also for BMX. Look up, keep your center of gravity low over obstructions, jumps, berms, roots... you'll be a better rider for it.
My last crash last year, prime example of this. Focused on the two rocks and split them perfectly, but the rock in the middle that i didn’t see until it was too late caused the front end to bounce up and land off kilter and twist the handle bars and flung me into the rocks. Hurt real bad and has made me a little gun shy now.
Coming from a motorcycle, man it took weeks to break the habit of looking in front of the tire, mainly when stopping. Practice Practice Practice. It's great, just imagine all the trees are mobile and randomly move over without warning 😅
Coming from Motocycles myself (man I miss that throttle... I used to jump everything in trail rides) you chould have been looking way way way ahead on the MC. The WORST thing I had in road bike riding was that no one told me that REAR BRAKES ARE THE DEVIL... Rear brakes on a road bike are so near useless that they cause MORE problems than they resolve... I did some of my best riding on an old enduro bike (Yam IT200) when the drum rear wore out.. I had to go fast at corners, Brake hard before the turn, off brakes, on throttle and throttle through the corner... When I evolved to the YZ250 I was slower with the disk rear until I remembered to learn how to ride the bike, don't just ride it... I still think removing the rear brake from an MTB and learning how to ride without it will improve my MTB riding... At the mo I trail brake the rear too much...
One huge takeaway from this video, and I’m learning really quickly from experience, is my Shimano XT spd pedals are not ideal for anything rough. I keep falling on rough trails due to not being able to unclip quickly enough to drop a foot. Maybe I’ll invest in some good flat pedals.
It's the same in the road, haha only difference is, the obstacles is the cars, trucks, and uneven road... You also have to choose a right line... Another Informative and fun video, God bless you sir
I would just... stare at it (the abyss). last week, I went to the alps to ftry out some trails. I'm an absolute beginner, but I put on protection and I upgraded almost everything on my hardtail, to survive. the trail app told me, that the one I choosed were not very technical, or at least not that hard, but I overlooked the 28% slope. it all went well, but my brakepads glazed 😢 would do it again
What do you do best on a bike... Go record yourself... see if theres something your doing that as a 'Viewer' you'd tell yourself how to improve it.... Make the change.... Record that.... Publish a 'I did this and improved' video... Your on your way.
As they said a in a motorcycle class I took many years ago, look where you want to be, not where you are and the bike will follow. So if you look down at your front tire that's where you'll end up (on the ground).
The ONE thing I wish I learned at the start of my road riding (motor bike)... The rear brakes aren't really 20% of your braking... they are DANGEROUS.... In a corner they will stand your bike upright or lead to a highside.... I know a F3 racer (used to ride a ZX400 with a ZX600 motor... He fitted an ALLOY rear disk with vent holes a few mm smaller than the pads... The brakes were fine for scrutineering but would probably have disintegrated if he touched them in a race... which he didn't... and he was top F3 in NZ back in the early 90's.... because at speed.. Rear brakes are completely useless... if you loose the front in a corner you low side... that's bad... If you loose the rear, you drift the back out... but if it grips.. you highside... and you can flick meters into the air (which I have on a trailbike... another story) and you DONT want that.... trust me.
Who else got really nervous with the camera angle focusing on the front tire? In all seriousness, thank you again for an awesome and informative video!
