Probably won’t see my comment, but I just wanted to say THANK YOU. I suffered two back-to-back heart attacks in the span of two weeks in February while in Afghanistan for work. I then spent most of March and April recovering and beginning cardiac rehabilitation. During that time I watched a lot of RU-vid videos trying to figure out what I would do for fitness, since I couldn’t lift weights and do cardio the way I used to anymore. Then I stumbled upon Berm Peak. After watching several of your videos I was inspired to give mountain biking a try. Needless to say, I’ve become hooked in the last two months and have even gotten my 10 year old daughter into daily rides with me on her first MTB. Thank you for making your videos, especially the ones focused on newer inexperienced riders. You’ve not only given this old dog a new physical activity, but also a great dose of mental health strength, which has led to me learning about this great MTB community. I couldn’t be more grateful.
Dude I saw your message! Glad you are still here! Until the wheels fall off,baby! I can relate trying to get my kid riding with me. Keep riding brotha!🙏🏿
Hey man I just picked up my first real MTB at 29 years old. I feel a little embarrassed to ask a lot of these questions and I’m really intimidated by all my local riders because they know so much and they’re all so good so these kinds of videos are extremely helpful for those of us just getting into it without any friends or family with this kind of knowledge!
Remember: they all started at the same place you're at at one time. I raced motocross for many years, so some of this stuff I already understood, but some I'm still learning. Videos like this help!
One thing you can do is just go hang out at a bike shop and ask questions, ideally when they're not too busy. Bike shop people are bike nerds and they'll probably be happy to explain stuff. If they aren't, go somewhere else. On top of that if you get a good bike you can repair and upgrade it for years to come. My first real MTB (2013 Trek 4300) is turning 10 years old this year, and the only things left original are the frame, headset, and seat post. Bikes are super modular, so as long as you get a frame that fits, you can kinda just go wild. I got mine as a college graduation present at 22, and now I'm 32. You can adapt the bike as your tastes change, especially if it's a hardtail like mine. I even sewed a nice frame bag for it for $25! Cheers, and remember the best way to learn is to do! 👍
Oppirtunity missed. When you said: "This right here is singletrack.", you should have come Alex out of the bushes going: "Did some body say singletrack?"
Am I the only one who’s life has changed for the better from watching Seth’s Videos? I was introduced to mountain biking here and now I ride everyday! He has also inspired me to make my own videos which has become a big passion of mine.
Mountain biking 101 with Seth: This would be a great regular series! I’m still new (ish) to mountain biking, having more videos like this and skill progression would be awesome!
Ya, he has some really good older videos and tutorials that I highly recommend you watch, I ride BMX and I think it’s crucial for anyone who wants to have fun on there bike to learn those skills that he teaches you
No matter what bikers will love to see new bikers progress and get better and it's just amazing to go to bike parks and see the amazing things people can do.
Seth, thanks to your videos I was inspired to buy my first used hardtail today, and tomorrow I'll be going on my first proper trail ride. Thank you for being such an inspiration, I can't wait to see my journey going forward!
And, I think he's involved in a project to get at least one park built. By the time its said and done, Seth's face might need to be added to mountain biking Mt Rushmore, given the amount of people that he has probably (in)directly influenced with his media reach and direct action.
I don't mountain bike yet but watch all of your videos. I do like the sport of mountain biking and even watch a couple other youtubers like BCPOV but I think the main reason I'm so drawn to your channels and will never miss an upload is because of the quality of your content. I swear the theme of your channel could anything from bikes to barbie dolls and id still probably watch every video. You really know how to capture the right moments and take that footage and turn it into a real production without any useless filler that so many channels will dump into their videos. Keep doing your thing and thanks for riding with us.
I'm new(ish) to mountain biking and I have seen nothing but good support from other riders. I showed up on a trail with an entry level bike, a Trek Marlin 4, and one dude said, "you have a good bike and you should have a lot of fun." He was on a full suspension, probably cost a few grand bike, but he was being supportive. Mountain biking seems like one of those things that, if you do it, you are in it with everyone else. Let's ride!
There aren’t that many nice and sincere guys around anymore. Seth is the type of guy everyone wants to hang around. Watching his videos is like listening to a friend!
I’m an older, wanna-be, gonna-be rider along with my wife and I have to say, this was one of the very best introduction videos we’ve ever seen. Super informative and very professionally laid out. I hope more of your videos have the same qualities because I’m a new subscriber & I’ll be watching more until my bike arrives. Love the Chanel so far and appreciate the hard work it takes to get it to this level of production. Keep up the great work!
Thank you Seth !!!! I’ve been a sideline fan for about 3 years now. I’m 56 years old, in fairly good shape and have been hesitant to start mountain biking ... after watching this video I’m committing !!!!
I actually started a meeting the other day at work saying "Today, we're going to do something a little bit different, but kind of the same." It made me kinda sad that no one picked up on it. 🙂
Man, you do a fantastic job teaching! I bought a bike 3 weeks ago for the first time since I was a kid. I thought I was too tall and too heavy to ride bikes until I found a Surly Krampus XL. Your videos have been a lifesaver as I was completely lost as to bike part names, types of trails, repairs, etc. Thank you so much.
Nah, the executives would wanna control him & his content. He seems at a happy medium where he’s making enough “f*ck you money” and doesn’t have to walk on anyone’s eggshells besides RU-vid’s.
When he’s talking about “casing” it really gives a perspective of how big that jump is, watching him make it i was like “oh thas easyyyy” then I see and now with him taking like 10 steps from the whale tail to the landing I’m now like “hellllll nope”
It's not the gap thsat is so scary, its the fact that there's no room for undershooting it. Its like a 12' gap (i think), which isn't too bad. Its just very high risk
“When you try to hit jumps with the seat all the way up it doesn’t work.” I found that out the hard way when is was like 7 or 8. My but felt like it was ripped apart! 😂😂😂
Haha yeah. I think most of us guys watching this video were likely adventurous young boys at some point, and I think it's an unofficial rite of passage to bag yourself badly on your seat (or god forbid, the top tube. *wince*) at least once or twice. Kinda surprising so many of us are still fertile. :D
I was returning to mountain biking after a several "long years" hiatus (like 10 years or so) and found your video to be excellent! However, my most difficult task by far was when I went shopping for a bike. I quickly learned that there are no more "mountain" bikes. Enduro, downhill, cross country, trail, gravel, 29'er..... I was ready to pack it in before I even started. My on-line Google searches only led down several rabbit holes. Bike Shops were even worse - " yeah, I can help you - so what kind of mountain biking do you want to do then?" 🤪 Man. Give me a Mountain Bike! 😆
Definitely a lot to learn! My first experience mountain biking was on a Crosstrail 700x38 and those skinny tires were HORRIBLE on sand, rocks, and gravel. I still had fun especially with some experienced guys leading me in trails with jumps (I was a bit sketched out when I went down that trail on my own) but definitely motivated to do some shopping.
Same here mate haha. I have 2012 Rockhopper which I used so much and now getting back into bikes and had the same conversation with the bike shop owner recently.. literally all new tech... this video is helpful !
Same here. I started mountain biking in the early 90s. I just got the best bike I could afford from the local shop. Mostly I rode on mountain paths shared with walkers and we had to ride across the city on sealed and unsealed roads to get to the trails. Later when a friend got a car, we went to the new dedicated MTB trails at Glentress, which were amazing, but the bikes were still the same. If it had a flat handlebar, 26" knobbly tyres and at least 18 gears, it was a mountain bike. I understand Downhill bikes, but thought everything else must be XC. A few decades later, a new bike seems reasonable, but I'm just baffled by all the categories now. I want a bike that can ride everything from 50+ miles on forest tracks to some days at trail centres, or a quick blast round the local woods before work. The guys in the bike shop want me to pick one type of riding. So I' have stuck with my old rigid bike from '93. It's had Magura rim brakes since '97 and I've just put an Eagle NX 12x1 groupset on. I'll just avoid black trails, but I like to think a red trail on a old rigid bike is just as gnarly as a black trail on a modern full suss.
Can I just say; what a wonderful idea to do. I am currently saving up for my first mountain bike and I have started watching a lot of videos since this summer. Being someone who has these kinds of questions but is to afraid to ask; this video helps a lot. Thanks!
I'm 63 years Young and getting back into mountain biking after at least close to 30 years and having a blast obviously things have changed a lot great video keep it up you're an animal☺☺
Dude, '57 was a great year. 63 myself. Am riding a Norco FS2 here in Queensland Australia. Just recovering from a torn ligament in my left shoulder but back on the bike (gentily for the time being).
Hint: If you’re over 50, you can get an e-bike to help out on the climbs with no shame. Those things are amazing. More power to you if you’ve still got the cardio but, if not, don’t feel you have to miss out on epic rides just because there’s 1000+ m of climbing. I’m currently saving up for my 50th birthday.
i’ve been mountain biking for a year, watching seth for 4 years, and riding bmx for 6 years and i still watched this video even though i knew all of this stuff. just proves that seth is just a like able guy and makes great videos even if i already know what it’s all about
65yo male here, trying to escape the complexity of motorcycles- which I have some of- on a mountain bike. Has been a great time so far and this channel is a godsend.
Back when I worked at a shop, I used to have to cover the same topics all the time with people just getting into the sport. There is definitely a learning curve. Getting through the jargon and initial intimidation factor is huge towards feeling comfortable. Nice work.
True. Same kind of intimidation that makes you feel overwhelmed about working on a car. All the tools and fluids and cables that go everywhere.... sigh
I’ve been riding my mountain bike since I was a kid on my towns roads and just now getting into trail riding so this is a big help I need a better mountain bike or I need to fix my current one bc I have no front brakes they’re linear brakes and I’d rather have disks and my gears are messed up somehow my friend was gonna check it out but I think I’m just gonna buy a new one
Oh man! I bought my last mountain bike in the late 90's, and some of the new tech looks awesome! This makes me wanna get back on trails after more than a decade away!
Thanks to RU-vid and channels like this I am able to explore other hobbies so easily and safely. Riding my first trail tomorrow at the Blue Mountains in Sydney Australia, wish me luck!
OMG - THANK YOU for this!! I just spent the last 6+ months hearing all these terms kicked around like we’re supposed to know what they mean - nothing else like this exists. I have finally figured this stuff out in bits and pieces, but this is an awesome guide for new folks! The only thing I would want to see added is descriptions of XC vs trail vs Enduro vs Downhill (I saw the bit about Enduro at the end, but these terms are constantly used to describe all kinds of MTB gear, and, again, there’s nothing out there to help you “decode”. Thanks again for all you do!!!
I'll try to fill you in. So XC, short for Cross Country is a form of riding that is 'milder' than the other ones. It's more focussed towards pedaling and technical features here and there (like roots and small rock gardens). Bikes are either hard tails or full suspension, around 90-110mm of travel, and you sit forward on the bike, a bit like in a road bike. Then Trail riding. Trail riding is a more all round form of mountainbiking. It's a bit like mellowed enduro. It features jumps, drops, technical roots, but also fast berms and long pedal sections. The bikes are full suspension, with around 130-150mm travel. Enduro. Enduro is a pretty hard core style. It will have drops and jumps, steep roots, really fast berms. Therefore, the bikes are off course full suspension, with around 150-170mm of travel. A very popular race series is the EWS, Enduro World Series. Lots of cool POV clips to watch to get an idea. Last but not least, Downhill. Downhill is about being the quickest down the mountain, across the difficultest of terrains. It will feature enormous rock gardens, big roots, drops, jumps, just tough stuff. A downhill is therefore not agile. The wheels are far apart, it has 200-220mm of travel, and it has a dual crown fork. Which means that de stancions (the shiny 'legs') go all the way up, making the fork more rigid for the heavy impacts. This is a very basic overview, there are more differences in geometry (like head angle) and wheel sizes, suspension types etc. Just watch a video on every one of the disciplines to get an idea. Have a good one!
jumped in to give you some pointers but Biem has already hit the nail pretty much on the head. All I got left Ron is having fun on your bike is more important that learning the lingo, but throw up any questions you have, the people on this channel are friendly and helpful...
One thing to add, you can get a hard tail trail bike also, they are a little pricier than an XC hard tail, but really fun and great for beginners looking to go really fast. The syncr Seth has is a great example. I bought one and enjoy it more than my full suspension
2 years later after watching your videos, I finally getting my own bike. Your channel has been great and it will be there for my new adventures to come!
So helpful! I’m a 55yo fat guy who hasn’t ridden in over 30 years but I bought a bike and am going to have fun like I did in the 70s. Thank you for such an informative video without all the BS.
unless you are riding with people that know this stuff you are not going to learn organically, thats why videos and channels like this exist. Its cool that Seth is taking the time to do this and there is no shame in learning, however long you have been riding
I watched your video’s and loved them way before I started mountain biking. you inspired me to start mountain biking and I loved it and got my own full squish! Thanks for inspiring me!
Hey! I'm one of those "Sitting on the side lines" mountain bikers you mentioned. I absolutely love your channel and love the way you present things. I got my first Hardtail 2 months ago. (Well, first one as an adult as I had a few basic bicycles growing up which I don't count) I've been riding it on the streets just getting my cardio in place. I'm 35 and a 100+ Kilograms and have never exercised. Cycling is so much fun. And given that I'm tad of a Tourer on a motorcycle myself, cycling came very naturally to me. Your video and a few from GCN really helped me set-up my bike for the 6 foot Hagrid I am. I promise to continue to sit on this fence and watch you guys zoom by hoping even I can someday. Big Love from India!
@@outdoorswithalex164 Thanks man! Yep, I Found GMBN and GMBN Tech very quickly as soon as I dove into this RU-vid Cycling thing. They're so good! My Favourites though are Berm Peak and Cafe Media.
@@justknowthis834 it’s been going well! Still have the same bike and slowly but surely getting out there every weekend or every other weekend. I definitely feel more confident taking dips which is something that kind of made me nervous in the beginning.
GREAT info! I’m 55 yrs old and I haven’t been mountain biking since the 80’s. Retired now and I’m ready to start up, again…but SLOWLY! Your video was a great intro to the new tech and terms.
I’ll never forget my first downhill ride on a hardtail. My seat was all the way up. I hit a jump. And immediately regretted it. I got a face full of rocks and got my ankle twisted up between a rock and the pedals. Dropper posts are amazing
I actually started getting really into mountain biking after I saw Seth’s “How To” videos from three years ago. Would totally love to see more of them!
i have no idea how i ended up on this video when I was watching videos on paddle shifters in cars, BUT I really wanna dust off the ol' mountain bikes after watching this whole video. Learned a lot of stuff I didn't know I wanted, or needed to know about, but am now happy I do.
Me who learned alot about mountain bikes and fixes bikes and stuff and hearing seth saying about beginer stuff gives me flashbacks about seths old old videos
Great video man! We need more messages like this in the outdoor industry. Non-judgmental, welcoming support of newcomers and interested onlookers. Cheers
Omg! Hands down this is the best “Overview/Intro” into Mountain Biking…Thank you soooooooo much, I’m 38 ( still young ‘ lol) and finally learning about this culture and incredible sport….. I needed this video BADLY ! … I bought myself a $3,000 Stumpjumper and don’t even know basic anatomy and parts called, lol smh 🤦♂️ BUT As long I but in the practice n seek knowledge like this video and learn from others I’ll be fine ( hopefully,lol)… I got into this from fining it amazing and mainly to help w/ my PTSD/ANXIETY/PANIC ATTACKS Etc… biking / M-biking has helped save my life so when someone like you takes time to do knowledge transfers- 🙏 you don’t know how much u impacting a person like me… 🤙🏽
Road cycling I've found to be worse but some mountain bikers get real elitist especially ones with a lot of money towards people just starting out with no much of a budget.
@@mattmanix5104 I feel like that’s a problem with humans in general. In every community I have seen there are always elitist snobs who think they’re better than others.
Another motocross term that's transferred to MTB, as has a lot of the bike tech. The first genuinely good reliable suspension forks were scaled down motocross designs. The Marzocchi Junior T fork from back in the day was literally a mototrials fork with bicycle dropouts and disk mounts.
New to riding mountain biking..have ridden dirt bikes55 yrs..love this sport and your vidios..being 65 I thought I might be to old to start something new..was so wrong.thx for all info
I remember when I was getting into MTB 2 years ago and tried to build a bike, the most confusing part for me where bicycle types: XC bikes, trail bikes, enduro, downhill, free ride, all mountain and probably couple more. I think a video explaining for what those bikes are and how they differ would be very helpful for a lot of beginners.
@@pingwingugu5 so, if I buy a trail hardtail bike, is it versitike enough to go on public roads for peddling but also good to go off-road. Great, now I know what to buy!
@@Cowboypt it might be a bit slow on road. You can calculate how fast you will go on lowest and highest gear with normal cadence of 60 to 80. It will give you an idea of how easy it will be to climb and how fast you can go on roads. If I remember right I set my trial bike to 4 - 24 km/h, the lowest gear is a bit ridiculously low but I'm out of shape so it comes handy when climbing, the high gear is enough for my commute to work. My old 3x9 XC had a bit better gear range, I think it had top speed around 32km/h. You can always buy a bigger chain ring if you want to go a bit faster, they are not that expensive. The position on trail bike is quite upright, it's more comfortable than position on XC (at least for me). If you don't care about speed and efficiency that much, trail bike will be pleasant to ride on a road, and will provide confidence on descends.
I usually start with 2 wheels a frame, some pedals, handlebars are good idea, and seat for when I am not blasting down a hill. I just call my collection 'my bikes' Some have front suspension some have disc brakes, but all are just my bikes. I guess one would call me old early '70s 10 speed my 'road bike'. Too all the lazy to get up to speed on all the terms. Just love to ride. - Cheers
Hey dude! I just found your videos last week and have been gorging myself on them. I've always been into riding (esp trails) but have never committed much time into looking at it before your videos. I'm also very doubtful of my mechanical and construction abilities but after watching your videos I've had this sense of being able to do things over never been about to before. Thanks for the inspiration and cheers to riding trails from here in Canada!
Seths the man! My big inspiration to getting me off my ass and into the trials. I can honestly say Seth has changed my life for the better and I thank you my dude! Keep up the amazing videos and tell our boy single track sampler what’s is up!!!!! Hahah i appreciate you guys a ton!
Well Im 82 and rode bikes back in the 40s and 50s, so Im really grateful for this lesson cause Im gona be out there trying this stuff. Course Ive always been riding motorcycles.
As someone who doesn’t ride, this video made me realize how much terminology I’ve picked up on over the last couple of years of watching you and your friends videos. The thought of doing some of the jumps you guys do scares the crap out of me, but I’m happy to be a mountain bike ally! 👍🏻
Love how I started mountain biking a few months ago after watching you on my recommended Seth and I had to learn everything the hard way, picking up what you said, searching them up... etc. And now this vid comes out lol this was exactly what I needed so to all new mountain bikers this is the vid for you!!
First time I have watched this guy. Won't be the last!! Keeping it simple but watchable for those of us that last rode an MTB in the nineties and become roadies but found their way back to the cool stuff.
This video was recommended and thorough. Yesterday I rode my first trail. I have a fat tire BMX and agreed to ride with my friends. They bought top tier mountain bikes with upgrades galore. I probably have the most general riding experience out of all of us and I was doing well with what I had. Other riders looked at me crazy and saying I was something for riding a bike with no shocks on those trails. So now I'm researching mountain bikes after giving one of my buddy's bike a go. I dig all of the terms I didn't know at the time and possibly how to course better in the future.
I smiled so much watching this because it is all the questions I had to tell my 6 yo son. We should make this a mandatory video for any person buying a mountain bike.
A good friend of mine finally talked me into mountain biking a week ago and my backsides killing me yet I’m hooked, this video is exactly what I needed and believe me I’ve watched at least 20sumthn vids so thank you thank you thank you. I have my eye on a orbea oiz for my first bike wish me luck.
@@eliaschavez6407 One piece of advice, do NOT get a Walmart or other big box store please (Target, Canadian Tire, etc.)! Those bikes break much more frequently than any others and are not assembled by bike experts, I'll say that much. The prices are tempting but don't, they're heavy and never as durable as you want.
@@Cobalt985 agreed when I first got into the sport I bought a huffy I just Red's the $200 price tag that said mountain bike and I was sold biggest mistake of my life it was fine at first but even on dirt roads it started to fall apart but that was years ago now I have a Stumpjumper favorite thing I own
As a current "roadie" (I own an S-Works Venge, it's under 14 pounds!), I actually grew up on old-school mountain bikes. I love mountain bikes. I love all types of bikes actually. Keep it up @Berm Peak Express!
Just getting into the idea of mountain biking and found this extremely helpful - now I feel like I can navigate a lot more of the jargon I’ve heard thrown around!
For the most part we used rough sawn black locust as the surface, and it’s fine in the wet unless it’s straight up raining. I’ve hit the whale tail, Kevin Jump, and Elmer Fudd wet!
