I'm the dad with an entry-level XC hardtail that I ride the piss out of while wearing gym shorts over my old university cycling club Lycra. You're most likely to find me in the bushes after I overshoot a corner.
Oh yes i remember you... Wait. Usually you find me casing or crashing on the dirt jumps, then recovering for 3 days, then going for the marathon on the gravel tracks again. All that on a cheap Serious Hardtail... Soo much fun.
LOL, after getting out of mtb and moto about 10 years ago due to a back injury, I bought a cheapie haro to ride around with the wife and kiddos. I couldn't help myself, have bike must ride, so I started hitting the trails again, I quickly pushed it way beyond it's limits and bent the fork. Now I have a proper rig again, aaah good times, I love riding.
@@zzxx33mh any hardtail mountain bike with semi decent brakes will work well for a beginner. My first MTB was a $150 junker from dicks sporting goods. Got me out on the trails and fell in love from there.
I did that then traded up to $1200 bike, now years later I’ve worked my way up to stumperjumper Evo, and let me say you learn your way through bikes, when you get to high end bikes it’s like flying.
Good for you tho honestly, i see so many people on the trails that are obviously new to riding and yet sitting on $5,000, the bike doesnt make you faster, learn the skills untill the bike is the only thing keeping you slow, then upgrade, thats my take at least
@@jackblomquist3762 Might be a good series - biking with your kids, but with different ages. Riding with my 11 year old is one thing, but riding with my 15 year old cross country racer is entirely something else.
I'm the dorky looking kid trundling along on a clunker from the 1980s, his arrival announced well in advance by a chorus of thunks, klunks, pings, dings, clacks, and rattles.
IMO the rear suspension isn't really necessary. If you can't afford to spend 2000+ USD on some full sus bike, just get a solid XC hardtail with tubeless tires, a nice drivetrain and brakes, maybe carbon too.
@@diviscadilek1764 I ride a hardtail and I fell shaking on even the slightest unevenness on improvised roads, so full suspension is highly recommended for hardcore off-road ride
I'm a Trail / Adventurer I like to ride in a direction I haven't been in yet, and look for trails on the way, go down paths to check out what's at the other end, or just find a nice creek to chill at for a bit
Yep. Pack a day, spend a day, point your bike "out", and see where the road, dirt, gravel, and trails take you. Nothing quite like pedaling down the road, spotting a path to the side, mark your GPS, and pull down it, having no clue what's down there until you get there.
Riding gravel in mountains is one of the most weird thing, in the mtb world. Putting a suspension fork doesn't turn in into mtb(not talking about the geometryof the frame cuz it's not that important).
Love the video , very entertaining while infomative. How things have are so much more complicated since the 80s. I got a MTB with 140m at the front, 120m at back, weighs 27lb and gets used for all the above, inc taking a ride on roads. Fast, agile, light but strong. Im an arounder rider, bit of smooth, bit of rough, with the odd jump here n there.
Yup, I bought a new bike for mtb(+bikepacking) to replace my 90s rigid 26 and I bought a .. rigid 29er, excuse rider for life! I just like to push my bike in the woods
What about the "Kid who used to send the heck out of his extra small XC hardtail and now has a full suspension and races"? I didn't see that one. Must of skipped through it on accident.
I've rode every discipline and for me personally, XC is where it's at! Don't knock it until you try it! Some of the XC tracks I've raced you would think it was a DH track. It especially feels like DH when your riding it on 100mm travel hard tail 😂😂😂
Hell yeah. It's all about speed, people rip XC for not being super slack and aggressive but you can outrun almost anyone on singletrack, and the faster you go the more fun it is
You forgot the real MTB: XC (and marathon): long routes in different trails, from two track to single track. Smooth in the forest, really rocky in high mountain. Climbing and downhill equally. Summing up km and elevation.
I'm the "I ride my 20 year old Scott 26' hard tail like a gravel bike with the saddle higher than the handle bar and smoke road bike riders on the uphill" type of rider.
Trail rider for me, but I wear knee and elbow pads because iv had stitches from a fall on a not even difficult section when tired and would prefer to not repeat that.
I have one of these guys in the group I ride with, he's the best though! It wouldn't be the same without him. I'm sure many in your group feel the same :)
Since moving to Texas (and my age), I’m confined to being mostly a gravel rider these days, with some occasional trail riding. I have travel quite a ways to do any trail riding. Forget anything with mountains. That would be a several day drive to make it to the closest mountains.
Unfortunately, you forgot the Cross Country-Marathon rider. This kind of rider is very popular in the South of Europe, specially in Spain, Portugal and Italy. This is what I'am and it's a wonderful way for being self-sufficient without using any kind of horrible vehicle or ski-lift.
Carlos Menchén Jiménez When I was racing in Alaska during the early 90s, it was all hardcore endurance XC. Long races and rides were the norm. I was very surprised when I learned the World Champ XC race was only 25 miles long. That was just the warm up for Alaska racers. Most of our races were in the 40+ mile range with some going up to 80-90 miles.
I’m the downhill guy, but on a steel no suspension bike that has only 1 v-brake at the rear wheel. Also, a Pluto helmet I got at my last time on Disneyland. Ready to send them all!
Blake: Doesn't mention the XC-rider (probably at least 30% of all mtb riders) Also Blake: Now, what type of rider are you? Comment section: Full of people telling they're XC-riders Blake is a genius!
Just getting back into MTB after a 12 year absence. So as a relative born again newbie, I consider myself to be an XC/Blue Trail sort of guy, as I like to mingle with nature at an easy pace . Too old for downhill, not fit enough for enduro, and I don't have the finely trimmed beard, quirky fashion sense, or the coffee and cake baking knowledge of the hipster gravel bike set. So if I do stop for a coffee, and cake, whilst out riding, I just follow my nose to find a cafe that offers a decent cuppa, and freshly baked by grandma carrot cake, or Victoria sponge. I also like the odd cream tea, jam first btw.
Canyon just released a new sender, so it's probably either in the mail, or blake doesn't get one anymore, especially given how expensive the new sender is.
Yep. Many gravel riders I know think they're "too cool for MTB". They ride a very low level MTB intended for city use then think that's all there is to MTB. Funny pretentious people.
Alican Gül Although truth be told I don‘t think they are especially bad as mountain bikers only, I thing it‘s simply one part of general lameness of hipsters.
I'm 67 and gravel ride . You're representing gravel riders in a comical way. Some of us are old and not looking to get hip replacement surgery from a fall.
You forgot the “Seths Bike Hacks” backyard trails, rides bike parks when available, and LOVES single track. Mid travel trail bike and a bmx that you take out a bit. That’s me
Gravel lets you run a 40t in the front and be aerodynamic for dealing with headwinds on the way to the trail. Downside is a narrow corner between wheelie and wheel spin when climbing on blue trails due to skinny tires You could probably do xc with tire and chainring swaps but that's little fun unless your tire pump is electric and battery powered. Or gravel with a 27½ wheelset
You missed the most important part about the hipster gravel rider: the man bun (also known as garbage bag haircut)... Where did the XC guys go btw but we've got gravel...?
Trail on XC Trails, most of the time. Learning jumping, my favourite types of trails are flow with some tabletops. Hardtail only right now. I miss having the 160/160 full suspension.
I am 33 French xc rider, i just smash people who ride Big trail bike and think they are fast with this kind of bikes. Wake up people a modern xc bike is fast in the uphill and Can handle a LOT in the downhill. Love my Rockrider xc900s. 🥰
3%? Most mtb'rs want to jump/drop and gnar...thats not xc. 150km of suffering and tight lycra = xc. Each to their own, but outside lockdown, who has time to do 6 hour rides several times a week?? Not 30% of riders for sure
I’m a trail rider/ XC/ marathon rider. Can’t believe they didn’t get Blake to wear full Lycra 🤣. Totally gonna be on the look out for Hipster Gravel riders grazing on berries 🤪
We can all read what you meant, some just showing their limited intelligence to make themselves feel superior to you. Ignore selling bee champions, everybody else makes spelling mistakes on various words..
