5 Things NOT To Do When You're New To Mountain Biking
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- čas přidán 15. 05. 2024
- Mountain biking is great fun, but many people make mistakes and do the wrong things when they are getting started riding. In this video, Blake Samson and Neil Donoghue show you 5 things that a lot of people make when they start MTB.
⏰ Time Stamps 👇
00:00 - Intro
00:08 - Buying Expensive Kit
01:20 - Forgetting Food And Drink
01:59 - Biting Off More Than You Can Chew
02:45 - Riding Too Far
03:31 - Riding Position
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What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made? Have you made any of these mistakes?
Going for a long ride with no padding!
My beginner's mistakes were going on a long ride without food, riding techy downhill and sitting down rather than dropping my seat, going too far and cramping up, and signing up for my first group ride which included intermediate/advanced terrain I had no experience or business riding.
Buying the wrong bike, Then also buying that bike RIGHT before winter. So took half a year to find out LOL
Building my first mountain bikes myself without really knowing what I was doing. First, opted for a too tall frame, or so I thought. In hindsight, my first frame would have been the perfect size for XC but I took it to terrain where the steep angles of the frame were too much for my non-existent beginner skills, and my remedy was to downsize my bike in hopes that it would handle better. So I, built a second one, and this time went smaller but it still did not feel just quite right. Then realised I had had XC frames when my local trails demanded a trail one. So, I built a bike with slacker angles of similar size as my second frame. It felt much better but after a while I realised that the bike's too small. So, it took four tries to converge on the right size and type of bike.
Biggest mistake is forgetting that when your bike breaks and you have to walk back to the car it takes much more time. 😊
I came from a background of off road motorcycling so I made the mistake of trying to go too fast on my first mountain bike ride and I went OTB about one mile into the ride. Luckily I wasn't seriously injured and I learned to try for smooth technique instead of fast speed and with time I got faster. Still riding at 71 years old!
Wow that’s amazing Congratulations! Keep up the good work
Mountain biking at 71??? That is seriously impressive!
@@myeyesaredrymylove Thanks, my advice is to just keep riding and adjust to your aging reaction times (slower reactions of course) and be mindful of longer healing times from injuries (I've stopped riding super tech sections).
im motocross i understand this perfectly lol
Riding too far is a bad idea without snacks and water
Yeah snax is an absolute MUST!
I agree 💯
This is a mistake you make at your first ride an never again.
@@johnyjohnjohnson1317 true
Depends on the person. I can go out and do big rides with no food on me no problem. I never take water with me either even on 5-6 hour outings, never bothers me.
Maybe the fact I rarely drink tea or coffee and don't drink alcohol so I don't really ever suffer from dehydration. Just saying everyone is different
Don't expect to heal as fast as you did when you were 20.(Started MTB at 65)
My bigest beginner mistake was riding trails with a high seat😂
Yeah, you always learn the hard way with that one! 😅
@@gmbn Right, that was not only a hard way, it was a painfull way too😂😂
Same and I went OTB... without a helmet. Always wear a helmet.
Love Neil giving Blake the dig on bike colour. 😂
I loved the colours! Think it looks amazing
We love Blake's Orbea Rallon! Neil says otherwise! 😂
Agree with Neil on Blake's colour choice, was their a gay pride parade or something coming up he was going to do when he ordered it or is it really his other halfs bike😅😅
Blake’s bike looks awesome!!
My biggest mistake was selling my mountain bike to buy a motorbike, crashed it and lost a leg, recently returned to mountain biking minus a leg - lesson learned !😳
Thumbs up on your getting back into the saddle!
That’s rough, may the rest of your life be blessed 🙂
😢😢 Oh dear, that’s tough man…really sad to know you lost a leg. I am glad you are enjoying mountain biking…. Hang in there friend…👍👍
I would've gone back to the crash scene and looked for that leg. they're very handy in an argument!
My biggest mistakes have been overthinking and overanalysing riding techniques and skills. Watching too many "how to" videos. While the videos all have a place and can be useful, I have found that letting your natural abilities and instincts run the riding sometimes leads to better progression. Another mistake has also been watching too many "Fail" videos. These just lead to more overthinking than necessary, so I have stopped watching them. I still over think, that's just my nature, but I'm discovering that just getting on with the riding is leading to good progression. I'm nearing 60 so never too old to learn either. My worst mistake always is letting my enthusiasm exceed my skill level.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I agree with you 💯. I made up my mind to NEVER LET MY ENTHUSIASM EXCEEDS MY SKILLS/MY SAFETY ALWAYS COMES FIRST.
This ties into going too fast and too big; riding with the wrong people.
Some people are really bad at looking at trails from a newbie’s perspective. This can lead to them pushing someone into attempting features or trails way beyond their skill level
I agree with the don't go too far one especially, because I just did that mistake a while ago, my legs and lungs would've been screaming if they could. I'm taking it way slower now and don't rush uphills especially if you're just starting out 👍
You take that back Neil, Blakes bike is tremendous.
My biggest mistake when transitioning from years on the road to MTB was thinking "Oh it will be just like the road only with trees and a bit of dirt". I stopped thinking that halfway through my first trail ride, and then a had a great time learning an entirely new set of skills (with a lot of support from GMBN + Tech)! Also the riding too far part - I find there is a 2:1 ratio from road to MTB. A 30Km MTB ride leaves me as knackered as 60Km road ride.
Yup I went from riding 5-10 hours on the road, too 1.5-2 hr off tail mtb lol
Thankfully I survived my big mistakes and made most of them before mobile phones and GoPro style cameras were popular. 😉
Haha! That was a great strategy! 😂
Riding too far on Mountain Bikes is common on the Philippines. Its one of the most enjoying experiences on mountain bikes. Even if you just bring water, you can easily buy food on different places. This is one of the most enjoyable experiences when touring in a mountain bike. No worries passing thru gravel, rough terrain. Lots of uphill rides. Since the Philippines is a tropical country. Also be aware of the weather. Bring a jacket just in case it would rain. Hope some GMBN staff can try touriing the whole Philippines in just one Mountain Bike. Hope there is also one who can tour Europe in just one mountain bike.
Sounds fantastic 👌🏼
Great video 😃 i am still a beginner😬 the biggest mistake was thinking i never go down the mountain fast 😳 but i did ❤
I can remember when I first started writing that thing I was told was to really find a bike that suits your size and wheel size also is something that really helps you learn how to understand how your bike moves and how it's going to roll I'm sitting on a 29in wheel setup on my extra large specialized at the moment and I wouldn't have figured I would have gone to an Excel having started out on a large 27-5 I'm happy with the wheel change and how much better and more confident I feel on the big wheel
Biggest mistake, riding in woodland (away from the tracks) without a drink on a hot sunny day. I was so glad when I found the blackberries and ate loads of them.
Thank you guys, got back in MTB after 25yr break. Watching your video got me SAFELY back into the saddel.
lol, mee too :)
Spell saddle
Good job, bro! I hope you're enjoying each ride.
My biggest mistake happened yesterday When i was casually biking in Puijo and my phone died and i got bit of a lost in the forest on too hard downhill trail
As a beginner I went straight to blue trails and now I’m suffering the consequences with shoulder pain from a fall😅 definitely start easy until you get the skills to go on harder trails
are blue not the easiest graded trails ?
Blues are the easy trails.
Green are the easiest
I had 1st generation specialize stumpjumper, which came out in 1981. I figured I could ride it at slow speed of a 6 foot drop onto flat ground. Mountain bikes weren’t a thing before that. My friends and I had no idea what mountain biking was all about but we had a good time.
Amen, I have skipped any crash videos for the last couple of years as I've personally experienced enough of my own. I take no joy in watching someone else fall. This vid being the first in the longest time.
I usually have a backpack full of food and water when I ride haha
If you ever find yourself in Florida, stop by Santos mountain biking trails. Best in the Sunshine State. I'm from Tallahassee, and we also have some pretty good trails. Just hit one of them, Redbug, yesterday.
My biggest mistake was getting a bike that was too big. I got a large Stumpjumper for a good price. I didn't understand that just because I could pedal the bike comfortably around the street, it did not mean I should ride that bike. Once I got it out on the trail and learned a few things like track standing and bunny hops, plus riding some rough trails, I started to see. I took lots of measurements of myself and of any new prospective bikes. I now have a small Pivot Switchblade. My back doesn't bother me anymore. I'm no longer leaning on the handlebars. My dropper post is adjusted to my height. I'm starting to progress faster as a rider. I'm 5'5" and the one change I am considering is getting a 27.5 wheelset. I think shorter riders may benefit more from the slightly smaller wheels.
I'm 5.9 and rode an xxl at someone's home. Didin't felt strange indeed. 😂
My biggest mistake was when first learning to jump, I was looking down to see how high I was going, rather than looking at my landing. It's easier than you think to break a collarbone!
GMBN should definitely plan a trip to Asheville, North Carolina in the states. It's got a huge mtn bike community and miles on miles of awesome trails for awesome video content.
That would be cool! Thank you for the suggestion!
2:50 happend to me :D on my roadbike i normally ride not less than 100km, so my first mtb tour was 80km. i was really destroyed after that tour
When I got more serious about riding I didn't know all the differences in bikes and ended up with some bikes that weren't quite up to the job but for the first time I think I got it right for me with my most recent purchase, my Diamondback Sync'R. I have been having an absolute blast on that bike, it's a good beefy hard tail. I would say you really can't go wrong with a good beefy hard tail of your choosing. I got my one on sale plus I traded in one of my other bikes for it so I got what I thought was a great deal. But like Blake said, start with the bike you have. Just ride, have fun and don't worry if you're lacking skills, they come with time and the more fun you'll have.
Braking in the middle of a banked turn...yep, up and over the handlebars 🙂
I’ve been riding the same mtb. For 21 years. I just put new derailleurs and chain on it was shifting funny again. Probably about time for new forks as well there factory and rebuilt a few times. It’s a mongoose XR-100. I don’t ride as much as I used to and will probably land on my face if I try jumping again.
Great video. I keep forgetting to keep my cranks level. Also don't trust the sizing calculator on bikesonline, I got an unrideable, too-big bike that according to them should have fitted me perfectly!
Thanks, I just started today :DDD
Great video lads! im 10 months in and started on a Trek marlin 5. Just ordered a Norco sight as the trek was very uncomfortable attempting any jumps aside from drops. very keen to get my hands on it and progress upwards
How do you like your Sight?
@-xg8oiIts absolutely awesome, I was stuck between choosing the Sight, a Trek Slash or a Polygon Siskiu T8. And the Norco was the choice for me, the quality is great and it fitted myself really well. its quite big and burly but i am a XL on it and it just flies, feels like a freight train on DH trails, and it loves jumps and can still be maneuverable.
@Fluffyboom, Thanks. Mine is coming tomorrow. Can’t wait to ride it.
all-in panic breacking on roots in the rain... fell twice :)
0:31 rippin it there Blake sir 🫡
Forgetting the suspension lockout on the way down after a long climb. I call it the bone shaker.
Just getting back into it. Starting to get into a little more treacherous trail riding.
A good piece of advice my mates have given me is take it steady and not look at 10000 tutorial videos you will find your own way of learning cornering jumping everyone is different let the process take you and enjoy yourself these guy's are way better than me but there advice is way better just enjoy and be safe trust the learning process
I'm so new to this I haven't even ride yet. I'll let you know my mistakes. I did get a older good bike to start. So I'm good so far.
HEY! I love that custom paint job! 😝
Not really a big mistake but: on my first trail ride. I kept forgetting te color I was following. I started with blue then came purple and then came red. Eventually made my way back to blue. I but made 20km extra. Ended up doing 45km. It was quite something. :)
Blake is the master for any who chose to ripe and shred Blake's the one to learn from . beautiful people .
My biggest mistake was going on a red tech trail on my first day riding an MTB, crashed because i couldn't slow down, i was on a steep hill with two consecutive drops then a corner
Lmao, I had to stop the video from laughing when Neil said the part about Blake making a bad decision with the color choice lmao 😂😂😂
Shoes and shorts/pants is definetely worth the money!
I started with a $300 Kona Shred from 2011 last year to figure out if I really liked mountain biking. I figured out I do, now I'm going to invest in a more modern (but still probably not brand new) hardtail.
Same, this is my first year back since a kid. Using my KHS DJ 25 from 2008. If I love this like I hope I will. I’ll invest in a newer 2nd hand hard tail next year!
Sick Orbea Rallon!
Biggest mistake is not bringing tools. No hand pump. No tire levers. No extra inner tube or patch kit. These are the most essential in riding a mountain bike. When you experience flats. You can fix it
Multi-tool with chainbreaker. I broke my chain just a few days ago. Then it started to rain on me. Fixed chain, and the sun came out.
My biggest mistake? Not having switched from being a roady to mtb earlier ;-)
back in the mid 90's i used to cycle 10 miles to the woods then have a great day going down stupidly steep hills & riding trails & then cycle 10 miles back home...omg i used to be so knackered as energy jells were not sold in shops or come to think of it sold at all, so yeah i used to cycle to far, exspecially in Wales were we would find endless trails & ride for miles then realise....shit how far from base are we...lol.
Riding an unfamiliar track blind. Got a broken left humerus for my efforts.
Hello from Finland!!!
Yo! 👋
Mine, (still) is always thinking I’ve got one ☝🏼 more run in me, not thinking about the climb back up to the carpark……….I swear on my life I’m sitting in the carpark in my car as we speak catching my breath typing this….yeah I did it again. 😂
Hey blake! What spring rate are you using? Thanks
Biggest mistake that I made was not looking at the trail before riding, fell flat on my stomach, luckily got a fullface helmet on.
Thanks for the info! I'm new to mountain biking and would like your opinion on 29 inch wheels VS 27.5 inch wheels (i'm a short woman at 5' 3") The bike i'm looking at getting the specialized expert with 29 inch wheels.
27.5 is best to start with! A 29er at 5'3 will just take a bit more commitment to muscle around than the average beginner will put in. Either option will get you on the trail and enjoying the sport so go with whatever you fancy! 😊
@@Oscar-vr3cz appreciate it!
New too man biking - fell on a small jump, broke my nose, while not wearing a helmet 🤷🏻♂️
The tire came off the rim.
I got knocked out for a few minutes. I was close to home but didn’t have my cell phone
Here’s a mistake I made recently on a XC ride around Fort Ord: Bring a first aid kit.
Nothing like bringing your roadie friend on a 30mph MTB Blue fire road and not having a first aid kit to patch up the inevitable OTB on the rutty descent. 20 miles from any sort of bandages.
I’ve never needed it (usually) but others might.
30mph offroad is crazy! I thought 33mph, my top speed I've been able to achieve on the street, that was kinda crazy feeling! I can't imagine that offroad! Dang!
Computer wireless gears on any bike is just superfluous and not necessary 😊 Like the dude says get yourself a hardtail these are big boy bikes only for the headstrong hold it down 😊
Neil: "I prefer to take normal food with me..."
(Camera cuts to a shot of tire repair kit)
Monsieur Mangetout?
Can't believe Orbea agreed to that paint color scheme. Someone at the factory was drunk. LOL Makes me feel my Orbea color ain't that bad after all.
hi guys
im new to the trail and still a beginner and i only have ridden a basic trail track twice and im looking go get even better. currently im using a hard trail enduro bike but except for my fork which is a SR SUNTOUR EPIXON (for XC use only), and im looking to upgrade my bike but i dont know which upgrade should i go first. should i buy a new full suspension frame ( im planning to buy a dartmoor blackbird frame 29er) or should i buy a better fork like a ROCKSHOX YARI or a SR suntour DUROLUX. need some advice in which is the better upgrade i should go for TY.
The Biggest mistake I made was getting into MTB. Haha. 😂.
That makes us sad! 😢😂😂
Hi, Can i put 27.5 (not +) on 29-er fork? I can't find any information about it, only opposite how to pull 29-er wheel on 27.5 fork...
The first time I took my bike to a bike park I didn’t take that much water or any food and I just went straight to the trails and started riding, I didn’t look at the trail map I thought I was just gonna go out and ride the first trail, I didn’t have any water with me cause I have a 2009 Norco A-Line and there isn’t any bottle holder on it cause it’s a downhill bike, it also weighs like 23kg so it’s really heavy, I ended up accidentally taking a wrong turn and went down the longest trail at the park, I got lost and needed water and food, I eventually found a group of old guys who ride there all the time who helped me find my way back to the top but I was so dehydrated and hungry I had to push my bike up nearly 90% of the fire trail back up the massive hill I’d accidentally gone down not knowing it was such a long trail. Lesson learned every time I go there now I take a camelback backpack with water and a snack bar in one of my pockets
Im happy with my aluminium full suspension with decent gear
My biggest mistake was not cutting my 800 mm wide bars down , I only realised my mistake as I sailed over the bars after clipping a lamppost whilst doing a bit of urban downhill
How do you cut them down?
@@solslastcannula5665 I have electric pipe cutters that do the job but a hacksaw or mimi grinder work just as well
@@solslastcannula5665 iv some plumbers pipe cutters tho a hacksaw works bit you will need to file any burs off with a hacksaw
Good day. We are joining our first XC race using our trail bikes. Our goal is just to be able to finish the race within cutoff time.
Any tips to prepare and tools to bring?
Thank you and more power
Going too quick over a stoney patch and washing out 🤣
Yes. Definitely riding too far. I went riding with a friend who was in much better condition than me and he took me on a 15 mile ride. I was good for the first 7 or 8 miles but after that it was not fun anymore. Lol
been riding a 2014 Giant Talon for years, never seen much reason for expensive bikes or even an upgrade.
But if you stop, how do you stand? I'm used to riding a grandma bike so I'm used to sitting on the saddle.
my biggest mistake was riding with friends who are wayyyy better than me. it put peer pressure on me to ride stuff that was way to big and advanced for me, just trying to keep up with them. i paid for it, went OTB and smashed the hell out of my hangar and derailleur. ride with people that are your skill level, or don't be an idiot like me haha!
I ride with people way better than me and they always advice me take it steady your here to enjoy yourself and take it easy some of the lines was way bigger than I ever done but there advice was even bigger keep safe bud 👍
@@ronnienewsome800 you could say i've learned my lesson, i tend to walk a bunch of features that i know i cant do or would be a out of my skill level haha
Mentally telling myself to not use the brakes to go faster ...and crashing. Use them breaks!
Biggest mistake of mine is believing “don’t worry it’s an easy jump” then hitting a tree 🌲
Biggest mistake when I started was doing stuff that was too technical for my skills. Ended up upside down in a tree while still clipped into my bike.
Going too far. I don't shred, I just go out for nice cross-country trail rides to enjoy the bike & the scenery. Going too far usually happens when I'm on a new trail, and am presented with the lure of that ever-beckoning curve in the trail. At a point where I'm getting tired and should turn around, I always end up thinking "I'll just go as far as the top of that next little hill, just to see what's on the other side." So I do, and of course then there's the next one, and the next one. The last time I made that mistake, luckily for me I had just come back to a paved road that would lead a short distance to my parked car. Going back the way I came would have been a long, slow ride. I had actually already turned around to ride back the long way, but my legs made the decision for me. They said, in no uncertain terms, "NOPE. Not today."
When some new mtb'ers panic, they tend to grab a handful of brakes with catastrophic results.
right before the drop, yes. seems like you thought of me
Yeah, we've all been there! 😬😂
I am in the UK, 40 year old but a fat man. I have lost 2.5 stone through a personal trainer at the gym, I am now 21.5 stone. I having been using my push bike which looks like a mountain bike but has road tyres, which works ok in the road. However, I want to bike on the south downs. What type of new bike should I be looking at and what model for a fat lad? I've been recommended to see Rayment Cycles in Brighton, but I don't want to be fat shamed as I am trying to do something about it so a bit hesitant to go see them.
Biggest mistake was trying to match my son's lines and speed. He's insane on a bike. I need to be able to drive home 😂
Just started riding in 2023. My early mistake. Coming down too quick and came off the bike and hit my chest againt the handle bar.. Nice tender soft tissue damage and damaged derailer!
I have a hardtail bike. Good enough?
buying cheap because it led me to buy twice
now i "invest" in great kit, not always the most expensive, but the best value equipment, bikes, components etc
could have saved more money that way
HI,Mate...I think my biggest mistake...Follow the wrong guy,going to descend a double black trail 😅
My biggest mistake when returning to MTBing was not subscribing to GMBN sooner!
Lol
Ayyy! We like this comment! 😏
True... I never ride too far. lol
I would suggest gloves over kneepads for beginners
Agreed - your hands are typically the first thing to hit the ground if you fall off.
We would never suggest compromising one or the other. They are both quite essential. 👍
It is tempting to ride high mountains, but we shouldn’t be ashamed to allow ourselves to be beginners, because that’s how we improve as a rider.
My biggest mistake was buying a loooow end MTB bike. That junk is annoying...but... On the other hand I rode it for the first time a year after I bought it so😂 Once I kill it and learn this and that I'm gonna get a proper bike...
I think, the local bike shop tells you, their most expensive bike is hands down just the bike for you.
Is 30km an average bike ride ? Cause for me its a big one
I did a jump in which I did not lift up at all
Too late! Already bought an expensive kit for being a beginner !
I headplanted off of a big drop because i went too slow
that paint job is sick tho...
Blake's bike has the best paint job of all the GMBN bikes
I rode my mtb for 50 km, and it was hell, using offroad tires, 😅 i lost all my salt, crystallised all of over my body
Luckily I didn't have a big mistake yet but who knows the future. I can only hope
More "not to do if your new to Mountain Biking":
...believe that cable brakes will in any way be suitable for down hill riding on anything but the easiest of tracks.
...believe that Hydraulic brakes are harder to maintain than cable brakes.
...think that going as slow as possible over an obstacle (especially steep grades when there is ample run off available)
...ride with straight arms, or elbows down (or even in close to your ribs)
...think that the rear brake is more important than the front.
...ride a remote (perhaps less used) trail alone without leaving some message to someone of your destination (A text message is near free yet priceless if you get lost/injured).
...pat a burning dog.