Powder Ridge is my home bike park! Place has a ton of potential and is improving really fast. already a world of difference between last season and this season. psyched to see what this place can do down the line!
@@TTVBellson powder brings in boat loads of money, being ct’s only lift ran bike park, They can afford it, shaun is just cheap and wants the money for himself.
@@brennanstopka9568 operational costs alone must be absolutely ridiculous, let alone insurance... I have a feeling they are operating very close to break even.
Reminds me of the old way of doing it. Spending a day at the hill with string/elastics/zip ties on your sanctions, a note pad, a stop watch, and you put everything in the middle setting and keep adjusting until it felt good and posting fast times. The looks I would get in the parking lot when swapping coil springs in my Fox40 on my tailgate were priceless. Much easier now with air suspension.
Quick Correction: Luis was the suspension engineer on this bike, and another engineer Josh Hursh was technically the frame engineer (sorry Josh, i owe you a beer). For what it's worth, Luis is the person who ultimately made me want to work with GT. Back in 2016, I helped test a Prototype GT Fury downhill bike (the current one). I was coming from a top of the line Trek Session downhill, and immediately felt more comfortable on the new Fury. From that moment he earned my trust and it's what drove me to pursue a sponsorship with GT.
Any way us non-youtubers could possibly get access to telemetry stuff like this? Or is a shockwiz pretty much the only public solution to tuning our bikes?
@@bike314 I was talking with Luis about the Shockwiz and he's not a huge fan. Apparently it makes too many assumptions and the data it gives isn't very reliable, it's probably better than nothing, but at $700, that's quite a lot of money for 2 devices that don't give great feedback. I had one on my red force 29, and I found that it didn't work great.
I sort of miss seeing you ride one the Evil, and wondered slightly what made you change brand (get a sponsorship). Seems like I got a little answer now.
Love that you're out at Powder Ridge! Just a 25 min drive from school and myself and a few buddies have been heading out there every now and then. Who woulda thought that there's a lift-accessed bike park right in the middle of CT!
Super stoked to see you finally ride here. As a local that’s seen it evolve from that “sketchy local place” to a bike park with a surprising variety to offer in a small package I’m really happy to see it getting some bigger name publicity and stoke
You should make a tutorial on cornering! Its incredible how fast you can go into those loose turns. Ive always been scared to be aggressive on turns and take them slowly but i loose a lot of speed.
I work at powder ridge for 4 years during high school and college as a snowboard instructor. Loved that place, glad to see that they are back in business they closed for a few years
4:00 In case anyone else has that issue it's a T8 torx pinch bolt. it's worth getting replacement levers if you travel since most resorts don't have replacement parts right now. I lost a month of this season waiting on piston kits to show up.
I grew up at this place. I was the first round of campers at their old BMX summer camp. The mountain was closed for a while I remember glad it is getting use. Awesome video.
Amazing video! Awesome trails! And Luis, no words can discribe his attitude and competence! Thank you for sharing your experience. Regards from Germany
I started mountain biking during covid, in my second year of college, while I was doing school from home in VA. And on the trails I have been riding, there haven't been many features. While I was getting into it, my friend from college who was helping my get into riding was showing me some of the video he has shot of him riding in PA. And I never realized how bad the gopro effect was until I rode the trail that I saw him ride like a hundred times. And there are so many features I just totally didn't even realize were there. He stopped before one and was like "OK don't ride this, right up ahead, there is like a 6 ft drop" and I was like "what, I never noticed that on the video"... Even photos/videos from a non-action camera from the side don't do them justice IMHO. I'm always keeping that in mind when I'm watching video of people riding trails for the first time. Most of the stuff on this trail is probably stuff that I would immediately crash and be badly injured on even if I were to take a tour through the trail on foot first. It blows my mind. Edit: I guess you might not be riding this for the first time, I don't know. I got that impression based on when you were like "hmm I need to check out this rock garden thats giving me trouble and see what the line is"
You make great bike park videos. The last couple have been awesome. You nailed the editing too so a 30 minute video didn't have any slow parts. Its always cool seeing the suspension tuning wizards in action.
This video was outstanding from beginning to end. Luis was fantastic and I loved seeing his professional input. Been watching your channel for many years and your content is so very enjoyable……..ride on👍
Ive had my new Tallboy for a year and Im still messing with the suspension. All that time is worth it because getting right is like finding a pot of gold.
Exactly ... I'm 3 months in and it's still not dialed in. Especially the X2 shock, just takes awhile ... So many people though don't take the time to learn how to properly adjust their suspension. I see it all the time, $5k+ bike and they ride it as is
Phil you're killing me, man!! 1990ish we were cutting school to snowboard Killington and powder ridge was literally the very first time I ever put feet on snow with skis on way back 1979-80 or so (yeah I was a wee tyke back then!). I haven't been back up there in many years since moving to Texas but you're making me want to at least check in with my roots :)
The trip to my local park!! Have not seen the new line yet but i’m not at that level to hit yet anyway. It is cool to hear that they made something that is interesting enough to get someone with your experience to want to visit again.
Great video, one thing that stood out for me was the scenery, especially your first ride on the track. I'm colour blind, so the colours of the grass and the leaves in the video are colours I've never seen before, don't know if that was something to do with the camera, however, when I see the green colour of grass and leaves it's all the same colour to me by my naked eye, never seen so many green coloured shades which made me say wow, what the heck is going on here, I can only guess maybe non-colourblind folks may see green like this. The same happened with the reds and the brown in the dirt on the tracks. So amazed by it. Hopefully, colour blind people may understand what I'm talking about. Superb bike by the way.
Used to ride there back in the early 90’s. Well I’d ride tri mountain and end up at the top of the lifts at powder ridge. Used to off-road my Suzuki sidekick and later ranger up there too.
$1,500.00 to tune once for 1 trail? This motivated me to upgrade to the Flight Attendant system when I bought my new S-WORKS Enduro. It cost an additional $2,000.00 but the entire suspension system tunes itself in real time for any environment. It's amazing.
what a great video. great stuff as usual Phil. I was glued to it from beginning to end!! i work with race and rally cars, and suspension setup is something very important for us as well. love to see how the pros work on bike suspension.
Once again glad to see another video from Phil and if I ever win the lottery I’m hiring a suspension guy to adjust my bike after every run that was way cool Phil
Regardless of company watching the engineering actively involved rad, very few companies give access. Which when looking for a ride for the next 5-10 yrs makes you recognize the efforts. And gives you hope that gt is working on being a contender, they are starting to grab my attention again after the last 15 years of some interesting choices.
I find people run their rebound too fast. The point of rebound damping is to slow it down not speed it up. Nice to see you go through the process of suspension set up.
Phil, I'm a fellow Vermonter. You've absolutely inspired me to improve and push myself physically. At 43, that wasn't easy, but I've made a ton of progress and have over 60 days on trail this summer! I feel really comfortable on techy trails, small drops, rock faces, etc., but jumping is my biggest mental hurdle. Is learning to Bunny Hop the best way to bridge that mental gap? What advice do you have, if any?
You asked to Phil, but you can try with easy jumps like open ground, like steps, and go more high. You will be more confident, learn how to positioning yourself in the air on your bike. Start with low and easy configuration jumps. I'm not really familiar with English.. Keep shredding 👍
Great vid Phil - funny how your mind plays tricks on you...... or the placebo of thinking you've made a change for the better.... but the stats say otherwise. And the importance of starting from a clean base.... ie tokens......plus i guess going from Fox to Rockshox changes your feel too.... i've just changed from Fox 36 to a Lyrik.
I always though R&D videos would be super boring if anyone recorded them! I was right....but glad you did it because it will help me dial my junk in....
This is so cool! You pov is always awesome to watch. I’m interested to know how the suspension felt after tuning. I’ve always thought pro suspension tuning would result in very boring feeling suspension. Maximising grip and control but not being really “fun” did you find that at all?
Loved this vid...amazing how much data you could get and the difference a few "tokens" made haha...and I can't help wondering what footwear you both were wearing. Hayley's kicks looked siiiick. What are they please?
Ah, I got my suspension serviced before going to the local bike park. Totally forgot to check my rebound settings...rode all day with both fork and shock full open. Pretty spicey lol. :)
Ahhh, the beauty of Onyx hubs: you can hear how the bike behaves with the trail. And the infinite engagement is amazing. Phil, do you ever clip in from time to time?
These days not really. I have in the past, but ultimately i like the simplicity of flats. The only time I'll clip in is for a dual slalom race, having your foot locked in place while in the gate makes me fidget less so i can focus on the actual gate start.
Why was there an embargo on the bikes? Also your videos make me want to get into mountain biking I live in central California about an hour and a half north of la I would want to do downhill riding and jumps what kind of bikes would be good starting bikes
I know you prolly can’t but I’m going to highlands this Friday and there a gap that looks possible but something I could never do it’s on happy hour and it’s like a berm to berm it’s weird
Sorry to leave you hanging Phil lmao nice meeting you and fun lap!
Haha happens more than I'd like to admit. Thanks for the trail beta!
Can we just admire the sound of his bike on the trail
His tires sound so soft on the trail. Gotta be the cushcore. Phil’s POV is the only ones I enjoy.
@@keystonerider1308 yea I know he’s great
It‘s more, how it does not sound…
@@laser_simon922 Onyx hubs are silent. I have them on my bike as well and they are amazing!
Man, I am a huge fan of the audio quality! Nicely done!
That little kid sheepishly waiting for an autograph was adorable. You made his day Phil, awesome 👊
Powder Ridge is my home bike park! Place has a ton of potential and is improving really fast. already a world of difference between last season and this season. psyched to see what this place can do down the line!
I agree. The new line reminded me a lot of Dirt Merchant. I think in a few years it'll be a lot busier!
same i think it will be great in a few years
@@SkillsWithPhil maybe they'll be able to afford a quicker lift lol.
@@TTVBellson powder brings in boat loads of money, being ct’s only lift ran bike park, They can afford it, shaun is just cheap and wants the money for himself.
@@brennanstopka9568 operational costs alone must be absolutely ridiculous, let alone insurance... I have a feeling they are operating very close to break even.
20:50 haha totally left you hanging
Lol
Reminds me of the old way of doing it. Spending a day at the hill with string/elastics/zip ties on your sanctions, a note pad, a stop watch, and you put everything in the middle setting and keep adjusting until it felt good and posting fast times. The looks I would get in the parking lot when swapping coil springs in my Fox40 on my tailgate were priceless. Much easier now with air suspension.
I'm still running a fox 40 coil from 2008ish on my '06 demo 9. I know that feeling lol
I hate you PFP it infuriates me
LOL I didn't know other people did that too 🤣😂
Is there a way to get a sensor on the brake so we can see when you're braking? That would be neat to see
You're such a friendly, pleasant and good man, and you treat everyone with respect. The perfect influence for young fans. Keep it up
Quick Correction: Luis was the suspension engineer on this bike, and another engineer Josh Hursh was technically the frame engineer (sorry Josh, i owe you a beer).
For what it's worth, Luis is the person who ultimately made me want to work with GT. Back in 2016, I helped test a Prototype GT Fury downhill bike (the current one). I was coming from a top of the line Trek Session downhill, and immediately felt more comfortable on the new Fury. From that moment he earned my trust and it's what drove me to pursue a sponsorship with GT.
can you respond to my other comment
Any way us non-youtubers could possibly get access to telemetry stuff like this?
Or is a shockwiz pretty much the only public solution to tuning our bikes?
@@bike314 I was talking with Luis about the Shockwiz and he's not a huge fan. Apparently it makes too many assumptions and the data it gives isn't very reliable, it's probably better than nothing, but at $700, that's quite a lot of money for 2 devices that don't give great feedback. I had one on my red force 29, and I found that it didn't work great.
ዐk͎
I sort of miss seeing you ride one the Evil, and wondered slightly what made you change brand (get a sponsorship). Seems like I got a little answer now.
Love that you're out at Powder Ridge! Just a 25 min drive from school and myself and a few buddies have been heading out there every now and then. Who woulda thought that there's a lift-accessed bike park right in the middle of CT!
C’mon let’s get him to 500k, he really deserves it!
Super stoked to see you finally ride here. As a local that’s seen it evolve from that “sketchy local place” to a bike park with a surprising variety to offer in a small package I’m really happy to see it getting some bigger name publicity and stoke
You should make a tutorial on cornering! Its incredible how fast you can go into those loose turns. Ive always been scared to be aggressive on turns and take them slowly but i loose a lot of speed.
I work at powder ridge for 4 years during high school and college as a snowboard instructor. Loved that place, glad to see that they are back in business they closed for a few years
4:00 In case anyone else has that issue it's a T8 torx pinch bolt. it's worth getting replacement levers if you travel since most resorts don't have replacement parts right now. I lost a month of this season waiting on piston kits to show up.
Thanks for that, I still need to get a few spares. I got lucky at Killington, the pedal pin on my flats was the right thread size.
Great video! Keep ‘Em coming!
I grew up at this place. I was the first round of campers at their old BMX summer camp. The mountain was closed for a while I remember glad it is getting use. Awesome video.
Amazing video! Awesome trails! And Luis, no words can discribe his attitude and competence! Thank you for sharing your experience. Regards from Germany
20:32 dude is chillin hard down there on the hammock
I started mountain biking during covid, in my second year of college, while I was doing school from home in VA. And on the trails I have been riding, there haven't been many features. While I was getting into it, my friend from college who was helping my get into riding was showing me some of the video he has shot of him riding in PA. And I never realized how bad the gopro effect was until I rode the trail that I saw him ride like a hundred times. And there are so many features I just totally didn't even realize were there. He stopped before one and was like "OK don't ride this, right up ahead, there is like a 6 ft drop" and I was like "what, I never noticed that on the video"... Even photos/videos from a non-action camera from the side don't do them justice IMHO. I'm always keeping that in mind when I'm watching video of people riding trails for the first time. Most of the stuff on this trail is probably stuff that I would immediately crash and be badly injured on even if I were to take a tour through the trail on foot first.
It blows my mind.
Edit: I guess you might not be riding this for the first time, I don't know. I got that impression based on when you were like "hmm I need to check out this rock garden thats giving me trouble and see what the line is"
You make great bike park videos. The last couple have been awesome. You nailed the editing too so a 30 minute video didn't have any slow parts. Its always cool seeing the suspension tuning wizards in action.
Phantastic video Phil! Loved watching the process of dialing in your suspension! And of course watching the master ride!!
This video was outstanding from beginning to end. Luis was fantastic and I loved seeing his professional input. Been watching your channel for many years and your content is so very enjoyable……..ride on👍
my local park!!! It’s not the best but they have been improving, you came at the perfect time! welcome to ct.
Ive had my new Tallboy for a year and Im still messing with the suspension. All that time is worth it because getting right is like finding a pot of gold.
Exactly ... I'm 3 months in and it's still not dialed in. Especially the X2 shock, just takes awhile ... So many people though don't take the time to learn how to properly adjust their suspension. I see it all the time, $5k+ bike and they ride it as is
Phil you're killing me, man!! 1990ish we were cutting school to snowboard Killington and powder ridge was literally the very first time I ever put feet on snow with skis on way back 1979-80 or so (yeah I was a wee tyke back then!). I haven't been back up there in many years since moving to Texas but you're making me want to at least check in with my roots :)
awesome seeing you come down to CT. hopefully, this video helps draw some positive light on Powder Ridge. it's all we got !
You guys are such a great couple. Keep up the great vids.
this is sick, i really enjoy seeing this kinda things and wish more bike manfs would show their testing stuff.
The trip to my local park!! Have not seen the new line yet but i’m not at that level to hit yet anyway. It is cool to hear that they made something that is interesting enough to get someone with your experience to want to visit again.
YES, i miss you riding videos and absolutely loved this vid
Great video, one thing that stood out for me was the scenery, especially your first ride on the track. I'm colour blind, so the colours of the grass and the leaves in the video are colours I've never seen before, don't know if that was something to do with the camera, however, when I see the green colour of grass and leaves it's all the same colour to me by my naked eye, never seen so many green coloured shades which made me say wow, what the heck is going on here, I can only guess maybe non-colourblind folks may see green like this. The same happened with the reds and the brown in the dirt on the tracks. So amazed by it. Hopefully, colour blind people may understand what I'm talking about. Superb bike by the way.
Great video showing a perspective of suspension testing that most people don't see. Awesome content.
One of my fav vids you've done. Do more vids with Luis!
Super nice video to watch! Keep it coming Phil
Used to ride there back in the early 90’s. Well I’d ride tri mountain and end up at the top of the lifts at powder ridge. Used to off-road my Suzuki sidekick and later ranger up there too.
Glad you liked our little mountain that could , hope you stop by again
$1,500.00 to tune once for 1 trail? This motivated me to upgrade to the Flight Attendant system when I bought my new S-WORKS Enduro. It cost an additional $2,000.00 but the entire suspension system tunes itself in real time for any environment. It's amazing.
That last trail looked like so much fun, I’m jealous!
Awesome vid man 🔥
That was my home hill growing up in CT for snowboarding. They have done great things branching out to outdoor activities.
OMG, I just found the new jump trail too. wow. you are amazing. Its great to see local videos on Powder Ridge and Thunder Mountain.
That Ditch trail was super cool, never seen anything like it!
Even better when you ride it ,haven't hit the wall like that yet tho ,lol
Love riding copperhead at PR! Awesome to see you at our small park in CT.
what a great video. great stuff as usual Phil. I was glued to it from beginning to end!! i work with race and rally cars, and suspension setup is something very important for us as well. love to see how the pros work on bike suspension.
did anyone catch the Mathieu Van Der Pool rock flip at 1:33 ?? Phil's a legend LETS GO
I have the 2016 Force Expert and it's mindblowing.
Holy hell, that boy is quick!!!
The crazy thing is video always seems to make things look slower and I felt nervous sometimes watching!
Great video! What a fun day you guys had, and I learned a bunch about suspension too :)
5:20
had me terrified hahaha hit that hard!
Was the guy on the purplish blue bike next to you also riding a GT and if so what was it? That color was amazing!
Once again glad to see another video from Phil and if I ever win the lottery I’m hiring a suspension guy to adjust my bike after every run that was way cool Phil
Regardless of company watching the engineering actively involved rad, very few companies give access. Which when looking for a ride for the next 5-10 yrs makes you recognize the efforts. And gives you hope that gt is working on being a contender, they are starting to grab my attention again after the last 15 years of some interesting choices.
It's interesting to hear the difference in the tires with each adjustment. Could hear the skipping when the rebound was too fast for example.
Excellent work Phil and Hailey !
Love the end of 'Americas most blunted' at the start
Great video, man I wish had that kind of talent tuning my suspension!
it feels like your trying to complete a quest in a video game and the GT engineer is the one who keeps givng it to you.
Everything is super boney at Powder Ridge. Even the flow trails are pretty fast and boney. It's a real torture test for your suspension, and hands.
I find people run their rebound too fast. The point of rebound damping is to slow it down not speed it up. Nice to see you go through the process of suspension set up.
The point of suspension is to keep the wheels in contact with the ground.
@@Lou-f yes thats the point of suspension.
@@kevinlink2856 well fast rebound gets the wheel faster to the ground. If your rebound is slow maybe you have to much spring rate.
Phil, I'm a fellow Vermonter. You've absolutely inspired me to improve and push myself physically. At 43, that wasn't easy, but I've made a ton of progress and have over 60 days on trail this summer! I feel really comfortable on techy trails, small drops, rock faces, etc., but jumping is my biggest mental hurdle. Is learning to Bunny Hop the best way to bridge that mental gap? What advice do you have, if any?
You asked to Phil, but you can try with easy jumps like open ground, like steps, and go more high. You will be more confident, learn how to positioning yourself in the air on your bike. Start with low and easy configuration jumps. I'm not really familiar with English.. Keep shredding 👍
@@divac5410 Merci Beaucoup, mon ami. Continuer à déchirer.
I like the look of a GT force i doubt I'll ever get to ride one though mountain biking doesn't exist in my area
Damn you ripped it!! It took me 8 minutes to get down and my tires never left the dirt!! Ha ha ha... I also ...Rode Up three times~
What settings are you using now on the Zeb ?
2:33 nice sounds Phil! lol
Wow awesome footage 👌👌👌
Thanks Phil for ur videos 👌
8:52 the engineer is like, please fuck off, i am busy, no time for your grandfather story.
0:57 i know this is a bike channel, but can we just appreicate the three workers playing Madvillany at the top of the Lift?
I get the vibe it's not just the lift making them high 😂 okay I'll see myself out
Great vid Phil - funny how your mind plays tricks on you...... or the placebo of thinking you've made a change for the better.... but the stats say otherwise. And the importance of starting from a clean base.... ie tokens......plus i guess going from Fox to Rockshox changes your feel too.... i've just changed from Fox 36 to a Lyrik.
This is awesome.. literally like 1/2 mile from my house.. had I known.. would have extended some good old fashion CT hospitality..
It was a last minute day trip, I had other engagements I had to get back home to so I couldn't hang around.
Well then it looks like I need to go home. Live in Bay Area for a while. Looks nice and fun! Thanks.
love your trail maintenance
What a sick opportunity!!
Man you are going to give that mans a heartattack with your tokens. xD
You kept talking about them and he got worried every time he heard about them.
I want to hangout with that guy. What a cool place.
Jeremiahs high pivot Jekyll is looking 🔥🔥
Bike - so Phil, how much rebound do you want?
Phil - Yes!
Bike - Ok then, what about tokens?
Phil - Yes!!
I always though R&D videos would be super boring if anyone recorded them! I was right....but glad you did it because it will help me dial my junk in....
This is so cool! You pov is always awesome to watch. I’m interested to know how the suspension felt after tuning. I’ve always thought pro suspension tuning would result in very boring feeling suspension. Maximising grip and control but not being really “fun” did you find that at all?
Thank you very much for the entertainment Phil :D
can we have a tutorial how you get your bike so silent it sounds amazing on the trail
Same thing happened to me me with the brake lever screw.... Sram Code RSC.
Loved this vid...amazing how much data you could get and the difference a few "tokens" made haha...and I can't help wondering what footwear you both were wearing. Hayley's kicks looked siiiick. What are they please?
the power of having a technician is indispensable.
I live down the road from powder ridge, it was nice to meet you.
When you were at killington i was at powder ridge, now you're at powder ridge and im at killington
Ha, go figure!
Heck yeah Phil, that's my local park!
how do i know my fork rebound is not too fast? bc i have it almost fully open and some guys told me it is too fast but i somehow like it
Ah, I got my suspension serviced before going to the local bike park. Totally forgot to check my rebound settings...rode all day with both fork and shock full open. Pretty spicey lol. :)
Happens more often than you think!
Respect the performance.
Ahhh, the beauty of Onyx hubs: you can hear how the bike behaves with the trail. And the infinite engagement is amazing.
Phil, do you ever clip in from time to time?
These days not really. I have in the past, but ultimately i like the simplicity of flats. The only time I'll clip in is for a dual slalom race, having your foot locked in place while in the gate makes me fidget less so i can focus on the actual gate start.
Ayoo. sweet :) mannn my 2019 force feeling so oldd :D
Still a baller bike, I really enjoyed mine.
12:54 "oh dear..." ("oh deer")
Can't wait to head back to Connecticut, my home state!
20:50 he did phil dirty
Powder Ridge is great!
i love wild turkey and flow dawg gut the real gnar is in trumbull. i also live 5 minus from gt bikes in norwalk!!!
This is one of the few videos that the wind noise adds to the speed of the trail
Why was there an embargo on the bikes? Also your videos make me want to get into mountain biking I live in central California about an hour and a half north of la I would want to do downhill riding and jumps what kind of bikes would be good starting bikes
20:45 I'm late to the party but anyone else sad Phil got left hangin'? lmao
I know you prolly can’t but I’m going to highlands this Friday and there a gap that looks possible but something I could never do it’s on happy hour and it’s like a berm to berm it’s weird