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.
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.
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.
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.
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 😮
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.
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).
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
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
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.
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
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.
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.❤
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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!
Just wanted to say I really enjoyed the 30 second or so of riding footage at the end of the video. I never watch rides because to be honest... 5-10 minutes of first person bike footage is boring. This was the perfect amount to get me amped to ride while not feeling like a waste of time. Someqgat connected the video to the feeling of riding. Maybe footage outros would be nice.
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.
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
The worst accident I ever had was not even falling out from the bike, nor the accident even caused me falling over. We were riding some pretty damn slippery rocks and my hard tail bike slipped and jerked under me in such way that I lost one pedal. But my weight was pushing down hard on the other towards the back and it turned the pedals the wrong way around. the one I lost hit so badly on my shin that it ripped through my clothes and flesh straight to the bone. My shin was torn open from multiple places and it tore the whole skin off my leg from a small part. But no problem. I washed it with water and ripped my t-shirt to bandage it and we rode back. Only after we were back at the car, the adrenaline started to wear off and the pain hit me like a mother father. At home some more cleaning with antiseptic tissues and proper bandaging it healed pretty fast without further problems, but that's the last time I've been riding on rocks after a rain.
I always wanted a set of USD's on my old Foes... My motorbike ones are 12" travel but the same length forks on an MTB only get barely 1/2 that... so the 6" Boxxers at 1/3 the price did the trick... for 20+ years... But at least I got a couple of mentions on GMBN with it. q8)
Just come to Britain, just to get to a trail you have to have good line choice to avoid all our pot holes and cattle grids on a wet cracked narrow roads
Theres actually a LOT reason to NOT focus.... I have fairly good peripheral vision so this trick may be easier for me.. but I find on an easy section I can basically stare into the trees or sky with the "1000 mile stare" and still ride effectively.... The idea is not to focus on the hazards, just pick the safe zones to get to to apply the brakes safely... and while getting there, you tend to be less focused on the stuff in between. From decades of MX trail riding theres a lot of things you learn but way up there is.... What you focus on... is what you HIT You can choose "Ooo theres a tree on the side of the track.... " or "There's a big run off straight ahead at the bottom of this small roll down" I hit every rock I "see"
I do struggle with the idea of sliding out on mud, sand, and rocks. I just need to push through these and condition myself. If your bike went over the wet rock...
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 !
Hallo Deutscher Kommentarbereich
מזל טוב!
And no period was found...
That's what's up! Great way respond to watching Berm peak !
Hallo Freunde
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.
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.
this is me on wooden bridge creek crossings. I am staring at the water to not fall in and I just take the line...off the side of the bridge.
I do this and simultaneously clipped both trees in a narrow trail😅
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.
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.
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.
Same. I rode trails on CX bikes and gravel bikes for years before getting a mtb so am conditioned to think the same way
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 😮
So which trail was that?
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'm not even that into MTB but I just love this channel
This is excellent. Seth always puts out amazing content. Line choice and where to look are lessons I teach nearly daily as a full-time instructor.
Love these types of videos, for beginners they are super helpful and for non beginners super entertaining!
You're explaining it really well, thanks! Hope to see more of those on your channel!
Seth, you keep getting better and better at this internet short film game. Fantastic video.
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).
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
Love to see that you are still using this bike considering you have a really neat hard tail as well!
Great episode Seth. Enjoying the actual biking content.
Hey Seth, this is a great video. I already new all of these things but its all great information for beginners, thanks :D
congrats on 1M!! i used to watch you as a kid all the time having dreams to meet you
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
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.
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
That is such a beautiful area to ride in. I'm jelly.
This video had a lot of great Trail Features.
Really cool video concept! Hoping to see a full fledged series on this, could probably go up on the main channel?
Great idea. Long and extended version
Dale Stone also does a great job at teaching about line choice.
Good explanations of line choice! This would be a good video to share with friends who are new riders.
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.
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.❤
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.
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.
New to MTB scene, I appreciate your helpful videos
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.
Great job explaining Seth , certainly learned something new today
This is really hard to explain, somehow you explained it perfectly Seth! Awesome video
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 ?
Sooo close to that million Seth!! 🤘🏼
You have a back for explaining things. I tried to explain this to my so. When I started taking him on the trails. I should’ve hired you lol
The bike goes where you are looking is the best advice I ever got!
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.
love the lefty on your sinc'r!
that trail looks super fun!
0:54
You can't blame the beginners to look down the wheel, especially if they have a lefty, I would too.
🙃
Awesome videos as always Seth. If i had any friends i would highly recommend them!
Don’t forget the Strava line! The one where people cut parts of the trail to try and get the faster time…
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.
This was my first mountain biking lesson - look ahead! I even wrote a little song about it and sing it to myself as I’m going down trails. 😂
I needed this video when I still did mountain biking😂
Great reading analogy
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.
I rode there in December and it started raining near the top and I was surprised by how good the grip on the rocks was despite the moisture.
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
very useful! would love to see more..
Hi Seth love the vids and love what you teach us
I’ve been watching Seth for years. I’m finally thinking of actually getting a mountain bike
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.
Great video, very informative. I hope you do more riding tutorials.
Hey Seth, I really think you should do a workshop tour... from what i've seen, it looks cool
I LOVE YOU SETH!!
I'd love to see one on climbing, tricks and tips
Line choice is super underrated by many beginners... Now i want to go ride
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!
Well said my friend.
As a motorcyclist looking at getting into this, we say look at where you want to go
Hi Seth… thanks for the vid. I learned new things today.
This new helmet looks quite funny) The POC suited you much better.
Keep up the good work Seth
Awesome video. I know I can use tips for sure.
congrats on 1 million subs
Just wanted to say I really enjoyed the 30 second or so of riding footage at the end of the video. I never watch rides because to be honest... 5-10 minutes of first person bike footage is boring. This was the perfect amount to get me amped to ride while not feeling like a waste of time. Someqgat connected the video to the feeling of riding. Maybe footage outros would be nice.
I'm so exited I'm driving 7 and a half hours to go to berm Park with my freind this weekend
not a beginner but i think that teaching the speed that you should go down a trail is more useful than many other techniques
Braking beyond a feature, not in the middle of it...
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.
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
Some of this discussion reminds me of F1 race line strategies
congrats on getting 1 million subs
Great vid, as usual. Thanks.
The worst accident I ever had was not even falling out from the bike, nor the accident even caused me falling over. We were riding some pretty damn slippery rocks and my hard tail bike slipped and jerked under me in such way that I lost one pedal. But my weight was pushing down hard on the other towards the back and it turned the pedals the wrong way around. the one I lost hit so badly on my shin that it ripped through my clothes and flesh straight to the bone. My shin was torn open from multiple places and it tore the whole skin off my leg from a small part.
But no problem. I washed it with water and ripped my t-shirt to bandage it and we rode back. Only after we were back at the car, the adrenaline started to wear off and the pain hit me like a mother father. At home some more cleaning with antiseptic tissues and proper bandaging it healed pretty fast without further problems, but that's the last time I've been riding on rocks after a rain.
Any chance we get more videos in the backyard soon? Would love to see some more projects and updates!!
Great video, something not obvious, but really useful! Is there a chance for a build video from Berm Peak trail?
Those inverted forks are pretty cool
I always wanted a set of USD's on my old Foes... My motorbike ones are 12" travel but the same length forks on an MTB only get barely 1/2 that... so the 6" Boxxers at 1/3 the price did the trick... for 20+ years...
But at least I got a couple of mentions on GMBN with it. q8)
Loved the video ! Thanks Seth !
I don't know how you connected reading to line choice but it actually made sense 😂😂
You NEED to review the Schwinn Axum!!!!
Just come to Britain, just to get to a trail you have to have good line choice to avoid all our pot holes and cattle grids on a wet cracked narrow roads
Come to Wellington NZ... If it's flat... It's a rugby field or it's got a house on it.
Depending on where you live, moss on the rocks will be insta-splat if you pick a mossy rock line.
Awesome. My daughter in law says mnt biking gives her a headache because she has to focus and concentrate so much. 😅
Theres actually a LOT reason to NOT focus.... I have fairly good peripheral vision so this trick may be easier for me.. but I find on an easy section I can basically stare into the trees or sky with the "1000 mile stare" and still ride effectively.... The idea is not to focus on the hazards, just pick the safe zones to get to to apply the brakes safely... and while getting there, you tend to be less focused on the stuff in between.
From decades of MX trail riding theres a lot of things you learn but way up there is.... What you focus on... is what you HIT
You can choose "Ooo theres a tree on the side of the track.... " or "There's a big run off straight ahead at the bottom of this small roll down"
I hit every rock I "see"
Hey Seth! They are building another bike park by spider mountain in Texas! It opens in November and I think you should check it out!
I do struggle with the idea of sliding out on mud, sand, and rocks. I just need to push through these and condition myself. If your bike went over the wet rock...
I suck at tech so thanks Seth!
ha I rode there yesterday. The rock at 8:05 is the only spot I had trouble
Bob Ross of MTB! Paint that line!
Almost 1 mil!!!!
I usually pick the one that will cause me less damage when i crash into it ;)
thank you seth for the info
Thank you!!!!!
Cool stuff😊 now i just need to buy a mt bike😊
One of my biggest problems is the beautiful scenery. I need to focus or off the cliff i go..😮
Hi Seth, Big fan here... I know youve been asked this a thousand times but what MTB do you ride mostly?
1 million subs!
you should make some more rc crawler videos