Sleep and eat well after/before! Very different from when I hit Whistler etc with my daughter and only have to throw a bike on a shuttle or a gondola "usually beer and canna involved lol".. IMO , XC shows the difference between bike "riders" and cyclists.
I’ve been on both sides from having an XC hardtail (120mm) to a 180mm front and rear YT Capra… Hard for me to say I’d go back but I know it’s a real thrill either way!! Happy biking 😁😁
riding light XC hardtail, or any XC bike, has really great challenges that are tons of fun. in nut shell, being under biked often, mind is always switched on, line choices going up or down are really important, and steep and rough terrain that are no biggie for big travel bikes are really fun when you can't count on your bike to save your butt. as for XC content, I'd like to see some bike handling skills video for solid, fixed seat posts. going in tight turns and stuff with dropper is vastly different than with seat post up. especially for tall folks out there.
Really good tips overall, being smooth is important, nicely said. If your body is telling you are hungry or thirsty (2:38), it is too late, you never want to get into that situation. It takes time for nutrients to be absorbed.
Yep, I experienced no.3 myself - a steady pace and slowly building up speed on climbs followed by closing gaps on descents is the key to winning. Think of chavs overtaking you on a B road, revving up his 1.5 honda to the limits, just to get caught on the next tight corner somewhere in a village. He used twice as much fuel as you did and yet you end up on his back
Well summed up! I experienced most of these at my first race. I'd add that it is really useful to participate in a small/short race, to understand XC, your bike, and yourself in action better.
My tip to XC riding or any mtbing is never try and ride hung over AF, it’s never gonna end well , quiet night before the ride and then you can over hydrate as part of the recovery plan
want to progress? get yourself a good lamp and every week, go for a night ride. in many cases, you'll find you're faster at night, because at night you focus more, your eyes focus on just the trail. also, choosing where to place the light on your bike is essential, my suggestion is to have your stronger lamp attached to the handle bar, as low as you can BELOW the bar, the dark field effect (tangent light) will "highlight" all the little bump / rocks / roots on the trail and therefore help you to make the best line choice. I have plenty ok KOM on Strava, All of them were established by night. #nightride
I agree. I have quite a few PRs from night rides I still cant match during normal hours. The adrenaline from hearing shit in the dark certainly helps 😅
Excellent content Rich. Love the fact you mentioned how to carry speed. Less braking means more speed through and out of the turns. Just not working so hard. Too many riders are all hard braking and acceleration, I can just flow behind and am only working half as hard. Learn to Turn!
depends whether you're racing or not. If you're riding long distance XC with friends, I tend to do the opposite :p keep your HR and effort under anaerobic threshold as much as possible for climbing to reach fresh at the top, and give it a blast on the downhill :p you'll enjoy both and keeping under anaerobic threshold will keep you fresh for longer.
XC riding is fun, but I thought XC racing is when you train on a road bike or indoor trainer every day until race day when you finally touch a mountain bike again.. ;)
Used to ride a Marlin 4, descending was hell but I was always the first on top by miles. Thought an xc bike would be the right choice. Decided on a Commencal hardtail. Now I'm the first one up and second going down 😀 (only because I wait for everyone up top)
I'm glad Rich said a little fitness makes the climbs more bearable. If he'd have said increasing fitness would make the climbs fun. I would disagree with extreme prejudges. There is only ONE reason for climbs. It's so you can get to the downhill.
actually, I really enjoy climbs :) not that I'm sucker for punishment, but I like to test myself and see how I'm progressing, plus, there is mental challenge in being constantly alert, finding best and smoothest line when you're climbing on XC bike. plus, the more I climb, the more beautiful places I find, with great vista. but then again, I'm type of person who loves mountain bikes in across country sense, don't care about top speeds, I just like to pedal far to remote places and discover something new :)
"There is only ONE reason for climbs. It's so you can get to the downhill." Im gonna have to disagree here. The climbs are like a fire that burn me from the inside, burning away my aggression, frustration, depression, anger, sadness, and all my emotions. The climbs are my meditation. The climbs also my workout machine that keeps me young and strong and fit. The climbs will get me to my 90s so i can see my grandchildren grow up. The climbs are way more than half the ride by time...and also by importance to my life. Climbs for life.
I think they are just appealing to the wider belief that climbing is a chore. The reality is, many XC riders enjoy the climb. And when you have a good, light and set up XC bike, you can fly up a climb. Fitness helps give you momentum. And that is the key to climbing. Cadence is good, but a proper XC climb isn't usually smooth and often cadence changes. Momentum is what helps you get over obstacles. And that's where the fun is. Fitness also makes down hill riding more fun as you have more energy than you would otherwise have, meaning you can jump further, move the bike, go faster and stay more alert. Basically, you're not an XC rider. You're an enduro or downhill rider.
Practice, practice, practice! Have more of it until all these tips become second nature during XC biking. Lots'a love, cheers, & Mabuhay, from tropical Philippines! #KeepBiking
I don’t race. One thing I do to keep cool is wear a football port hole jersey in the summer. Those holes allow air to come streaming through to cool me off. It’s as though marketers came up w/ the solid jersey & everyone followed like sheep.
I'm going to buy a new hardtail xc bike..so I have some questions in my mind like... 1) Is 100mm travel enough? 2) Is 1*12 Deore (11-51T) good? 3) And the last is should I use a dropper post?
Everything functions properly th-cam.com/users/postUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L Nothing was damaged in the box aside from a decal on the fork. The decal was missing a piece of a corner but I ended up peeling them off anyways. Assembly is easy BUT make sure you tune up the derailleurs. Both the front and rear need adjusting. I'd advise going to a bike shop but I opted out and put in 10+ hours with the help of TH-cam. Ended up fraying a shifter cable but all in all I learned from the experience. The Brakes work well but the front caliper needs adjusting or at least mine did because the rotor was rubbing against the pads. Make sure you swap out the seat, grips, and pedals. For the short run you'll be fine though. I've read that this bike isn't built yet for hard trails but I just need it for the city. PA has some of the worst roads and being in a mountain this was a great choice. Worth the investment!
In my opinion modern XC Bikes can do almost everything, they are the best for long epic rides and for some Hometrail riding. They are light and fast and the perfect combination to your 160mm Enduro Bike 😎. I rode my Specialized Epic Race in the Bikepark too and also did some jumps, on a Flow Trail I was almost as fast as on my Enduro Bike..
I got my first mountain bike yesterday, went from the store right to the nearest trail and rode. Within 3 hours the handlebars came loose on me 5 times to the point of where I said screw it and went home. I called the store I got it from and they said it was normal for mountain bikes to do that, now I know $400 for a mountain bike isn't anywhere near top of the line for mountain bike prices. But cmon at least be functional. Are they telling the truth? I assume they will come loose more than regular bikes because of the terrain and stuff but cmon, 5 times? I feel like they're trying to pull one over on me. Thanks anyone In advance that comments trying to help
Hi Cody! When getting a new bike, it's important to check over all bolts to make sure they are tightened correctly (torqued up in other words). It's fairly common bolts can be loose when they leave the factory. So, it's always best to give the bike a good check over! We hope this helps!
@@gmbn I looked over them pretty good, tightened em down before riding They seemed to be staying pretty good other than the handlebars I carried Allen keys with me in case something happened and I was tightening the handlebars left and right because they kept wanting to shift on me even when tightening them down. Thanks for the response !
This vid was lame. Give us some details! Show us actual technique instead of saying a bunch of stuff. Such as this is how you descend: over drops, over rocks, thru loose stuff, over roots, down a fast track with berms, etc. Such as this is how you climb: up rocky trails, up loose stuff, up tight switchbacks, up very steep sections. Such as this is how you must hydrate and eat: when to do both, why to do both. Such as this is why the bike geometry is what it is on xc bikes, and explain the advantages and disadvantages. Such as what technology may help: bike computers, heart rate monitors, etc. Such as bike maintenance on the trail or during a race, as is often faced in longer xc races or rides. There's hours of content possible here, not a 5 minute People Magazine skim thru like you did. Slow it down and make it clear as day for your target audience: those just getting into xc!
I would also like to know more about bike geometry. Lots of content saying this is a DH because it's slack or this is XC cos it's positions more upright, but some real comparisons between the positioning, mounting and sizing of the rear shock would be interesting.
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Do you have any more XC tips?
Sleep and eat well after/before! Very different from when I hit Whistler etc with my daughter and only have to throw a bike on a shuttle or a gondola "usually beer and canna involved lol"..
IMO , XC shows the difference between bike "riders" and cyclists.
heart rate monitor.
a must have.
Practice clipping in and out in less than ideal conditions.
Spend thousands of $$ saving a couple hundred grams off your bike. Its totally worth it! 😅
sell xc bike, buy enduro instead
Nice to see more XC content. It's way more fun being underbiked
Totally agree with you. Full suspension with alot of travel is fun, but it's nothing like the fun of an xc bike with 100mm of travel
I’ve been on both sides from having an XC hardtail (120mm) to a 180mm front and rear YT Capra… Hard for me to say I’d go back but I know it’s a real thrill either way!! Happy biking 😁😁
Modern downcountry bikes are better than the original downhill bikes.
XC has come a LONG way.
Yeah man! Just having lots of fun with my entry level XC!
@@marcalvarez4890 that could be a video
Thanks, great to have some XC content. Never enough of that!
More XC content please!
riding light XC hardtail, or any XC bike, has really great challenges that are tons of fun. in nut shell, being under biked often, mind is always switched on, line choices going up or down are really important, and steep and rough terrain that are no biggie for big travel bikes are really fun when you can't count on your bike to save your butt. as for XC content, I'd like to see some bike handling skills video for solid, fixed seat posts. going in tight turns and stuff with dropper is vastly different than with seat post up. especially for tall folks out there.
Great video. Please more xc/trail content. To much enduro/all mountain things!
Really good tips overall, being smooth is important, nicely said. If your body is telling you are hungry or thirsty (2:38), it is too late, you never want to get into that situation. It takes time for nutrients to be absorbed.
True, drink 1L of water per hour of riding and an energy bar or gel per 45mins
Keeping up with folks on descents who are on a bigger trail/enduro bike when you are on an XC bike = Skills
Yup. They always catch up with me downhill but I catch up on the flats and uphill haha
Great! We need more xc content please.
Totally
Yep, I experienced no.3 myself - a steady pace and slowly building up speed on climbs followed by closing gaps on descents is the key to winning. Think of chavs overtaking you on a B road, revving up his 1.5 honda to the limits, just to get caught on the next tight corner somewhere in a village. He used twice as much fuel as you did and yet you end up on his back
Well summed up!
I experienced most of these at my first race.
I'd add that it is really useful to participate in a small/short race,
to understand XC, your bike, and yourself in action better.
Great xc content from Rich once more! Keep it coming!
My tip to XC riding or any mtbing is never try and ride hung over AF, it’s never gonna end well , quiet night before the ride and then you can over hydrate as part of the recovery plan
Yay!! XC content. Love it!
want to progress? get yourself a good lamp and every week, go for a night ride.
in many cases, you'll find you're faster at night, because at night you focus more, your eyes focus on just the trail.
also, choosing where to place the light on your bike is essential, my suggestion is to have your stronger lamp attached to the handle bar, as low as you can BELOW the bar, the dark field effect (tangent light) will "highlight" all the little bump / rocks / roots on the trail and therefore help you to make the best line choice.
I have plenty ok KOM on Strava, All of them were established by night.
#nightride
I agree. I have quite a few PRs from night rides I still cant match during normal hours. The adrenaline from hearing shit in the dark certainly helps 😅
Yikes, I have terrible eyesight and always crash on night rides
@@Fred_the_1996 yeah... well if you're blind, maybe forget about mtb all together
@@jimmyhopkins9497 Some bits of countryside genuinely have unsettled entities of certain kinds. Wait til you get chased or rocks thrown at you..
Excellent content Rich. Love the fact you mentioned how to carry speed. Less braking means more speed through and out of the turns. Just not working so hard. Too many riders are all hard braking and acceleration, I can just flow behind and am only working half as hard. Learn to Turn!
I wish he would of showed us how to turn, and carry speed in depth.
yay xc content. thx
Love the tips I race in Xc and a lot of this does help like what is your line choice and making sure to pace yourself
Excellent point about maintaining and even speed and not slowing down/speeding up too much, so you conserve energy
Thanks for your tips. They will help me in my next race. Love your Videos 👍
Happy to help dude 👊
Fitness is so important on those ascending rides.. helps having clipless pedals for equal push / pull
I just joined my school’s nica team, I needed this
I joined the local team earlier this year, it's been alot of fun, Wisconsin league FTW
Yess! Xc Bike Skills for the Win!!!
Another tip, know when to recover. Recovering during a ride is key, use short smooth downhills to recover. Stand, lower the HR, stretch, etc..
Thanks so much Rich! I will apply these when I'm riding xc.
My tip: save your energy on the downhill and give it the beans going uphill
depends whether you're racing or not. If you're riding long distance XC with friends, I tend to do the opposite :p keep your HR and effort under anaerobic threshold as much as possible for climbing to reach fresh at the top, and give it a blast on the downhill :p you'll enjoy both and keeping under anaerobic threshold will keep you fresh for longer.
@@Asthbendriel yea I usually do that to it's when I race I try to save my energy for the uphills
@@Asthbendriel not to mention it's pretty easy to outpace most amateurs this way.
@@Asthbendriel same principals as trail running. Love it.
@@matyi94 ah yes, the ones who come to a 100k XCM and just push like crazy on the first 10kms and then die on the last 80kms
Finally some good XC content. Although not as sexy as Rnduro, its actually much tougher!
XC riding is fun, but I thought XC racing is when you train on a road bike or indoor trainer every day until race day when you finally touch a mountain bike again.. ;)
Nutrition is #1, preride and post ride
For an old guy, fitness is definitely #1. Next for me is cornering. A big part of carrying speed.
Used to ride a Marlin 4, descending was hell but I was always the first on top by miles. Thought an xc bike would be the right choice. Decided on a Commencal hardtail. Now I'm the first one up and second going down 😀 (only because I wait for everyone up top)
XC MTB is all you need!
I'm glad Rich said a little fitness makes the climbs more bearable. If he'd have said increasing fitness would make the climbs fun. I would disagree with extreme prejudges. There is only ONE reason for climbs. It's so you can get to the downhill.
actually, I really enjoy climbs :) not that I'm sucker for punishment, but I like to test myself and see how I'm progressing, plus, there is mental challenge in being constantly alert, finding best and smoothest line when you're climbing on XC bike. plus, the more I climb, the more beautiful places I find, with great vista. but then again, I'm type of person who loves mountain bikes in across country sense, don't care about top speeds, I just like to pedal far to remote places and discover something new :)
"There is only ONE reason for climbs. It's so you can get to the downhill."
Im gonna have to disagree here. The climbs are like a fire that burn me from the inside, burning away my aggression, frustration, depression, anger, sadness, and all my emotions. The climbs are my meditation.
The climbs also my workout machine that keeps me young and strong and fit. The climbs will get me to my 90s so i can see my grandchildren grow up.
The climbs are way more than half the ride by time...and also by importance to my life.
Climbs for life.
I think they are just appealing to the wider belief that climbing is a chore. The reality is, many XC riders enjoy the climb. And when you have a good, light and set up XC bike, you can fly up a climb. Fitness helps give you momentum. And that is the key to climbing. Cadence is good, but a proper XC climb isn't usually smooth and often cadence changes. Momentum is what helps you get over obstacles. And that's where the fun is. Fitness also makes down hill riding more fun as you have more energy than you would otherwise have, meaning you can jump further, move the bike, go faster and stay more alert. Basically, you're not an XC rider. You're an enduro or downhill rider.
@@KICKERfilm Fitness makes LIFE better!
Amen.
@@mariopejovic i like climbs because of that satisfaction of competing against your mates
Practice, practice, practice! Have more of it until all these tips become second nature during XC biking.
Lots'a love, cheers, & Mabuhay, from tropical Philippines! #KeepBiking
I appreciate the woods trails demos
Yes XC content!
Hey Rich,
Why the solid seatpost?
YEHEYYY MORE XC CONTENT
Handy tips thanks rich 👍
Nice🥰👌💯
I have a xc race tomorrow thanks
I don’t race. One thing I do to keep cool is wear a football port hole jersey in the summer. Those holes allow air to come streaming through to cool me off. It’s as though marketers came up w/ the solid jersey & everyone followed like sheep.
I am a 71 year old XC rider in SoCal. I need more rest days between rides.
Important to listen to the body for sure!
Can we have some race specific content of gmbn riders racing or in depth racing tactics
I'm going to buy a new hardtail xc bike..so I have some questions in my mind like...
1) Is 100mm travel enough?
2) Is 1*12 Deore (11-51T) good?
3) And the last is should I use a dropper post?
1) I would go 120mm max for xc 140mm if you aren't racing
2) yes love them
3) definitely transformed my riding
@@aliens1990990 ok...thank you 👍
The travel depends on your ridding. But +1 for 12 speed. It is brilliant ! And yes, get a dropper. You won’t regret it
@@nicolaspade1341 okkkk... thanks 👍👍
@@nicolaspade1341 is there any difference between Deore 1*12 (11-51T) and Deore 1*11 (11-51T)??
Was this filmed before or after you smashed the front wheel on the rock garden?
Ha ha before 😊
Wait what? What happened? Is he ok?
I don’t know but are you “Rich” at Portugal? If positive cool🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻if don’t cool anyway 👍🏻 or maybe Spain…
Can someone do an episode on why the Trek marlin 5 is the most popular bike. I have only just realized
Rich what is your bar width, how do you ride a trail without hitting trees
Simple tip: If you're not a pro rider - don't act like one, you'll just get hurt. Enjoy and chill. Stop and rest when tired.
sir, how to ride steep rock garden pls
Hi how long your stem and handlebar for xc bike I using 27.5 I'm from Philippines.. thanks
what are the best lightweight tires for XCmtb?
Everything functions properly th-cam.com/users/postUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L Nothing was damaged in the box aside from a decal on the fork. The decal was missing a piece of a corner but I ended up peeling them off anyways. Assembly is easy BUT make sure you tune up the derailleurs. Both the front and rear need adjusting. I'd advise going to a bike shop but I opted out and put in 10+ hours with the help of TH-cam. Ended up fraying a shifter cable but all in all I learned from the experience. The Brakes work well but the front caliper needs adjusting or at least mine did because the rotor was rubbing against the pads. Make sure you swap out the seat, grips, and pedals. For the short run you'll be fine though. I've read that this bike isn't built yet for hard trails but I just need it for the city. PA has some of the worst roads and being in a mountain this was a great choice. Worth the investment!
make video about top 5 buget forks something like 250$ max
Manitou Markhor, Rockshox Judy and Rockshox Recon
In my opinion modern XC Bikes can do almost everything, they are the best for long epic rides and for some Hometrail riding. They are light and fast and the perfect combination to your 160mm Enduro Bike 😎. I rode my Specialized Epic Race in the Bikepark too and also did some jumps, on a Flow Trail I was almost as fast as on my Enduro Bike..
Much better and quicker if you're on a lycra 😁
Hi
Forgot intervals
Down hill digging.
I got my first mountain bike yesterday, went from the store right to the nearest trail and rode.
Within 3 hours the handlebars came loose on me 5 times to the point of where I said screw it and went home.
I called the store I got it from and they said it was normal for mountain bikes to do that, now I know $400 for a mountain bike isn't anywhere near top of the line for mountain bike prices. But cmon at least be functional.
Are they telling the truth? I assume they will come loose more than regular bikes because of the terrain and stuff but cmon, 5 times?
I feel like they're trying to pull one over on me.
Thanks anyone In advance that comments trying to help
Hi Cody! When getting a new bike, it's important to check over all bolts to make sure they are tightened correctly (torqued up in other words). It's fairly common bolts can be loose when they leave the factory. So, it's always best to give the bike a good check over! We hope this helps!
@@gmbn I looked over them pretty good, tightened em down before riding
They seemed to be staying pretty good other than the handlebars
I carried Allen keys with me in case something happened and I was tightening the handlebars left and right because they kept wanting to shift on me even when tightening them down.
Thanks for the response !
@@gmbn update! Took that bike back to academy and went to an actual bike store and got a Giant Talon 1.
Because xc content
Be like Nino...wear lycra!
This vid was lame. Give us some details! Show us actual technique instead of saying a bunch of stuff. Such as this is how you descend: over drops, over rocks, thru loose stuff, over roots, down a fast track with berms, etc. Such as this is how you climb: up rocky trails, up loose stuff, up tight switchbacks, up very steep sections. Such as this is how you must hydrate and eat: when to do both, why to do both. Such as this is why the bike geometry is what it is on xc bikes, and explain the advantages and disadvantages. Such as what technology may help: bike computers, heart rate monitors, etc. Such as bike maintenance on the trail or during a race, as is often faced in longer xc races or rides.
There's hours of content possible here, not a 5 minute People Magazine skim thru like you did. Slow it down and make it clear as day for your target audience: those just getting into xc!
I would also like to know more about bike geometry. Lots of content saying this is a DH because it's slack or this is XC cos it's positions more upright, but some real comparisons between the positioning, mounting and sizing of the rear shock would be interesting.
My tip: put that drop seat down for descending :P
can you send me a mountain bike i want to start mountain biking
First(Confirmed)
E
Don’t jump. Keep your bike planted on the trail. Jumping drains energy.
unless there's a camera nearby ;)
Or if you are Nino, got the race in the bag and you want to rub it in. 😏
I cant fully trust a guy who doesn't appreciate and use a dropper, just can't. Hes up to someone diabolical i can sense it. Lol
@GMBN... No one is going to take your XC tips seriously when you are wearing baggy shorts have the aerodynamics of a barn door.
Grow up and put a dropper on that xc bike
Long story short...get fit.
BULL TOTAL BULL the carp tiny chain ring makes it all a joke
Claim ur here within an hour ticket here
Hi
What travel is your suspension on your xc bike
100mm f+r