The Humble Hardtail - the Perfect winter training tool

PLEASE READ!!!!!!
Keeping up your riding through winter is challenging, but in many ways it yields the greatest results!
Humour me for a few paragraphs..
In summer when its dry and the sun is shining its very easy to get out and reap the mental and physical benefits of the fresh air, exercise, vitamin D and head space and you don't even need to ride your bike, a walk in the park or down the canal can yield many of the same benefits.
When winter roles in, the days get shorter and colder, the ground gets soggier and many of your favourite tracks are rendered almost unrideable and probably shouldn’t be ridden to protect them from degradation.
Every ride feels like a mission, all the extra layers needed to fend of the conditions, the most rideable spots are usually trail centres which for most involves travel and then there’s the inevitable clean up of bikes and gear after every ride.
We definitely choose to travel less in the winter which leaves us with a sloppy and relatively technically uninteresting local loop or slog round Rivington (peat bog) Moor. If we do travel then it’s usually late when we arrive home and the clean up mission usually extends into the week, normally in a desperate rush to get ready for next ride.
The clean up mission alone is enough to sometime make me not bother but there’s the added issue of excessive winter mud grinding away at (very) expensive suspension parts, linkages and bearings all for the sake of a spin down the canal and through the local park.
(e-bikes have the added potential issues of batteries, motors, control panels etc)
With excuses in hand its easy to turn over and stay snuggled in bed but there’s usually a point in the day when you regret the decision and in all fairness those winter rides are essential in keeping you on the psychological and physiological - straight and narrow.
Otherwise, when do you get out? when do you exercise? when do you get out of your head and stop reflecting on your mistakes or fretting about the unknown possibilities of the future?
Sure you can take the dog for a walk but for me it doesn’t narrow my attention to the exact present moment and my immediate surroundings like riding my bike does.
It’s nice, but it doesn’t deliver the same headspace.
Its easy to lose a full winter indoors waiting for summer but everytime you do that it makes you softer, more likely to succumb to comfort and I think we can (hopefully) all agree that we have definitely gotten to used to that.
ENTER THE HUMBLE HARDTAIL - cheap, easy to maintain, easy to clean, can be thrown back in the shed with just a quick wipe and lube of the chain and they turn the most sedate of trails into epic fun.
They also (potentially) remind you of when you first got (back) into biking and make you reflect on the journey that has been your biking career and they should give you a confidence boost then you get back on the full bounce bike.
With the bike industry facing imminent failure, there are some real bargains around so there has never been aa better time to invest in a winter workhorse.
Ive also been fine tuning my training to incorporate more Zone 2 training and the local flat loops lend themselves perfectly to longish stints in lower heart rate zones.
Who would have thought you didn’t have to kill yourself on every ride to increase your fitness and longevity?
the and other strategies ive learned from ‪@PeterAttiaMD‬ book "Outlive" which I highly recommend to absolutely everyone that’s interested in enhancing the “quality" of there later years.
Link Here: amzn.eu/d/39AiKFL
I hope you enjoy the edit, apologies if it’s more infotainment than entertainment!
I would greatly appreciate any comments or questions.
Please like and subscribe as it really does make all the filming and editing worthwhile.

[@simonspeak4775]

Thanks for another timely video, which I’m sure captures the thoughts of most mtb riders given the recent weather. I have a Laufey gathering dust in the garage that I will now be choosing next time out! Also thought provoking about your heart rate comments, I’ve recently been paying more attention to my average bpm on rides as I approach my 50th birthday. Would be interested in more content from you on this regarding mtb training&fitness. Keep up the good work!!!!

[@MindfulTrailBiker]

Good morning Simon, thank you so much for the message, really appreciate you taking the time. My training has been very one dimensional for a long time, I prescribed to the idea that if you weren’t pushing hard then it was a waste of time! The popularity of HIIT style training an intense work out done quickly is addictive as it takes little time and you feel like you done an intense session so it’s satisfying! There’s so much religion around right and wrong when it comes to training and diet so it’s easy to get lost in this. What finally changed for me was the “end game” which has moved from looking better, losing weight to being able to snowboard, hike, bike etc well into my retirement years. That requires a completely different focus. I would highly recommend picking up the book as it debunks all myth around training and nutrition and gives very clear guidelines on training. The basic principles are heavy weight training 4 times per week, zone 2 3 hours per week and zone 5 training once per week, as much stretching as you can fit in and diet wise, main takeaway is lots of protein as muscle wastage as we age is a huge issue. We will defo chat more on this in future edits. Thanks again 🙏

[@jonwilcock4200]

Hardtails for life, not just for Xmas 😂

[@Onlydansmtb]

you know im going to watch a hardtail video, the fact its a NP Scout is a cherry on top :D - going to have to get mine out of retirement now.

[@MindfulTrailBiker]

It’s an awesome piece of kit. Love it! They are so capable these days and great fun 👌

[@DizRidesMtb]

Gotta luv a Ht guys. Oooo I recognised that canal 😂😂

[@MindfulTrailBiker]

Not the most interesting rides but they get you out! Are you Wigan based pal?

[@DizRidesMtb]

@@MindfulTrailBiker no mate I'm in Bolton n farny

[@Bbill2k2]

Cheap £400 Pinnacle Arkose D3 gravel with some decent tyres is perfect for this :😄

[@MindfulTrailBiker]

Yep, you’ll be smashing round on that! Probably do 2 laps! 👍

[@icadworx6978]

You are bang on regarding using the hardtail thru winter. I’ve come to really enjoy my cheap hardtail (Voodoo Bizango Pro)and I get just as much fun as riding my trek remedy in summer. Would love a guided tour round Rivi sometime. I’m only about 35 mins away. Been there a couple of times but know there’s a lot more round there. Great vids. 👏

[@MindfulTrailBiker]

Hey! Thank you for the kind words, much appreciated.
Agree. Hardtails are an absolute hoot and so much easier to live with in winter.
Yeah, no problem for a rivvy ride out, give us a shout in spring, it’s much more fun when the trails dry out. The more fun tracks are pretty much un-rideable with the amount of rain we’ve had recently!

[@icadworx6978]

@@MindfulTrailBiker yes will do. My local trails are Ashurst Beacon and it’s just too boggy to ride there at the moment. Been riding the pines in Ainsdale /Formby. Pretty dry all year round due to fast draining soil.

[@MindfulTrailBiker]

@@icadworx6978 I’ve never ridden ainsdale. Is there some good riding to be had there?

[@icadworx6978]

@@MindfulTrailBiker yes it’s very pedally- lots of up and down but techy climbs and descents but the best thing is it’s dry in the winter! Happy to show you round

[@MindfulTrailBiker]

@@icadworx6978 sounds good. Will book it in after a rivvy spin 👍