Whilst rad, mountain biking isn’t all gnar, and by presenting it like that, lots of people are missing out an all the easy fun that mountain biking could offer them.
Matty Johnson is a former professional baseball player who now makes mountain biking content for his YouTube channel. He discovered mountain biking five years ago, and in that time has pushed himself to ride harder features.
In this video I will be talking about some misconceptions when It comes to mountain biking and how all the expensive bikes and difficult trails are not what mountain biking is all about.
The topics he covers have a lot of overlap with the agenda of Reframing MTB. What do you think? Is there room for all styles of riding? Do we see enough of ‘just riding along’? Or is it boring to watch, but fun to do? How would you encourage more people to give mountain biking a shot?
That’s sweet 🙂
There was a thread some time ago where I think I suggested we rebrand off-road riding as “wild cycling" to align with swimming, camping and any other fashionable, Guardian-friendly outdoors activities.
Personally I’d like to see (even more) middle-aged women out on bikes.
Click bait is how a Film-maker with 43K followers gets a 125K views on a video – Not saying it’s right, but it’s how the YouTube algorithm works.
I’m broadly sympathetic to what Matty is saying. For most film makers maxxing the gnarr is what works for them, and the development of mountain bikes over the last 3 decades means that you can go and buy the same bike that Metallier or Barelli rides, but very few of us live in Washington State or the Sea to Sky corridor. Riding a 160mm travel bike in any terrain that doesn’t need it (as most folks quickly find out) a bit of a pain, and even if you do have that terrain, the speed at which you can do shit at now, even as a regular Joe can lead to some pretty impressive 3rd law moments.
I like riding the 50 miles along the TPT to the coast and back, along the canal/river side on my Hardtail barely breaking 300m of climbing, but then I also enjoy scaring the shit out of myself at places like Revolution or Antur Stiniog . There’s space for both.
when I first got into MTBing as a teen in the early 90s, I was partially attracted by the sort of ‘rad dude’, outsider kind of imagery.
But when it came down to it, I was a bit of a wuss and didn’t really have the cojones to be doing the huge dropoffs and big jumps that some of my peers were.
in the 2000s I looked at the rise of trail centres, uplifts, and driving your bike to ride it with a sort of disdain I couldn’t put my finger on, eventually realising that what I really liked about MTBing wasn’t the gnar at all, but ‘getting away from it’ and having a little adventure. Exploring, getting lost, pushing your bike across a bog in the rain, hacking through the woods, finding a good bit of singletrack you’ve never done before, seeing somewhere new, telling your mum you were going out and coming back 6 hours and 50 miles later, cold and covered in mud.
Which, now, feels like ‘gravel’ riding to me. Back then, a 50 mile ride would involve at least 25 miles of road, and it would be done on a bike with 1.95″ tyres and no suspension. That’s still what I’m interested in now, albeit with additional pub action.
I do love to challenge myself, and that often means trying to ride stupid enduro trails at the Golfie or whatever.
But my favourite riding is whatever is just over the limit of what a gravel bike can handle. Give me a long flowing hilltop with some chattery rocks and bumpy bits, or a big mountain, or just a big loop in the wilderness. There does seem to be a race to make every ride as technical and sendy as possible whereas I just like going faster than walking away from the city generally.
I used to want to only ride DH/park and didn’t really enjoy pedally rides at all. It was all about going bigger each time, ended up getting a bit sick of the pressure of constantly pushing myself. Had a few years mostly off MTB when my kids were younger which kind of put a stop to all that. I’ve lost my bottle a bit now and I don’t really enjoy that kind of riding any more. Up until recently I still wanted to get back to where I was on jumps etc, but suddenly something just changed in my head and I’m not really interested.
What excites me now is just getting out and putting some miles in, riding up/down some hills, finding some good bits of singletrack and enjoying the scenery. I still favour the descents of course but enjoy a challenging climb too. Maybe the DH and trail centre stuff will come back at some point but for now I’m enjoying the “classic xc" type of riding more. Still not sure whether I’m ready for a gravel bike though, I want to actually enjoy the descents still. Have been thinking of swapping my trail bike in for something more xc/downcountry but not sure if I want to commit to that yet in case I regret it being more compromised downhill!
I have 2 youngsters. One likes riding bikes but only if it’s relatively flat and “not bumpy". The other asks me at least twice a week when he can “get a downhill bike". As far as he’s concerned, that means dual crown. There is an element of coolness in this (from his POV), combined with a good measure of neurodivergence. However, get past that and fundamentally he loves riding bikes, which as far as I’m concerned is a win as it is far better then spending is whole time playing Fortnite, and also a win as I get to spend quality time with him. As a consequence I’ve had a reason (excuse?) to buy my first full suspension bike to try to keep up with him (long story short his neurodivergence can be a barrier to riding with kids his age), and I’ve pushed myself out of my comfort zone a bit. Whilst this hasn’t always been smooth sailing, my skills have improved and benefited my usual riding, I’ve met new people, and had some fun. At the end of the day, it’s all riding and better for well-being than staring at a screen.
Whilst he prefers riding on built trails (we are fortunate to live close to Descend/Hamsterley), when we have gone out into the big wide world he has also had a great time (the Borrowdale Bash last year being a good example), so the lines are definitely blurred when it comes to the types of riding he enjoys, and I hope that as he matures he’ll develop more of an appreciation for other types of adventure.
Personally I prefer the big expedition to explore the wider world and get satisfaction from multiple things (the physical effort, the technical challenges of non-built trails, the mental health boost from seeing the world from a different perspective, the random conversations you have with strangers). I also derive satisfaction from having built my bike (including the wheels) and from maintaining my bike (there’s a current thread about that!). ‘Zen and the Art of MTB Maintenance’ etc. I don’t think it really matters what your regular bike is classed as, how many you have, or where you choose to ride. As long as you enjoy riding it/them and get out of the house for a few hours it’s a win, both from a mental health and physical perspective.
Media (magazines and VHS videos back then) certainly played a part for me back in the day – Dirt, JMC and the boys, Peaty racing a Kona HT were all alluring. Even preceding that era though, I always wanted an MTB. I loved the idea of a bike that could ride rough tracks, going back to my Raleigh Bomber.
The 90’s scene saw riders doing stuff that seemed way beyond my skill level, but not totally out of touch with reality. We all rode Fort Bill WC early 2000’s and albeit slowly, we made it down ok.
These days, I don’t really have any interest in watching massive jump lines – that’s not MTB to me. And Red Bull Rampage – it’s ok for a few minutes for the wow factor, but none of it is relatable to me in a sense of anything I’d even want to try.
Lets not try and pretend we aren’t influenced in some way by social media though. From reading reviews (often with a pinch of salt) about something you might want to buy, to viewing ride pics on here and thinking you’d maybe like to ride there.
I know the type of riding I like – an actual ride with some tech features and nice downhill. A lot of the local riding if with one of the groups has moved towards sessioning steeps. It’s fine for a bit, but I’ll generally avoid if I know that’s what the whole ride is geared towards.
With bikes and kit (as with most expensive purchases of anything), I tend to find something I like and feel I want THEN read reviews, trying to take them in objectively and seek personal views through online platforms too. I think maybe my Kona in ’97 was swayed by Peaty, but I can’t think that any of my other bike purchases have been massively influenced by the media – including my ebikes. Although Rob Rides walk around vid of the 2019 Kenevo did help with my final decision prior to walking into JE James to see it hands on
I get where he’s coming from. I watched a few of his videos a while back, and the video in question. Sure the title is a little click-baity, but that’s just the times we live in currently. I thought he seemed like a genuine bloke just trying to encourage ordinary people into mountain biking by showing that it’s not all just Redbull Rampage type riding, you don’t have to be a supreme athlete to ride mountain bikes, and that you don’t have to buy an expensive bike to hjave fun. I’ve met people who, when I tell them I ride a mountain bike, start talking to me about “proper" mountain biking, despite having never ridden a mountain bike in their lives. They’re the type of attitudes he’s trying to combat I think, encourage people into riding who are interested but just see barriers in the way.
I’ve not seen it mentioned in this thread but I see many, many more women out cycling now that gravel bikes are a thing. All ages, groups, pairs solos and also a more even balance of sexes in mixed groups. Perhaps the drop bars signify a lower expectation of the need to be gnar/rad/whatever term you want to use. Maybe @stwhannah could get some feedback from the women’s section of the forum and present them over here?
Never been a big technical rider – the odd trail centre (North Wales) and more XC stuff. I’ve not actually touched the Full Suspension for about a year – last time was bike packing on it. I commute on an old 90’s MTB with mixed surfaces, so that takes alot of my time, then weekends, it’s actually been the CX bike I bought two years ago. I just swap between the road wheels and the knobbly wheels as I see fit. It doesn’t feel compromised on the road as it’s a traditional race geometry, bit can be a bit sketchy off road, but that’s to be expected. I’ve even bike packed on it with a bodged rack as the bike has no fittings. Mudguards are clip on too.
I tend to ride two bikes the most. The two vintage road bikes only come out when it’s dry, but I’ve just grabbed the CX bike as it’s ‘first out’.
I’d argue that you’re being lied to about gravel biking. As far as I can see, it’s XC MTBing plus far more sections of road so you can have all the terror of sharing parts of the ride with with huge fast vehicles, with far too many of their drivers being incompetent, distracted or just hating bikes.
Sorry – who is it that is supposedly lying to me about mountain biking? They must be doing a very good job of it, because I hadn’t noticed anyone talking to me about it – other than riding buddies (mid-ride or over a pint afterwards).
And, to be honest (like pretty much every other topic we talk crap about), by the end of each discussion we’ve argued so many different points of view (each) that no one can really remember what they supposedly stood for – but can agree the actual ride was fun.
I get that clickbaity titles work in the YouTube age, but they don’t work on me after the first few.
“Disaster Strikes on Gnarly Trails" = someone has a light tip-over or someone’s e-bike battery packs up earlier than expected and they had to put some effort in.
“It Snapped" = a new bike had a bolt come loose.
I vowed to stop watching anything with a clickbaity thumbnail banner after I’d watched a certain Enduro rider chase a creak all around his rear suspension (including getting the bike company involved) only to find out, in the end, that some of the linkage bolts were loose*.
🙄
*I was bored in any case.
Have to sdmit the what is killing xxxxxx titles are quite annoying and a certain turn off.
I think his point is a very valid one. If your perspective of MTB was based on social media you would think all we did was drops, hucks n gaps. Conversely, anyone simply enjoying riding a bike in the hills always seems to be on a gravel bike, by a small tarn, with a tent.
So if you’re rad, get a mountain bike. If you’re looking for mindfullness, get a gravel bike.
But the vast majority of us (i suspect) do a little from column a and a little from column b. But a whole big chunk from the “not insta friendly" column c – bashing along up and down mountains, on 2- 4hr loops, made up of singletrack and bridlepaths with hopefully a few rocky or rooty downhill sections to keep us grinning.
Exactly that, well apart from hills not mountains. This is why XC isn’t gravel. You could use a gravel bike, but it wouln’t be as much fun on the twisty rocky descents.
I have a gravel bike, and it’s brilliant for actual gravel (Salisbury plain, New Forest etc), but really rubbish for MTB terrain.
It is nice to see, quite a lot of you are doing similar riding.
The problem really lies in whether you want a mountainbike or a bike for the mountains.
The former is based in the sport of mountainbiking, usually for riding circuits with prepared surfaces and features, but is perfectly adequate as a bike for the mountain.
So what is a bike for the mountains? Ask any of the RSF community, the Rough Stuffers, and it boils down to any bike. The bike isn’t about speed, it’s about getting there.
For me that means light enough to shoulder over the odd scramble or unrideable climb, or throw across a deep stream. Fat enough tyres to avoid the risk of snakebite, knobbly enough for grip on loose surfaces, but not draggy like a mud tyre. Steering geometry that doesn’t wobble at walking speed on climbs. I like dropbars because to me they feel more secure with a loose grip on rough surfaces, kinder to wrists IMO, and they help by dropping your CoG on downhill bits. However saddles and bars are really a personal choice, what suits one etc…This is my favourite bike for mountains, light, easy to carry, no gears or other complications (but I’m tempted to add a dropper post).
But remember I said any bike? This one has also seen its fair share of mountains simply because its fun, eg it’s done sections of the HT550. Obviously it’s the exact opposite of my specification for a bike for the mountains, but it has one virtue, absolute reliabilty, and that’s probably the most important if you’re going into places where you have little chance of rescue. Scary on steep downhills though 🙂
We can get all tied up in technicalities, but the real point is to have fun, so whatever bike is the most fun is the best.(Racers may have different opinions 🙂 )
That video is so wholesome I made a cake, a patchwork quilt, and a new log store
What vague worries me is that anyone thinks that it is worth wasting typing energy on the whole damn thing. What the devil am I wasting my time for? People talk about vibes and spirit. Pompous twaddle. Someone up thread moaned about roady attitudes. Tother way around to my thinking but there you are. Face it, any sport journalism that isn’t actually telling you what a bit of kit it like is pure self indulgent garbage serving no real purpose.
Looks really good and I bet it’s not far off current gravel geometry, but I’d add bar tape before a dropper 😉
The original lie was stealing the brand name “Mountain Bikes” from that early company, and then applying it as a generic term. My personal MTBs should be called “hilly woods bikes” or something like that…
I dunno. Our little group has a vibe – we all seem to be happier when we are all out riding bikes in the sunshine, having laughs and drinking beers. That’s our vibe.
Maybe your scene is a bit more stoic and starved of the fun element?
Let me just google that before getting on with the hoovering.
Remember we were talking about gravel bike vs MTB marketing somewhere up this thread?
This image on Bikeradar made me laugh and facepalm at the same time:
https://www.bikeradar.com/news/antidote-pathseeker-gravel-bike
One of the german brands – YT I think – did a release video for their gravel bike that entirely consisted of the bike being ridden down gentle gradients on and off road with the rider in a full standing sprint constantly.
I suppose if your rides last about 5 minutes and go through an MC Escher painting it might have been an appropriate bike.