[Closed] Nice lesson in hardtail riding.

There are trails of similar difficulty to the ones in the video in the tweed valley, and the witches trails amongst others. Just because they aren't well known and not signed, doesn't mean that they're not there.

secrets and lies is prob more technical, def lot less room for mistakes between trees and only a foot wide trail to ride on. The 4 linking trails from ewok village is also steeper. No comparison overall on the trails with whistler way ahead, just saying if you look then there is trails out there in the UK that have this level of difficulty

I'm not saying there's not, I've never found them. But I know what I've ridden over there, and I've found nowt over here that is similar. As usual, that video doesn't show just how steep and tricky some of it is.

Well, if we are willy waving, living in Vancouver I only go to Whistler so I can ride easy trails 🙄 etc....

Seriously, you can find hard trails anywhere in the world. So ****ing what?!

No doubts that trail is probably harder than most of our trails in similar conditions ie dry and dusty, but how often do we get to ride our trails in the dry. I bet that kid as good as he is has never ridden that trail when its wet. Our downhillers seem to be doing quite well of late and they didn't hone their skills in Whistler, it was the likes of the Tweed Valley, Wales and Wharncliffe.

But I know what I've ridden over there, and I've found nowt over here that is similar.

The prob with over here is ( not including some natural trail riding) that we do have the same level of technicality, we just dont have the same length of trails. Saying that, the STW ride in May this year that we did ended with a 10+ minute descend and the first 3 or 4 minutes was alot more technical than that, only about 3 foot wide with the consequences of failure a straight drop down a (near) vertical cliff side

stevenmenmuir - Member

No doubts that trail is probably harder than most of our trails in similar conditions ie dry and dusty, but how often do we get to ride our trails in the dry. I bet that kid as good as he is has never ridden that trail when its wet.

Ha haha haa haha haha aha ahah aha aah ahaha haha aha!!!!11!!!!!!!!1!!!11

Oh my God.......

Just been looking at this

Fort William downhill course looks like a fire road with a few small rocks bedded into it..and not very steep either.

Bet it's not though.

And if you're all that good I'm never going on a STW ride.

Oh my God.......

ditto 🙄

now theres a fort bill video.

Oh my god!!!! What?

Goan,

But it still makes it look like a flattish fire road with a few rocks embedded in it.

My point was that vids tend to make things look less steep, less rad and much easier.

I know what you meant, but couldnt resist watching the minaar video again.

Good innit

Oh my God, as in there are probably more wet days up on the Garbanzo lift, than dry ones. In Deep is a bitch to ride in the wet, much harder than anything in Wharncliffe and the like.

It has to be up there as one of the best bits of biking footage anywhere.

That is a great video of fort william...

I was just guessing that kid doesn't ride that particular trail much when its wet. I've never been so was assuming it was mostly ridden in dry conditions. Clearly its going to be hard to ride in the wet. My main point really was that if our trails are comparitevly easy why do we have so many talented riders.

I ridden Goats Gully in the wet on the bike park that was an experience I won't forget in a hurry fun but scary.

stevenmenmuir - Member
I was just guessing that kid doesn't ride that particular trail much when its wet. I've never been so was assuming it was mostly ridden in dry conditions. Clearly its going to be hard to ride in the wet.

You are working on the basis that Canada is a famously dry country then?

Have you noticed the snow on the hills, the lichen dripping off every tree?

Or is it that because Canada is 'abroad' it must be hot and sunny all the time?

Because Great Britain is a very competitive nation (look at any sport, war etc.....). Canadians tend to challenge themselves or just hit up some trails with their mates while smoking some blunts. Terrain doesn't really come into it.

I think we all need to chill out.. After having to listen to that rubbish song on that video, [url=

is the perfect antidote.

Oh my God, as in there are probably more wet days up on the Garbanzo lift, than dry ones. In Deep is a bitch to ride in the wet, much harder than anything in Wharncliffe and the like.

Blimey! There's some silly hard stuff at wharncliffe (I guess you just have to know where to look :wink:). Although I haven't been down anything harder than the "one with a rock drop between two trees", between "red dot" and the "long one that crosses red river near the top".

[edit] For some reason I thought you were talking about somewhere in the UK. There's obviously harder stuff in Whistler than Wharncliffe :D, although I've heard about some mysterious "old" stuff that no-one rides because it's a bit full-on[/edit]

Dito the comments wrt video's making stuff look easy. The megavalache vids make some of the riding round Alpe d'heuz look like the peak district. It isn't!

lyons i'd rather listen to the music on the video than that 😕

Oh, for what its worth, theres a little track near me, that looks alot harder than that. Yeah, it may only last 20 seconds, but then i do live on the edge of the chilterns...

No? Everyone likes Lone. 😀 Just give it another chance? Or maybe [url=

one?

Oh, for what its worth, theres a little track near me, that looks alot harder than that. Yeah, it may only last 20 seconds, but then i do live on the edge of the chilterns...

Its worth nothing without a video, we'll even let you choose the music!

Competitive doesn't always equate to being very good at something. Look at our footballers. I'm competitive but still sh1t myself when I get my wheels off the ground. I can only dream of being half as good as that kid. anyway didn't Scotland get an A rating from IMBA at some point for the quality of our trails, must be worth something. As said before I think we have some very challenging trails although not the same scale as the stuff in Whistler.

hah. Well, i'll see if i can persuade someone to film it... WOnt be for a couple of weeks though.

anyway didn't Scotland get an A rating from IMBA at some point for the quality of our trails, must be worth something.

Not really. IMBA are largely ignored over here, hence the trails are much better 😉

Guess I'll see if my Canadian relatives have room for a lodger, and don't mind moving to the other side of the country. 🙂

god that just makes you depressed to live in the uk and not be that skilled .just off to hang myself 🙁

Goan - Member
I know three guys, two on here that would whip that guys arse on a hardtail. I'm guessing the dab a couple of minutes in was closely followed by a lie down.

thanks george! don't need to say much else 8).
except i'm with raddogair. stuff about if you look for it,
thing is they have long steep/twisty/flowy descents down huuuuuuggggeee mountains.

we have tight/twisty/flowy steep descents down wee hills.

oh, on another note

Bumhands - Member
'Some nice smooth riding there, could have been faster on a FS (without question)'

Who gives a F*** - [b]its not a competition[/b].

considering that's his latest "promo" vid. i would reckon he's trying to get sponsored for racing. which means, going quickest is the name of the game. and it is a competition.

whens the race talked about above? I will smoke all of ya! On my faaahking unicycle as well!!!

Hes a great rider and its a nice vid, Whistler is the best place to ride in the world, fact. And ive never been.

I love NOFX but i have a nose ring so im probably a repressed homosexual and am relieving my angst in the punk.

his jeans are complete and utter shizzle

x

seriously lets have a stw race

who has any freelap poles?

Yes, we should hold a race at Innerleithen on one of the unmarked DH trails....rigid 29ers with coaster brakes only.

fixie 29ners with tiny tiny bars and time trial extensions

Kid rides bike, makes video, people on internet complain. Let's keep this thread up top, generate some more views, and hopefully get him that sponsorship he's after.

coffeeking - Member

Weight has **** all to do with it,

Oh but it does, you see to change direction (up and down) over the bumps takes a LOT more energy and impact when you're twice the weight of someone else. I notice a difference in smooth-ness of my own riding +- 2 stone, despite my skillz not having changed much in that time.

Without having invested any time in envelope calcs, I'd guestimate that a light person is better on a hardtail (lighter to bounce over stuff and flick about over good lines) and a heavy person is better on a full sus (able to utilise the long travel and momentum to "make" lines, with tougher kit that withstands the impacts)

Well, thanks for your insight, pity it's total bollox..
think you've possibly confused the difference between the performance of a heavy rider and an overweight, weak rider!!
and as for your full sus arguement, simply take a look at that little Sam Hill guy destroying the entire field by making lines others can't on the roughest techiests DH tracks in the world.

Like the video, like the music. The rider is obviously skilled, though he probably does ride that trail quite a bit so knows the lines to take.

It's nice to see someone riding that stuff on a hardtail too, makes a change from all the vids with huge bikes and much smoother looking trails.

Sure there's plenty (well a few) of folks from this country that can ride a hardtail with skill too, just take a look at the unofficial hardtail champs or the chap who did stupid amounts of runs at the fort bill downhill enduro on his hardtail.

Was riding the downhill track at Ae on my hardtail few week back and it ain't easy but certainly do-able and probably quite fast once you learn the best lines.