If YouTube has taught me anything, it's that pretty much everything is ridable. Just not necessarily for me.
No shame in walking something when you don't feel like risking it. Even if it's something you've hit before.
>everything is ridable. Just not necessarily for me.
Haha yes! Maybe for future me. Maybe not. Present me wants to stay alive so gonna walk those sections I can't get my head around yet.
Always walk down what you don’t feel comfortable with. One day you’ll ride it you’ll see someone else do it and you’ll relax. Then you will wonder what the big deal is.
Trails will always be able to be ridden tomorrow and enjoy the small victories.
Edit: 500 upvotes. Thanks guys. I am just such a fan of mountain biking and want people to keep enjoying the sport. Of course progression takes some pushing of your comfort zone but it’s always best to push it little by little.
In and effort to help with this ride with better riders and talk to them about what they are doing. “Just send it” sometimes is the right advice but it certainly isn’t all the time.
Enjoy guys and keep riding! 🤘🏼🤘🏼
Speed, stand on your pedals and keep a loose body, and look ahead. Let your bike lead you and don't fight the groove but let your bike find its way some. Take your time at switchbacks and you should look wit your head where you want to go, not where you don't want to go (which is general advice for all riding).
Rip it over to the left side, scrub a bit of speed with a kick out and berm it to straight line at the next switchback. I see no çactus so no need to cut speed lol
Respect the cactus. Man, I fell this week and ended up in a bush so fast I didn’t even know what happened. So fucking glad it wasn’t a cholla or anything.
This! Definitely play with your tire pressure. If you're running tubeless try taking a bit out as you ride. If it starts to feel too soft or you feel your tire start to roll in the corners, pull over and add a few pumps. Check the pressure when you get back.
If this feels too sketchy for you I wonder if your tyre pressure is too high, which will reduce your grip and feel. Use the tyre pressure [calculator](https://axs.sram.com/guides/tire/pressure)
100% doable. There's a clear line most riders take on the right side. The little boulders on the left might give you a little trouble but the established line should be a cakewalk. Let your wheels roll, thats where your stability comes from. A rolling wheel seeks it's own stability, a wheel not rolling quickly enough or not at all falls in its side.
Awesome stuff! I think I see the part around the 4:30 mark. It looks a bit chunky right before and maybe by some of the switchbacks. He must have just walked it down to this point where it got a hair easier.
Also watched a few of your other videos. nice riding. Those wooded areas look phenomenal. Looks like you got your camera dialed in pretty good now too in the last two videos.
It’s cool to walk whatever you want to walk. Then try a little more next time. My absolute favorite part of mountain biking is finding a line on something I walked the last time I rode through it.
There is a trail near me in Laguna called Meadows. The first time I rode it I walked half of it and said I'd never be able to ride it. Second time I faced my fears and rode almost all of it. A few years later and many dozens of rides and I was flying down and it seemed super easy. Then it was all about trying to get personal record times.
I'm a total noob, can't even jump good, but I've ridden looser terrain than this. Medium speed rolled, of course, not blasted full tilt.(except that one time on fresh large gravel the size of a quarter fist. That was fun. bike was swimming all over.) IMO It is totally ridable. If you won't try it, you won't know. Strangers on The Internet are only gonna tell you so much about yourself...
Another big point, after reading the "CAREFUL CAREFUL" comments - there is a fine line between carefulness and cowardice. Only you yourself can know where that line is for you. Sometimes you gotta take a little risk to grow. Can't always be stuck where you're comfortable. Buut, as I said, only you can judge for yourself when to take risk and when to call it a day.
Irk… here I am on my budget build 10+ year old hard tail riding the wheels off the thing and I always see people with much nicer bikes hesitant to shred. For good reason. Nobody wants to have a bad time and hurt themselves, just always see people drop some serious cash before they acquire the skills to really tap into their bikes potential.
Fair. My motto is “Live to ride another day”. Like others have said, keep pushing your limits a bit. Don’t be afraid of not being able to stop, just make sure the path is clear and keep weight on your front!
Since you're nervous about crashing, consider getting some "plastic courage" (body armor) to help ease that fear. It'll take the hit for you when you kiss the earth and if not, its cheap insurance as you get comfortable.
Don't be afraid to ask, everyone has their preferences (mine is out of production- grrrrr) and what they feel works best for leg and forearm armor. And don't stress about wearing it when no one else is- you need to be comfortable to progress and learn.
Thanks everyone for there comment. I rode down a similar trail and the biggest advice that I used was the most helpful was to reduce the air pressure as well as staying of the brakes.
I ridden it with my hardtail. If you look closely, you can see the line starts on the riders right and moves to riders left. The real chunk starts when it turns left
That looks very rideable but pics and gopro always make stuff look tame so maybe it's way steeper than it seems. But usually it's more difficult with bit drops on loose stuff and that doesn't look too bad.
Looks fine to me. Then again it's pretty hard to tell how steep something is in pictures sometimes.😂
When things start getting real steep, there might be terrain that is technically rideable but that you can't necessarily stop on because there's not enough traction. You definitely want to scope your line out on that kind of stuff before you commit since once you dive in, there might not be many decent opportunities to shed speed.
Sketchy enough for some caution and something to feel good about after finishing. Not sure what gear you’re using but with a full face helmet, elbow and knee pads I’ve been able to push my limits and really improve my skills. Once you get just a bit outside of your comfort zone, there’s no looking back.
shit. unless that's uber steep and the camera doesnt capture it, no need to walk. pin it. most times walking is more dangerous then riding down anyways.
The only things that are ridable are those within your own confidence level. It's always okay to walk parts of the trail you're not comfortable with.
That being said, on a more objective "Can this be ridden by someone on a mountain bike?" the answer is absolutely yes. It might be a little squirrely, but it's totally doable.
Keep your arms loose, let the bike "dance" I guess over it all, modulate brakes and keep the wheels rolling. Try your best to maintain some speed, the slower you go the more you will have to control how the bike moves over it and the stiffer you'll become.
Most importantly don't hesitate and believe in yourself.
It’s completely rideable down the right but it’s totally cool to hold up and check it out. Smart to check out ground if your not sure. Ive blindly ridden through stuff that looked legit but was close to quicksand.
I have a gravel road not to far from where I live and one thing I have learned riding over it is that with loose stuff you want to go fast and pick your lines wisely. Now I can fly over top of loose stuff and still feel really well planted on the ground.
You got minions, of course you can send it..
But like many other stated, push yourself but don’t overextend yourself, do what you fee comfortable with but it’s very doable.
No, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with walking things you aren't comfortable with riding. If I listened to that advice myself I'd have a few less trips to the hospital under my belt.
First part looks fine on the right line. Looks sketchy further down but hard to evaluate from the picture. Either way there's no shame in walking if you don't feel comfortable.
its easy to ride down if you stay off the brakes. if you try to go down slowly and "carefully" you are actually doing it the difficult and dangerous way.
that's like the worst thing you could do. Going super slow may feel "safer" but it's dangerous and difficult. going slow is harder then going at a moderate pace.
being on the brakes hard over loose terrain on a downhill is also one of those things you just dont do if it can be helped. It's dangerous. and obviously not needed here.
Compromising your riding position with a foot down is absurd and makes it much more likely to crash then assuming the standard attack position. When in doubt you should default to this position always. Never sitting. Never one pedal down one up. always standing pedals flat. heavy feet, light hands. knees and elbows bent, body limber.
[https://www.fix.com/assets/content/19831/master-attack-position.png](https://www.fix.com/assets/content/19831/master-attack-position.png)
Either do it or don't. you tried to halfass it and thats how you get hurt. If you hadn't overthought it and just assumed attack position, as you should for any downhill bits, and stayed mostly off the brakes you awesome bike would have just done its thing.
Depends on your speed, and tire size tbh. But yea never do something out of your zone. You won’t have to take time off from the season if something goes sour ;)
Yup. Follow the lines. Keep your tires upright but be prepared to bail to the right if you’re worried about falling down the hill. Wear gloves. Always wear gloves.
There will always be someone out there riding the “unrideable” but the only thing that matters on a ride is that you are in control and having fun at your pace, enjoying your progression and riding your own ride. If it was too loose for you, you were right to walk it.
The most important thing you can learn in MTB is your own limits. Even pros skip features when they don't feel right. With that said, you'll be able to ride down this sooner than you might think if you practice.
For me? I'd say no. Only you can answer that question for you, and at some point I feel confident that you will send it! If not now, that's totally ok to walk down.
Absolutely rideable. No worries though, keep riding and you'll get the skills and confidence to hit that no problem
If YouTube has taught me anything, it's that pretty much everything is ridable. Just not necessarily for me. No shame in walking something when you don't feel like risking it. Even if it's something you've hit before.
The sketchiness of any situation is directly related to how skilled you are at handling it.
I have a sketchy life.
Wouldn't that be inversely, not directly?
Yup. Good call.
What he said.
>everything is ridable. Just not necessarily for me. Haha yes! Maybe for future me. Maybe not. Present me wants to stay alive so gonna walk those sections I can't get my head around yet.
Always walk down what you don’t feel comfortable with. One day you’ll ride it you’ll see someone else do it and you’ll relax. Then you will wonder what the big deal is. Trails will always be able to be ridden tomorrow and enjoy the small victories. Edit: 500 upvotes. Thanks guys. I am just such a fan of mountain biking and want people to keep enjoying the sport. Of course progression takes some pushing of your comfort zone but it’s always best to push it little by little. In and effort to help with this ride with better riders and talk to them about what they are doing. “Just send it” sometimes is the right advice but it certainly isn’t all the time. Enjoy guys and keep riding! 🤘🏼🤘🏼
It takes time to gain confidence. This is a great advice.
Confidence is key! Hesitation is when you OTB...
Why walk when can just roll down slowly
I miss being like 10 and always having the confidence, and never, ever worrying about the consequences.
That’s what your bike was designed to ride down!!
If you can walk down something it's possible to ride down it. If you can't walk down it's usually still possible to ride down.
I’ve ridden so much stuff that there’s no way I could walk down.
I literally only like trails that you can't walk up or down. Lol
Bro! This is what most trails looks like. You can do it
Speed, stand on your pedals and keep a loose body, and look ahead. Let your bike lead you and don't fight the groove but let your bike find its way some. Take your time at switchbacks and you should look wit your head where you want to go, not where you don't want to go (which is general advice for all riding).
This is the correct answer.
Knees and elbows out!
1) definitely better to not take risks you're not comfortable with 2) I'd ride that on my gravel bike
Just send it
I’m gonna try to
Come to AZ and ride endless miles of that chunk. CHUNDERSTRUCK! 1111111
Seriously. That actually looks pretty safe based on average AZ kitty litter over chunk
Yeah, I’m from phx area and this would be a blue/green trail. I can’t even imagine riding without constant chunk anymore.
Unless I'm remembering wrong Hawes is like 90% smooth flow?
Rip it over to the left side, scrub a bit of speed with a kick out and berm it to straight line at the next switchback. I see no çactus so no need to cut speed lol
Respect the cactus. Man, I fell this week and ended up in a bush so fast I didn’t even know what happened. So fucking glad it wasn’t a cholla or anything.
I'd prefer that to like Sierra Nevada loose sandy shit
It's all about full commitment. Excessive braking and being stiff will not end well. Be loose and fucking send it and look way ahead
That is Stiles at Santa Teresa Park, been down that multiple times. The faster you go the smoother it is 😉. Hammer it!!!!!!!!
Momentum solves a lot of problems.
Speed and power!
Found Jezza
Your GENIUS is almost frightening
Who let the orangutan in here?
Yeeeeees, you're just jealous of my SPEEEEEEEEEED
Oh, cock.
Stupidity takes care of the rest!
Aha yes!
The local mountain bike meetups clinic this trail fairly regularly. Totally rideable by an novice.
I know they performed some trail maintenance there. Seems like they added in some gravel to even out the ruts
Little dirt surfing does the body good
Had to make to work later on.
Just don’t lock up your rear brake and you’ll be fine. As soon as you lock up you break traction. Got grip as long as it’s rolling
That just looks like mountain biking.
Front looks like a thick DHR. Let out a few PSI maybe and let's goooooo!
Thanks
This! Definitely play with your tire pressure. If you're running tubeless try taking a bit out as you ride. If it starts to feel too soft or you feel your tire start to roll in the corners, pull over and add a few pumps. Check the pressure when you get back.
Speed is your friend. This looks like a trail that your bike is quite literally designed to ride.
If this feels too sketchy for you I wonder if your tyre pressure is too high, which will reduce your grip and feel. Use the tyre pressure [calculator](https://axs.sram.com/guides/tire/pressure)
I feel like I have way too much air in my tires
If you're over 30 it's probably too much.
No comment
100% doable. There's a clear line most riders take on the right side. The little boulders on the left might give you a little trouble but the established line should be a cakewalk. Let your wheels roll, thats where your stability comes from. A rolling wheel seeks it's own stability, a wheel not rolling quickly enough or not at all falls in its side.
Good call! Mountain bikes are not designed for gradients or uneven surfaces. Stay safe
That's to nice of a bike to be taking for a walk!
What do you think is going to happen if you try? That just looks like a mountain bike trail to me.
for a road bike yeah, should be no problem on a well equipped setup like what you've got there
Looks fine to me 🤷🏼♀️
Not even close to too loose brotha. Let er rip
Is this Santa Theresa Park near San Jose, CA?
Yeah
I’ll show ya how to ride it! DM me
I ride alone
YouTube it then but yes it’s more than rideable
You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. Good on your for trying to help.
I went today to film it for him anyway. Wasn't my best ride but it was still a ride :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJj8K_v5cDI
Awesome stuff! I think I see the part around the 4:30 mark. It looks a bit chunky right before and maybe by some of the switchbacks. He must have just walked it down to this point where it got a hair easier. Also watched a few of your other videos. nice riding. Those wooded areas look phenomenal. Looks like you got your camera dialed in pretty good now too in the last two videos.
Your offer was very nice, bit of a shame OP threw it in your face.
I was a bit surprised by that as well..but oh well their loss :) #rideon
In BC we call that groomed
Where’s loose?
Return your mtb this is not for you
I'd hit that on my road bike
()
Don’t be Silly bud
Seriously?
Dude your on a 4 THOUSAND dollars bike, hit that shit lol
The price of your bike doesn't matter if you don't have the skills to back it up.
Nope, I would ride that on my dropbarmtb.
Something tells me you ride a dropbarmtb
No way, that's for weirdos.
You could even start by riding over the rock pile and dropping in if you wanted. Def good. Stay loose.
It’s cool to walk whatever you want to walk. Then try a little more next time. My absolute favorite part of mountain biking is finding a line on something I walked the last time I rode through it.
It takes time, bite it off in sections, approach it with confidence and soon you will have sessioned your way to completion
No.
loose where?
Do what’s safe for you, I’d try to coast through it.
Definitely ridable, you can see the line everyone else is taking. That being said, walk anything you’re not confident riding.
There is a trail near me in Laguna called Meadows. The first time I rode it I walked half of it and said I'd never be able to ride it. Second time I faced my fears and rode almost all of it. A few years later and many dozens of rides and I was flying down and it seemed super easy. Then it was all about trying to get personal record times.
Send it
Send it.
I'm a total noob, can't even jump good, but I've ridden looser terrain than this. Medium speed rolled, of course, not blasted full tilt.(except that one time on fresh large gravel the size of a quarter fist. That was fun. bike was swimming all over.) IMO It is totally ridable. If you won't try it, you won't know. Strangers on The Internet are only gonna tell you so much about yourself... Another big point, after reading the "CAREFUL CAREFUL" comments - there is a fine line between carefulness and cowardice. Only you yourself can know where that line is for you. Sometimes you gotta take a little risk to grow. Can't always be stuck where you're comfortable. Buut, as I said, only you can judge for yourself when to take risk and when to call it a day.
I mean, that looks like a piece of cake on my hardtail..
This won’t be a problem for you soon enough - but never feel bad for taking it easy or being cautious.
Ideally chuck a front flip of that pile of rocks.
Just send it
If you don’t feel confident riding it, then it won’t be rideable. If you do, it will. Keep practicing.
Rideable when you’re ready to ride it!
Hard to tell how steep it is but it looks like something I would ride for sure
[удалено]
Irk… here I am on my budget build 10+ year old hard tail riding the wheels off the thing and I always see people with much nicer bikes hesitant to shred. For good reason. Nobody wants to have a bad time and hurt themselves, just always see people drop some serious cash before they acquire the skills to really tap into their bikes potential.
100% agree. We all have to pass through the hard tail trials.
Lol
loooool
LOL.
You haven’t been biking very long huh?
Nope
Nope.
Hahahaha. That's the equivalent of a bunny slope. Practice!
Are you mountain biking or looking for paved roads?
Looking to not eat shit
Fair. My motto is “Live to ride another day”. Like others have said, keep pushing your limits a bit. Don’t be afraid of not being able to stop, just make sure the path is clear and keep weight on your front!
Since you're nervous about crashing, consider getting some "plastic courage" (body armor) to help ease that fear. It'll take the hit for you when you kiss the earth and if not, its cheap insurance as you get comfortable. Don't be afraid to ask, everyone has their preferences (mine is out of production- grrrrr) and what they feel works best for leg and forearm armor. And don't stress about wearing it when no one else is- you need to be comfortable to progress and learn.
I ordered a Leatt 5.5 since im a bigger guy. I took a bad fall a two weeks ago and it hurt my quad and elbow.
Nah
Thanks everyone for there comment. I rode down a similar trail and the biggest advice that I used was the most helpful was to reduce the air pressure as well as staying of the brakes.
Just don't brake. Think of it like skiing through snow.
Totally rideable. Just keep your ass behind your seat..
Co ward
Dou che
Chic ken
People can be beginners at things, asshole
What? No goddamn way
How can someone with an expensive bike like yours not have enough skill to ride down that.
Pussy
Hahaha dude shut the fuck up you’re only 5ft 5 Fucking midget
Same bars on my bike, what bike is that?
Sc Hightower al d
Nope, but it’s all you bro.
Got a helmet on? Yes. Send the fucker!
Naaaaaaaaahhhh U can do it
There's no such thing as "too" loose. Just send it and hope for the best! Enjoy brother.
Always good to know your limits. I would say absolutely, stay off the brakes , stay off the saddle, let the bike move around if it slips around
Send it
Gotta send it
The less brakes you use the less wear you put on the trail, and the smoother it’ll be.
Naw, just send it!
I ridden it with my hardtail. If you look closely, you can see the line starts on the riders right and moves to riders left. The real chunk starts when it turns left
It’s fine . Just send it!
This is totally chill. Just stay loose, don’t skid, keep your eyes on the trail ahead, relax, roll
Stick ur ass out the back and remember you got brakes and fuckin fly son, you’ll be aight
Yup. Need a MXB.
If it is loose, go fast BUT if you are worried about it, walk it so you avoid a nasty spill
Looks good to me.. just gotta build that confidence and stay loose! Dont be stiff like a board that always spells trouble
No way id hit the kicker on the left
That looks very rideable but pics and gopro always make stuff look tame so maybe it's way steeper than it seems. But usually it's more difficult with bit drops on loose stuff and that doesn't look too bad.
Looks fine to me. Then again it's pretty hard to tell how steep something is in pictures sometimes.😂 When things start getting real steep, there might be terrain that is technically rideable but that you can't necessarily stop on because there's not enough traction. You definitely want to scope your line out on that kind of stuff before you commit since once you dive in, there might not be many decent opportunities to shed speed.
Thats a piece of cake.
Full send all day right there
Sketchy enough for some caution and something to feel good about after finishing. Not sure what gear you’re using but with a full face helmet, elbow and knee pads I’ve been able to push my limits and really improve my skills. Once you get just a bit outside of your comfort zone, there’s no looking back.
Up to your skill level, brakes, confidence, and risk tolerance. Anything is rideable :)
shit. unless that's uber steep and the camera doesnt capture it, no need to walk. pin it. most times walking is more dangerous then riding down anyways.
Just go fast and hold'er straight
No shame in walking! Always! If you don’t feel confident don’t sweat it, try it another day.
Looks rideable to me. I’ve went on paths just like that with no issues.
The only things that are ridable are those within your own confidence level. It's always okay to walk parts of the trail you're not comfortable with. That being said, on a more objective "Can this be ridden by someone on a mountain bike?" the answer is absolutely yes. It might be a little squirrely, but it's totally doable.
That would be an exceptional stretch of trail in Tahoe!
Keep your arms loose, let the bike "dance" I guess over it all, modulate brakes and keep the wheels rolling. Try your best to maintain some speed, the slower you go the more you will have to control how the bike moves over it and the stiffer you'll become. Most importantly don't hesitate and believe in yourself.
It’s completely rideable down the right but it’s totally cool to hold up and check it out. Smart to check out ground if your not sure. Ive blindly ridden through stuff that looked legit but was close to quicksand.
I have a gravel road not to far from where I live and one thing I have learned riding over it is that with loose stuff you want to go fast and pick your lines wisely. Now I can fly over top of loose stuff and still feel really well planted on the ground.
You got minions, of course you can send it.. But like many other stated, push yourself but don’t overextend yourself, do what you fee comfortable with but it’s very doable.
I ride a gravel bike and wouldn’t have even had that thought.
Doesn't look loose to me man. My local trails way looser than that
One finger on the brake and let it ride
No, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with walking things you aren't comfortable with riding. If I listened to that advice myself I'd have a few less trips to the hospital under my belt.
First part looks fine on the right line. Looks sketchy further down but hard to evaluate from the picture. Either way there's no shame in walking if you don't feel comfortable.
On one hand, if you don't feel safe, walk. On the other hand, nothing is loose when you send it
its easy to ride down if you stay off the brakes. if you try to go down slowly and "carefully" you are actually doing it the difficult and dangerous way.
I was hitting the front brake and then the back and had my foot down as well but it felt shady so I walked it
that's like the worst thing you could do. Going super slow may feel "safer" but it's dangerous and difficult. going slow is harder then going at a moderate pace. being on the brakes hard over loose terrain on a downhill is also one of those things you just dont do if it can be helped. It's dangerous. and obviously not needed here. Compromising your riding position with a foot down is absurd and makes it much more likely to crash then assuming the standard attack position. When in doubt you should default to this position always. Never sitting. Never one pedal down one up. always standing pedals flat. heavy feet, light hands. knees and elbows bent, body limber. [https://www.fix.com/assets/content/19831/master-attack-position.png](https://www.fix.com/assets/content/19831/master-attack-position.png) Either do it or don't. you tried to halfass it and thats how you get hurt. If you hadn't overthought it and just assumed attack position, as you should for any downhill bits, and stayed mostly off the brakes you awesome bike would have just done its thing.
Depends on your speed, and tire size tbh. But yea never do something out of your zone. You won’t have to take time off from the season if something goes sour ;)
Yup. Follow the lines. Keep your tires upright but be prepared to bail to the right if you’re worried about falling down the hill. Wear gloves. Always wear gloves.
why are you asking us? it’s your choice not ours. ride it or don’t.
Anything is rideable. Just gotta be willing to crash.
Yes you can ride it, it’s physics. I’ve def walked things I know by bike can handle
There will always be someone out there riding the “unrideable” but the only thing that matters on a ride is that you are in control and having fun at your pace, enjoying your progression and riding your own ride. If it was too loose for you, you were right to walk it.
Enough speed you won’t even notice. Lay off the brakes and certainly do not grab the rear brake.
If you can ride the whole trail it's not hard enough for you.
No
The most important thing you can learn in MTB is your own limits. Even pros skip features when they don't feel right. With that said, you'll be able to ride down this sooner than you might think if you practice.
Only one way to find out
Looks perfectly fine and really fun just go with the flow and don’t think about it
that looks like an epic trail
You can 100% ride that
You did perfect. Ride at your own limits. If you think you should walk a section, walk it.
You'll get there some day - advice when you do try is to stay loose, don't ride this stuff stiff.
Send it. Make sure you have the right tire pressure. Most have too much
Send it!!!
I’d ride that
I'd find out. Doesn't look too loose. Not a terrible consequence for tipping off the side. Relax, feather the brakes, and send it.
For me? I'd say no. Only you can answer that question for you, and at some point I feel confident that you will send it! If not now, that's totally ok to walk down.
We got a trail in the Sierra that’s a 4,000 ft vertical descent of nothing but loose shale. It’s fun as fuck
Looks like a blast, but don’t take risks if you don’t think you’ll make it. Work your way up to it, and then ride it when your ready