Mountain Biking - Are you a XCer, Test?

1) Watch this XC VIDEO (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=63779091674206462&q=mtb) from MTB Wales.

2) Take the Poll

3) Post all the Hate-mail for wasting you time.

I personally got into the video, because I use to film with my own helmet-cam. I lost all my footage and wish I could have it back. It's nice to know that they filmed the same way I did, with someone in front for perspective.

I would have liked to see the camera guy pass him...a couple good oppurtunites in that clip.

I would have preferred to not see the camera focused on a guy in spandex and hot pink/flourescent yellow jersey.

Cool trail.

The rice krispy sound the whole time killed the video almost as bad as the arse focused camera...

There were 3 good oppurtunites for some air and neither did anything exciting.

Must not have been very steep since there were no "WAHOOOOOOO's" or thanking God moments.

I liked it. It is not the only thing that I like to do- but I definitely would ride that :D

Good video, the trail looks nice. Would've been better if the video had some music to go along with it...

I understand the wants of music to cover up crappy audio. I use to put fast beat techno/industrial to my footage. I'd bring up the audio on the footage when something was said. The no passing thing is for depth perception and a sense of speed. If it was the same trail and no one was in front... BORING. I know because I've made those mistakes.

Should have been a girl in a thong I want my 4 min back D&*# you F^#&(()*&. Just kidding kind of nice. I think the guy in front should have taken advantage of the air opportunities.

I'm going riding, thanks for posting the video.

Cool vid. Nice buffed singletrack - someone's been doing a lot of trail work. Some more rollers to jump would be good, and I don't like switchbacks without berms to rail, but I'd ride it and love it for sure.

The trail does look pretty well groomed... definately smoother than much of the stuff around me which is full of ruts, roots, rocks and mudpits. However, I do like it and it definately made me want to go hit the trails around me. It looks like a fun set of singletrack and fairly close to what I'm used to riding too.

Great, I have to go riding now. That looked like fun, just lots of missed air opportunites.

Very cool trail, where are all the rocks? Iv'e not found anything like that near here =(

Well thats a cool trail. I ride stuff like that to chill out (and get my hr pumping) Thats very very similar to a trail I frequent here sometimes. I think you could make a lot of fun on that trail.

As for what kind of rider you are, no clue really. Thats a xc trail in my little world. Not that hardest but still xc. Problen with a helmet cam (that was a viosport right?) it really masks grade and kind of limits perception. I couldn't tell where the climbs or descents were :)

Very nice, I liked it. Fast and not technical. It's hard to tell but it seemed to me like they could have been faster. I wish there were easy singletracks like this one in my area.

... Problem with a helmet cam (that was a viosport right?) it really masks grade and kind of limits perception. I couldn't tell where the climbs or descents were :)
1st - not my video :(

2nd - The only real way to film grade changes is with a tripod and bubble level and enough distance away to see elevation changes in trail/rider

BTW, there are more videos out there. I went to Google, clicked more, went to video, and typed a search for MTB. Other great stuff there.

peterfagerlin.com (if I have the domain right) has some of the best helm-cam vids on the web.

peterfagerlin.com (if I have the domain right) has some of the best helm-cam vids on the web.
amen to that. (and you did get the domain correct) i found his site and it is awesome. i just got highspeed dsl and an apple Airport Extreme, so i have been watching mtb vids instead of reading mtba backissues when i am bored. I must admit that the movies on that site that i watched the most were the groovy gravity games movies, the northshore and whistler ones, and the pacifica movie.
i do kindof find the pure singletrack movies not quite as motivating as something like this.
http://www.foxracingshox.com/aptosproductions/
but whatever. what i dont like about the movie posted at the top of the thread is that there is nothing interesting. to me it doesn't look like the guys are having too much fun. why do you think that jumps and wheelies and stuff were invented in the first place? whenever i ride behind someone on the big weekly ride, i notice that even the adults like to get a little airtime and hang it all out. without physical challenges things get boring.

harris

it's actually http://www.petefagerlin.com/. Another video site I like is http://www.iwantmymtb.com/, it has good videos that are a bit more freeride orriented.

Iwantmymtb is amazing. I also loved one of the humourous intros, have the old style

5
4
3
2
1 (beep) and while the countdown is going the recorder says "Alright, I'm actually recording now!" It's funny because its so true.

it's actually http://www.petefagerlin.com/.

Hmmm, that red car looks familiar.

Nice vids jsg.

looks like that trail could be fun

That trail was perfect for a rigid bike in my opinion.

Nice smooth singletrack. I could get into it. You need some more obstacles to hop over if I was maintaining the trail. Maybe a jump or two. or a stunt.

Was that trail paved???? My grandma coulda passed them guys I think. LOL

A nice trail for a sunday ride but it looked BORING. 2 foot logs to climb every 200 feet, some roots, rocks, off cambers and super tight trees would have made me feel at home..

pretty cool footage, but that trail could have been a bit more exciting with more jumps, drops and such. I like to slide the back end out in the tight flat switchback turns, it's a lot more fun and if you do it right it looks great on camera. I ride clipless and getting the foot in and out is no prob.

Im not much on the need for air but I ride more rooty , rocky trails with lots of climbs. had there been lots of roots and small rocks Id have felt at home. I wish I could find some trails like that that dont make you go up as much as down. whoever made those trails/maintains them deserves some props. sweet trail. how about another category in the poll for all of us who wanted to go do some work on our trails to make them look more like that? sweet trail,especially for a multi use

pretty cool footage, but that trail could have been a bit more exciting with more jumps, drops and such. I like to slide the back end out in the tight flat switchback turns, it's a lot more fun and if you do it right it looks great on camera. I ride clipless and getting the foot in and out is no prob.

You skid around corners?

You skid around corners?

Ya on flat, tight turns. I got in the habit dirtbiking and it stuck. I wouldn't call it a skid though, it's more a drift. I use it when I come in too fast because it gets the back tire around, instead of running off the trail. I just hate slamming on the brakes and coming to almost a stop to get around the switchbacks.

Ya on flat, tight turns. I got in the habit dirtbiking and it stuck. I wouldn't call it a skid though, it's more a drift. I use it when I come in too fast because it gets the back tire around, instead of running off the trail. I just hate slamming on the brakes and coming to almost a stop to get around the switchbacks.

I'm an ATV racer and know the benefits of hammering into a corner, locking up the rear end to bring it around for a faster turn but from what I"ve read on the net. IT's like a sin to skid on a mountain bike trail so be careful doin it. YOu might be shot and strung up by your toes for skidding on a trail.... :eek:

I like to slide the back end out in the tight flat switchback turns, it's a lot more fun and if you do it right it looks great on camera.
GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!! not cool. if you were the one who made the trails or helped keep up the trails you skid on I bet you would get out of that habit real quick. please get away from the habit of skidding on dirt ttrails that are not naturally occuring

2nd - The only real way to film grade changes is with a tripod and bubble level and enough distance away to see elevation changes in trail/rider


Nope. If the grade change is significant enough it's quite easy to film it using a helmetcam by backing off from the lead rider a bit. This works especially well as the lead rider drops out of the frame.

I'm still trying to figure out how watching that vid would help anyone determine whether someone was an "XCer" or not.

For the folks that are making comments like "that trail was flat" and "that trail was smooth" they need to realize that shooting helmetcam video (even using a low quality lipstick cam like the MTB Wales guys did to capture really bouncy video) really flattens out the trail and makes most obstacles/trail features look small.

GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!! not cool. if you were the one who made the trails or helped keep up the trails you skid on I bet you would get out of that habit real quick. please get away from the habit of skidding on dirt ttrails that are not naturally occuring

Thanks for the advice, I'll work on gettin out of the habit.

QUadzone: Awesome, I picked up the yahama 450 quad a few months ago and man that thing hauls, my little brother rides the suzuki z400 and that thing feels like a tank compared to the yahama. Words cannot even describe the handling, especially after few mods. I'm in the process of new exhaust and retarding teh spark. I love that quad. I was riding a KTM 450 exc but once i got the quad i kinda stopped and my dad is riding it.

(sorry for gettin off topic)

That trail though scenic was way too easy in my opinion. Some Nervous Nellie actually cut the roots out of the trail in a couple of spots. While it's a nice flowing trail (once you get past the switchbacks) it's way to smooth

That trail though scenic was way too easy in my opinion. Some Nervous Nellie actually cut the roots out of the trail in a couple of spots. While it's a nice flowing trail (once you get past the switchbacks) it's way to smooth

"For the folks that are making comments like "that trail was flat" and "that trail was smooth" they need to realize that shooting helmetcam video (even using a low quality lipstick cam like the MTB Wales guys did to capture really bouncy video) really flattens out the trail and makes most obstacles/trail features look small."

way to smooth

Way TOO smooth. I don't get a chance to correct YOU very often. :D
:beer:

<camera comments>
Watch the video again. You can see where they cut the roots off the trail. They're all neatly sawed off at the trail edge

Way TOO smooth. I don't get a chance to correct YOU very often. <shrugs Typo's happen.

Watch the video again. You can see where they cut the roots off the trail. They're all neatly sawed off at the trail edge


It's not a matter of me watching the video again.

It's a matter of people with no helmetcam experience making comments about trails being "to smooth" or not steep because they lack the aforementioned experience.

It's funny and I don't expect those kinds of clueless comments to stop anytime soon.

It's funny and I don't expect those kinds of clueless comments to stop anytime soon.
You make enough of your own

You make enough of your own

Ooooooh, the "I know you are but what am I? " playground retort. So clever!

Since you started down that silly path, please provide any example of me being uniformed/clueless (since the record has many examples of you exhibiting this behavior).

Good luck!

Ooooooh, the "I know you are but what am I? " playground retort. So clever!

Since you started down that silly path, please provide any example of me being uniformed/clueless (since the record has many examples of you exhibiting this behavior).

Good luck!
Hey now, if you want to argue over personal issues... PM each other! Please don't turn this into a flame.

Agreed, please do not turn this into a flame war. Play nice. Thank you.

--J, a Forum Mod

I've been riding the trails here in wet SW WA for over 20 yrs.The quads,at first made great trails, but over time they have destroyed a lot of my favorite ridings places,making once enjoyable technical single
track into slick,clay no man's land.

It made me sad for it had two things that I rarely find around here: good single track, and trees. I want to go back to Oregon. Wait, I mean next summer I do.

It's a matter of people with no helmetcam experience making comments about trails being "to smooth" or not steep because they lack the aforementioned experience.

It's funny and I don't expect those kinds of clueless comments to stop anytime soon.

I think it looks plenty steep but it is still buffed and polished smooth. Smooth trails are fun. Whats wrong with smooth?

If I would have seen a few big logs to climb over, Rock gardens to cross or hard pedaling up hills I would have been more impressed. I've wore a helmet cam while racing my quad thru some crazy azz terrain and you can tell when the crap gets rough. That trail was smooth I don't care what you see or think you see. Come ride with me in KY and you'll think that was the yellow brick road to OZ in that video.... :D

OK, so many riders here are not impressed with the technical difficulty of that trail. I agree that it is a rather easy trail and it would be labelled a "green" trail by most standards. But that does not necessarily make it boring or bad. Just accept that this trail is about flow and easy going fun. Nothing wrong with that.