- Welcome to Ask GMBN, the weekly show where we answer
all your mountain bike questions that we receive in
the comments section below our videos through the
#AskGMBN.com and on email at ask@gmbn.com.
So let's get into it with this week's first question
from Dominykas Vencius, who says,
"I'm planning to buy a new bike."
That's great news.
"Should I buy hardtail or full sus?
I like going off road and downhill but I'm not an extremal."
I guess by extremal you mean you don't go too crazy.
I would suggest buying the best bike
you can afford in your budget.
But your next question does go on to say
that you'd like to fit a dual crown fork,
which makes me think that you are looking at some more
extreme riding, some jumps and maybe some tougher trails.
So maybe go with the most cost-effective
choice you've got in the full sus range because
you're gonna have a lot of fun out of that bike
and lots of range of what you can try.
So that would be my suggestion.
Hope it helps and look forward to hearing what you get.
Next question is from Andrew Cooke.
"Do you guys have any tips on reducing
wind noise on POV videos?"
Well, one thing you can do is think about where
you're positioning the camera,
because if you put the camera on top of your helmet,
it's gonna be very exposed and you get lots of wind noise,
whereas if you put the camera on your chest mount,
it's gonna be in your riding cockpit
and a little bit more protected.
Your other option would be to fit an external mic
that you could put a wind sock on and protect that.
So those are your options, really.
Wind noise can be a tricky one to get away with,
especially if you're going very very quick,
which is what we wanna see.
Other thing you could possibly do
is not worry about that audio too much
and put a great soundtrack over your video
once you've taken it through the edit suite.
So if you do that, make sure you send us the video
so we can take a look.
Jude Hatton-Holland says,
"Hi guys, are there any mountain bikers on Strava?"
Well yes, there is and your question is followed up for us
in the comments section by SGMTB who says,
"Apparently there are but I can't understand how."
Well, why don't we take a look at our
Five ways to find new mountain bike trails video
that Mark and Neil did a few months back
where they took a look at Strava and how you can use it.
- Apps like Strava and Garmin Connect
are route-mapping tools that people use
to map exactly where they've been riding.
So you can use those to actually have a look,
search the areas you want to ride,
and the busiest segments are often the best riding spots.
- Next question coming in from Fynn Watson says,
"Hi guys. How do I set up my enduro bike
for an urban downhill?"
Now what I wanna say here is, that's a common mistake
to think about how you're setting up the bike
for a different type of race.
What you should be thinking about is
how you're setting up your bike
for each individual day you're riding.
So an urban downhill won't necessarily have
a different set-up to an enduro
because what are you basing enduro on?
Basically, that could be any terrain of any kind.
So the best thing you can do when you're
going to a race is look at the course,
think about those obstacles that you're hitting
and how they relate to what you ride usually,
and then if it's more extreme, then you need to
start setting up the bike for a more extreme terrain.
So don't think urban, don't think enduro,
think about the course itself.
Next question from thetoshiba86:
"I've greased every part of my mountain bike
but that damn annoying squeak just keeps on happening.
How do I find it?"
There could be things like hairline fractures in your frame
or maybe something really simple like your seat post.
That's a really common one.
A lot of people can't find a creak on their bike
because they're looking at all the moving parts
and the things they're pulling and pushing
and all they needed to do was put a tiny bit of grease
on their seat post and voila, it's gone.
So maybe try that one, that's caught me out a few times.
Other option, if you can't find it at all,
is just spray a tiny little bit of WD on things like
your handlebar stem mounting and the seat post itself
just to see if it goes away for a short period of time
and then you know you've found your culprit.
Good luck finding it, it can be annoying
when you can't find that one little creak
that's making your bike feel
not quite as smooth as it should.
Noah S. Says, "Is Kashima coating on forks and
rear suspension worth the cost?"
Yeah, it is! It's an easy answer.
It makes your shock much more fluid
and it also looks really great.
I love a Kashima coating on a fork and a shock.
So I would always say it's worth the cost.
Jojolapompa says,
"Can you damage your fork if you bottom out too often?
I ride an XC bike with 80mm of travel and
correct sag adjustment, but the train here in the
Southeast of France can be a bit rocky."
Well, yeah, obviously if you're bottoming out all the time
it is gonna have more wear and tear on your fork than normal
but forks are designed to be very robust these days,
so maybe try putting a little bit more air into your fork
and seeing if that affects it.
And maybe you just need to start looking at
longer travel bikes.
You might just be going a bit too extreme for that
travel distance.
Could be it. Could be too good.
Tyler Evans, "Can you guys make a video on
how to make a rear mud guard?"
Well I'm sure we can; this one sounds like a
mechanical video for Scott.
It's such a great suggestion.
Let's just take a look at his skills on how he made
a mud guard recently in the workshop
and see if we can put him to the test
with your new idea for a real one.
- Now you guys will all know from watching the videos
on GMBN, we absolutely love a hack,
and nothing beats a free one, and in this video,
we're going to show you how to make a mud guard.
This template that I'm drawing up will be
in the description down below.
And all you're gonna need for it is a two litre bottle.
- Great questions this week.
Our next one is from Ayden Thomas.
"Why do you guys wear baggies?
I've worn spandex and baggies, and spandex is more comfy."
Okay by spandex, I guess you mean Lycra XC.
Well you'd be wearing XC because you want to go fast.
It's lightweight, streamlined.
You'd be wearing baggies because you want to
get pads underneath, if you want to have a bit more
freedom in your movement because you're doing
maybe more enduro riding.
I like baggies because I think they look cool.
I know that Blake has just bought some Lycra
because he's going to be doing some road riding,
and he can't wait to put it on.
So at the end of the day, you've answered the question,
because you're most comfy in Lycra.
So whatever works, but I'm a baggies man.
I've got to be honest.
Although here is a video out there of me wearing some Lycra.
Next question is from Daniel Gregerson, who says,
"Is changing the head tube angle from 68 to 66
just enough or too little?"
Well it's a really hard question to answer because
I don't know what bike you're talking about.
Let's say that you're thinking about riding a
slightly more relaxed head angle because you want to
ride trails with a more modern geometry.
What I can tell you is going from 68 to 66,
you're gonna notice a big difference,
whatever you're using it for,
or if you're looking between two different bikes
with that much difference.
It doesn't sound a lot, but a bike will perform in corners
really, really differently and definitely
take the train on in a different way with
just that small adjustment in the head angle.
So, try the two bikes that you're thinking about.
Or if you've got a bike that's got a head set that is
adjustable, you can try different angles then play with it
because you are going to notice a big difference
even on just two degrees.
James Walters is asking, "Have you heard of riders using
different wheel sizes on the same bike?
Could you explore this idea?"
I haven't heard of any riders using different wheel sizes
front and back on a bike that hasn't been designed for it.
Back in the day there was a Specialised free ride bike
that did have a 24" rear wheel and a 26" front wheel.
I know that Specialised dropped that idea,
so I don't know if it's because it didn't work
or it didn't look cool or people didn't really
buy into the idea.
But haven't heard of any top pros or anything
experimenting with different wheel sizes on the same bikes.
Interesting and maybe it's something we should look at.
Could be a bit of fun, especially playing with 27.5 and 29s.
So yes, nice idea.
Jolliehallbmx, "How do you become a pro
and get sponsored for mountain biking?"
Well, it's a question we get asked a lot,
and this is a great opportunity to throw to a video
where we did an ask the pros, "How do you get sponsored?"
So let's take a look.
- It wasn't in my plan to become a pro,
to ride as a job, but it just helped me to find a way
to ride for cheaper and then for free, and then for money.
So step by step.
- Right, quick fire round.
It's time to get helmeted up, because this bit
could be dangerous.
First question is Tuomas Kuusisto says,
"When is Neil going to drop his own edit,
like a ride your fat bike film?"
That's a great idea; soon, I hope.
Caesius says, "Are you going to Saalbach this year,
and are you going to visit the nearby glacier
of Kitzteinhorn?"
Mike, are we going to Saalbach?
- [Mike] Yes we are.
- Yes. We are.
Spiderkid200, "What is the hardest trick
that you guys can do?"
This question is for Blake, he's specified.
Blake's best trick is probably a flipwhip,
back flip with a tail whip in it.
He's pretty good at those.
Zigmund Marchan says, "Is a fat bike considered
a mountain bike?"
Yes. That is a rude question, Zigmund.
I can't believe you've asked it.
Breno Ferreira says, "Can you guys make a video of
falls and balls only with you in it?"
Yes. We fall off a lot; we could do that easily.
The McBike Show says, "What happened to
all of Scotty's bikes?"
Well, presenting his bikes, we're lucky to be
supported by some great brand partners.
They like to keep us up to date on the new models,
so when we're finished with the bikes, they go back to them,
so we get to ride some great bikes thanks to
the brands that support us.
Mike Jeskin says, "Is it okay to have my seat in the
middle position so it isn't impossible to pedal uphill
and I have it out of the way on the descents?"
Yes, it's okay, but what I would say to you
is dropper post.
Try it; it'll change your life.
Jeffrey Irvin, "What shoes does Neil have,
and how much do they cost?"
I've never bought Neil any shoes, but I do know that
he just got a new pair of Northwaves, which he loves.
So I think it might be those that you're talking about.
Northwaves. Check them out.
Joshua Fresnoza says, "What are the pros and cons of 29ers?"
Man, Joshua, that is not a quick fire question.
Time for Correct Me If I'm Wrong.
Love this bit, seeing some videos of you guys riding.
We're starting with this one from Cameron Anderson,
who is in Ocean Grove in Australia
doing some tricks, 360s out on the skate park,
which is really cool.
Just take a quick look.
He's asking, this is his first 360 and
what is he doing wrong?
Well he's coming into it lovely.
He's got great spin. It all looks good.
He's gonna get 360. Or 270.
Well you know what, Cameron, it looks great actually.
The one thing I would say is you start the spin
really great looking over your shoulder.
That twists your shoulders and then alternately
twists your hips and keeps you spinning round.
But once you start to spin, you stop looking,
and you start looking to where you've come from.
What I'm wanting you to do is spot your landing.
That will give you a little bit more spin.
It will keep you spinning round.
And you'll ride it out a bit.
The landing point is great; you don't necessarily
need any more, but you probably will get a bit more
if you keep that look going to where you want to go.
So don't get distracted by the ramp you've just come out of.
But great first effort.
Can't wait to see what your next trick's gonna be.
Next video from Correct Me If I'm Wrong is from
Mason Gallagher, Mason Gallagher.
And all he wants is more air.
Let's take a look at what he's got.
He's coming in; oh he's got a GMBN shirt on.
Everything's right.
You're getting good air, you're getting good air,
but if you want more air,
then you know what you need to work on
is the jump itself.
Not your jump in technique; the actual dirt
that you're building.
So take a look at your ramp.
The one that you've got is really short,
more of a kicker ramp.
You're going to get a nice bit of height like you're getting
and a little bit of distance, but,
if you really bring that ramp up into a
much bigger size, then you're about two feet there,
you want to go up to, say, like, four feet and beyond,
big long takeoff, you're going to get lots of air.
Obviously you need a landing ramp that suits the takeoff.
But that's where you need to go next,
you need to start hitting some bigger jumps
with bigger, longer takeoffs, and
you're going to be having a lot of fun.
Great Correct Me If I'm Wrongs.
Great show; thanks for your questions.
Keep them coming with that #AskGMBN,
and you can leave them down in the comments section
down below this very video.
And also by email, you can send them to ask@GMBN.com.
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Keep those questions coming.
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