# I'm just going to come right out and say it; MTB YouTube channels are awful.



## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

I want so badly to love MTB YouTube channels, but my god 99.9% of them are just awful at this point. There are so many channels out there these days, everything from riding videos to reviews and everything in between. I find almost all of them unwatchable. The ride videos have gotten to the point where they are about 60% listening to someone talk while they sit in their #vanlife van, and 40% riding but having to listen to them yacking about their absolute favorite (sponsored) new parts. The riding isn't even all that stellar even when they finally get to it. The worst part of these is that now there's starting to be drama between channels. These guys somehow think that the average rider, who rides for enjoyment and uses mountain biking to get away from the dramas of daily life want to hear about how they don't think another guy from another MTB channel is a true mountain bike bro. That guy over there is faking it, don't watch his channel watch mine. 

Review channels are every bit as insufferable. The reviews are either beyond glowing (paid) or they spend 2 minutes of their video letting you know that they are definitely unbiased (probably not) and how you should contribute monthly to their Patron account so they can quit their day job and do bike reviews full time. Most of these channels are either directed at newbies (nothing wrong with that) or their entire review consists of just spouting off current industry buzzwords like "shreddy" and "flickable" as if that somehow gives us an indication as to how a bike really rides. The worst part is that a lot of these guys will start getting into technical things with regards to how a frame is built, how suspension is built, etc without having any idea what they're talking about. I can understand wanting to quit your job and do something you love, but please stop begging me for $5/mo while you try to figure out how to make a career out of telling people the difference between SLX 12spd and XT 12spd in multiple videos per week.

The only channel I can sit down and watch without turning it off after a minute and a half is Nate Hills. Excellent riding and minimal talking. Why can't all channels do this?


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## Boner Champ (Mar 31, 2015)

Trail Peek is really good if you just want to watch some good riding. Those guys shred.

I've also always been a fan of Seth (Berm Peak / Seth's Bike Hacks).


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## Kona0197 (Oct 19, 2004)

IDK, GMBN is really good as long as you don't mind them mispronouncing words like "Aluminum" or "Lever". I enjoy their weekly shows.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

I'm with ya

99.999% garbage

and the stupid formulaic soundtracks. bubblegum pop or bro music whatever that means but you know what I mean...

#1) stfu and ride
#2) see #1

hooting 
hollering 
BRO 
talking about anything other than bikes = close vid


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## phantoj (Jul 7, 2009)

Vorsprung is great IMO



The other stuff... watching someone ride a bike just doesn't compare to riding a bike...


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## Bikesbikesbikes (Apr 4, 2021)

Any video that starts off with, “what’s up guys,” = close vid


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## iLuveKetchup (Dec 21, 2020)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> These guys somehow think that the average rider, who rides for enjoyment and uses mountain biking to get away from the dramas of daily life want to hear about how they don't think another guy from another MTB channel is a true mountain bike bro.


So kind of like you how YOU somehow think that the average rider, who rides for enjoyment and uses mountain biking to get away from the dramas of daily life want to hear about how YOU think a MTB channel is a true mountain bike channel bro.

Not self aware much?


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

iLuveKetchup said:


> So kind of like you how YOU somehow think that the average rider, who rides for enjoyment and uses mountain biking to get away from the dramas of daily life want to hear about how YOU think a MTB channel is a true mountain bike channel bro.
> 
> Not self aware much?


Not really like that, more like how you think people want to hear your opinions on my posts about my opinions about YouTube channels.

This self awareness thing could almost be a big circle, eh?


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## Bacon Fat (Mar 11, 2016)

I like Kyle and April - Ride MTB 
He does a good job breaking down skills and you can see her progress as she learns.


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## iLuveKetchup (Dec 21, 2020)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> Not really like that, more like how you think people want to hear your opinions on my posts about my opinions about YouTube channels.
> 
> This self awareness thing could almost be a big circle, eh?


Indeed!


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## GKelley (Sep 4, 2018)

It's the dream! Start a youtube channel so you can get free stuff and give fake reviews.

I especially love how youtubers try to make 7k mountain bikes seem like the standard. As if we all should go buy one tomorrow. Don't forget to subscribe to patreon so you can support their mountain biking dream, and their family while you're at it. Who has time to work when they're getting all this free stuff to try out for us?!


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## Glide the Clyde (Nov 12, 2009)

You should see Francis’s RC car YouTube channel. 😂😂 JK, he actually does a decent job.


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## Impetus (Aug 10, 2014)

Based on what I recall of seeing your posts this year: Every bike company customer service sucks, Online bike shops suck. Phoenix area bike shops suck. Strava sucks. Trailforks sucks, and almost all YouTube channels suck.

I bet you're fun at parties.

To each, their own, I guess. I enjoy the hell out of BKXC, BCPOV (and VanGirl Yuka), Tommy Hyunh T-wrex, and MTB Alan. I like Mo and Hannah Awesome pretty well in smaller doses.

I actually find Nate Hills doesn't hold my attention for more than like 3-4 minutes. Sure he's fast, but the PoV video is not unique. I'd watch more if he did some trailside cam-shots. I really think he should do more drone footage.

Edit: I really think Hardtail Party has carved out a great niche with all his hardtail review-a-palooza, but I really miss the old days when it was just "hardtails on hard trails" and he rode janky stuff while way underbiked.


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

Bikesbikesbikes said:


> Any video that starts off with, "what's up guys," = close vid


Or if they tell me to "Like and hit the Subscribe button". Do you think I am an idiot? Everyone on planet earth knows what the YouTube subscribe button is and what it does. If you feel the need to remind me every single time you post a video, then I feel the need to never watch another one of your videos. So annoying.


GKelley said:


> It's the dream! Start a youtube channel so you can get free stuff and give fake reviews.
> 
> I especially love how youtubers try to make 7k mountain bikes seem like the standard. As if we all should go buy one tomorrow. Don't forget to subscribe to patreon so you can support their mountain biking dream, and their family while you're at it. Who has time to work when they're getting all this free stuff to try out for us?!


I don't mind people mentioning Patreon every now and again. It's the impassioned speech about how you quit your job and need people to support you while you get things off the ground. Not to be a douche, but maybe get it off the ground before you quit your job and then ask for Patreon to supplement? Im sure a lot of guys who have had their channels for a long time did that, but who knows.


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## idividebyzero (Sep 25, 2014)

it seems weird that you bother watching them if you hate them so much, maybe they should be paying YOU money since watching them is so much more work than video editing


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

Impetus said:


> Based on what I recall of seeing your posts this year: Every bike company customer service sucks, Online bike shops suck. Phoenix area bike shops suck. Strava sucks. Trailforks sucks, and almost all YouTube channels suck.


Huh? I'll admit to saying most bike company customer service sucks, but I think you're confusing me with someone else regarding the others. I don't remember ever commenting on Phoenix area bike shops, in fact I've only ever been to 2 and didn't have a bad experience at either. I use Strava and Trailforks and have never had any issues with either...

Im not fun to hang out with at parties, but I definitely don't hate everything like you're implying.


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## Sickmak90 (May 27, 2012)

Hardtail Party is good if you are into hardtails.


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## PatRidesBikes (Aug 19, 2019)

Bacon Fat said:


> I like Kyle and April - Ride MTB
> He does a good job breaking down skills and you can see her progress as she learns.


That channel helps me get my wife into riding. And he is batting way out of his league, so I immediately give him props!


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## Thoreau (Jun 15, 2017)

This thread makes me feel better about my own channel =)

I've got a lot of the same gripes as the OP, and some others, and also know damn well that I'm not gonna be making a living on this crap... ever. (****, I'm still ~750 subs from even being able to monetize and get my $3/mo check from the mighty Google.)

For me it's about making a video _I_ want to watch. If it isn't that, then it doesn't happen. Simple. And in my case, I look to Youtube MTB stuff for learning about trails that I might be looking at riding, or maybe learning more about ones I already ride. Not really interested in much beyond that.

I will say that I recently discovered the "Joy of Bike with Alex Bogusky" channel and have enjoyed that content and insight. Sprinkle in a little Bobo here and there for comedic relief (and as a wannabe videographer, watching in awe at his editing and general production.)


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## kevin_sbay (Sep 26, 2018)

Simon Lawton's Fluidride channel is awesome mtb instructions.
He is really gifted in his insights and explanations. Super clear and simple.

Here's one of my fave on steep, very loose techie trails:





Overall channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/bikeinstruction


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

a lot do a decent job, 

but many are just straight into clickbaity-ish stew ...all fluff


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## GuardianAngle (Feb 21, 2021)

Seth's Bike Hacks (now Berm Peak and Berm Peak Express) videos are always a ton of fun, and often really educational. He tells a story with each video, and it's a pleasure to watch even for off-topic videos. When getting into MTB, I learned a ton on his channel.

GMBN can be good, but they put out so many videos that they're often repetitive.

Kyle & April tutorials are fantastic.

Any MTB content from IFHT is pure gold. The related MahaloMyDude has a couple gems here and there, but many of the ride videos are fairly generic.

Hardtail Party makes generally good content, but I got a little annoyed after every single review seemed to be "this bike would be so much better with a slacker head angle", as if anything above 65 degrees was utter trash. Maybe I should try watching again.


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

I'll have to check out Kyle & April. I actually hadn't seen that channel before.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

BMX videos >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>MTB videos.


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

slapheadmofo said:


> BMX videos >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>MTB videos.


This is definitely true.


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## squareback (Sep 19, 2011)

Still waiting for the Syd and Macky sex tape to drop.


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## DoctorJD (Jan 15, 2004)

To each his own. I'd rather watch a bad mtb YouTube channel than *anything* on regular TV. I actually like some of the more obscure ones, myself. I'm looking more for information (trails that I'm considering riding) or motivation. I was down for about a month last year and couldn't ride. Bed-ridden for almost two weeks. If it weren't for those YouTube mtb videos, I'm not sure what I would have done.

If you don't want to watch, then don't, but to make a blanket statement like that (obviously your opinion) is so narrow-minded. No, YouTube mtb channels are not awful, your expectation level is simply too high. And I also detect a hint of jealousy that some of these guys/gals are actually making money from their channels. How dare they.


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

DoctorJD said:


> And I also detect a hint of jealousy that some of these guys/gals are actually making money from their channels. How dare they.


Not sure what gave you that impression. If you can make money doing something you love, I think that's awesome. That doesn't change the fact that a lot of people (myself included) are tired of essentially being begged by every other YouTuber and Podcaster to give them a monthly donation. I'm not saying they're wrong for asking or they shouldn't ask. I am just pointing out that it gets old.


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## Desertride (Nov 1, 2012)

squareback said:


> Still waiting for the Syd and Macky sex tape to drop.


It's been repeatedly delayed due to injuries.


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## Picard (Apr 5, 2005)

I like BCPOV, Remy, van girl, MTB Alan bkxc too

Sent from my SM-G965W using Tapatalk


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

"Hey guys, welcome back to the channel. Before I give my meaningless opinion on something don't forget to smash that like button and subscribe!" 🤮

I can't stand listening to someone's shi**y choice of musical score while I watch their shaky GoPro footage. Stick to natural trail sounds please.


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## matadorCE (Jun 26, 2013)

YO DON'T FORGET TO SMASH THAT LIKE BUTTON, COMMENT, AND SUBSCRIBE!!!


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## RxSub (May 31, 2020)

GuardianAngle said:


> Seth's Bike Hacks (now Berm Peak and Berm Peak Express) videos are always a ton of fun, and often really educational. He tells a story with each video, and it's a pleasure to watch even for off-topic videos. When getting into MTB, I learned a ton on his channel.
> 
> GMBN can be good, but they put out so many videos that they're often repetitive.
> 
> ...


+1

Bearm Peak is my absolute favourite MTB channel.

Enviado desde mi Redmi Note 7 mediante Tapatalk


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

matadorCE said:


> YO DON'T FORGET TO SMASH THAT LIKE BUTTON, COMMENT, AND SUBSCRIBE!!!


🤮 🤮 🤮 🤮 🤮 🤮 🤮 🤮 🤮 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

slapheadmofo said:


> BMX videos >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>MTB videos.


hell ya. more riding (99.98%), less standing around (.02%)


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

Picard said:


> bkxc


This was the guy who had a bunch of drama going on with some other YouTuber that he apparently called out as being a fake mtb bro because he lived in LA and flew to Colorado to shoot videos or something? I don't know. They had videos back and forth. So stupid.

A lot of the places BKXC rides are cool, but his riding in general is boring.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)




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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> This was the guy who had a bunch of drama going on with some other YouTuber that he apparently called out as being a fake mtb bro because he lived in LA and flew to Colorado to shoot videos or something? I don't know. They had videos back and forth. So stupid.
> 
> A lot of the places BKXC rides are cool, but his riding in general is boring.


I can't stand his fake laugh. Listen for it next time and you won't be able to un-hear it.


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

Nat said:


> I can't stand his fake laugh. Listen for it next time and you won't be able to un-hear it.


I couldn't watch his channel for more than a couple videos and haven't watched any since. His commentary was too much for me.


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## the-one1 (Aug 2, 2008)

I live, breathe, sleep and eat mountain biking. Always looking forward to the next weekend riding before this weekend is yet to be over. Always looking at the weather forecast to determine if I'll be riding local or out of state.
But I never could watch anything MTB. No ride videos, no product reviews..nothing.
They just talk too much without actually saying anything.

My YouTube subscription list is:
History Guy
Dianxi Xiaoge
Foresty Forest
Battle Bots
PBS Eons
Slim Potato
JohnyQ90


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I can't tolerate a LOT of the mtb youtube channels. there's a handful I watch here and there, but I don't "subscribe" to anything.

I think it all comes down to the fact that while it's exceedingly easy to upload to youtube, it's exceptionally difficult and time consuming to produce GOOD video. and few are willing (or able) to invest what they need to actually get good at it. 

For me, if you're doing 100% POV (or even more than 50% POV, tbh), then I'm not watching. people have too much of a tendency to stand around and yap, and that's an immediate turnoff for me, too. and I know that I have a problem doing the same. it's a struggle, but I also don't make youtube videos doing it (and try to sell my content to people). if you're GOING to talk (say, you're doing reviews and that's the whole point), then script your videos, for chrissake. 

I played with mtb videos many years ago, and learned how hard it was to get better. I lost patience for it because my hobby is riding, not making videos. these days, my youtube account is more for pet videos than anything else.


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## .WestCoastHucker. (Jan 14, 2004)

i only ride bikes on the internet, so i find them helpful...


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

Harold said:


> I can't tolerate a LOT of the mtb youtube channels. there's a handful I watch here and there, but I don't "subscribe" to anything.
> 
> I think it all comes down to the fact that while it's exceedingly easy to upload to youtube, it's exceptionally difficult and time consuming to produce GOOD video. and few are willing (or able) to invest what they need to actually get good at it.
> 
> ...


I get it. I know it takes a lot of editing, skills and planning to make good videos. Like I said, I love watching Nate Hills and you can tell that he puts a ton of effort into making his videos as interesting as possible, and he has adapted to different technology over the years (like incorporating the drone). There's minimal talking, he's a very skilled rider and knows that people want to watch him ride, not listen to him talk.

There seems to be this weird notion that the more grassroots you are, the better your channel is. I don't really get it. I'd rather watch Nate's videos with his sponsors stickers all over his bars and gear than listen to a guy spend the first 3 minutes of his 6 minute video telling me that he doesn't take any sponsorship. No one cares if you get sponsored, and in fact more power to you if you do.


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

There was an episode on some channel where Seth and another YouTube host were challenging themselves to make it across the expo area of some race (Sea Otter?) hiding behind their sunglasses and hoodies as if they were A-list movie stars that the paparazzi were chasing. Ooooof.


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

Pinkbike has some good stuff: Bike Checks, Privateer, First Looks...


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## EatsDirt (Jan 20, 2014)

idividebyzero said:


> it seems weird that you bother watching them if you hate them so much, maybe they should be paying YOU money since watching them is so much more work than video editing


Good point. If time is money, and I've sat through absolute crap content for various reasons hoping it'll redeem itself (and rarely does)- they owe me.


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## noapathy (Jun 24, 2008)

Sorry, OP. Not everyone likes what you do. I don't like drama either, which includes whiny threads like this. The good thing about online vids...you can scrub past most of the chit chat if it's not your thing or close it and find something better...or God forbid, go outside, which is where I'll be. I'll look out for ya (and promptly turn around when I see the sour look on your face). 😄


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

the-one1 said:


> I live, breathe, sleep and eat mountain biking. Always looking forward to the next weekend riding before this weekend is yet to be over. Always looking at the weather forecast to determine if I'll be riding local or out of state.
> But I never could watch anything MTB. No ride videos, no product reviews..nothing.
> They just talk too much without actually saying anything.
> 
> ...


may I suggest Garage54 and maybe ProjectFarm

Garage54 is straight up Novosibirsk goofin and this is one track
where they test their abominations


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## Thoreau (Jun 15, 2017)

Impetus said:


> I'd watch more if he did some trailside cam-shots. I really think he should do more drone footage.


No idea if the big channels pay much attention to it or not, but drone footage is easier said than done for some not-often-thought-of reasons.

First and foremost for the big names, if they're making money on it, it's commercial, and that requires a pain in the ass license, or hiring a licensed drone pilot. (In the US. nada clue about Canada, Euro, etc.)

Second, which has driven me nuts but still persists... drones simply aren't legal in a lot of great trail systems. Here in Phoenix I'd love to get some drone footage at places like SoMo, PMP, Apache Wash, hell, even Brown's Ranch. It's illegal to launch, land, or control a drone from those places though. That can sometimes be overcome by launching from outside the park but only if the stuff worth filming is very close to that edge. Drives me nuts, but I'm not about to deal with the work involved, and then publish it publicly.

Circling back to trail-side shots, that was actually something that made Rich Drew's channel interesting to me for a while. Takes a lotta work to do it well, but you can definitely tell when they put that effort in.


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## bingemtbr (Apr 1, 2004)

Anything Danny MacAskill and Pinkbike's Friday Fails (and now Saturday Sends) are my go-to's on YouTube. 

Definitely agree with the OP though, lots of mtb white noise on YouTube


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## Jackson Rich (Aug 10, 2013)

I for sure agree with some points made, but there are definitely channels I enjoy. A lot of the stuff that Pinkbike posts is pretty entertaining. It’s geared more toward the “sendy” crowd but that type of riding is fun to watch even if it’s not my thing riding wise. Any video that features Phil Atwill is also extremely entertaining. That dude has such a fun reckless style of riding and it’s not all just about big air. Just watching him make turns is cool. I also really like watching Sam Pilgrim if you consider that MTB. He’s funny and stoked on everything but not in an annoying way. His bike handling skills are also impressive to watch.

The one channel I can’t stand is BKXC. I find that dude insufferable. It’s too bad because his riding is more like what I do in real life but just seeing/hearing him makes me mad for some reason. I can’t really explain it, he’s just got one of those “punchable” faces.


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

noapathy said:


> Sorry, OP. Not everyone likes what you do. I don't like drama either, which includes whiny threads like this. The good thing about online vids...you can scrub past most of the chit chat if it's not your thing or close it and find something better...or God forbid, go outside, which is where I'll be. I'll look out for ya (and promptly turn around when I see the sour look on your face). 😄


You're taking these forums way too serious. It's a conversation to have while most people are working and sitting in front of a computer all day...

and I also won't be offended if you don't want to ride with me. I promise that if I am on my bike, you won't see a sour look on my face though.


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

bingemtbr said:


> Anything Danny MacAskill and Pinkbike's Friday Fails (and now Saturday Sends) are my go-to's on YouTube.
> 
> Definitely agree with the OP though, lots of mtb white noise on YouTube


MacAskill's videos are always dynamite. They're very, very well produced though. It's understandable that most other people can't put out that quality.


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## SpinFactor (Jul 30, 2020)

Isn't this true for the majority of content on YouTube? No ones holding a gun to your head....watch what you like....

BoBo's the man and Seth has definitely Jumped the Shark.
I get a kick out of watching Fairclough, Wilkens and Kerr....Sloppy content goodness


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

Thoreau said:


> Second, which has driven me nuts but still persists... drones simply aren't legal in a lot of great trail systems. Here in Phoenix I'd love to get some drone footage at places like SoMo, PMP, Apache Wash, hell, even Brown's Ranch. It's illegal to launch, land, or control a drone from those places though. That can sometimes be overcome by launching from outside the park but only if the stuff worth filming is very close to that edge. Drives me nuts, but I'm not about to deal with the work involved, and then publish it publicly.


I didn't know that. What's the reason for not allowing them?


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## Thoreau (Jun 15, 2017)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> I didn't know that. What's the reason for not allowing them?


They're dickheads =)

City of Phoenix, for example, prohibits drones (and any other rc aircraft) in all parks, except like a half dozen that are designated for it. One next to the Costco onCave Creek/101 comes to mind as that's where I first took my drone when I got it. Scottsdale bans them across the board. Presumably to preserve the peace and quiet or whatnot. The only reason the workaround exists is because only the FAA has actual airspace authority, so while the city can stop you from being on park property and doing dronestuffs, they have zero say on things flying over.

Makes me appreciate trails on National Forest, BLM and AZ State Trust land a bit more. Hawes, Gold Canyon, most of the stuff around Flagstaff, etc. Even Sedona is mostly fair game so long as you take into account the annoyingly central location of the airport and tons of tourist helicopter traffic.


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## bingemtbr (Apr 1, 2004)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> I didn't know that. What's the reason for not allowing them?


We were told in Arches National Park (Moab, UT) drones are prohibited in most U.S. national parks in order to preserve the park and the guests' experiences. This was after using the drone to video Windows and Delicate Arches. The ranger was cool about it. We landed the drone, put in the vehicle--escorted by the ranger, and then continued on our way enjoying Arches. This was in 2015 and there were no signs stating that drones were illegal.


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

Thoreau said:


> They're dickheads =)
> 
> City of Phoenix, for example, prohibits drones (and any other rc aircraft) in all parks, except like a half dozen that are designated for it. One next to the Costco onCave Creek/101 comes to mind as that's where I first took my drone when I got it. Scottsdale bans them across the board. Presumably to preserve the peace and quiet or whatnot. The only reason the workaround exists is because only the FAA has actual airspace authority, so while the city can stop you from being on park property and doing dronestuffs, they have zero say on things flying over.
> 
> Makes me appreciate trails on National Forest, BLM and AZ State Trust land a bit more. Hawes, Gold Canyon, most of the stuff around Flagstaff, etc. Even Sedona is mostly fair game so long as you take into account the annoyingly central location of the airport and tons of tourist helicopter traffic.


I had no idea. Makes total sense though, seems like drones are in a weird place with access to things. I travel a lot and have read stories of people getting turned away in airports because there are quite a few entire countries that don't allow drones in.

I know the mtb videos that use them are usually much more enjoyable to watch than POV vids. It's a shame they're so controversial when it comes to access.


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## Thoreau (Jun 15, 2017)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> I had no idea. Makes total sense though, seems like drones are in a weird place with access to things. I travel a lot and have read stories of people getting turned away in airports because there are quite a few entire countries that don't allow drones in.
> 
> I know the mtb videos that use them are usually much more enjoyable to watch than POV vids. It's a shame they're so controversial when it comes to access.


Yeah, I definitely get it, and don't really object to the restrictions, at least until I see a trail that'd be awesome to film by drone =) There's ways to get permits/permission, but it just isn't worth the effort or cost for my podunk bullshit.

Semi-related note, drone footage can make audio a challenge on YT videos because there's no mic. So you either need to have audio recorded via some other means and sync it in post, or try to fill the gap with music or something. The amount of effort it takes to find music that MIGHT not be hated by 99.8% of the viewers, that fits a scene/mood/narrative, and that is affordable to license is painful. I've all but nuked music myself for those reasons, and have also dropped drone footage because of it.


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## Darth Lefty (Sep 29, 2014)

My favorite Youtube-bike thing right now is Eric Porter and his kids.

My favorite Youtube-overall thing right now and for the last year has been Alton Brown and his wife slurping cocktails, burning dinner, and sniping merrily at each other every Tuesday night. It's live, it goes wrong, there's cussing!

For something just to have on in the background, Braille Skateboarding


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## blaklabl (Mar 14, 2011)

Impetus said:


> Edit: I really think Hardtail Party has carved out a great niche with all his hardtail review-a-palooza, but I really miss the old days when it was just "hardtails on hard trails" and he rode janky stuff while way underbiked.


Maybe if you subscribe to his Patreon account you'd see more of that...or maybe even some good content.


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## Grubs (Apr 25, 2019)

BCPov (particularly his old race videos, obviously hasn't had any in the last year), Remy and Yoann are all pretty great and the only ones I watch regularly.


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## LewisQC (Jul 3, 2013)

With an off season of 7 months, I really enjoy looking at almost anything that concern MTB, mostly in the winter. I sometime pedal on my trainer with zwift while looking at videos for one hour. We can't travel so seeing how riding is elsewhere is cool. Also like video from my area (when travel was possible, or even video by local youtuber) particularly at this time of the year when season is about to begin but not quite yet...

I like:
Jordan Boosmaster
BCPOV/Yuka for a mix of POV and third party shot 
Hardtail Party cause I love hardtails and Sedona trails are sick
Bermpeek
Singletrack sampler when he was riding his bike
BKXC
Remy Metailler
Jeff Lenosky
Dustin Klein
Sim Pilgrim
Brendan Fairclough
Jeff Kendal-Weed


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

blaklabl said:


> Maybe if you subscribe to his Patreon account you'd see more of that...or maybe even some good content.


I watched HP a lot when I first moved to Phoenix. I liked his riding vids and it was a good way to figure out which trails I wanted to hit the next time I drove up to Sedona. He's gone overboard with the Patreon stuff though imo. To the point that he responds to people in the messages telling them they should subscribe and donate...

He also said a couple things that were a big turn off for me personally. Like when he said that the top tube brace on modern hardtails does literally nothing, and I know he actually believes that because he took a grinder to the one on his ti frame in one video. Just incorrect on so many levels. Just because you think something is ugly doesn't mean it doesn't serve a structural purpose.


----------



## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Nat said:


> There was an episode on some channel where Seth and another YouTube host were challenging themselves to make it across the expo area of some race (Sea Otter?) hiding behind their sunglasses and hoodies as if they were A-list movie stars that the paparazzi were chasing. Ooooof.


I've actually met a couple mtb youtubers over the years.

Met Seth once at a trailhead when I was loading up. He was looking for a GoPro that was set on the roof of his vehicle the day before, and fell off somewhere when he forgot about it and drove off. I helped him look for a bit, but no dice. I suspect someone took the camera home. He seems like a pretty nice guy overall.

That pump track he's involved with (that's part of a larger bike park project) is actually pretty close to my house and I feel like I'll probably be riding there a lot when it opens up because of the proximity and ease of access.

I've run across Bobo before, too, at a local bike event or two. Can't say I "met" him, but I learned real fast who he was. Guy's an attention-seeker, no question. He had quite a few hangers-on, and he was totally feeding that atmosphere as much as he could.

I'm seeing more and more youtubers just around. It seems to be a growing trend for youtubers to have stickers made advertising their social media pages that they put on their vehicles. mtb people, #vanlife crowd, overlanders, all of 'em, it seems.


----------



## chadbrochills (Aug 9, 2018)

SpinFactor said:


> Isn't this true for the majority of content on YouTube? No ones holding a gun to your head....watch what you like....
> 
> BoBo's the man and Seth has definitely Jumped the Shark.
> I get a kick out of watching Fairclough, Wilkens and Kerr....Sloppy content goodness


Solid list. I also like Kyle and April as well as all the 50to01 videos. But, I dig Seth, so I have to disagree a bit....in what way do you think he jumped the shark? Just curious.

I'm with the OP though, too many MTB YouTubers now repeating the same **** or just overall boring videos.


----------



## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> I had no idea. Makes total sense though, seems like drones are in a weird place with access to things. I travel a lot and have read stories of people getting turned away in airports because there are quite a few entire countries that don't allow drones in.
> 
> I know the mtb videos that use them are usually much more enjoyable to watch than POV vids. It's a shame they're so controversial when it comes to access.


it's about wildlife harassment in some places. drones visually and audibly fret and stress the wildlife.

much better to ban them really.


----------



## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

127.0.0.1 said:


> it's about wildlife harassment in some places. drones visually and audibly fret and stress the wildlife.
> 
> much better to ban them really.


I hadn't even thought of that. My first thought was disturbing hikers and other trail users that are likely trying to enjoy the quiet. Wildlife makes sense though, drones are way louder than I thought they be the first time I got near one.


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## chadbrochills (Aug 9, 2018)

Harold said:


> I've actually met a couple mtb youtubers over the years.
> 
> Met Seth once at a trailhead when I was loading up. He was looking for a GoPro that was set on the roof of his vehicle the day before, and fell off somewhere when he forgot about it and drove off. I helped him look for a bit, but no dice. I suspect someone took the camera home. He seems like a pretty nice guy overall.
> 
> ...


I've met a few as well. Singletrack Sampler, Steady Spin, and Cam Zink. Although Cam's not so much of a YouTuber, even though he has a channel.

Singletrack Sampler was cool, he was hitting our drops and D2 line here at Santos in Florida. Gave him some advice on the line.

Steady Spin, well...towards the end of the day, right after we closed the drops (I'm one of the builders and we tarp them due to rain) he asked if he could hit D3 (15' drop) if he tarped it back up. We said sure, so he did it and got it on video for his channel. He basically interviewed us afterwards and said "yeah, totally gonna put you guys in the video since, thanks SO much" blah blah blah. Guess where the video he eventually put out ended? Yeah, right after he hit the drop. No mention of us or anything from what I recall. Whatever.

Cam, his company Sensus R.A.D. Trails built our flow trail so him and his crew hung out with us a few days. Cool dude and amazing on a bike.

Quite a few other popular YouTubers like BCPOV/Van Girl Yuka, Jeff Lenosky, Seth, Skills with Phil etc. have ridden our park but usually while I'm at work so I never got the chance to run into them.


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

Jeff Lenoskys Trail Boss videos used to be stellar. Now his channel is basically one big REEB commercial. Super disappointing.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> I hadn't even thought of that. My first thought was disturbing hikers and other trail users that are likely trying to enjoy the quiet. Wildlife makes sense though, drones are way louder than I thought they be the first time I got near one.


sometimes it's about the noise impact on people. but the noise impact on wildlife is a more tenable reason.

there are also some privacy concerns, as well as public safety. but when they're banned outright in places, a big part of the reason is that public officials just don't want to mess with permitting. I have a neighbor who is a licensed drone pilot and he does a lot of real estate drone work, and I hear about some of this stuff from him.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

chadbrochills said:


> Singletrack Sampler was cool


I haven't met him, but he's been through my area enough that I know people who have. He has a reputation for using his 'popular youtuber' status as a weapon to try to get special treatment.


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## Thoreau (Jun 15, 2017)

Harold said:


> sometimes it's about the noise impact on people. but the noise impact on wildlife is a more tenable reason.
> 
> there are also some privacy concerns, as well as public safety. but when they're banned outright in places, a big part of the reason is that public officials just don't want to mess with permitting. I have a neighbor who is a licensed drone pilot and he does a lot of real estate drone work, and I hear about some of this stuff from him.


Despite it running contrary to my desires, I'd also rather see the prohibition option than a wild west approach. Permitting still happens. You CAN get permits to use them at the Grand Canyon, or city parks, etc., but they're very involved, and often costly.

It just kinda sucks because they have a lotta potential to provide those vantage points and follow shots you just can't get any other way, or at least not easily. Having lugged a Canon EOS R, Ronin gimbal, tripods, etc. out on trail before, lemme just say that the drone is a LOT more packable =)


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## MyDadSucks (Sep 6, 2017)

trail peek is the only good non-pro youtube mtb channel. Jesse melamed's race footage is unreal (i particularly recommend psychosis if you haven't checked it out) and his tech videos are interesting.


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## kevin_sbay (Sep 26, 2018)

chadbrochills said:


> I've met a few as well. Singletrack Sampler, Steady Spin, and Cam Zink. Although Cam's not so much of a YouTuber, even though he has a channel.
> 
> Singletrack Sampler was cool, he was hitting our drops and D2 line here at Santos in Florida. Gave him some advice on the line.
> 
> ...


Chatted with both Neil and Blake of GMBN randomly strolling along at a festival two years ago. Super cool, approachable, and friendly. No attitude. And I found out a couple days later that Neil was actually recovering from a pretty serious crash (he didn't show it at all).

So Big pProps to Neil and Blake. I'm a fan... And I say this not particularly liking GMBN content overall (just not my style).


----------



## mrdimi (Oct 26, 2020)

the-one1 said:


> I live, breathe, sleep and eat mountain biking. Always looking forward to the next weekend riding before this weekend is yet to be over. Always looking at the weather forecast to determine if I'll be riding local or out of state.
> But I never could watch anything MTB. No ride videos, no product reviews..nothing.
> They just talk too much without actually saying anything.
> 
> ...


I don't mind the YouTube folks but Foresty Forest beats all of the mountain bike folks hands down, although now that the crock pot is dead.....


----------



## alpinerider38 (Jan 1, 2021)

Kona0197 said:


> IDK, GMBN is really good as long as you don't mind them mispronouncing words like "Aluminum" or "Lever". I enjoy their weekly shows.


We spell it slightly different over this side of the pond, aluminium! Totally agree with you in gmbn though,great show!


----------



## SoDakSooner (Nov 23, 2005)

Thoreau said:


> This thread makes me feel better about my own channel =)
> 
> I've got a lot of the same gripes as the OP, and some others, and also know damn well that I'm not gonna be making a living on this crap... ever. (****, I'm still ~750 subs from even being able to monetize and get my $3/mo check from the mighty Google.)
> 
> ...


One of my favorite channels. Very relatable and have blown up pretty quickly. They do respond well to comments too.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

It's funny that it sounds like some of these people act like they think they're 'celebrities'. My kid has been hitting between 3 and 4 million IG impressions a month for a while now. Maybe I should get an autograph!


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## Bacon Fat (Mar 11, 2016)

alpinerider38 said:


> We spell it slightly different over this side of the pond, aluminium! Totally agree with you in gmbn though,great show!


I like GMBN also. When they play B.I.K.E, it pretty entertaining.

The episode where they removed the brakes and kept going up the hill to see who would go the highest is my favorite. Even my wife was into it.


----------



## diamondback1x9 (Dec 21, 2020)

for non biking, my goto is matts off road recovery. family friendly (host has 8 kids i think) and all on topic. does real recoveries and all that stuff.


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwdVOry0oNF9WIe_3uCfz9Q/videos


for biking, i usually go to berm peak (seth's wife actually just had a kid!), sam pilgrim, matt jones and daily mtb rider. some littler youtube channels i watch are trail reviews(detailed) as well as quill black's mtb pov.


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

The only channel that I look forward to every week is Venture4wd, which is more of an overlanding channel but the guy's videography is just how I like it. His mic pics up natural trail sounds so crisp and clear, there's no shi**y music, no cliche drone shots, and his pace is not rushed or full of hype. His images make me feel as if I'm actually right there camping and exploring the backwoods with him.


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## Bacon Fat (Mar 11, 2016)

diamondback1x9 said:


> for non biking, my goto is *matts off road recovery. *family friendly (host has 8 kids i think) and all on topic. does real recoveries and all that stuff.


I watch Matt's off road recovery also. Good show


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## diamondback1x9 (Dec 21, 2020)

Bacon Fat said:


> I watch Matt's off road recovery also. Good show


100%. good for binge watching.


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## relder (Nov 28, 2016)

Thoreau said:


> It just kinda sucks because they have a lotta potential to provide those vantage points and follow shots you just can't get any other way


They sell postcards at the visitor center.


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## Thoreau (Jun 15, 2017)

relder said:


> They sell postcards at the visitor center.


Some with images taken with a drone after getting a permit =)


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## Kona0197 (Oct 19, 2004)

alpinerider38 said:


> We spell it slightly different over this side of the pond, aluminium! Totally agree with you in gmbn though,great show!


Well I don't often get upset how they pronounce "Aluminum", it's when they say "LEE-ver". That's irritating. It's pronounced "LAA-ver", rhymes with "Never".


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## r-rocket (Jun 23, 2014)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> Or if they tell me to "Like and hit the Subscribe button".


+1 I liked your post and subscribed to follow your MTBR account feed and commented here in the comments section


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## Shark (Feb 4, 2006)

Yep, can't watch them either. Not too interested to hear about vans lol or the newest carbon wonder bike that is 0.1% different than last year.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

r-rocket said:


> +1 I liked your post and subscribed to follow your MTBR account feed and commented here in the comments section


If you really like my posts, please drop me a few bucks by subscribing to my Patreon.


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## cookieMonster (Feb 23, 2004)

Remy Metaillier and Yoann Barelli.

Those guys consistently put out videos of the type of trails I like to ride (not boring flow trails), they’re hilarious, don’t have egos despite having earned them, and have great advice.

I don’t care for the #Vanlifer type channels.


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## Redlands R&C (Dec 14, 2013)

mrdimi said:


> I don't mind the YouTube folks but Foresty Forest beats all of the mountain bike folks hands down, although now that the crock pot is dead.....


Yeah! I dig his stuff. Pleasant.


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## zooky (Jan 24, 2021)

I've only recently started watching. The few i don't mine are


GMBN
Matt Jones
Berm Peak
LoveMTB


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## Battery (May 7, 2016)

Motorcycle channels are similar. I just want to watch someone ride on a trail with a certain enduro motorcycle make/model and all I find are reviews most of the time. I love watching people go at it with a Honda Africa Twin but all people want to do is review the bike instead. 

Fortnine is great though!


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## Kona0197 (Oct 19, 2004)

Old Shovel is worth a look if you enjoy a guy restoring old bikes. Man knows how to paint a frame.


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## Sickmak90 (May 27, 2012)

Mike Levy is fun to watch on pink bike but I take all bike “reviews” with a grain of salt. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

I love it (i.e., hate it) when they narrate their ride as they ride. "Big rock right there... little root... drop off..."

Yeah, we know because WE CAN SEE IT.


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## b rock (Jan 5, 2017)

I used to watch all those channels, but I found that the pro coach channels (Fluidride and Joy of Bike with Lee McCormack) are the ones that I can depend for the details.

The problem with any POV is it looks like a brown sidewalk, due to YouTube compression. I will watch a POV once in a while to see if I want to ride a trail, but unless they give the elevation overlay, and are going slow enough so I can see the ground features, they all start to look the same.


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## Bikeworks (Sep 10, 2020)

cookieMonster said:


> Remy Metaillier and Yoann Barelli.
> 
> Those guys consistently put out videos of the type of trails I like to ride (not boring flow trails), they're hilarious, don't have egos despite having earned them, and have great advice.


This, without a doubt. 


b rock said:


> Joy of Bike with Lee McCormack) are the ones that I can depend for the details.


Joy of Bike with Alex and Lee is probably my favorite channel to watch.


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## Silentfoe (May 9, 2008)

diamondback1x9 said:


> for non biking, my goto is matts off road recovery. family friendly (host has 8 kids i think) and all on topic. does real recoveries and all that stuff.
> 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwdVOry0oNF9WIe_3uCfz9Q/videos
> ...


Matt is a local to us. His son Kaulin is on our HS mtb race team and his company, Winder Towing is one of our major sponsors. That may make you like his channel more.

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk


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## diamondback1x9 (Dec 21, 2020)

also gee milner dream builds are pretty good, even if all they do is make me jealous...


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## k2rider1964 (Apr 29, 2010)

I don't think BKXC is too worried that some folks on MTBR don't like his channel. He has 423K subscribers and who knows how many paying "supporters". Heck, all of MTBR only has 458K subscribers and it seems 90% of the people over 50 only talk about getting an experimental vaccine rather than riding their bike.

I personally only watch MTB videos when I want to check out a new area to get some idea of the trails. BKXC's stuff was super helpful for Downieville. Lately, I've been watching a bunch on no names ride Flying Monkey in Southern Utah because we'll be riding that trail next week. I'm counting on @Silentfoe to show me the right line


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## Silentfoe (May 9, 2008)

k2rider1964 said:


> I don't think BKXC is too worried that some folks on MTBR don't like his channel. He has 423K subscribers and who knows how many paying "supporters". Heck, all of MTBR only has 458K subscribers and it seems 90% of the people over 50 only talk about getting an experimental vaccine rather than riding their bike.
> 
> I personally only watch MTB videos when I want to check out a new area to get some idea of the trails. BKXC's stuff was super helpful for Downieville. Lately, I've been watching a bunch on no names ride Flying Monkey in Southern Utah because we'll be riding that trail next week. I'm counting on @Silentfoe to show me the right line


Oh hell no.

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk


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## diamondback1x9 (Dec 21, 2020)

Silentfoe said:


> Matt is a local to us. His son Kaulin is on our HS mtb race team and his company, Winder Towing is one of our major sponsors. That may make you like his channel more.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk


thats awesome!


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## Forest Rider (Oct 29, 2018)

I no longer like MTBR because when you open a thread it's complaining about something else that I wish I hasn't opened?


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## mtnbkrmike (Mar 26, 2015)

I stumbled onto this guy from a link in the comments section of a PB article. Pretty funny, smart and edgy.














Who is the Canadian YouTuber "AvE"?


The irreverent Canadian YouTuber that goes by the name "AvE" produces great video content. He mostly tears apart power tools, engines, pump components, and electronicals to show us how they work (or don't work). He cusses with aplomb and offends all comers, but his "BOLTR" tool tear-downs are...




www.skyecooley.com


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## Blatant (Apr 13, 2005)

Perhaps the OP should start his own channel to show everyone else how it’s done.


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

Blatant said:


> Perhaps the OP should start his own channel to show everyone else how it's done.


No thanks, I know my channel would suck. That's kind of my point...


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## targnik (Jan 11, 2014)

Team stuff (i.e. pros) is usually pretty good.

Kewl tune, shreddy riders, blingy bikes, edited to the hilt!!

Anytime a catchy tune comes on in one of these type of vids, I'll d/l and jam it until I know all the words 

I have a mtb playlist of stokeage tunes 

Sent from my ASUS_I003DD using Tapatalk


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## theMISSIONARY (Apr 13, 2008)

*McTrail *rider is well worth watching IMHO
*Sendero seeker *was also good(I assume he's been having home issues so no videos) 
*Chris Akrigg 
Ali Clarkson* 
*Hardtail party*
I don't mind most of the other YouTubers but it can be somewhat annoying at times....


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

Fox Dialed is interesting


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## Squirrel in the Spokes (Apr 9, 2021)

All vlogs are trash. It doesn’t matter what it’s for.


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## JaxMustang50 (Jun 26, 2017)

As someone mentioned, they're all way better than anything on the propaganda blaster. 
While I don't like all aspects of the various channels, I think there's value in most. They all speak to various personalities and skill levels. My take is; take it all worth a grain of salt and find the ones you like, click off the ones you don't.


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## Jackson Rich (Aug 10, 2013)

k2rider1964 said:


> I don't think BKXC is too worried that some folks on MTBR don't like his channel. He has 423K subscribers and who knows how many paying "supporters". Heck, all of MTBR only has 458K subscribers and it seems 90% of the people over 50 only talk about getting an experimental vaccine rather than riding their bike.
> 
> I personally only watch MTB videos when I want to check out a new area to get some idea of the trails. BKXC's stuff was super helpful for Downieville. Lately, I've been watching a bunch on no names ride Flying Monkey in Southern Utah because we'll be riding that trail next week. I'm counting on @Silentfoe to show me the right line


I agree, I doubt he's worried about what we think. People clearly enjoy his videos and I suspect I'm in the vast minority when it comes to my dislike of him.


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## Funoutside (Jul 17, 2019)

I find Spindatt entertaining. He does road, BMX, gravel & mtb in Nova Scotia. He does some bad idea hacks, budget hacks & just purely likes bikes.


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## DRS CCC (Dec 5, 2013)

Surprised nobody's mentioned Skills with Phil. Not as much a fan of his trail building videos but when he shreds he's one of the most skilled riders to watch out of the non-professional 'Youtube' riders.


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## alpinerider38 (Jan 1, 2021)

Kona0197 said:


> Well I don't often get upset how they pronounce "Aluminum", it's when they say "LEE-ver". That's irritating. It's pronounced "LAA-ver", rhymes with "Never".


I'm pretty sure Brits were speaking English long before America was even discovered 🤔


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## Kona0197 (Oct 19, 2004)

True, but I've never heard anyone in any shop pronounce "Aluminum" and "Lever" the way they say it. :/


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## firebanex (Jan 29, 2021)

Funoutside said:


> I find Spindatt entertaining. He does road, BMX, gravel & mtb in Nova Scotia. He does some bad idea hacks, budget hacks & just purely likes bikes.


Been cruising this thread to see if anyone else would mention Spindatt, love his channel and have been watching his stuff since he was around 2k subs. He is by far my favorite youtuber and Norton is awesome. Otherwise I follow the usual people like GMBM, Berm Peak, Danny Mac, and Sam Hill.


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## Darth Lefty (Sep 29, 2014)

alpinerider38 said:


> I'm pretty sure Brits were speaking English long before America was even discovered ?


When the Vikings arrived in Newfoundland the Norman invasion was some 60 years off and I think most "brits" were speaking Celt


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## alpinerider38 (Jan 1, 2021)

Darth Lefty said:


> When the Vikings arrived in Newfoundland the Norman invasion was some 60 years off and I think most "brits" were speaking Celt


Going pretty off topic here but English gas been spoken in Britain for 1400 years ,that's a good 400 years before the Vikings discovered Newfoundland! Not sure they arrived by MTB so I'm definitely way off topic!


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## Brad Pitted (Oct 7, 2018)

Not much to add here. The Yew-tube scene is definitely getting stale. If subs were obtained purely based on riding talent, Pat Smage and Jeff Lenosky would have way more than they do.


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## justwan naride (Oct 13, 2008)

My favourites right now are Remy Metailler and Jack Moir (pro riders). Non-pros, I sometimes watch Hardtail Party. I used to like Seth's videos back when he started (with an entry level Trek ht and a dropper as the only upgrade) but haven't in a long while. Too professional now, the purpose is to get views, not to share knowledge.

I used to watch many of Nate Hill's videos (loved the NZ ones) but no so much lately. The riders in front of him are usually worth watching though.

(Edit) I like Trail Boss, Jeff is awesome and although not the most well made videos, his advice on technique has helped me a lot. He seems like a good, honest person as well and doesn't push product as aggressively. I appreciate that as a viewer. 

For me the problem with many YT channels is that they are struggling to produce content weekly and it shows in the outcome. For example I like the GMBN presenters but often they look like they've ran out of worthwhile ideas and do silly stuff or end up repeating themselves.

I get it, it's hard to make a good video once or twice a week. Maybe you shouldn't and instead make one when you actually have something good sto show/say. Volume of new videos out there is huge. Quality content gets harder to find.


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## zooky (Jan 24, 2021)

justwan naride said:


> For example I like the GMBN presenters but often they look like they've ran out of worthwhile ideas and do silly stuff or end up repeating themselves.
> 
> I get it, it's hard to make a good video once or twice a week. Maybe you shouldn't and instead make one when you actually have something good sto show/say. Volume of new videos out there is huge. Quality content gets harder to find.


Agreed! Need more quality!


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## MOJO K (Jan 26, 2007)

zooky said:


> Agreed! Need more quality!


Yes and no. I enjoy the presenter's personalities enough to be entertained even if they do sometimes repeat themselves. Martyn is a legit hero to me and Blake has such an infectious positivity about him..."Hello again you beautiful people"...it makes me smile every time I hear it. I do think the travel restrictions have put a squeeze on the content. Going to new places and having fresh ideas go hand in hand.


----------



## Rev Bubba (Jan 16, 2004)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> I want so badly to love MTB YouTube channels, but my god 99.9% of them are just awful at this point. There are so many channels out there these days, everything from riding videos to reviews and everything in between. I find almost all of them unwatchable. The ride videos have gotten to the point where they are about 60% listening to someone talk while they sit in their #vanlife van, and 40% riding but having to listen to them yacking about their absolute favorite (sponsored) new parts. The riding isn't even all that stellar even when they finally get to it. The worst part of these is that now there's starting to be drama between channels. These guys somehow think that the average rider, who rides for enjoyment and uses mountain biking to get away from the dramas of daily life want to hear about how they don't think another guy from another MTB channel is a true mountain bike bro. That guy over there is faking it, don't watch his channel watch mine.
> 
> Review channels are every bit as insufferable. The reviews are either beyond glowing (paid) or they spend 2 minutes of their video letting you know that they are definitely unbiased (probably not) and how you should contribute monthly to their Patron account so they can quit their day job and do bike reviews full time. Most of these channels are either directed at newbies (nothing wrong with that) or their entire review consists of just spouting off current industry buzzwords like "shreddy" and "flickable" as if that somehow gives us an indication as to how a bike really rides. The worst part is that a lot of these guys will start getting into technical things with regards to how a frame is built, how suspension is built, etc without having any idea what they're talking about. I can understand wanting to quit your job and do something you love, but please stop begging me for $5/mo while you try to figure out how to make a career out of telling people the difference between SLX 12spd and XT 12spd in multiple videos per week.
> 
> The only channel I can sit down and watch without turning it off after a minute and a half is Nate Hills. Excellent riding and minimal talking. Why can't all channels do this?


Amateurs producing amateur vids. When the saying "one picture is worth a thousand words" was introduced, the digital camera had not been invented to disprove that thought.

"Those who can write, write. Those who can't use digital cameras."


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## Bacon Fat (Mar 11, 2016)

Simply Mountain Biking is a good one too. Just two normal guys riding bikes and bikepacking. They do a good job showing the successes and failures, instead of the "look how great I am" typical stuff


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## Muggsly (Nov 9, 2005)

If you don't like it don't watch it. Or if you feel they are all bad then go ahead and I look forward to seeing what you can produce. The OP is a real whinger I swear.


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

Muggsly said:


> If you don't like it don't watch it. Or if you feel they are all bad then go ahead and I look forward to seeing what you can produce. The OP is a real whinger I swear.


Get over yourself. This is a discussion about the *content* that's being uploaded to YouTube these days. I never bashed any of the actual people creating the content or said I can do it better, in fact just the opposite. Not sure why there's a few of you in this thread who are deeply offended, like I am bashing the creators themselves.

Just as a side note, the irony of telling me "if you don't like it don't watch it" after you've read through my entire thread that you clearly don't like is downright comical.

It's just a discussion people... If you're that heartfelt about YouTube and I ruined your day, I apologize. Didn't mean to come off as a "whinger".


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## DoctorJD (Jan 15, 2004)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> Not sure what gave you that impression. If you can make money doing something you love, I think that's awesome. That doesn't change the fact that a lot of people (myself included) are tired of essentially being begged by every other YouTuber and Podcaster to give them a monthly donation. I'm not saying they're wrong for asking or they shouldn't ask. I am just pointing out that it gets old.


Begged? LOL, what channels are you watching? I generally find that they'll usually mention (briefly) something to the effect of, "hey if you enjoy our content, consider becoming a patreon member" and that's it. Sorry, again, to each his own. I kinda enjoy the stuff.


----------



## EKram (Oct 30, 2020)

uTube bike videos. Watching repairs that I have not done. Mostly good. Sometimes have to view a few and take an average-some video makers have not fine tuned their scripts or their delivery.

LOL category: Had my wife watch the only video I could find, about replacing the torsion spring on my trunk. Needed her to understand the process. Easy, if you buy the expensive one time specific use tool. Needed her hands to push about 2mm of travel while I was on my back in the trunk with a HF cheap, one time use, pair of giant pliers.

That video was a hoot. Clearly no script, no thought to delivery. Two dudes, smoking cigarettes, looking/talking real rough. Wife was semi mortified by the video but she hung in and we got it done.
Glad those dudes got me “in the ballpark”. I saved $$$$.

Thankfully noone videoed us.


----------



## Muggsly (Nov 9, 2005)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> Get over yourself. This is a discussion about the *content* that's being uploaded to YouTube these days. I never bashed any of the actual people creating the content or said I can do it better, in fact just the opposite. Not sure why there's a few of you in this thread who are deeply offended, like I am bashing the creators themselves.
> 
> Just as a side note, the irony of telling me "if you don't like it don't watch it" after you've read through my entire thread that you clearly don't like is downright comical.
> 
> It's just a discussion people... If you're that heartfelt about YouTube and I ruined your day, I apologize. Didn't mean to come off as a "whinger".


Look whingers are going to whinge and your complaint was in no way constructive but just a blanket complaint across the board. Not to mention your reliance on hyperbole to make your point. There are 1000s of YT channels out there that feature Mountainbiking if you can't find one you like than that's on you. Like the say "if you go through the day you meet and asshole then you met an asshole. If you go through the day and everyone is an asshole then you are the asshole." Cheers


----------



## 772268 (Jun 8, 2014)

Wake up bro. It's the same for EVERYthing. Be it movies, talk shows, music....only 1 to 5% is ever worth the time of people with brains. It's not just MTB channels, it's everything. Be it leaders [so called], people, doctors, teachers...only a small percentage are top notch. This is the way it's always been, and always WILL be.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

Beats Seinfeld.


----------



## goldsbar (Dec 2, 2004)

The worst are the over-produced ones. A five minute video shouldn't contain four minutes of flashy stock intro/outro and cut scenes. 

A general problem is that routine riding is boring on film. I've seen local footage of highly technical trails that are very hard to clear look downright easy. Speed doesn't come through unless you're truly blazing. Skiing has similar issues. If you're not hucking 20+ feet, it just doesn't look that good on video.

If you think YouTube is bad, look at the Reddit MTB forums. A bunch of noobs posting 1 foot jumps over and over.


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

goldsbar said:


> A five minute video shouldn't contain four minutes of flashy stock intro/outro and cut scenes.


I watched a video detailing a snowboard binding modification and the dude spent a legit 7 minutes giving shout-outs and other intro blather before he got to the actual procedure. Cut to the chase please.


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

Muggsly said:


> Look whingers are going to whinge and your complaint was in no way constructive but just a blanket complaint across the board. Not to mention your reliance on hyperbole to make your point. There are 1000s of YT channels out there that feature Mountainbiking if you can't find one you like than that's on you. Like the say "if you go through the day you meet and asshole then you met an asshole. If you go through the day and everyone is an asshole then you are the asshole." Cheers


LoL, so I am an insufferable asshole because I find that the content in MTB specific YouTube videos has severely diminished in quality over the past few years? You're really stretching here.

Feel free to read back through this thread, where I point out that there are in fact channels I like.


----------



## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

DoctorJD said:


> Begged? LOL, what channels are you watching? I generally find that they'll usually mention (briefly) something to the effect of, "hey if you enjoy our content, consider becoming a patreon member" and that's it. Sorry, again, to each his own. I kinda enjoy the stuff.


Like I said before, I am not saying people are wrong for asking for Patreon donations or that they shouldn't be putting that stuff in their videos. My point was that there are a lot of YouTubers and Podcasters who spend a decent amount of time on their videos telling you why you should become a Patreon member, and it gets old. I think these guys lose sight of what it's like to be a part of the audience that's watching these videos. From their point of view it's not a big deal to spend a minute or two talking about it, but from my perspective as a viewer I have to listen to that same thing from all of the other guys in every other video that auto plays on my YouTube.

I will also point out that it's not just an issue with MTB content creators, it's YouTube and Podcasting in general.


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

goldsbar said:


> The worst are the over-produced ones. A five minute video shouldn't contain four minutes of flashy stock intro/outro and cut scenes.
> 
> A general problem is that routine riding is boring on film. I've seen local footage of highly technical trails that are very hard to clear look downright easy. Speed doesn't come through unless you're truly blazing. Skiing has similar issues. If you're not hucking 20+ feet, it just doesn't look that good on video.
> 
> If you think YouTube is bad, look at the Reddit MTB forums. A bunch of noobs posting 1 foot jumps over and over.


This was why I loved the old Trail Boss videos by Lenosky. It wasn't mach speed riding, and while it wasn't the greatest filmography on the planet it was still super interesting to watch him hunt down very technical trails.

It seems like that kind of video has been lost lately. Now most videos follow the formula of 4 minute intro > 2 minutes of talking and riding > 1 min asking for support


----------



## Prognosticator (Feb 15, 2021)

I watch videos by blindstuffmtb. He's based out of Miami so rides a lot of trails in the Southeast, and I appreciate very much that he's not a mtb superman and is very humble while at the same time being very passionate about the sport.


----------



## VTSession (Aug 18, 2005)

I'm down to just a few mtb Youtubers that I can enjoy. OldShovel, Nate Hiils, PinkBike and Beta bikes tests are my personal favorites. 

There are also a few recycled topics that are just beaten to death and need to stop like:
"We bought a department store bike and took it on some trails!" 

"Is a $9k bike faster than a $1k bike?"

"I'm traveling around the country and riding in a van!" (this was especially annoying during the height of the pandemic)

"Here's a completely biased review of the bike I own!" 

"Look at me! I'm riding (insert world famous riding destination that 1000000 videos already exist about)"

Another irk is that nowadays you can get amazingly high quality video equipment for way less money. Despite this, most Youtuber's are still using the played out GoPros angles or an iPhone. Get a nice 4k camera and be a little more inventive; I'm sick of your selfies videos with your phone and 5 straight minutes of your shaky helmet camera. 

End rant.


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## mike256 (Sep 4, 2020)

Bacon Fat said:


> I like Kyle and April - Ride MTB
> He does a good job breaking down skills and you can see her progress as she learns.


Those two are the worst of the bunch! Its complete bs. She isnt a new rider, she used to do moto.


----------



## GKelley (Sep 4, 2018)

mike256 said:


> Those two are the worst of the bunch! Its complete bs. She isnt a new rider, she used to do moto.


I do like Kyles instruction. But yea, you can tell it's never Aprils first time practicing something like they make it our to be. Just be truthful!


----------



## nwberm (Apr 16, 2021)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> I want so badly to love MTB YouTube channels, but my god 99.9% of them are just awful at this point.


I want so badly to love vague and abstract rants about "99.9%" of YouTube channels, but they're so awful.


----------



## Thoreau (Jun 15, 2017)

VTSession said:


> Another irk is that nowadays you can get amazingly high quality video equipment for way less money. Despite this, most Youtuber's are still using the played out GoPros angles or an iPhone. Get a nice 4k camera and be a little more inventive; I'm sick of your selfies videos with your phone and 5 straight minutes of your shaky helmet camera.


You can also get amazing quality out of modern gopros, with the very important ability to easily mount them anywhere and be able to ride. (There arent any excuses anymore for shaky helmet video, thats for damn sure.)

I don't imagine most youtube channels have a crew on hand to lug and manage equipment, let alone having someone not riding to do the filming. I definitely appreciate the ones that do though!

This **** is heavy =)


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

goldsbar said:


> <snip>
> 
> A general problem is that routine riding is boring on film. I've seen local footage of highly technical trails that are very hard to clear look downright easy. Speed doesn't come through unless you're truly blazing. Skiing has similar issues. If you're not hucking 20+ feet, it just doesn't look that good on video.
> 
> If you think YouTube is bad, look at the Reddit MTB forums. A bunch of noobs posting 1 foot jumps over and over.


true. I have amazing, true-grit adventures, insane trails...etc. but on video or photo a lot looks tame.

no one cares my walking speed amazing climbs...I know how it feels and how much sweat blasts out of me, but does it translate ? not without a production crew it doesn't


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## chadbrochills (Aug 9, 2018)

mtnbkrmike said:


> I stumbled onto this guy from a link in the comments section of a PB article. Pretty funny, smart and edgy.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I, too, stumbled across one of his videos about a week ago for the first time. Good stuff! Dude is pretty funny.


----------



## brex17 (Jan 31, 2019)

Ozzyman is worth watching. The rest? Meh.


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## chadbrochills (Aug 9, 2018)

Harold said:


> I haven't met him, but he's been through my area enough that I know people who have. He has a reputation for using his 'popular youtuber' status as a weapon to try to get special treatment.


He didn't come off that way at all, IMHO. 🤷‍♂️


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

chadbrochills said:


> He didn't come off that way at all, IMHO. 🤷‍♂️


the stories I've heard have come from shop employees regarding repair work he wanted done.

from the story you told, that empty promise would really piss me off. Not that I'd want a personal callout in any of these youtube vids, but one for the trail org responsible for what he was riding? seems to me that should be a given. use your popularity for good works. At least Seth has figured out a way to do that.

he kinda grates on me in his vids, personally.


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## MOJO K (Jan 26, 2007)

Trail Boss has been mentioned a couple of times now. I'd met Jeff Lenoski a couple of times, and he's exactly the same chill, upbeat guy you see on video. Being genuine comes through. He's also been a professional for 25+ years so he's well polished on how he presents himself, which also comes through.


----------



## NorCal_In_AZ (Sep 26, 2019)

Thoreau said:


> You can also get amazing quality out of modern gopros, with the very important ability to easily mount them anywhere and be able to ride. (There arent any excuses anymore for shaky helmet video, thats for damn sure.)
> 
> I don't imagine most youtube channels have a crew on hand to lug and manage equipment, let alone having someone not riding to do the filming. I definitely appreciate the ones that do though!
> 
> ...


Been following this thread just enjoying my popcorn. But I would like to say I really enjoy your videos man. Simple, previews of trails local to us that I can go ride. I recognized your bike, not many bike framed bikes on the Tubes.


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## chadbrochills (Aug 9, 2018)

Harold said:


> the stories I've heard have come from shop employees regarding repair work he wanted done.
> 
> from the story you told, that empty promise would really piss me off. Not that I'd want a personal callout in any of these youtube vids, but one for the trail org responsible for what he was riding? seems to me that should be a given. use your popularity for good works. At least Seth has figured out a way to do that.
> 
> he kinda grates on me in his vids, personally.


Interesting. Yeah, I only met him once. He seemed pretty chill and stoked to be clearing our big jumps.

The story about Steady Spin, yeah it was a bit dissappointing to see the video drop with no mention of the build crew or whatever.

re: Jeff Lenosky, I've heard nothign but good things about him. My buddy has ridden with him a few times now.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

chadbrochills said:


> re: Jeff Lenosky, I've heard nothign but good things about him. My buddy has ridden with him a few times now.


A friend of mine used to weld frames for REEB (and still does some work for them here and there on the side) and has met and ridden with Lenosky more than once. Seems a nice guy. I follow him on social media, but I do miss his older Trail Boss vids.


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## chadbrochills (Aug 9, 2018)

Harold said:


> A friend of mine used to weld frames for REEB (and still does some work for them here and there on the side) and has met and ridden with Lenosky more than once. Seems a nice guy. I follow him on social media, but I do miss his older Trail Boss vids.


I'm there with you. I grew up riding and racing bmx but didn't get into MTB riding until mid 2018. Hitting up YT back then, I loved his videos as well as Seth's earlier videos (I still like his content), but feel Jeff's has strayed a bit from those earlier videos I remember watching.


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## diamondback1x9 (Dec 21, 2020)

Harold said:


> he kinda grates on me in his vids, personally.


seth? or which one are you talking about...


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## ottoclave (Jul 13, 2020)

Sturgeon's law (Sturgeon's law - Wikipedia) would agree with the assessment of MTB YouTube channels, as well as the non-MTB channels

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Muggsly (Nov 9, 2005)

Harold said:


> the stories I've heard have come from shop employees regarding repair work he wanted done.
> 
> from the story you told, that empty promise would really piss me off. Not that I'd want a personal callout in any of these youtube vids, but one for the trail org responsible for what he was riding? seems to me that should be a given. use your popularity for good works. At least Seth has figured out a way to do that.
> 
> he kinda grates on me in his vids, personally.


Does he even make vids anymore? I have yet to see anything except in the background of another youtuber. I thought the STS was done due to mental strain or something similar.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

diamondback1x9 said:


> seth? or which one are you talking about...


singletrack sampler



Muggsly said:


> Does he even make vids anymore? I have yet to see anything except in the background of another youtuber. I thought the STS was done due to mental strain or something similar.


I dunno. I've only watched a little bit of his stuff, and that a long time ago.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)




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## GKelley (Sep 4, 2018)

Does Singletrack Sampler guy still live in a van in Seth's driveway? 😅


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## mike256 (Sep 4, 2020)

Muggsly said:


> Look whingers are going to whinge and your complaint was in no way constructive but just a blanket complaint across the board. Not to mention your reliance on hyperbole to make your point. There are 1000s of YT channels out there that feature Mountainbiking if you can't find one you like than that's on you.  Like the say "if you go through the day you meet and asshole then you met an asshole. If you go through the day and everyone is an asshole then you are the asshole." Cheers


Says the whinger..


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## jochribs (Nov 12, 2009)

J.B. Weld said:


> Beats Seinfeld.


Bite your damned tongue J.B.

Or in this case, smack your fingers with something 😁


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## evdog (Mar 18, 2007)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> The only channel I can sit down and watch without turning it off after a minute and a half is Nate Hills. Excellent riding and minimal talking. Why can't all channels do this?


Every time I watch one of his vids all I can think is man this guy and his ride pals are trying way too hard to look cool. Calling out other youtubers as hacks cemented his douchi-ness. Well done though, we should expect nothing less from a yeti-brah.


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

evdog said:


> Every time I watch one of his vids all I can think is man this guy and his ride pals are trying way too hard to look cool. Calling out other youtubers as hacks cemented his douchi-ness. Well done though, we should expect nothing less from a yeti-brah.


Interesting, I must have missed that. Everything I've watched has very minimal talking.


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## OneTrustMan (Nov 11, 2017)

I do watch a few smaller channels, but also Seth's Berm Peak. ( mostly for entertainment )
And I'm probably alone here, but I do like KevCentral.
The way he shows the bikes and components up so close is very good. 
It gives a much better view on the actual bike than just talking about components with a few pics.
I wish there was a channel that would review mid tier to high end bikes like that.


----------



## Curveball (Aug 10, 2015)

cookieMonster said:


> Remy Metaillier and Yoann Barelli.
> 
> Those guys consistently put out videos of the type of trails I like to ride (not boring flow trails), they're hilarious, don't have egos despite having earned them, and have great advice.
> 
> I don't care for the #Vanlifer type channels.


My favorites too! Those guys are amazing riders. They don't show 7 minutes of coffee and breakfast before getting to the riding.


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## Curveball (Aug 10, 2015)

Silentfoe said:


> Matt is a local to us. His son Kaulin is on our HS mtb race team and his company, Winder Towing is one of our major sponsors. That may make you like his channel more.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk


He strikes me as a very cool guy.


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## Curveball (Aug 10, 2015)

alpinerider38 said:


> I'm pretty sure Brits were speaking English long before America was even discovered 🤔


12,000 years ago?


----------



## Barbapapa (Apr 15, 2021)

Well, the best thing about YouTube is you don't have to watch anything if you don't want to so not much point complaining about it.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

Barbapapa said:


> Well, the best thing about YouTube is you don't have to watch anything if you don't want to so not much point complaining about it.


Same thing with this forum. 
And yet...


----------



## Barbapapa (Apr 15, 2021)

And yet people still do complain about it. True


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

Barbapapa said:


> Well, the best thing about YouTube is you don't have to watch anything if you don't want to so not much point complaining about it.


Kind of like I don't have to read your posts because they're unoriginal and add absolutely nothing to the conversation.

I'm getting the hang of this.


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## alpinerider38 (Jan 1, 2021)

Curveball said:


> 12,000 years ago?


Bout that I'd say, give or take a year or too 😋


----------



## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

Barbapapa said:


> And yet people still do complain about it. True


And by 'people', you do mean yourself, of course.

I'm kinda of amused with the people in this thread with brandy new accounts who within 2 and 5 total posts respectively, felt compelled to start complaining that someone else was complaining.


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## drich (Oct 9, 2015)

I don't subscribe to anyone's channel and can confidently say that I have no plans to financially support someone via Patreon. I mainly use youtube if I'm riding a new trail system and want to get a sense of the place. It's fine when youtubers ride well known/popular locations, but one guy blew up our local, less known trails. Within a few days of his clip being posted the trails were packed like I had never seen them before, and a bunch of trash was left behind that threatened to block trail access. Hopefully the views got the youtuber a new sponsor (note sarcasm).


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## jochribs (Nov 12, 2009)

slapheadmofo said:


> And by 'people', you do mean yourself, of course.
> 
> I'm kinda of amused with the people in this thread with brandy new accounts who within 2 and 5 total posts respectively, felt compelled to start complaining that someone else was complaining.


How old is this thread? About two days? Seems there are some birthdays in common with this thread and newbies with 'opinions'. Can mods trace IP addresses? 🤔 😁


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

jochribs said:


> How old is this thread? About two days? Seems there are some birthdays in common with this thread and newbies with 'opinions'. Can mods trace IP addresses? 🤔 😁


I definitely pissed off some insecure aspiring YouTubers I think... Wouldnt be surprised if some of them didn't create sock accounts to let me know what a miserable bastard I am lol


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## jochribs (Nov 12, 2009)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> I definitely pissed off some insecure aspiring YouTubers I think... Wouldnt be surprised if some of them didn't create sock accounts to let me know what a miserable bastard I am lol


Pay em no mind Triple S, pay em no mind 😁


----------



## CRM6 (Apr 7, 2021)

I really like Seth with Berm Peak and Berm Peak Express. I have actually joined his Patreon because all the proceeds go to building a trail system in nearby Canton NC. 
Jeff Kendellweed is great too!

Cant stand Mo Awesome..... Dude drives me nuts and sounds like fingernails across a chalk board.
My friends and I call Bobo (Beggo) because hes always begging for money.


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## steadite (Jan 13, 2007)

I was with OP until he said Nate Hills...while I agree the footage is amazing, that guy and his crew are a fricken menace on the trails. People like that give off-road cyclists a bad name—WAY excessive speed on 2-way trails that include hikers, skidding and sliding through every corner, shortcutting corners, and now buzzing everyone with a noisy drone to get more engaging footage.

He’s running a full-on business using the public resource of trails and I predict at some point there will be local blowback to excessive influencers abusing the trails and setting up photo shoots on public trails.


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

steadite said:


> I was with OP until he said Nate Hills...while I agree the footage is amazing, that guy and his crew are a fricken menace on the trails. People like that give off-road cyclists a bad name-WAY excessive speed on 2-way trails that include hikers, skidding and sliding through every corner, shortcutting corners, and now buzzing everyone with a noisy drone to get more engaging footage.
> 
> He's running a full-on business using the public resource of trails and I predict at some point there will be local blowback to excessive influencers abusing the trails and setting up photo shoots on public trails.


Maybe I just haven't seen the right videos or something. Most of the stuff I've watched of his is fairly remote stuff here in the Southwest... There's been a couple comments here that say he's a douchebag though, which is disappointing.


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## Le Duke (Mar 23, 2009)

The thing that bothers me about Nate Hills’ videos is that the guys in front of him are flopping about like fish out of water. I watched one video and counted the number of times the person in front of him had his rear wheel land off-trail almost 40% of the time. **** like that is why single track becomes an 8ft wide dirt road over time. It’s obvious that the riders are very skilled, and very oblivious to the damage the cause.

I like BKXC’s videos...on mute. I also fast forward through the first five minutes or so. 

HardTail party was meh at first. I’ve grown to like him quite a bit. Just good, solid riding sprinkled with reviews of HTs he likes.


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## EatsDirt (Jan 20, 2014)

steadite said:


> He's running a full-on business using the public resource of trails and I predict at some point there will be local blowback to excessive influencers abusing the trails and setting up photo shoots on public trails.


I'm blown away by how many YT and insta donkeys are exploiting fragile/unsanctioned/unsustainable trails to monetize for completely personal gain. They're effectively sh!tting everywhere the locals eat during their self promotion tours.

Even worse are those "the gnarliest trail I've ever ridden" type vids (actually commercials) where they blow up the honey hole that they had no business ever riding in the first place. Partially responsible are the local guides who are too dumb to realize the damage it causes... all for some superficial internet cred.


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## Barbapapa (Apr 15, 2021)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> Kind of like I don't have to read your posts because they're unoriginal and add absolutely nothing to the conversation.
> 
> I'm getting the hang of this.


Wow. I didn't realize you would be so offended by that, I was just trying to say that there is enough range in YouTube videos that you don't like the content somebody creates you can watch something else. I personally haven't experienced what you mentioned, but that probably because I usually watch mountain bike YouTube videos from people who get their main source of income elsewhere.
I also didn't create this account just to comment on this thread the timing was pure coincidence, I have no desire to create a YouTube channel.


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## SkyAboveDirtBelow (Apr 14, 2019)

EatsDirt said:


> I'm blown away by how many YT and insta donkeys are exploiting fragile/unsanctioned/unsustainable trails to monetize for completely personal gain. They're effectively sh!tting everywhere the locals eat during their self promotion tours.
> 
> Even worse are those "the gnarliest trail I've ever ridden" type vids (actually commercials) where they blow up the honey hole that they had no business ever riding in the first place. Partially responsible are the local guides who are too dumb to realize the damage it causes... all for some superficial internet cred.


Isn't this one of the reasons Seth switched to building his own trails? I think I remember him saying that him putting trails in his videos was causing usage problems in some cases.


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## SkyAboveDirtBelow (Apr 14, 2019)

Squirrel in the Spokes said:


> All vlogs are trash. It doesn't matter what it's for.


VLogs one of the worst and laziest forms of content creation. Right along them are reaction videos and unboxing videos. The worst, though, are the Youtubers who have just given up on creating the content that gave them an audience in the first place and now film themselves rambling on about current events or whatever else grinds their gears for the day.


----------



## jackn11 (Apr 8, 2021)

BCPOV is a pretty great channel.


----------



## stm32disco (Jun 7, 2017)

Here's my list in order or preference.

MGM Alternative - This one is new and so far, it's amazing. Miranda Miller is hilarious.
LoveMTB - I love the detail he goes into. He's always seems to know what question I'm thinking of.
Kyle and April - So wholesome, good instruction, April is good at bikes despite what it may seem.
Backyard Trail Builds - If Timothee Chalamet and Ron Swanson were a single person and decided to build MTB trails
Syd Fixes Bike - I don't know why it's notable, but this channel is enjoyable. Nice short videos.
Anything with Yoann Barelli or Wyn Masters - they're just naturally funny people.
Rob Warner - Mostly just him blathering away and making stupid comments but somehow it's funny at times.
....
....
Paint drying
Jeff Kendall-Weed - Dude is super hyped about bikes and is so positive but holy **** I CANNOT watch his stuff.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

lets settle this like the OG _*true cyclist*_ would


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## evasive (Feb 18, 2005)

EatsDirt said:


> I'm blown away by how many YT and insta donkeys are exploiting fragile/unsanctioned/unsustainable trails to monetize for completely personal gain. They're effectively sh!tting everywhere the locals eat during their self promotion tours.
> 
> Even worse are those "the gnarliest trail I've ever ridden" type vids (actually commercials) where they blow up the honey hole that they had no business ever riding in the first place. Partially responsible are the local guides who are too dumb to realize the damage it causes... all for some superficial internet cred.


YT just annoys me, especially if I'm looking for information that I could read in a fraction of time it takes someone to speak it, much less get through the introduction, etc. My fiancée is a therapist and used to be a school counselor. I had no idea how many kids do nothing but play video games and watch hours of YouTube. And their life goal is to be a professional gamer or YouTuber. Ugh.

Anyway, more relevant: BKXC filmed a video here with a local guide. Nothing particularly worth watching or interesting, but they rode the CDT, and he titled it Hella Fast in Helena, Montana. The actually weren't riding that fast at all, but the local anti-bike Boomer contingent found that video and posts it all the f_cking time. I'm sure it looks fast to them, and they complain about the behavior on "quiet trails", etc etc.

The local guide now has his own channel, and last spring during the height of pandemic spring fever, he shot a POV ride down one of our more popular trails and came across probably a dozen hikers in the video. Sure he slowed down, said hi, and probably thought he was demonstrating good trail etiquette, but I've seen that video posted a bunch by the same folks, and had it emailed to me a few times as an example of how bikers need to do better. To them it looks like he's riding fast (he's really not), and the hikers are diving out of his way.



Darth Lefty said:


> When the Vikings arrived in Newfoundland the Norman invasion was some 60 years off and I think most "brits" were speaking Celt


The Welsh and Scots spoke Celtic languages but I don't think that's your point here. The Normans spoke Norman French; the English spoke Old English. You seem to be confusing your culture changes.


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## nwberm (Apr 16, 2021)

slapheadmofo said:


> And by 'people', you do mean yourself, of course.
> 
> I'm kinda of amused with the people in this thread with brandy new accounts who within 2 and 5 total posts respectively, felt compelled to start complaining that someone else was complaining.


I am one of these people and proud of it. I'm new here to the forum and this is one of the top threads up top. You just don't really see low-quality rant threads like this in most other forums. And if they do occur, the community derides the poster enough to shame them from doing it again. But if this is how y'all roll on mtbr then I don't see myself being around here much. I come for quality content. Not armchair quarterbacks hyperbolically criticizing no one in particular. It makes it hard to find the good threads.


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## jochribs (Nov 12, 2009)

nwberm said:


> I am one of these people and proud of it. I'm new here to the forum and this is one of the top threads up top. You just don't really see low-quality rant threads like this in most other forums. And if they do occur, the community derides the poster enough to shame them from doing it again. But if this is how y'all roll on mtbr then I don't see myself being around here much. I come for quality content. Not armchair quarterbacks hyperbolically criticizing no one in particular. It makes it hard to find the good threads.


You'll get used to it.


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## Dirt Road (Feb 6, 2016)

Content creators..... please, most suck and do not garner my subscription let alone Patreon or merch participation. Most of the larger channels have a very high opinion of themselves.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

nwberm said:


> I come for quality content. Not armchair quarterbacks hyperbolically criticizing no one in particular. I


If you can't beat 'em, join 'em apparently.


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## Forest Rider (Oct 29, 2018)

I understand the folks producing videos for the past few years have had to go commercial. That's part of their gig. They make more money than a lot of people do who have a 'go to work' job.
If you have 1000 Patreon subscribers for a buck a shot, that's a thousand a month. Plus ad revenue plus video watches. The guys doing it now have a crapload of subscribers and viewers, rightfully so. No idea what percentage they keep though.
Their content has gotten better, while becoming worse. But at least they have grown.
The 2 channels I want to watch are Awesome MTB and Paul the Punter.
Awesome MTB is too dramatic -listen to Hanna cruising along describing some difficulty then listen to Mo screaming "don't die".
And they have sloppy camera work. They continue moving the camera way to fast and fail to set the camera settings accordingly for their slow motion stuff....like vlogging in a bike store using 24 or 30 fps and going slow motion.
They are great riders and have good filming skills for trail riding, except for the crazy narration. 
Paul the Punter has potential for good content but he doesn't edit to a way I can watch. Ever 4 seconds he is cutting out audio gaps and it does't flow well and the constant jump cuts nauseates me. I have to stop after about 2 minutes.

The big time folks have really stepped up over the years but as they become commercial it's downgraded.
BK does too much talking now. It was okay at first when he'd talk a little and ride, talk, etc. But now the front and back of the video are longer vlogs. Video time has extended too much and he's a giant billboard now. 
Seth is the leader in production from the channels I watch. LoveMTB does very detailed reviews -I think the 'engineering' background stands out to me. He seems like an engineer personality type.
Skills with Phil is on top of my list. Trail building for him is pretty decent -he makes good edits but his ride videos are in fact some of the best. I guess that's what you get with you give a camera to a decent camera person who knows how to edit and is a pro rider.
I have come to like BCPOV too. He's right there with Seth in terms of voice over content. He and Yuka do a good job editing content.
The GMBM content is good but their POV videos are the worst. Maybe it's just too dark for the camera to work but their POV footage is about the worse for shake. ha
I like Loam Rangers editing and content. I watch his the least of the group but most of the stuff is pretty good.
I think all the above have at least one character trait that I dislike. I apparently dislike it so little that I do watch as opposed to other channels though. 

I watch more than my fair share of videos but also have just a few makers that I watch. I can't make my ride videos look as fast as theirs. I feel like I ride well. My editing is okay but it's a lot of work.
For those folks to put out a video a week or so is an accomplishment. We all know better, watch folks with poor audio and/or shaky footage or poor camera work and it becomes evident the effort they put into the work.

It's good for entertainment value. I watch the videos on my TV screens when I'm bored and I'll catch a few at the end of the day to kill an hour. It's easy enough to fast forward through some bits of vlogging, etc.
The worst part about TV watching is when they blip of text too quick to read it's mostly missed.....and when the text is that the bottom, the content is hidden behind the status bar when paused.


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## Forest Rider (Oct 29, 2018)

nwberm said:


> I am one of these people and proud of it. I'm new here to the forum and this is one of the top threads up top. You just don't really see low-quality rant threads like this in most other forums. And if they do occur, the community derides the poster enough to shame them from doing it again. But if this is how y'all roll on mtbr then I don't see myself being around here much. I come for quality content. Not armchair quarterbacks hyperbolically criticizing no one in particular. It makes it hard to find the good threads.


You are correct. This is by far the most argumentative and complaining forums I've been to.
I thought last weekend was my last but I haven't gotten around to bailing yet. Maybe Sunday will finally be my last day.
I can be depressed just by turning on the TV, no need to take the joy out of bike riding too.

However like mentioned just above -you'll get used to it unfortunately.


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## Bacon Fat (Mar 11, 2016)

Forest Rider said:


> Paul the Punter has potential for good content but he doesn't edit to a way I can watch. Ever 4 seconds he is cutting out audio gaps and it does't flow well and the constant jump cuts nauseates me. I have to stop after about 2 minutes.


The quick cut edit bothers me too. It is like they just do one cut and cut out any mistake or umms/ahhs. If you mess up or it isn't a good delivery. Then just start again. Public speaking or talking into a camera is hard, but these edits make it harder to watch


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## SkyAboveDirtBelow (Apr 14, 2019)

Covid has really affected the opportunities to make content, but even disregarding that a lot of the bigger channels have gone stale. I miss the crazier stuff from early on. Taking Seth as an example, I miss stuff like like Seth and Alexander touring to the Florida Keys, Seth and Phil on a tandem MTB, riding a fat bike in the ocean, etc. Now it seems like all the big channels are just copying each other


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## Kona0197 (Oct 19, 2004)

If we are going to talk about channels we can't stand I have a few...

GCN - The guys that do the videos are pretty cool, but like I've seen elsewhere around the internet they seem to think road bikes are better then any other bicycle genre out there and the more expensive the bike, the better. 
RJ The Bike Guy - I give credit for a guy trying to show people how to work on bikes at home but most of the time he uses homebrewed tools for the wrong purpose or shows how to do a repair the wrong way or uses the wrong oil/lube for the wrong job.


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

nwberm said:


> I am one of these people and proud of it. I'm new here to the forum and this is one of the top threads up top. You just don't really see low-quality rant threads like this in most other forums. And if they do occur, the community derides the poster enough to shame them from doing it again. But if this is how y'all roll on mtbr then I don't see myself being around here much. I come for quality content. Not armchair quarterbacks hyperbolically criticizing no one in particular. It makes it hard to find the good threads.


I have no shame, so good luck.

I'm also not sure what forums you're currently on, but every one I've ever been on has way more bickering and bitching than MTBR.

Last thing, while people like you look at this as complaining, there are 10 pages of people who understood exactly what I was getting at. YouTube content for mtb has gone downhill the past few years. It's a legitimate discussion to have, and if you don't like it maybe you should go back to the Bronies forums where you claim there are no meanies.


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## Darth Lefty (Sep 29, 2014)

evasive said:


> The Welsh and Scots spoke Celtic languages but I don't think that's your point here.


No, that was exactly my gag. Ireland too. But it was just a gag.

The alumin-um / -ium thing turned out to be more interesting when I looked it up. When the metal was first theorized the proposed name was "alumium" but it was a Latin suffix grafted on an English word and roundly dissed. Hall used -ium in patent filings but -um in ad copy.


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## EvanWilliams1783 (Oct 11, 2011)

Then don’t watch them. Some of these folks have a found a way to get paid to ride bikes. More power to them.


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## Brad Pitted (Oct 7, 2018)

Though usually not bike related, I want to plug Mediocre Amateur as another one who has a fraction of the subs I feel they deserve. Just a couple dudes into mountaineering and skiing who set some lofty goals and then suffer through all the hell it takes to get there. To not only do some of the slogs they do but also go to the trouble of getting the shot and for minimal financial gain is pretty impressive.


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## Matt_Edger (Aug 12, 2016)

Harold said:


> these days, my youtube account is more for pet videos than anything else.


Go on...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## DeeCount (Oct 3, 2020)

Trevor Noah went over this few months ago. Apparently the international scientific community has officially adopted the "ium". So we Americans that continue to say "um" are actually pronouncing it wrong. 😋


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## acer66 (Oct 13, 2010)

CRM6 said:


> I really like Seth with Berm Peak and Berm Peak Express. I have actually joined his Patreon because all the proceeds go to building a trail system in nearby Canton NC.
> Jeff Kendellweed is great too!
> 
> Cant stand Mo Awesome..... Dude drives me nuts and sounds like fingernails across a chalk board.
> My friends and I call Bobo (Beggo) because hes always begging for money.


Forgot about the trail system in Canton, need to check for updates.👍


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

EvanWilliams1783 said:


> Then don't watch them. Some of these folks have a found a way to get paid to ride bikes. More power to them.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Matt_Edger said:


> Go on...
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


not those kinds of videos. wife has really been interested in trick certifications, and she's doing a program where they have online evaluations. so you record video of the tricks needed to achieve a title, upload to youtube, send link to the evaluator, and they let you know if you're successful. all those vids are only accessible if I give someone the link. so they're public, but not.


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## Matt_Edger (Aug 12, 2016)

Harold said:


> not those kinds of videos. wife has really been interested in trick certifications, and she's doing a program where they have online evaluations. so you record video of the tricks needed to achieve a title, upload to youtube, send link to the evaluator, and they let you know if you're successful. all those vids are only accessible if I give someone the link. so they're public, but not.


Darn! I really had my hopes up!










Anyway that's pretty neat that she's doing that.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## chadbrochills (Aug 9, 2018)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> I have no shame, so good luck.
> 
> I'm also not sure what forums you're currently on, but every one I've ever been on has way more bickering and bitching than MTBR.
> 
> Last thing, while people like you look at this as complaining, there are 10 pages of people who understood exactly what I was getting at. YouTube content for mtb has gone downhill the past few years. It's a legitimate discussion to have, and if you don't like it maybe you should go back to the Bronies forums where you claim there are no meanies.


Dude, seriously, we're not complaining as so much as being honest. Content has gone downhill for a lot of the MTB YouTubers. Most would call it constructive criticism. Considering we're the audience they're targeting, I'd say it's just.

Edit: and I forgot to say, I have a YT channel for our local freeride area. It's NOT easy to keep up when you have a full time job and don't get paid for creating content. It's been a while since I've posted a video even, over a year. I don't do it blog style, they're just purely riding videos of locals with some music (which YT loves to hit with copyright claims lol). So I understand what goes into creating videos and I'm not completely ignorant to the subject. It's not easy at all honestly, but I feel if I didn't work 45-50hrs a week, I could grow the channel a lot bigger.


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## Curveball (Aug 10, 2015)

Le Duke said:


> The thing that bothers me about Nate Hills' videos is that the guys in front of him are flopping about like fish out of water. I watched one video and counted the number of times the person in front of him had his rear wheel land off-trail almost 40% of the time. **** like that is why single track becomes an 8ft wide dirt road over time. It's obvious that the riders are very skilled, and very oblivious to the damage the cause.
> 
> I like BKXC's videos...on mute. I also fast forward through the first five minutes or so.
> 
> HardTail party was meh at first. I've grown to like him quite a bit. Just good, solid riding sprinkled with reviews of HTs he likes.


One thing that really stands out on the Hardtail Party videos are his interactions with other trail users. He's always very polite and considerate of them. He gives mountain bikers a good name with those he encounters.


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## Curveball (Aug 10, 2015)

One notable thing is that the videos don’t do a very good job of showing just how steep the terrain is. I’ve ridden up in Squamish and those rock slabs are far steeper than what the videos capture. Even our local trails are much steeper than the videos show.


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## chadbrochills (Aug 9, 2018)

Curveball said:


> One thing that really stands out on the Hardtail Party videos are his interactions with other trail users. He's always very polite and considerate of them. He gives mountain bikers a good name with those he encounters.


Yeah, I dig his videos. I almost bought a SC Chameleon due to him. lol



Curveball said:


> One notable thing is that the videos don't do a very good job of showing just how steep the terrain is. I've ridden up in Squamish and those rock slabs are far steeper than what the videos capture. Even our local trails are much steeper than the videos show.


So. True. As a builder, I hear that quite a bit. We have a "slopestyle" line with big tables and drops. The first drop, which is about 7-8' looks like you're just riding off a curb on video. Because of that, people see it in the video and think it's pretty much nothing. When they see everything in person, things change a bit lol. I've seen a ton of people back out because video didn't do it justice. Well, I should say POV video doesn't do it justice.


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## Sickmak90 (May 27, 2012)

Curveball said:


> One thing that really stands out on the Hardtail Party videos are his interactions with other trail users. He's always very polite and considerate of them. He gives mountain bikers a good name with those he encounters.


I saw some people complaining about how he thinks "everything should have a 65* HT angle". Of course he does look at where he rides. I started watching him after I went back to a HT and enjoy his videos.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Curveball (Aug 10, 2015)

Sickmak90 said:


> I saw some people complaining about how he thinks "everything should have a 65* HT angle". Of course he does look at where he rides. I started watching him after I went back to a HT and enjoy his videos.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I like his videos too and he's the gold standard of trail etiquette.


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## Funoutside (Jul 17, 2019)

Sickmak90 said:


> I saw some people complaining about how he thinks "everything should have a 65* HT angle". Of course he does look at where he rides. I started watching him after I went back to a HT and enjoy his videos.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Which is interesting since his wife's DV9 with the slacker headset is like 66.5* & he like that bike too.


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## net wurker (Sep 13, 2007)

Curveball said:


> One notable thing is that the videos don't do a very good job of showing just how steep the terrain is. I've ridden up in Squamish and those rock slabs are far steeper than what the videos capture. Even our local trails are much steeper than the videos show.


Unofficially known as the "GoPro Effect".


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## Le Duke (Mar 23, 2009)

Curveball said:


> One thing that really stands out on the Hardtail Party videos are his interactions with other trail users. He's always very polite and considerate of them. He gives mountain bikers a good name with those he encounters.


Yep. Doesn't treat the trail like his own personal bike park.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Curveball (Aug 10, 2015)

net wurker said:


> Unofficially known as the "GoPro Effect".


Oh yeah, I know that, but forgot the term when I posted. Damned old age wrecking my memory.


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## SkyAboveDirtBelow (Apr 14, 2019)

net wurker said:


> Unofficially known as the "GoPro Effect".


Seth once made a video where he tried to demonstrate this by comparing GoPro footage with third person cameras. Seems like it was made several years ago.


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## outside! (Mar 15, 2006)

Haven't seen them mentioned but "Jonas M" channel has the best videography of any MTB videos I have seen. I have put them on during parties and non-riders stop and watch. They speak Danish or Swedish or something, so I just play other music.


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## Forest Rider (Oct 29, 2018)

A good gopro effect video is a recent one by Danny MacAskill "The Slabs". The end of the video looks super steep POV, but other areas when the drone is to the side it showcases steepness.

I used to take a P&S camera out with my dirt bike friend and record ourselves hill climbing. Any time a person can get the camera mounted flat to the horizon, pointing at the side of the hill it will show just how steep things are. This was a long time ago, maybe even before the first Hero was released. 

Also, any of us who have recorded or own POV on our steepest terrain and watch it back can better gauge watching videos from others.
Another good trick for showing steepness of a climb is to follow somebody -watch how quick the cadence is compared to how slowly the trees are coming atcha.


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## Curveball (Aug 10, 2015)

Forest Rider said:


> A good gopro effect video is a recent one by Danny MacAskill "The Slabs". The end of the video looks super steep POV, but other areas when the drone is to the side it showcases steepness.


I think that if you don't enjoy the hell out of MacAskill's videos then you have no business riding a mountain bike and should probably take up golf or knitting.


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## diamondback1x9 (Dec 21, 2020)

Curveball said:


> I think that if you don't enjoy the hell out of MacAskill's videos then you have no business riding a mountain bike and should probably take up golf or knitting.


what about b rage vestavik?


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## voghan (Aug 18, 2014)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> This was the guy who had a bunch of drama going on with some other YouTuber that he apparently called out as being a fake mtb bro because he lived in LA and flew to Colorado to shoot videos or something? I don't know. They had videos back and forth. So stupid.
> 
> A lot of the places BKXC rides are cool, but his riding in general is boring.


The feud was done with sarcasm then when people didn't realize it, it became an inside joke.


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## JaxMustang50 (Jun 26, 2017)

I saw this and immediately thought of this thread.
GMBN. I quite enjoyed it.


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## TylerVernon (Nov 10, 2019)

imo, these videos could be instantly better if the hosts would NEVER point the camera at their face. I have ZERO interest in seeing these made for radio faces. Just focus on the bikes, the scenery, and the riding. I want to hear you if you have something useful to say; I never want to see you.


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

JaxMustang50 said:


> I saw this and immediately thought of this thread.
> GMBN. I quite enjoyed it.


That video was very watchable. Makes me want to get on my bike.


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## Silentfoe (May 9, 2008)

TylerVernon said:


> imo, these videos could be instantly better if the hosts would NEVER point the camera at their face. I have ZERO interest in seeing these made for radio faces. Just focus on the bikes, the scenery, and the riding. I want to hear you if you have something useful to say; I never want to see you.


Videos like that hardly ever work. A million groms with a gopro ride trails and then post their extremely boring rides on YouTube. It's the personality of the host and the interest they bring to story behind the ride that brings people back.

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk


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## Klurejr (Oct 13, 2006)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> I want so badly to love MTB YouTube channels, but my god 99.9% of them are just awful at this point. There are so many channels out there these days, everything from riding videos to reviews and everything in between. I find almost all of them unwatchable. The ride videos have gotten to the point where they are about 60% listening to someone talk while they sit in their #vanlife van, and 40% riding but having to listen to them yacking about their absolute favorite (sponsored) new parts. The riding isn't even all that stellar even when they finally get to it. The worst part of these is that now there's starting to be drama between channels. These guys somehow think that the average rider, who rides for enjoyment and uses mountain biking to get away from the dramas of daily life want to hear about how they don't think another guy from another MTB channel is a true mountain bike bro. That guy over there is faking it, don't watch his channel watch mine.
> 
> Review channels are every bit as insufferable. The reviews are either beyond glowing (paid) or they spend 2 minutes of their video letting you know that they are definitely unbiased (probably not) and how you should contribute monthly to their Patron account so they can quit their day job and do bike reviews full time. Most of these channels are either directed at newbies (nothing wrong with that) or their entire review consists of just spouting off current industry buzzwords like "shreddy" and "flickable" as if that somehow gives us an indication as to how a bike really rides. The worst part is that a lot of these guys will start getting into technical things with regards to how a frame is built, how suspension is built, etc without having any idea what they're talking about. I can understand wanting to quit your job and do something you love, but please stop begging me for $5/mo while you try to figure out how to make a career out of telling people the difference between SLX 12spd and XT 12spd in multiple videos per week.
> 
> The only channel I can sit down and watch without turning it off after a minute and a half is Nate Hills. Excellent riding and minimal talking. Why can't all channels do this?


I did not bother reading all 12 pages, but have you seen the Berm Peak and Berm Peak Express channels? Used to be called Seths Bike Hacks. His stuff is really good.


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

Fast Life on the Red Bull channel is great


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## chadbrochills (Aug 9, 2018)

Nat said:


> That video was very watchable. Makes me want to get on my bike.


Indeed! I also like the Vital MTB Raw videos, like this one (that makes me want to sell my bike lol)






Just insane riding!


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## k2rider1964 (Apr 29, 2010)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> I definitely pissed off some insecure aspiring YouTubers I think... Wouldnt be surprised if some of them didn't create sock accounts to let me know what a miserable bastard I am lol


You've only been here since 2018, you're kind of a newbie yourself.


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## Squirrel in the Spokes (Apr 9, 2021)

The difference between the good videos posted and the majority of YouTube is the good videos are third person cameras (rather than first person gopros) and you can see the actions of the rider. This is also known as putting in time and effort into the recording.


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

The Red Bull bike channel is excellent. Professional quality as one would expect.


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## SkyAboveDirtBelow (Apr 14, 2019)

Nat said:


> The Red Bull bike channel is excellent. Professional quality as one would expect.


Over produced with no relevance to regular riders?

The biggest MTB Youtubers are fairly ordinary riders whose biggest draw is their personality. The stuff put out by big corporations is, well, so corporate that is it offputting and at variance with the medium. It is like a thirty year old showing up in a suit at a party for high schoolers.


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

SkyAboveDirtBelow said:


> Over produced with no relevance to regular riders?
> 
> The biggest MTB Youtubers are fairly ordinary riders whose biggest draw is their personality. The stuff put out by big corporations is, well, so corporate that is it offputting and at variance with the medium. It is like a thirty year old showing up in a suit at a party for high schoolers.


Disagree


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

JaxMustang50 said:


> I saw this and immediately thought of this thread.
> GMBN. I quite enjoyed it.


I keep watching this video over and over. I like how you can hear his physical exertion and also his suspension working. Wayyyy better than hearing background music.


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## chadbrochills (Aug 9, 2018)

Nat said:


> Disagree


Same here. I don't want to watch POV footage of mediocre riders or riders who I ride better than, with little to no personality, pushing their latest sponsors product or their Patreon link. I want to see good quality, well edited footage of riders who are progressing the sport.

Same thing with surfing. I've been for 30+yrs so well before YouTube was even a thought. Growing up, we didn't buy videos of mediocre local surfers, we bought the best edited VHS (lol) surf videos by ...Lost, Volcom, etc. Even now with YouTube, I still don't watch videos of mediocre surfers, I stick to the good stuff like JOB's vlogs or vids by any of the big names in the sport.

That being said, I understand everyone has different preferences. I just find the "fairly ordinary riders" on YouTube to be boring. ?‍♂


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

chadbrochills said:


> Same here. I don't want to watch POV footage of mediocre riders or riders who I ride better than, with little to no personality, pushing their latest sponsors product or their Patreon link. I want to see good quality, well edited footage of riders who are progressing the sport.


I feel the same way. The human interest videos of high level riders are particularly interesting to me, and motivate me far more than watching a mediocre rider living out of a van (although sometimes those are fun to watch anyway). For example, I follow the Red Bull series because it covers more than just bike riding; It explores what's going on in their heads:






Even though I know I will never ride anywhere near the level of those top riders I like watching them do what they do because they're so damned good at it. Actually, I enjoy watching any talented person doing what they do when they're really good at it. I don't care what the talent is; When I see someone who is awesome at what they do it's inspirational. I just like watching talented people.

Skills With Phil is maybe an example of a "regular guy" but his riding skills are excellent and I like his goofy personality so his channel is watchable.


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## davec113 (May 31, 2006)

I like it all but I watch the mediocre riders mostly to see the trails and scenery. Some of these guys riding is a little cringy to watch though, lol... There was a video with one guy who shall remain unnamed learning to jump that was just so horrific, he refuses to commit for basically the entire video, just a whole 15 min of trying to jump but not really. Nobody needs to see this. 

I'd rather watch Nate Hills and Skills with Phil, they are both pro riders with amazing skills. I've built trail and rode with Nate, he's ever better than the vids suggest! Also been liking Remy, Barelli and Steve in Squamish, those guys are NUTS! As well as the Remi, Jesse and Miller's new MGM Alternative channel, it's really good so far.


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## chadbrochills (Aug 9, 2018)

Nat said:


> I feel the same way. The human interest videos of high level riders are particularly interesting to me, and motivate me far more than watching a mediocre rider living out of a van (although sometimes those are fun to watch anyway). For example, I follow the Red Bull series because it covers more than just bike riding; It explores what's going on in their heads:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Exactly!! I want to see people who are in the top % of whatever it is they do. Couldn't agree more, even in regards to Phil. Dude rips.


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## chadbrochills (Aug 9, 2018)

davec113 said:


> *I like it all but I watch the mediocre riders mostly to see the trails and scenery.* Some of these guys riding is a little cringy to watch though, lol... There was a video with one guy who shall remain unnamed learning to jump that was just so horrific, he refuses to commit for basically the entire video, just a whole 15 min of trying to jump but not really. Nobody needs to see this.
> 
> I'd rather watch Nate Hills and Skills with Phil, they are both pro riders with amazing skills. I've built trail and rode with Nate, he's ever better than the vids suggest! Also been liking Remy, Barelli and Steve in Squamish, those guys are NUTS! As well as the Remi, Jesse and Miller's new MGM Alternative channel, it's really good so far.


That's about the only time I'll watch some mediocre riders, if I want to see a trail I haven't ridden and there's no footage by a good rider. I've watched a ton of videos of my local trails, 98% of them are just meh because it's all POV footage of newb riders or mediocre riders trying to start a YouTube channel. Them barely making climbs that I have no issue with is just boring AF to watch, to me at least.


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## diamondback1x9 (Dec 21, 2020)

recently i've had bike video burnout (i guess?) and can't usually watch through a whole edit. something like brage's real mtb edit was good enough that it kept me watching through the whole video.


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

chadbrochills said:


> That's about the only time I'll watch some mediocre riders, if I want to see a trail I haven't ridden and there's no footage by a good rider. I've watched a ton of videos of my local trails, 98% of them are just meh because it's all POV footage of newb riders or mediocre riders trying to start a YouTube channel. Them barely making climbs that I have no issue with is just boring AF to watch, to me at least.


I look up trail videos when I'm scouting out a new riding location. Sometimes the POV cam of average riders is all that's available. As long as the image is stabilized and not shaky as hell then I can watch it for trail beta but when I see them bypassing all of the fun features I start yelling at the monitor in frustration, ha ha. "COME ON!!! TAKE THE JUMP!!!"


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## Ironchefjon (Mar 23, 2007)

sam pilgrims channel and the rest of the english MTB VLOG crew (tom cardy, fairclough etc) is just about the most entertaining thing on youtube


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## SkyAboveDirtBelow (Apr 14, 2019)

chadbrochills said:


> Same here. I don't want to watch POV footage of mediocre riders or riders who I ride better than, with little to no personality, pushing their latest sponsors product or their Patreon link. I want to see good quality, well edited footage of riders who are progressing the sport.


The only thing pro riders progress is sales for Trekalized. All it is is advertising. For lack of a better word it is phony.

I care about pros doing stuff I would never do just about as much as I care about people in wing suits flying through terrain gaps at a hundred miles per hour. Mildly interesting but zero relevance to me. I would rather watch a more real experience by someone closer to myself, someone who cannot blaze a quadruple double super black line with one eye open and never a thought about getting injured.

In fact I think Seth getting injured has been a good thing. It is not good for him obviously. But it shows there are serious, perhaps life changing, consequences possible for screwing up.


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## chadbrochills (Aug 9, 2018)

SkyAboveDirtBelow said:


> The only thing pro riders progress is sales for Trekalized. All it is is advertising. For lack of a better word it is phony.
> 
> I care about pros doing stuff I would never do just about as much as I care about people in wing suits flying through terrain gaps at a hundred miles per hour. Mildly interesting but zero relevance to me. I would rather watch a more real experience by someone closer to myself, someone who cannot blaze a quadruple double super black line with one eye open and never a thought about getting injured.
> 
> In fact I think Seth getting injured has been a good thing. It is not good for him obviously. But it shows there are serious, perhaps life changing, consequences possible for screwing up.


Well, I disagree, obviously. There's a ton of "pro" riders who are progressing the sport and aren't pushing sales for corporations. I mean, I get the allure of seeing "regular people" riding stuff you can relate to, but a majority of the time they're edited horribly and just boring videos overall, IMO.

And, I don't need to see Seth (who I'm a huge fan of as well, btw) get hurt to understand the risks of mountain biking. I think anyone who's not a complete newbie rider more than likely knows the risks that revolve around the sport.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

SkyAboveDirtBelow said:


> The only thing pro riders progress is sales for Trekalized. All it is is advertising. For lack of a better word it is phony.
> 
> I care about pros doing stuff I would never do just about as much as I care about people in wing suits flying through terrain gaps at a hundred miles per hour. Mildly interesting but zero relevance to me. I would rather watch a more real experience by someone closer to myself, someone who cannot blaze a quadruple double super black line with one eye open and never a thought about getting injured.


This is the type of attitude that gave the world amateur granny porn.


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## steadite (Jan 13, 2007)

slapheadmofo said:


> This is the type of attitude that gave the world amateur granny porn.


Not clear whether you're saying that's a good or bad thing...


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

steadite said:


> Not clear whether you're saying that's a good or bad thing...


Neither am I.


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## Curveball (Aug 10, 2015)

I've become very tired of the pro riders doing aerial acrobatics. It's pretty amazing what they can do, but I've seen so much of it that I can't really watch it anymore. I also can't relate to it. It seems like an entirely different sport from what I do.


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## SkyAboveDirtBelow (Apr 14, 2019)

chadbrochills said:


> Well, I disagree, obviously. There's a ton of "pro" riders who are progressing the sport and aren't pushing sales for corporations. I mean, I get the allure of seeing "regular people" riding stuff you can relate to, but a majority of the time they're edited horribly and just boring videos overall, IMO.


Here is the thing. I ride to be in the mountains and for fitness. Progressing the sport to me means expanding the places available to ride. Enduro bros dressed as pseudo motocrossers don't progress my version of sport. In fact they are easily available ammunition for a-holes in the Sierra Club who want to restrict mountain biking.

A lot of the MTB channels are basically lifestyle channels that rely on the personality of the Youtuber. They are basically selling their relatability to their viewers. Pros don't do it for me. I watched enough of that sh!t as a roadie. POV videos don't do it for me either, usually.


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## bikeranzin (Oct 2, 2018)

Nat said:


> Fast Life on the Red Bull channel is great


I agree, but what's with all the sultry tone of voice? It still throws me off.


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## GKelley (Sep 4, 2018)

I do value POV videos from local riders. It gives me a chance to gauge the trails before I ride them.


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## D. Inoobinati (Aug 28, 2020)

GKelley said:


> I do value POV videos from local riders. It gives me a chance to gauge the trails before I ride them.


Same.
Especially when taking along riders of lesser ability.

Having SOME production value in the video, however, goes a long way towards better informing and stoking hesitant riders.


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## Muggsly (Nov 9, 2005)

GKelley said:


> I do value POV videos from local riders. It gives me a chance to gauge the trails before I ride them.


That go pro effect though.

Me watching video - oh man that trail looks sick can't wait to ride it
Me on trail - how is this place this steep!! WTF


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

Muggsly said:


> That go pro effect though.
> 
> Me watching video - oh man that trail looks sick can't wait to ride it
> Me on trail - how is this place this steep!! WTF


So true.


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## nobody special (Jun 21, 2019)

If they have their face in the camera with drama, I just turn it off. I don't want to see your face.

If they are sitting in their car driving to the trail, I turn it off.

If they are sitting in a room and not even outside, I turn it off.

If they have lots of whining and excuses and explanation of why failure, I turn it off.

I guess that being said I turn off about 98% of all the videos I begin to watch.

Some riders are good enough and interesting enough that I will put up with a small amount of that in order to get to the riding content, but very few.


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## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

Friend of mine was producing all of his race videos for a while. Just POV racing, I think most people who watch are people who are stuck on trainers over winter. He wasn't trying to make money, though for a short time he tried to use Patreon or whatever just to try and cover his costs. But I think he got burned out and just posts a video here and there now for fun with minimal editing work.


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## nayr497 (Nov 9, 2011)

I have been a roadie much longer than a mtber. Lately there is a weird proliferation of guys with channels doing race highlights. Most of them don't actually ride and do these really weird bot-style commentary. It's very strange.


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## Old school dude (Sep 29, 2021)

Mtn bike videos can be bad. I think it depends on what channel it is really. Even if its some I follow they can be boring or stupid. But I really like Bern peak, skills with Phil, gcn, gmbn, park tool, pink bike, red bull bike, syd and Macky, single track sampler.


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