Thursday, June 21, 2018
Monday, June 18, 2018
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Rylo
Update below.
I have added the Rylo to my arsenal of cameras. Really hoping it will be a valuable tool and provide my channel with something unique. I have only played with it very briefly and I think it will take some time to get it dialed in and learn how best to use it.
So far it seems like there are lots of small drawbacks, short record times, no external battery charger, the need for High Capacity and High Speed ($) SD cards. Time will tell.
Update:
So I have the Rylo for a couple weeks. I have purchased the Adventure case and 2 128 GB SD cards and 2 more batteries (4 total now). With the 128 SD I get 233 minutes of record time which is really enough for a day of riding. The battery situation is not great but not terrible either. 2 Batteries lasted most of a day at Killington and some download time on the ride home. Two more and I should be good. Charging is still an issue as I will have to swap them all in and out. :(
We did some follow cam and it is awesome!! Really really good at getting the rider behind. I did some more hip shots but it was not placed well so ended with a bunch of footage of my elbow. I am going to work on getting it mounted on my upper thigh and hopes that will work better.
Editing is a Pain and Awesome. So the process is you really have to do an edit on the phone. So you watch the video, do some edits, save the video to the phone, air drop it the mac, add to video folder, import to mac editor. Took me days to get through the footage from a day at the park. The phone editor is really good though, just a time consuming process.
I have added the Rylo to my arsenal of cameras. Really hoping it will be a valuable tool and provide my channel with something unique. I have only played with it very briefly and I think it will take some time to get it dialed in and learn how best to use it.
So far it seems like there are lots of small drawbacks, short record times, no external battery charger, the need for High Capacity and High Speed ($) SD cards. Time will tell.
So I have the Rylo for a couple weeks. I have purchased the Adventure case and 2 128 GB SD cards and 2 more batteries (4 total now). With the 128 SD I get 233 minutes of record time which is really enough for a day of riding. The battery situation is not great but not terrible either. 2 Batteries lasted most of a day at Killington and some download time on the ride home. Two more and I should be good. Charging is still an issue as I will have to swap them all in and out. :(
We did some follow cam and it is awesome!! Really really good at getting the rider behind. I did some more hip shots but it was not placed well so ended with a bunch of footage of my elbow. I am going to work on getting it mounted on my upper thigh and hopes that will work better.
Editing is a Pain and Awesome. So the process is you really have to do an edit on the phone. So you watch the video, do some edits, save the video to the phone, air drop it the mac, add to video folder, import to mac editor. Took me days to get through the footage from a day at the park. The phone editor is really good though, just a time consuming process.
Monday, June 4, 2018
Early Season Riding
Been having a blast ripping the DH parks so far this season. With 6 days already spent DHing my progress has been awesome. Picked up where I left off last year and have made some significant improvements in my jumping skill. I have been putting in a few "shorter" days at Killington just due to life being busy. Its been an awesome start and as long as I can avoid injury it will be a sick season.
The YT Tues has been a big game changer and probably the most beneficial aspect to riding a Big Bike is that its a lot more forgiving to my body. Its also super fun due to the higher speeds achievable. It ups the ante for the crash factor but its been a fair trade off. The bike is mostly dialed in but I need to continue to tweak settings to hopefully get it perfect.
I have a Rylo cam on order that should be here mid week. I'm hoping it adds an element to my videos that will help elevate them to the next level. The footage I have seen looks great but I am not seeing that many MTB folks using them in new or creative ways and the reviews as a MTB POV has not been that positive. Fingers Crossed on the Rylo.
I am hoping that when Jennifer heals up we can get some time at Kingdom and I would love to get back to Vietnam and Beebe Hill. I am also really hoping she's cool with the new bike that I bought. I blame 90% of her injury on the bike she was riding. So with a new ride that is capable of the trails we ride I am really hoping she can mentally get past the injury and continue on the path she started this season on. She had been making major skills and confidence improvements.
The YT Tues has been a big game changer and probably the most beneficial aspect to riding a Big Bike is that its a lot more forgiving to my body. Its also super fun due to the higher speeds achievable. It ups the ante for the crash factor but its been a fair trade off. The bike is mostly dialed in but I need to continue to tweak settings to hopefully get it perfect.
I have a Rylo cam on order that should be here mid week. I'm hoping it adds an element to my videos that will help elevate them to the next level. The footage I have seen looks great but I am not seeing that many MTB folks using them in new or creative ways and the reviews as a MTB POV has not been that positive. Fingers Crossed on the Rylo.
I am hoping that when Jennifer heals up we can get some time at Kingdom and I would love to get back to Vietnam and Beebe Hill. I am also really hoping she's cool with the new bike that I bought. I blame 90% of her injury on the bike she was riding. So with a new ride that is capable of the trails we ride I am really hoping she can mentally get past the injury and continue on the path she started this season on. She had been making major skills and confidence improvements.
Saturday, June 2, 2018
Friday, June 1, 2018
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Jennifer's Broken Collar Bone
Jennifer has been killing it this spring. She road her first teeter at North Bethlehem and first log skinny at Lippman. She was excited to do more and push herself to improve. We headed up to Placid's Lussi & Loggers where there are a lot of skinnies and one big teeter. On the way up I was thinking with the bad weather (raining on and off) we should check out Hardy Rd for something new. We did a 5 loop at Hardy before heading to Lussi. We got to Lussi about 2 and I headed straight for the teeter. She easily rode the teeter with no hesitation and continued on to the following log skinny. It's complicated to get up on and be pointed down the log. As soon as she was up, she was down. Collarbone Broken!
We are over a week in and she had surgery yesterday. Hopefully she can be back on the bike in about 6 weeks. At this point I am 100% convinced that if she had been on a different bike it would not have happened. So I think a new bike is in the near future.
Monday, May 28, 2018
Sunday, May 27, 2018
Saturday, May 26, 2018
Friday, May 25, 2018
Sunday, May 20, 2018
Saturday, May 12, 2018
Sunday, May 6, 2018
Friday, May 4, 2018
Monday, April 30, 2018
Opening Weekend at Highland & Mountain Creek, Maiden Voyage on the Tues What happens when you cant decide which DH park to spend the weekend at? Opening day at Highland & opening day at Mountain Creek Bike Parks!! Thanks for checking out our videos. We love comments, likes help and we need subscribers!! www.mtbbeta.com https://ift.tt/2yFVuQm @facebook MTB Beta https://ift.tt/2xUn4VX
2 Days 2 Parks
I had an amazing weekend, I rode my new Tues for the first time, I rode Highland for the first time and I rode Mountain Creek for the first time. Life really doesn't get much better than that!
The Tues; getting on to a DH whip for the time I didn't expect it to be as different as it is and while I have some fine tuning to do, the bike setup is pretty dialed. The bike is crazy stable and fast and that is probably the biggest difference. The bike needs to be ridden faster and a little faster than I had expected or was comfortable with on some terrain. With the Meta its easy to approach something slower and if need be get up to speed quickly or use muscle and force to make up for the lack of speed. As example I rolled into a steep rough section on ODB and end up over the bars. I think if I had been carrying more speed I would have been able to manage this section without crashing, by (as so often is the case) using the momentum to carry me through/over the hole I drove my front wheel into as I slid down this wet and muddy rock section. Also I think that on the Meta I would have been able to pop the front end over the hole which I was not able to due on the Tues. Now that could just be because I hadn't adjusted to the Tues yet or maybe I was just getting worn out. I do think that I will need to get used the bike a bit more and figure out what it will take to get the pop I need, it might just require a little more effort on my part. The Tues feels fast as hell, really balanced and easy get into the air. I am not sure yet if I am a fan of the stock Maxxis Highrollers, I felt like there was a lack of grip on the wet muddy rock sections. The Cushcore in the back was awesome and the Huck Norris in the front was really put to the test. Popping off a blind jump and hucking into sharp rock garden was when I realized I was low on pressure. When I got a gauge on the tire it read 11psi. I am very certain that I would have done some damage with the Huck Norris in there. The Tues ate up big air and chunky sections with so much ease I really allowed me to push my limits. I did one of the biggest drops I have ever done at Highland. I messed up the take off and landed rear wheel first which made for a rough landing. This would have been disastrous for me on a smaller bike. At Mountain Creek I hit a rock feature that requires just a small amount of pop at speed or a slow roll and as I approached I wasn't committed to ether method and awkwardly half rolled and half popped to find myself in what would have been a crash on a smaller bike. I may have been able to muscle through this lack of commitment on the Meta but I am not sure it wouldn't have been worse either.
Highland was amazing despite some very wet and muddy conditions. The weather was warm and conditions improved as the day went on. The trails flowed easily even with peanut butter conditions. Only a handful trails were open but that was not a problem as the Cat trails are easy and fun enough to ride over and over. I got in 11 laps even with long lines and the chairlift, first stopping for about 30mins leaving me to consider jumping off and then being shutdown for another 30-40 minutes for repair. Highland is and has the craziest features for those with the skills but they also have lots options and trails to work your way up to and improve your skills. Progressing jumps, drops, wall rides and all sorts of other features you can find the perfect set of obstacles to match your skill level and the perfect set to bump it up a notch. With Highland as your local I can not image you couldn't quickly become an excellent rider. Highlands trail building is really really good. The runs are short and quick (or can be), its pretty easy to get from top to bottom in less than half the time it take to ride up the lift (15 minutes). I had some sub 4 minute runs but with runs as amazing as Cats Paw it is so worth it. Cats Paw is an instant all time favorite top 10 trail. It is the epitome of fun, with multiple lines and packed with features it is nothing but smiles the whole way down.
Mountain Creek is another park with a feature set way beyond my skill level. While probably not quite at the craziness level as Highland its pretty close. The Pinkbike drop being one of many stand out crazy features. The conditions on Sunday were better than Highlands on Saturday but oddly the trails didn't ride quite good. Even though there was no peanut butter the amount of mud and wet kept everything running a little slower. Bobby and hit up most of the open trails but stuck mainly to the easier runs. Sunday was his first time riding his new M16 and he needed some runs to adjust and I was happy to spend more time getting used to the Tues. Upper Dominion and Outlaw presented significant difficulties to us both in the wet conditions. Many sections of the upper trails had seriously muddy spots and most of the jumps had massive puddles at the bases that removed the needed speed. The progression drops at the bottom are a really cool way to progress your skill level as get comfortable with one you can move to the next. I struggled not to hit the Porch Drop as it is one of my goals but it think the wise choice was to avoid until I have some more time on the Tues and we get a little further into the season. The lift is a little strange but runs pretty quick at under 10 minutes. We had lines 20 minutes long and got 8 runs in. The runs were longer at about 10-15 minutes down. I did 16+ miles at Highland and 18+ at Mountain Creek (lifts included I think).
Despite the trail conditions, the cold temps at Mountain Creek, the long drives, my car breaking down and adding 2 hours to drive home on sat, it was an incredible weekend. I feel very lucky to be able to take a weekend and ride park with no worries which is only due to the people in my life. Bobby is the perfect riding partner, he is great to travel with and I am constantly reminded to ride smoothly when I get behind him and watch him flow. Mountain Creek will need a repeat visit to really nail down an opinion of the place but Highland is instantly near the top and will get several repeat visits. I think Highland is place that I could make amazing strides in my progression. It will probably be put on the "make a weekend out if it" as the 3 1/2 drive is quickly stretched to 4+ with traffic. Tough decisions will be made in the future as to where to ride. Killington, Thunder, Mountain Creek and Highland all are so good it won't be easy to decide between them.
The Tues; getting on to a DH whip for the time I didn't expect it to be as different as it is and while I have some fine tuning to do, the bike setup is pretty dialed. The bike is crazy stable and fast and that is probably the biggest difference. The bike needs to be ridden faster and a little faster than I had expected or was comfortable with on some terrain. With the Meta its easy to approach something slower and if need be get up to speed quickly or use muscle and force to make up for the lack of speed. As example I rolled into a steep rough section on ODB and end up over the bars. I think if I had been carrying more speed I would have been able to manage this section without crashing, by (as so often is the case) using the momentum to carry me through/over the hole I drove my front wheel into as I slid down this wet and muddy rock section. Also I think that on the Meta I would have been able to pop the front end over the hole which I was not able to due on the Tues. Now that could just be because I hadn't adjusted to the Tues yet or maybe I was just getting worn out. I do think that I will need to get used the bike a bit more and figure out what it will take to get the pop I need, it might just require a little more effort on my part. The Tues feels fast as hell, really balanced and easy get into the air. I am not sure yet if I am a fan of the stock Maxxis Highrollers, I felt like there was a lack of grip on the wet muddy rock sections. The Cushcore in the back was awesome and the Huck Norris in the front was really put to the test. Popping off a blind jump and hucking into sharp rock garden was when I realized I was low on pressure. When I got a gauge on the tire it read 11psi. I am very certain that I would have done some damage with the Huck Norris in there. The Tues ate up big air and chunky sections with so much ease I really allowed me to push my limits. I did one of the biggest drops I have ever done at Highland. I messed up the take off and landed rear wheel first which made for a rough landing. This would have been disastrous for me on a smaller bike. At Mountain Creek I hit a rock feature that requires just a small amount of pop at speed or a slow roll and as I approached I wasn't committed to ether method and awkwardly half rolled and half popped to find myself in what would have been a crash on a smaller bike. I may have been able to muscle through this lack of commitment on the Meta but I am not sure it wouldn't have been worse either.
Highland was amazing despite some very wet and muddy conditions. The weather was warm and conditions improved as the day went on. The trails flowed easily even with peanut butter conditions. Only a handful trails were open but that was not a problem as the Cat trails are easy and fun enough to ride over and over. I got in 11 laps even with long lines and the chairlift, first stopping for about 30mins leaving me to consider jumping off and then being shutdown for another 30-40 minutes for repair. Highland is and has the craziest features for those with the skills but they also have lots options and trails to work your way up to and improve your skills. Progressing jumps, drops, wall rides and all sorts of other features you can find the perfect set of obstacles to match your skill level and the perfect set to bump it up a notch. With Highland as your local I can not image you couldn't quickly become an excellent rider. Highlands trail building is really really good. The runs are short and quick (or can be), its pretty easy to get from top to bottom in less than half the time it take to ride up the lift (15 minutes). I had some sub 4 minute runs but with runs as amazing as Cats Paw it is so worth it. Cats Paw is an instant all time favorite top 10 trail. It is the epitome of fun, with multiple lines and packed with features it is nothing but smiles the whole way down.
Mountain Creek is another park with a feature set way beyond my skill level. While probably not quite at the craziness level as Highland its pretty close. The Pinkbike drop being one of many stand out crazy features. The conditions on Sunday were better than Highlands on Saturday but oddly the trails didn't ride quite good. Even though there was no peanut butter the amount of mud and wet kept everything running a little slower. Bobby and hit up most of the open trails but stuck mainly to the easier runs. Sunday was his first time riding his new M16 and he needed some runs to adjust and I was happy to spend more time getting used to the Tues. Upper Dominion and Outlaw presented significant difficulties to us both in the wet conditions. Many sections of the upper trails had seriously muddy spots and most of the jumps had massive puddles at the bases that removed the needed speed. The progression drops at the bottom are a really cool way to progress your skill level as get comfortable with one you can move to the next. I struggled not to hit the Porch Drop as it is one of my goals but it think the wise choice was to avoid until I have some more time on the Tues and we get a little further into the season. The lift is a little strange but runs pretty quick at under 10 minutes. We had lines 20 minutes long and got 8 runs in. The runs were longer at about 10-15 minutes down. I did 16+ miles at Highland and 18+ at Mountain Creek (lifts included I think).
Despite the trail conditions, the cold temps at Mountain Creek, the long drives, my car breaking down and adding 2 hours to drive home on sat, it was an incredible weekend. I feel very lucky to be able to take a weekend and ride park with no worries which is only due to the people in my life. Bobby is the perfect riding partner, he is great to travel with and I am constantly reminded to ride smoothly when I get behind him and watch him flow. Mountain Creek will need a repeat visit to really nail down an opinion of the place but Highland is instantly near the top and will get several repeat visits. I think Highland is place that I could make amazing strides in my progression. It will probably be put on the "make a weekend out if it" as the 3 1/2 drive is quickly stretched to 4+ with traffic. Tough decisions will be made in the future as to where to ride. Killington, Thunder, Mountain Creek and Highland all are so good it won't be easy to decide between them.
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Sunday, April 22, 2018
Saturday, April 21, 2018
Awesome day riding Lippman. #mtblife #mtb #mtbbeta #thegoodlife
via Instagram https://ift.tt/2Higimf
Friday, April 20, 2018
Jump Pit and New Jump Line loop at Luther Forest 90% finished with the new Jump Line Loop at Luther. Its really good. Reworked both the step up jump and the stump gap. Thanks for checking out our videos. We love comments, likes help and we need subscribers!! www.mtbbeta.com https://ift.tt/2yFVuQm @facebook MTB Beta https://ift.tt/2xUn4VX
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Friday @ Luther
We are planning to continue our work on the Jump line on Friday. If time permits we may start looking at the new trail section that has been flagged. This is the section of trail that will connect the loop that has been broken with the house being dropped on it.
Sunday, April 15, 2018
Saturday, April 14, 2018
Friday, April 13, 2018
#dh Ohh Yeah another awesome build. Thing is soooo sweet. M16 yummmmmy #mtb #mtbbeta #mtblife #mtbdownhill #downhill #intensecycles
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Sunday, April 1, 2018
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