Throwback Thursday #4: Top 5 Youtube Mountain Bike Videos

Since the invention of YouTube in 2005, millions of videos have been uploaded, making for an endless database of films to trawl through. A large portion of those are insanely boring blog posts from 'vloggers', and I'm sure most have you have landed yourself in the weird 'animal' section of the site. However, buried amongst the weird and useless junk are some pieces of gold. Today we're counting down the top 5 mountain biking videos on YouTube. I've decided not to include uploads of commercially released mountain bike films, as these weren't originally intended for YouTube. And keep in mind we all have our own opinions, so if you disagree feel free to comment!

Cam Zink's backflip at Rampage 2013 was just insane. Thankfully there's a video on YouTube to relive the historical moment. Photo retrieved from galleryhip.com, used under a Creative Commons license.

Skills Video #8: How to Ride Roll Downs

Today we're learning how to ride one of the rarer and more intimidating features on a trail - roll downs.

Tinker Tuesdays #4: Changing a Wheel/Tyre

I can guarantee you that at some point you will have to remove a tyre... punctured tubes are perhaps the most common mechanical mishap, and tyres wear out over time warranting replacement. Furthermore, you might feel the need to change wheels sometime - perhaps an upgrade to a lighter, better set of wheels or a replacement because your old rim has had all the life dinged out of it. Whatever the reason, it's important to know how to change a wheel and/or tyre, so here's a guide showing you how.

Skills Video #7: How to Ride Off Cambers

Today we're explaining how to handle one of the trickier parts of a mountain bike course... off cambers.

Skills Video #6: How to Corner

Corners are the guts of practically every mountain bike track, so its definitely essential to practice your cornering skills.

Throwback Thursdays #3: Intense M1

Intense is a brand that's synonymous with quality, good old American craftsmanship, exclusivity and the M1. The M1 was Intense's flagship downhill model from 1994 to 2004, and was undoubtedly the most wanted downhill bike of its era.

Skills Video #5: How to Jump

Finally, the long-awaited video for arguably the most desirable skill in mountain biking... jumping.

 

Tinker Tuesdays #3: How to Install/Set Up a Rear Shock

There are a plethora of rear shocks to choose from on the market and with prices coming down lower and lower, upgrading can be very tempting. Rock Shox and Fox are leading the market in affordable, high performance shocks and have great ranges to choose a shock from. If you find yourself with a shiny new (or second hand!) shock on your doorstep but realise you've never fitted one before, don't stress! Here's a helpful guide to the basics of fitting and setting up a rear shock.

Skills Video #4: How to Wheelie

Today we're learning the fine art of wheelies.

 

Style Check - Jumping Techniques

Everyone has a distinctive style while riding a bike and will interpret a corner, jump or other obstacle their own unique way. Lets look at 3 different ways one jump can be handled. Remember, these are just about specific styles over a jump! If you want to learn the basics of jumping a bike, watch our jumping skills video here.

Skills Video #3: How to Pre Jump

For this skills video, we're explaining the pre jump and how to execute this maneuver.

Throwback Thursdays #2: Trek Y-Series

Wind the clock back to the late 1990's and the mountain bike market was a very different place. Full suspension bikes were breaking through and turning heads left, right and centre. No longer did a rider have to suffer the constant jarring impacts a hardtail dishes out. Even those who wanted to climb up the hill before riding down now had a viable alternative. Full suspension bikes were being subjected to rapid dieting and weights were coming down. Specialized and GT, among others, were quick to bring out new linkage designs in efforts to win over consumers. It was a changing market, and ready to accept any wacky inventions that could be thought of.

Skills Video #2: How to Bunny Hop

For our second skills video, we're looking at the art of bunny hopping.

 

Tinker Tuesdays #2: Eliminating Brake Drag

The disc brake is arguably one of the best inventions to have found itself onto the mountain bike. They are powerful, lightweight, and reliable if set up and looked after properly. One of the most common issues with disc brakes is brake drag. Brake drag occurs when the caliper (the part that squeezes on the disc) isn't properly aligned on the rotor (the disc), often being set up this way. This causes the brakes to rub and drag, adding extra friction to the wheel when spinning and more wear on the brake pads. Here's a little trick on how to eliminate brake drag:

Skills Video #1: How to handle Dropoffs

Welcome to the first of Mountain Bike Central's skills videos. Through these instructional videos, we will go through the steps required to learn and execute different skills required for any level of downhill mountain biking.
First up: Dropoffs.

Cairns World Cup Wrap-Up

Gee Atherton on his way to the gold and the glory. Photo by Michael Cerveny, labeled for reuse.

What a weekend of wet, wild racing that was! In case you missed it, Australia held its first World Cup round in 6 years and the first international event at Cairns since 1996. And it sure wasn't what many expected.

Throwback Thursdays #1 - Marzocchi Z1 Bombers

Being my first Throwback Thursday post, I'll start off by explaining what this feature will be. Throwback Thursday is a weekly article, harking back to the glory days (depending how you look at it of course!) of mountain biking. For my first post, I'm very excited to announce that we'll be focusing on the Godfather of modern, oil-damped suspension - the venerable Marzocchi Z1 Bomber.

Tinker Tuesdays #1: Maintaining Your Chain

Welcome to our first Tinker Tuesday, where we will give you useful tips on extending the life of your components and keeping your bike running smooth.

Welcome to Mountain Bike Central!

Mountain Bike Central is an exciting new website aimed at providing tips, tricks and pointers on the adrenaline fuelled sport of downhill mountain biking. With posts written by a knowledgeable, skilled rider, Mountain Bike Central is the perfect place for mountain bikers to gather, whether you're a beginner or a seasoned rider. We will provide:
- Basic to advanced skills from enthusiastic, skilled riders
- Bike maintenance tips to help keep your bike running smooth
- Fun, interesting posts such as Throwback Thursdays
- And lots more features to come