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

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51K views 274 replies 117 participants last post by  Rothrock  
8
#1 ·
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?
 
#230 ·
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
 
#231 ·
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?
Click to expand...
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.
 
#242 ·
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.
 
#244 ·
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.
Click to expand...
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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#253 ·
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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#260 ·
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.
 
#261 ·
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.
 
#266 ·
Bit of a necro here, but hell, I'll play.

I watched GMBN for a while, but they're very repetitious and don't generally go into a lot of detail. "To clear jumps, you have to jump farther." Gee, thanks, guys.

I like Berm Peak, Van Girl Yuka, BCPov, and Kyle and April (until things went to sh*t for them :( ). Metallier and Metz are just impossible to identify with, at my level. Most of the rest are just more of the same.
 
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#268 ·
Pinkbike has some decent videos, especially the stuff with Ben Carthos. Plus, every once in a while they focus on women riders, which isn't seen as often on yotube. Like they gave a shoutout to Alexandera Houchin & her legendary single speed wins in the AZR, CTR & GDMR, which other than more print/word focus publications like bikepacking & radavist only do.
 
#275 ·
Bikefarmer is great - I like any bike channels from a good critical thinker. At risk of sounding like an elitist, I think most of his customers are cost-conscious casual cyclists for whom spending money on new cables/housings would not be worth it if it already works. I think for his market niche, that is a very logical approach to tune-ups.
 
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