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?
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?
). Metallier and Metz are just impossible to identify with, at my level. Most of the rest are just more of the same.
