Fountainhead Bike Trail, Gimbal Stabilized, Black and Double Black Loops

short video with goofy commentary :-) leave some feedback!

[@gracess5575]

5:34 NOM NOM gotta give thumbs up on that one.

[@XenobiusBishop]

Did the black loop on Saturday with my 11 year old, she made a few heads turn lol

[@robertswigart]

Thanks for the reality of the ride. The flat tire, the snack break...etc. if you’re not ready for these things, a day at Fountainhead is going to suck.

[@Goonievan]

yeah man, no one wants to walk back to the parking lot!

[@johnfitzgerald1879]

just told our kids we are moving to rva, they were so bummed (shitty snowboarding, etc.). i found your vid and put it on for them-now they are stoked. i owe you some pints in august.

[@Goonievan]

John FitzGerald awesome! There’s a local downhill/freeride place too, Bryce resort, worth checking out if biking is your thing. The snowboarding is not great, you’re right. Whitetail in PA is the closest to us, if there is any decent snow coming we go to Canaan in WV, they don’t groom their trails as much so if there is powder it will last a couple days. Snowshoe has awesome downhill biking (if it’s not raining) and ok snowboarding, it gets REALLY crowded on the weekends but if you have a family it might be a better fit, it has lots of restraints, lodging, etc. Canaan is kinda bare bones.

[@swimmer751]

surprised a spier didn't come out of that back tire and say "surprise motha fuka!"

[@gmeplus2356]

theres a deer a 6:16

[@Goonievan]

good eye! no way I could keep up with him...

[@MikeyMangoMTB]

Rode this for the first time today. Those spiders are no joke man! Nice video ;)

[@zcheema5001]

Great video man! But please try not to curse, as there might be kids watching your videos. Keep it up! Cheers!

[@Constitutionalist_J]

Hilarious commentary! 🤣

[@Goonievan]

thanks dude, gotta have fun with it

[@Ryder_Off_Road]

Good video. Love Fountainhead, but haven't had the energy to tackle the black...yet. How long did the black loop take you?

[@Goonievan]

Thanks Rich! I think the black and double black loops take about an hour to complete. My last Garmin connect data showed I did the whole trail in about 1:45:00. I started the black loop at around 20:00 into the ride and got back on the blue trail around 1:16:00. This was near the end of last season so I was in better than average biking shape (for me) since I had been biking all summer, I think 2:00:00 is a more normal time for me.

[@mnajtwa]

Nice video. Which gimbal were you using?

[@Goonievan]

Thanks Dwayne, I’m using the Evo SS gimbal. I’m pretty happy with it.

[@mnajtwa]

Good to know I'm looking to buy the same one.

[@skylarpeppler8261]

Was entertaining, I enjoyed it. Maybe add more angles for some of the cool features, to show a different perspective.

[@Goonievan]

Thanks skylar! Good advice, I'll make sure and give it a shot on the next one.

[@BernardoBerndsen]

I agree with Skylar and for sure keep up the solo banter the more descriptions of the ride. Over all fun video loved snack time and tire repair lol

[@jameswilliamson4600]

Great video man! 👍

[@wlynch530]

Awesome video. Saw in comments that you are using the evo ss for this video. Still using it or have you worn it out? The longevity question is the last one I have to get answered before I decide between evo and karma? I'm pretty new to riding and interested in starting to grab some video of my rides at meadowood and fountainhead. Thanks!

[@Goonievan]

Will Lynch thanks Will! I’m still using the EVO SS, the EVO guys have been great so far. I lost the battery cover and they sent me one out for free. The gimbal started to develop “catches” or “jitters” in the movement but the were able to resolve the issue with just a firmware update. I had had 3 or 4 falls with the gimbal on a chesty mount and it’s still working like a champ although none were direct falls on the gimbal. I use the gimbal with a go pro 4 black because it’s slightly lighter than a hero 5 or 6 but the same gimbal is rated for all 3 models I believe. Overall I recommend it, especially since the product support was very good. I’ll keep an eye out for another rider at Fountainhead with a gimbal once they open up again!

[@wlynch530]

Thanks Chris! Hope to see you out there

[@hrmo72]

I liked it, its hard to gage the size of the drops though. Me and my Brother are planing to get up there by Christmas ... do u know if the trail is going to be open and if its going to be "ridable"? I come from South Fl and ride a trail bike with 120 mm in the front and my brother is riding something similar... I hope thats enough lol

[@Goonievan]

Beto, you can call the hotline and check if the trail is open (‭[phone]‬), it has been open recently, I rode it last week. The forecast looks good so you should be in luck. The drops aren’t huge, the tallest is maybe 3~4 feet, most of the rest are in the 1~2 foot range. My buddy rides a Trek Fuel with 120 or 130mm travel and rides 95% of the features on the trail so don’t worry too much about how much travel you have. Have a great ride!

[@heteroerectus]

Some say he's still eating spiders to this day...

[@2UpDuc]

The running commentary is a hilarious. Not much for "Kamikaze Death Wish" Fountainhead single track riding..

[@useport80]

nice riding skills!

[@Goonievan]

Thanks Robert!

[@bobjoe9212]

Have you ever made it up that very first part on the black loop?

[@Goonievan]

bob joe, when they first made that section of trail I was able to, but infrequently :-) Now that it’s eroded away some it’s quite difficult, I haven’t made it up clean this year but I don’t session it, just hit it quickly as I come off the blue, how about you?

[@bobjoe9212]

Chris Gilman never made it up my bike doesn’t have the clearance to get up those big rocks (26” wheels)

[@liquidSpin]

A 26" wheel bike can clear that climb. It's definitely much harder now due to erosion though.

[@Goonievan]

liquidSpin is right. I was riding my trek remedy 26” on this video, and previously when I was able to clear it. But I think it’s mostly technique, I am constantly humbled by guys with more experience who can pull off crazy technical climbs/tricks!

[@SBKBenji]

Sweet!