The Scariest Trail I’ve Ridden On a Hardtail

[@gmbn]

What's the highest-graded trail you've ever ridden? Would you ride it on a hardtail? Let us know in the comments below! 👇

[@jonathan_damour]

Blue trails on my 2022 Orbea Laufey h30 at Vallnord Bike Park. For a first bike park experience that's not too bad :D

[@simongorrod3222]

I've ridden slab track once and bottomed my fork on a 170mm enduro the hardest I've ever bottomed out in the hole at the bottom of that slab, it nearly broke my wrist 🤣🤣🤣. I wouldn't even consider it on a hardtail so props for trying 👍

[@bluezan0]

I didn’t even know there was a trail rating of triple black diamond

[@EldarFarseer]

Black trail on a mountain(Smolikas) in Greece with my Ghost Nirvana hardtail, walked most of it, it was my first black trail, a very nasty experience, it was raining, there was mud everywhere, my front wheel slipping, no grip on my shoes since i was stupid enough to go with vans snickers instead of proper riding shoes and on top of that around the middle of the trail my front fork lost all of it air. But it motivated me to get better to revisit that trail and try to do it again, now i have a proper fork(RS Pike) and some nice crankbrothers shoes!

[@Unite.The.Kingdom]

Black diamond once! Maybe this year will go for it again but I'm happy riding blues and reds.

[@charlesstevenson8751]

I love the fact that Neil demonstrated the skill of assessing a trail and the current risk and realizing it was not safe, and to come back another day. One of the most important videos GMBN has produced.

[@jposerio2433]

It's very humbling.

[@jamesc6876]

i like that the cameraman explained and showed hiking. Show more of the steep if possible by showing Neil standing or climbing in perspective please next time.

[@robertmcfadyen9156]

He should have taken a chance . I would as I have done before .

[@robertmcfadyen9156]

5:10 , he never rode it it is 58 degrees what a fib .

[@robertmcfadyen9156]

I have broken bones .

[@baconfister]

You did your best, mate. Just need to go back and try it again during the three weeks of no rain per year in the UK (I believe it’s during the middle of July). I can wait for the followup video.

[@the_spanner_ch7mp]

Think this is the 1st time I've seen Neil back out of something. Fair play because in other videos when he's ridden the Slab on a DH bike he said it as gnarly and challenging. Great video Neil #GMBN 🤘

[@jamesc6876]

thanks for this, was wondering how it looks in comparison. titled "The scariest mtb trail in the uk"

[@cazzamazza]

You know its serious when the Don gives it a miss, gotta know when to pick your battles!

[@franciscobamboo6566]

Go on just slightly slower, 👍🚬

[@mece700]

Good job, also great for showing that you are using your head as our sport should not be about jumping head first to whatever without giving it a thought at all. Good job!

[@amandanorth6526]

I thought the same. Great example, Neil!

[@rustychain9518]

Absolutely agree, too many people watch videos of people riding insane trails thinking they went into it blind and they don’t realize all the prep that went into the ride.

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

Crashing and long recoveries will make you think a bit, Neil had his fair shares 😅

[@bjornelfsberg3518]

​@@LaurentiusTriarius Yes lol First hospitalization was quite an eye opener 😂😂

[@andrewnieland724]

Loved seeing the sensible decision making! Good job Neil.

[@Milessongs]

Bravo Neil, and kudos to GMBN's editorial team (if that's a thing) for keeping it real! Beautiful riding footage, featuring a hardtail, and illustrating good rider judgment when tackling a dangerous situation are all aspects of mountain biking we could use more of. There are lots of us out here who ride all sorts of tracks and it's really great to see more than just another gonzo, life threatening spectacle video.

[@gmbn]

It's a thing Miles! Thanks for watching :)

[@smv9338]

Love the honesty in this video.

[@gmbn]

Thanks very much!

[@adamcooper988]

Neil is mortal, who’d have thought

[@barryfrancis7899]

Wow I've never seen Neil back out of anything so fair play to him. Good to see he him do that we all have our limits and no one wants to get injured 😊

[@gmbn]

It's a super gnarly track! Insanely committing in some sections!

[@robertmcfadyen9156]

I have had a fair share of cycling injuries . KZbin thrives on full fledged risk takers as Red bull does . The ratings point to this .

[@jzekaron]

Even just what can be conveyed on camera, that drop gave me real life shivers. Even on the most extreme downhill bike and wearing full armour I'd still be terrified.

[@gmbn]

It's a super committing one! We'd very much recommend full armour for it, definitely a limit pusher 😬

[@wolfura]

A hardtail vid without Blake, blasphemy.

[@jamesdavidson8624]

I’m over 50 and I am returning to mountain bike riding. I realize that I don’t bounce back from big offs like I used to. I’m very glad to see that you didn’t push through on the few sections! Great video guys!!!

[@gmbn]

Thanks James! Hope you're enjoying your riding again!

[@seanpera9499]

@@jamesdavidson8624 I’m 29 getting back into it, and I’m thinking it’s going to take a couple of Seasons straight to just “bounce back”

[@trotro80]

This and Blake's Megavalanche is the hardest hardtail riding I've seen so far 👏 (Point to note: Neil's on flat pedals here)

[@helicopter12345678]

The Don did good 👍 there is a limit to every ride and this was a wise decision 👍👍 plus you looked awesome on the jumps especially over the bridge 🤛🤛 Arthur

[@pscion12]

Yes please, hiking down a section which you have no confidence of, whether or not you have the skill to do it, is the right decision. I’ve seen too many take on challenges that are too much for them, either because of bravado or being egged on by their mates, breaking their collar bones or has the handlebar drilled through the thigh or eating dirt. Learning when to back off is a legit option and skill.

[@miindthegaap]

An important attribute Niel showed an important lesson for the kids out there, obsessed with sending out. You live to ride another day.

[@LukeShaw474]

Fair play Neil! I'd love to know how the bike handled? Any issues or repairs needed after that ride?

[@jamesc6876]

part 2!!! yes please, full suspension revenge

[@matt_acton-varian]

You wouldn't catch me riding the slab in those conditions on a DH bike. Sensible choice, would love to see you try it in summer.

[@andrewm190E]

Kudos Neil for knowing when to go and when to say no. Too many videos push the "send it" BS mantra, and that leads to too many avoidable accidents by regular mtb riders that sometimes become life altering mistakes.👍

[@Mtb9r]

Won the kamikaze on a full ridge in 1994. Holy Hell

[@stephankoehler800]

Nice riding. At the crazy slab drop, if Neil could have grabbed a full suss enduro or dh bike right then and there, would he have decided that it was rideable and ticked it off? That feature looks proper scary and if it was the slippery conditions that were putting him off, full suss bikes can slip out exactly the same as HTs. Obvs any landing or impact from the drop will be softened by rear suss, but that doesn't mean he'd have still ridden it on any bike in those conditions.

[@jamesc6876]

i just read this after posting elsewhere, defintely make this a series and show damage to bike, what was holding you back most of bike and do this for all bike genres xc, trail, enduro, dh

[@stephankoehler800]

@@jamesc6876 that's a good idea.

[@fourocker]

Wet slick rock is no joke, good call to get off, dual suspension wouldn't even matter really. In the dry however a hardtail can be ridden anywhere as long as you ride to the conditions and not try to be a foolhardy hero.

[@scoobydan8042]

As everyone else has mentioned it's nice to see a rider of Neil's calibre be able to walk away from something on camera. That gains a lot of respect in my eyes. Honesty is what the bicycle media needs now more than ever.

[@feralmarmot3305]

Just waiting for the inevitable flood of “Pah, bet I could ride all of that on a hardtail…” comments…

[@SmartLittleFishy]

You made the right call. No need to kill yourself for content. Come back in summer (either week of it) and finished the video. It reminds me of the saying: There are old riders and bold rider but no old and bold riders. I'm paraphrase of course.

[@chad.haggerty]

Normalize making smart decisions!! Great job! Great vid otherwise, too.

[@mrvwbug4423]

That you could ride any of Dyfi on a hardtail is impressive. Dyfi was designed by the Athertons to train pro DH racers and freeriders, with little consideration for amateurs or anything less than a DH bike. Every review of the place I've seen by amateur riders basically says if you're not a pro you won't be able to ride most of it.

[@GavSedae]

It's videos like this that stop me buying a full suspension bike. I'm far far from a pro but I love my Marin San Quentin and haven't found its limit yet and obviously love a challenge!

[@k9kayaks]

At my age of 53 I’m just fine and happy with my HardTail SpecializedRockhopper get full enjoy,ent and I know my limits 👍🚵🏻

[@stujm8376]

51 and ride a Cannondale trail 4 hardtail with fox forks. It’s amazing and has been my ride of choice for the past 5 years, never lets me down and gets put through it’s paces on a regular basis…

[@bmwm3man]

@@stujm8376 that's great man. I'm a big fan of my trail 5 too.

[@VelkePivo]

The parts you skipped I imagine you’d have skipped with a full suspension bike, too. Not sure slipperiness affects an HT any more than an FS

[@SteveTheDiva]

Even getting on a bike on a wet day in January...hats off to ya from America, where we are SNOWED IN and IT IS FREEZING. Went into the garage and stared longingly at my bike, but that was it. P.S., if y'all want videos of someone choosing NOT to throw themselves down a wet jagged slab with a crater in the middle of it on a glorified BMX bike, I'm yer guy.

[@MrThegixerman]

Respect for getting off 😊

[@ForestMountainBiker]

Huge respect Neil 🫡 I made the mistake you very wisely didn’t on the slab track! Awesome riding, great edit, love the trails, love the channel 👊

[@erictrelz3519]

Neil, very impressed with your solid common sense. Too many folks on KZbin just say, “have confidence and send it”. You set a great example for all riders today. Thank you! Can’t wait to see what you can do when the conditions are dry.

[@mikedwiles]

That's real mountain biking. Out there with issues beyond our capability and knowing when to say, "I'll get it next time." In this case, it's really the conditions of the track. Take an extremely difficult track under good conditions. The level can go to impossible in bad conditions.

[@deividas_kimontas]

Love hardtails! 🤘

[@djbayr9516]

Big fan of hardtails. I do mostly single track and XC style riding and I get all the fun I want out of it. That Orbea actually looks like a solid deal.

[@rodajayabikeshop5460]

How can is his foot still planted to the pedals with those flats on a hardtail with that crazy trail 😅

[@Magoo71]

Neil, thanks for a great adventure....seems like quite a ride for a Hard tail! I would not do that gnarly drop either......looks too hairy for me....looks too steep to even walk down it...

[@junka1975]

So for us mere mortals, if a track has conditions that are too gnarly for Neil, you know you're better off not risking hurting yourself. That's one trail where you could see just how steep it was with Neil standing at the top.

[@bitumen83]

That track is very hard, even on long travel enduro bike it would be a decent challenge.

[@Unite.The.Kingdom]

Excellent! We all still know you have a big pair on you Neil, sometimes I wonder how you can actually walk let alone ride! Do not blame you for avoiding that slab looked more like ice than rock. Why does Neil ride a bike? Because football, cricket and rugby only require one ball 😂

[@tonyhowes669]

What i want to know though... the conditions of the day, you were on the Laufey and walked the two sections.... would you have walked on your full sus? Also, if you had 4 pot breaks, 200mm rotors, and dh rubber on the laufey... especially if the tires were good for wet, would that have made the difference? I know my laufey is much xhanged from stock when using minions, 4 pot brakes and 203s. Speed changes alot at chatel when set up for chatel this way

[@Bauernjoerg07]

Hardtails 🥰🥰

[@tybaltlobenstein9426]

Hardtails are the best! Id love to take mine to the Bike Park someday

[@doubleL_S]

The reason I'll stick with hardtails for now even though i ride trails like this is because of the ease of maintenance and the price of a full sus. Think I'd just go all out on a emtb full sus eventually though for those epic down country rides.

[@stujm8376]

100% respect your decision to not ride slab track, live to ride another day. I love my hardtail my than my full sus and really enjoy putting it through it’s paces, watching Neil make it look easy again just makes me want to go out and ride.

[@jimstockdale7761]

Well done!!! Nice to see wisdom and judgement being shown, with honesty and humility. All positive examples seldom witnessed.

[@pepeanza6187]

Maybe Blake would do it

[@Will-101]

Wow nice riding mate, i've got a 2021 Orbea Laufye H10, despite the 'older' geometry its still shreds down black diamonds!

[@testdirver]

wrong rider bring blake

[@teapeaster]

Rode a stiffee for years (that's a Cove stiffee) and it was the most fun bike I ever had and it did it all, play, street, x country, dirt jumps and DH. But you do take a battering. And good call on going around. Younger me would have ended up in the netting for sure

[@JohnAlienSmith]

Hardtails for life, not just for Christmas, rode the ‘trek beast’ race in wales so rocky in places my eye sight was getting blurred 🤣

[@safesclart]

Hardtails still rock, my Orange Crush is pretty much up for anything, it's just whether or not i am lol

[@Justkeepshredding]

#ASKGMBN could you please make a video about the different categories of mtbs? I was surprised by the amount of customers and buddies who can’t tell the difference between a trail hardtail and a Dh bike.

[@christofferlol]

they literally have like 30 of those videos

[@SKETCHY2g]

Isn’t that your job to do as a seller? What you going to do? Ask them to refer to a gmbn video? 😕🤦🏻‍♂️

[@mishaknyazev2799]

Well, I think it’s your job as a seller to guide newcomers, no? And I also think that you are in a very important position as literally very first person for people to meet on their mtb path, so try to patient, you may sell first bike to a new champion or his/her father)

[@lukemtb6800]

@@SKETCHY2g😂

[@lukemtb6800]

Sounds like your asking for a friend 😂

[@chimps4gimps]

Wise choice Neil. Respect for doing as much as you did 👊🏻

[@markmark2961]

How big boy is Neil? I am kind of discouraged by the fact he maxed out on the front shock despite seemingly being a professional rider. I have a hard tail and I am tall/heavy (195cm, 110 kg), so probably I should invest a full sus after a while to do something even less hardcore.

[@davidgeiger8620]

Neil,great job really. Does speed matter? For me not! That proves that the right hardtail can do anything, for me the hardtail is the bike to go. Slower,but same fun.Sometimes slower is more fun then fast😅🤭

[@paulshanesmith]

I was 58 years old last summer riding my hardtail down a difficult black at Samoen's.. there were a couple of sections I walked but I'd have walked them with any bike.

[@RyanCranage]

Last year I raced the local Downhill series in the Sport men category on my Nukeproof Scout Hardtail with flat pedals. I got 4th in my last race. I’m a 29yr old Brain Cancer survivor. I’m in no rush to get a full sus with 170mm travel. The trails I ride and the big suspension bikes I can keep up with tell me that taking it slow and learning on a hardtail with flats has been beneficial. I’d rather be under biked then over biked as my skill set has grown because of it. I understand fast kids racing need the best equipment. If you are a young kid learning to ride at 13 years old, a full suspension bike with your feet clipped in. That’s not the bike for you. I’m only dabbling in clips now as I’m looking for the extra control in the rock gardens.

[@jpandriesse3954]

I think I would have skipped the same sections, even while riding a fully. I wonder how the GMBN hardtail master would have done it.

[@kris2894]

I swear some of this is such crazy , growing up jumping off houses and high surfaces on BMX and MTB that had 0 suspension at all. Yes wet does make a differnce its the RIDER not the Bike.

[@yintaozen5353]

Only a high skilled rider that can do track safety assessments and know very well if he pushed beyond his limits, he will end up in ICU bed. It's a big balls and big courage to said that section are beyond his limits and Neil didn't want to pushed too far from his own limits. Cheers Neil, youre the greatest 🤟🏼😎👍🏼

[@joshdonley2842]

My brother too kis 100mm hardtail down all of topchief at fort William without coming off once. Mad impressive

[@karlj1717]

Anything is possible on a hard tail if you’re brave and stupid enough 😂 trust me, although them wet rocks did look like death ☠️.

[@bchearne]

I look forward to the summer attempt! Nice riding, and I don’t blame you at all for calling it. Knowing when to leave it for another day is an essential part of mtb

[@jamesc6876]

i would have liked to see him ride the hard stuff on a full suspension in comparison

[@SwaggyCheeseDog]

I'm new to MTB and my local trail has one rated as a double black. I rode that, but i felt like it wasn't hard so I think whoever rated that trail didn't do a great job. The trail is on the Allegrippis trail system and it is called Ray's Revenge.

[@boogiedownbronx73]

i started on hardtail and rode black trails fine yes my ass was hurting but i just lowered the seat no dropper.....i have more control with my hardtail than with my DS...

[@ctsingletrack]

Spend some more time on that bike before jumping into Satan's ballsack with it. I go back and forth between hardtail and full suspension, and it takes me at least one full ride to get back into my hardtail legs if I've been only riding full suspension for a while.

[@legniak1]

What’s the deal with not having a stand? I see people using pieces of wood, sticks or rocks. Is a stand that big of a deal? 😂

[@alexanderscott2567]

I have a Rootdown Ti with similar specs. It's a nice bike, but I don't ride it down stuff like that. Nice for training to ride down stuff like that, and testing other stuff to ride down stuff like that.

[@williamyawn2325]

As a relative newbie who just switched from a hard tail to a Full Sus I got the impression that passing on those slabs was less about the HT bike and more the conditions. Or would you have considered it more on a FS?

[@pdally1]

Excellent vid. The big question is, would Neil have ridden the whole course if he'd been on a full susser, or were the conditions too wet and greasy to ride it on anything? Ive got an orbea Laufey HT and i love it.

[@msdprojekt]

As a complete novice, would you have attempted it using a full suspension? If so what does a full sus give you in terms of control? Love the channel btw.

[@kirboturbo6932]

Personally been waiting for a bike with rigid forks and 180mm rear travel

[@drumerboy456sx]

Seems like all bike manufactures made too many hardtail for all that demand and now they’re sitting on stock that hasn’t sold. So many Chanel’s are pushing for hardtails

[@chaotictattoo]

I rode my Roscoe 9 on so much crap people who ride full suspensions were iffy about. It’s not like hardtails are that scary that if you know how to ride you can’t do. Just get on and ride.

[@stevefarrimond]

Neil, that riding was mega, but I can’t help feel this should have been a Blake video, no offence intended.

[@unicorn3r]

Wish I cold afford upgrades on my hard tail bought new pedals world of difference can only imag8n what a set up mb is like

[@casestudymtb]

Pretty sure I'd be walking those sections on a dh bike with perfect conditions, what a nasty track.

[@williamforbes7156]

looking forward to round 2 maybe some marginal gains to even the playing field? cheer mac, nicely done calling it. injury and work is a no go .

[@samwise833]

It would be cool to see an actual hardtail downhill series

[@bobdobalina798]

Get a downhill hardtail ie a hornet pro with cushcores 2.8 x 27.5

[@ish474]

That Trail's nothing, you could ride a cross country break down it.😂

[@rsmithuk]

Slabtrack in January, better man than me, I wouldn't have done that on a full sus enduro bike

[@boomshankar440-20]

He went single black diamond by skipping half the track

[@dewindoethdwl2798]

Hats off to Neil. In mountaineering we say that the hardest decision is turning away and going down, even though it is often the wisest choice.

[@marcstucki]

Good choice, Neil. It's not worth it. Try it again when it's dry.

[@fud1376]

My Ragley BluePig would eat up those trails...Ha !

[@RobertFullStop]

Does anyone know whether this is a medium or a large frame? Great video! Cheers.

[@steves365]

I tuned my hardtail with a air suspension dropper post. It's the best tuning for me.

[@K9Manhunters]

Thanks for the great video. There is no shame in walking😅 As a HT rider, I got used to it😂

[@James-e4d6h]

Is this the same one Richard rode most of on a xc bike in xc kit?? kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zp7aqqN7rtmDrLcsi=3y4FG3BaWv5VrCEF

[@tonyparkin3379]

The old laufey frame looked better. Just my opinion

[@franciscobamboo6566]

Just try , skills and experience, and no fear👍👍👍👍🏁🏁

[@evan5167]

Now do it on a hardtail with dh forks and blake in tow

[@СветославТасев]

If Orbea is paying then you will ride!

[@rascal1234]

Lol! Tripple black? I don't think so.

[@Grotesque18]

Respect. Don't break yourself!