How Difficult Are Mountain Bike Trails?

[@PaulThePunter]

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[@Lordoftheflamesissketchy]

you should do 1 about the trail levels in Australia, in Australia lots of the trails even the bigginer ones have very lose gravel which can make it harder to do jumps and berms but when i when to the uk it was alot easier becuase the dirt was soft and reliable if you have any thoughts about how to make riding on loose trail pls tell me thanks

[@JFTM_]

I’m here for the ‘I’m only [insert age] and I ride a hardtail and I send it down double blacks like it’s nothing’ comments.

[@SnootchieBootchies27]

Moi.

[@Longus07]

@@SnootchieBootchies27 here you go... I'm only 15 and I ride a hardtail and I send it down double blacks like it's nothing.

[@SnootchieBootchies27]

@Nani Jayakody I rode a double black trail with a fully rigid singlespeed. It was amazing! After getting away with it, though, I never felt the need to take that bike back to that trail.

[@isac.2h]

I'm only a fetus and I ride a hard tail and I send it down double blacks like it"a nothing

[@grigorigahan]

meh, I'm 35, about to buy a hardtail (roscoe 7) and am terrified of of a 30 cm / 1 foot drop. That do it for you as well? On the real though, I just started biking a year ago with a dual sport and now am upgrading to a roscoe. At 35, and with my experience and risk aversion, I doubt I will ever ever ride anything more sketchy than a easy single black.

[@anon1488_]

9:40 I guess a lot of people crashed into that tree 😂

[@ScoutsOut]

Great video Paul, that should be watched by every new mountain biker

[@pauls3616]

Nice video. I didn’t know the specifications on how trails are rated. Good start to the week with a Punter video while having a coffee in my slow and awkward mug.

[@PaulThePunter]

That’s the best darn mug out there

[@gantabi]

Climbing never gets easier, you just get faster! Great vid!

[@trailtracker5394]

This video needs to be added to the mtb starters kit.

[@rustychain9518]

I’ve been saying for years that we need light green, dark green, light blue, and dark blue. The mountain I live on here in PA has a large trail system with loads of trails that are green on Trailforks but I consider none of them to be beginner trails. I’ve encountered countless frustrated and even scared beginners along the trails that saw all the green and were totally unprepared.

[@jedidiahwest4619]

Looking back, I probably should have started my nephews out in a green trail but I new they had what it takes. Took them straight from the rental shop to a fast blue flow trail and... they loved it!!!!!!

[@samuelcooke2146]

I like how you said about how the bike will react and feel because sometimes you just have to go with the flow and not be looking to control everything

[@GDub83]

I kind of started off on a red trail, but honestly it’s more of a mix between blue/black/red

[@theDecendalorian]

It's so true, I loved what you said about spending wisely so you don't have to upgrade parts. I made this mistake two years ago and now I want to buy an entirely new bike because I didn't spend the money I should have. Thanks for pointing that out, because it does really help and save you money in the long run.

[@MTNMAX88]

Nice video. I started on a Hardtail and instantly wanted to start upgrading it. Within a few months I was still outriding it’s capability’s and so I got a full suspension bike. It’s awesome, but I still love my Hardtail, especially for those long xc rides.

[@TheCrashingDad]

I second the point about getting a cheap hardtail at first...and immediately outgrowing it 😂🤘🏼

[@PaulThePunter]

Wise words

[@anthonywalters7434]

I’m still on my 3 year old entry level hardtail and that thing is at its absolute limit... definitely going for an all mountain/enduro 29er soon because xc hardtails and bike parks don’t mix and I’m sick of using rental bikes.

[@antaltieri7154]

Yeaaah, it took two bike park rental days to feel that

[@TheCrashingDad]

I still think that a really good high quality hardtail can shred (I love my ragley bigwig) 🤷🏼‍♂️ but the $400 one I got just started falling apart and had horrible geometry...

[@shortymtb]

I've been on a budget hardtail (2020 Vitus Nucleus 27 VR) for 18months and I've not outgrown it yet... might be more about how slow and awkward I am than how good the bike is... doing 3+ foot drops to flat concrete/tarmac (mainly jumping steps) with my fat,old,slow ass on it is not doing the bike any favours though, replaced the crankset (square taper no name>hollowtech2 Shimano Zee) about 9 months ago, headset got replaced a couple of days ago (FSA 57B budget caged bearing > Brand-X sealed bearing) and next on the list is bearing/hub/wheelset as I currently have a choice between tight cones or wheels that rotate...

[@avidpsychlist8129]

You have indirectly made a really good video (using your super slow motion) on how to unweight the bike for drops and jumps. Thanks for that!

[@fpartidafpartida]

Underrated comment right here 🤙

[@andreyv116]

Part of the fun with blues is being underbiked hitting them on a gravel rig

[@mrvwbug4423]

See gravel bikes on blue trails in Colorado all the time.

[@bjornfongern4850]

Here in Germany we have very little purpose built and graded mountainbike trails you have over there. Here it´s normally just natural hiking paths you go mountainbiking on. Sometimes the description of the hiking paths gives you an indication about the difficulty but most of the time you have no idea what to expect. Also there are no purpose built jumps, drops or bermed corners. Here the only place where you will find all those things are actual bike parks. Either commercial, lift access ones or smaller, local ones build by local MTB-clubs. US and Canada looks like a MTBer´s paradise :)

[@angus970]

Your videos are super high quality! Thanks so much Paul

[@Sjzinn]

I wish I had watched this when I started. Love the trans X

[@ralphhebgen7067]

Just back from a month in Whistler with a new-found respect for the bike park there. Looking at the trails you picked for your excellent video, I am finding Del Boca Vista a lot more difficult than the green you showcased… . Don’t know how hard Whistler Bike Park is but the trails you showed are perhaps more like the trail bike runs around Lost Lake, while some of the gnarly user-maintained tech trails in Squamish look like few runs I can find in the park.

[@wldtrak]

I needed a video like this when I first started.... excellent work, Paul.

[@TheMichael_Ng]

Absolutely loving you recent videos Paul! Even though I'm not a new rider or beginner, I find these so interesting. Keep up the good work! :)

[@GoodTrails]

Great video as usual Paul! One thing I never hear people mention when it comes to full suspension vs hardtail is the riders age. Even at a ripe 32 years of age - riding a hardtail kills my feet and back - and I consider myself to be a decent rider! Keep on making vids like this! A lot of friends, family and coworkers ask me about MTB and I always send them to your vids!

[@PaulThePunter]

Amazing, thanks so much Tyler!

[@chrisfoster3772]

Ride a full rigid for awhile then you'll love the hardtail

[@uberfu]

I'm in my mid 40s and have a full suspension. I'm finding places around me that lend more towards "the right tool for the job" so to speak ... essentially some local trails near me work better for an FS and I'lllm soon be getting another hardtail for other local trails. Backstory - was ona hardtail for ~30 years and mostly thought an FS was a progressive upgrade from the HT. But again my last hardtail was from the late 90s - in short a radically different bike and radically different era of riding. Getting back ontoa bike recently got me excited again about something for a change, and finding the MTB world has split oput versions of bikes and adjusted features for good reason. Still missing my set of 24 gears though. But yes - I'll be getting back onto an HT going into next year and will toggle between the 2 depending on what/where I ride.

[@cameronrutten6483]

i agree with almost all of the rating in this video except in most parts of the world (where I've been ) the green trails especially flow trails often have easily avoidable and/or easily roll-able jumps drops and other features such as rock rolls

[@nathancantwell602]

One problem here on the North Shore for first timers is a scarcity of green trails. Fromme has Roadside Attraction and King of the Shore, along with Bobsled when you ride it cautiously. Funnily enough, I found one of the best learning trails is actually a blue...Circuit 8, up near the Seymour Demonstration Forest. I would say it is more of a dark green.

[@mrvwbug4423]

NS is also extremely underrated, your blues would be blacks in most places. You don't see high consequence skinnies on blues generally haha. Most of the famous NS trails should be pro lines (ex. Ladies only, Wild Cherry, Boogieman)

[@charliehicks2554]

Great video Mr Punter, well thought out with an excellent explanation of each level. I believe this will be one of your most viewed videos shortly.

[@frasersandison7381]

Love your videos come to Scotland after lockdown please

[@diogobz5348]

Great video mate! Thanks for all the knowledge shared here. I only started my MTB “life” and bought a hard tail. Already realised that I should start saving for a full suspension ASAP

[@John-shreds]

I just bought a 2021 Giant trance x 2. Pretty stocked.

[@TheBusyness]

Hey Paul, was that Mach Chicken in Roberts Creek you were riding? Super fun run

[@SpokesmanMTB]

Great vid, thanks for posting! I'm already forwarding it to friends who are just getting started. :)

[@PaulThePunter]

Ooooo not yet! It’s just for patrons right now :)

[@luciouskyles4500]

Uploaded 10 seconds ago* Commented three days ago?

[@Charliehalterman]

@@luciouskyles4500 There are patrons, they pay to get the video first

[@darkjedi9188]

My local downhill park doesn't follow this guide one bit for greens, blues and blacks. All the jumps on blue trials are knuckles. So not a full gap but certainly not a flat tabletop

[@thepedalsadvocate7389]

Excellent video Punter.

[@christravis3270]

I echo what others have said. New riders should definitely take a look at this to get the most out of their experience and hard earned cash 👍🏻

[@jensongroff]

Also depends on the area, like a black in Omaha Nebraska is like a green in bentonville.

[@mrvwbug4423]

Actually they might be closer than you think, Bentonville doesn't underrate their trails like some places do (*cough* BC *cough*).

[@mtb_edits7814]

love these videos at the moment!

[@shemshem9998]

how difficult the trail actually is compared to colour is (in my experience) dependent on how steep and difficult the mountains in the region are, green would represent the easiest possible trail on that terain. for example, green in the french alps, and especially in the french bike parks, is easily a blue in many different locations just because the gradient is so steep that you can't possibly make it easier without ruining the entire flow of the trail. and in England, where the mountains are way more mellow, i feel it's exactly the opposite. this i feel counts for everything up to a red/easy black, and it counts only for black and double black trails as long as they are technical trials. as soon as you get to black jump trails everything around the world seems to more equally difficult.

[@trailtracker5394]

Yes it's alle relative. I have no experience riding in the UK. But the Alps are great for me. I'll be riding in the UK 2022. I'll be looking forward to testing that statement out.

[@uberfu]

Nah. The closest "mountain" I live near is 400 miles away ... there are difficult blue and black trails where I live none the less. And unless I'm so out of shape that they just seem challenging to me despite simply being on tall hills; several annual MTB events are held in the area regularly and i suppose the pros just come to the area for a breather on the circuit.

[@Gehajjs62727]

The trail system I rode first hid there one green run so I dropped in on the same trail seen in my profile pic, I surprisingly didn’t die.

[@Hardcaslte]

The funny thing is berms might be a little aggressive looking if you haven't done any mounting biking, but flat turns are way harder to do when you start to get any speed.

[@believe8263]

Good job Paul.

[@mrvwbug4423]

Trail ratings definitely vary by region. or even between different trail systems in the same region, then there is regular trails vs bike park. To use an example from my part of the world. Colorado has fairly consistent trail ratings that are inline with your video ... except on the Lunch Loops trail system in Grand Junction, where the blues would be blacks in most trail systems, and the single blacks would be double blacks. Trails at lift access bike parks are also usually on the upper end of their posted difficultly and speeds are MUCH higher.

[@donaldkilgorejr.8484]

That was very informative...Thanks

[@ionutduse5430]

Love from romania!❤️🇷🇴

[@KagakuGakusei]

This is awesome, thank you!

[@sbbeowulf8296]

I’ve been riding for 2 years and a half and half flow Black is perfect for me and blue is just pure fun

[@kofalin]

What a great video,,, Also you mentioned about beginners investing their money wisely when buying a bike, that’s not clear to me and would be a great topic for another video

[@dadventuretv2538]

Great vid. They can keep the color system but I wish they would break a trail down with it as follows: Gradient (or steepness up and down) Features (drops and jumps) Technicality (natural rocks, roots or flow) That way a trail doesnt have to have all these parts of a trail the same color. I mean why can’t we have a green trail for gradient but with black features. Just cause I wanna ride black features doesn’t mean I always wanna ride a black level gradient of a trail. I see a struggle with the current system on the east coast suburban trails. All of them are pretty much green for gradient, but the minute they add features, or make it technical with roots or rock gardens, how do they categorize it? Because currently it doesn’t fit squarely into green or whatever the level of features or tech is added.

[@jiajianhou426]

How much travel do you need for a blue trail like this: 6:31,6:37, 6:51, 7:18, 7:30, 7:40, 8:43? and how much travel do you need for a black trail like this 9:38, 9:45, 10:20, 10:30, 10:48, 11:02, 11:40, 12:05?

[@tim3kgt]

HAHAHHAAHHAAHAH its like this thumb nail was speaking to MEEE!!!

[@mason.3640]

In New zealand is green for easy blue for intermediate dark blue for advanced blackdiamond double black diamond proline

[@SnootchieBootchies27]

Oh go eat a pie or something. I would

[@mason.3640]

@@SnootchieBootchies27 mince & cheese are good but then yk mtb better

[@MarsOG310]

Kickass breakdown!!

[@everywherelocal]

great video 🤙

[@illgazillion]

Thank you. Never lose the stoke.

[@williambreeze2659]

Thanks for the video

[@TGormania]

Good information for all.

[@paddyhillis9987]

Hello Paul. What make of van did you and Jack convert in England for your European tour thank you. Patrick from North West England.

[@aidanmahony1681]

It was a Hyperborean Onanist it think

[@Axr24have]

Hey Paul. Been following your channel for a while. I also follow Vancouver Trail Shredders on FB. Recently, there was a somewhat tense discussion about ‘right of way’ (hikers, horses, dog walkers, vs. mtb. ) on public trails in Vancouver. I know this is a divisive topic, wondering if you could do a vid on the subject?

[@aidantalsma188]

from your video I think I ride between blue and black. I do the drops and the ride arounds on the jumps

[@pot250666]

UR VIDS ARE AWESOME!!!!

[@themiddleagemasher8108]

Nice video. And NICE BIKE!!

[@GianniPhat]

Bring back the Full Punter socks, Paul! Or - have any extras lying around? 😉

[@dragosvarovici2368]

What is the best travel a full suspension bike should have for each level (green, blue, black)?

[@giorgoszamanis6654]

In Greece (that's in Europe) there are trails rated as red ones but their symbol is a double diamond. So, are these above or below black ones?

[@dolphin-studio]

there should be a difficulty above that of pro-line where you require trial skills and some decent red bull rampage madness skills called "world-class line". There are many pros out there but only a few are world class

[@Paul1273]

The Black Diamond trails in New Zealand seem to vary from Blue to Double Black...

[@moutts2195]

Sooooo true

[@gazmiggy5894]

As a British rider id say over here your green is a blue and your blue a red (but this is just an opinion don't shoot me!). Great vid!

[@mellissanash7517]

What does the White & Orange options mean?

[@v0ss29]

In France, red trails are hard black trails with easy options or tables

[@Jojo-ki9xt]

dam im good enough for double black trails now i just have to get a better bike, my bike is too big for me, only 120mm travel (full suspension) and the fork is coil so it sucks, and my tires have no grip i really dont know now if i should save for the stitched 720 or torque AL 6 xD

[@victoriathegreencheekconur5477]

Technically for dirt merchant (without drop) or a line could be a green trail if you just roll all the jumps

[@lincolnho483]

Where do you find trail locations and ratings?

[@zomgz932]

trail forks is a good tool

[@mmay3557]

When is the last time you rode a hardtail? Usually when you ride a hard tail you feel alot more of the trail due to its increase rigidity compared to a full suspension.

[@mmay3557]

Not meant to put anyone down on this comment, just got a laugh out of the mention about rolling over roots being not able to feel on a hardtail. Also would like to see paul ride down a trail or two on a hardtail. Good next video?

[@mmay3557]

Hardtail w/flat pedals!?

[@NorthDesigns]

I'm from the UK, thought I'd share a bit of my insight with trail gradings. Pretty much, a green in canada is a blue in the UK, a blue in canada is a red in the UK, then the line between what is a red and what is a black becomes quite unclear, however normally boils down to how steep the terrain is. And then instead of pro lines, they're called orange runs.

[@struanrobertson4201]

I would say a a blue trails is the same as in canada I mean have you seen the new fort william DH its going to be a blue and it has massive berms, I have ridden the bottom section where there is some optional gaps. I would say green is green blue is blue red is black (single diamond) black is black (Double diamond) and orange is black (Triple diamond) or pro line

[@NorthDesigns]

@@struanrobertson4201 I agree with this

[@GreatCreative]

The blue trails I've ridden the US have been about what we call a green in the Okanagan. Yet, I've ridden black diamond trails in Squamish and Cumberland that we'd consider a double black in the Okanagan. It's all so subjective. But, either way, you're still riding!

[@NorthDesigns]

@@GreatCreative As long as there's grins on the face eh?

[@struanrobertson4201]

@@NorthDesigns yes!

[@peoplesrepublicofchina8340]

when i first went my friend decided it would be a good idea to take me on a double black tech dh trail. proably not the best idea

[@DemonicVelocity]

Well, you are still here, so he did something right...

[@jdog929]

Must’ve been a fun walk

[@TT_PLEB]

Most of the trails around me don't seem to fit an actual scale, most of them are naturally worn trails that get a bit of grooming done. I've been on a trail that goes from a narrow techie path winding through trees and over roots, nothing major at all, that suddenly leads to an almost sheer downhill with big rock drops or just a super loose, sandy, chute that just fades back into normal stuff again.

[@stevenbaoTV]

Gosh, wish I can ride these trails here in socal! I'm a intermediate/kind of advanced rider and I'm to young to drive, and I ain't close to any intermediate trails so its so hard to progress!

[@mrvwbug4423]

And SoCal trails go very quickly from "mellow" to "This is the stuff that Tommy and his friends ride" pretty quickly.

[@stevenbaoTV]

@@mrvwbug4423 Exactly dude. I don't know what to do or where to go since I can't drive. I'm really close to the age so when I have the chance, I'm getting a fricken license 😑

[@samsterthegamer8521]

Oh how I wish the Philippines have trails like those :')

[@ch007eh7]

I made a two hour beginner course two days ago (it was just amazing and hell this sport needs more girls ✌🏻). When I looked at a green trail the day before, I was like: am never gonna ride that. Next day: I was riding a blue trail in my second lap. It was so much fun! Why does winter and bad weather has to start now? Couldn't I have decided to go mountainbiking earlier? 😩😆 And when I look at the rating you presented, I rather rode a black one (Germany). 😍

[@imxd9698]

I started riding blue trails on my rigid gravel bike.

[@frits8986]

Good stuff

[@ryanlacey9421]

My first trail was a red one (I'm European btw) Love your vids

[@starph3nom]

I went on a intermediete trail full speed, we can just say it didn't go well, since im still beggining mtb for only 2 years. My brother's old bike just couldn't handle it. After all the bumpy rides going up hill, the chain just failed on me. Now i need to contact a local bike shop to get and install a new chain. Well atleast the old chain holded up to 6 years. Rest in peace MTB chain 2015-2021. 😂🤘

[@LECMTB]

This video should be watched by every new mountain biker. I found the American grading system interesting in comparison to the UKs grading system.

[@PaulThePunter]

Thanks my chap!

[@alashbrook3964]

Hey I have recently purchased a 2019 cannondale Jekyll 1 and I’m not sure if I should buy cleats or flats any advice ? Ps: it was on a massive sale otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten it 😝😂

[@PaulThePunter]

If this is your question, get flats :)

[@alashbrook3964]

Yes that was my question and thanks a bunch I love watching your videos and as a young rider I look up to you 👍

[@plexi4295]

Wait you dont have red trails in the us? In Sweden we got green,blue,red,black,double black and proline

[@mrvwbug4423]

For that "in-between" that would be red in Europe, we might list it as "blue-black", or just black, or sometimes just call it a harder blue.

[@danielchapman3875]

Usually on the tree or post that says what difficulty the trail is, it has a discription of what is coming up.

[@mattgies]

Some trail systems have better signage than others.

[@core-i7413]

I think you might need to adjust your suspension, you bottomed out on a pretty small drop on a fox 36, that's not normal...

[@kinza999]

What happened to red trails ?

[@roquemalinao451]

I wish i could have a bike like that

[@acengpurwana]

Great friend ..amazing

[@jackb8393]

lol, dont think ive ever seen those outside of downhill parks in california

[@nomadcarpenter8549]

easy black or hard blue... you mean red in the uk?

[@alexiliadis5018]

sick!!

[@nick_john]

Paul I don’t know if you still look at the comments, but I’m sorry you quit doing videos. Hope you’re doing well!

[@darrinkulyk9560]

Riding Fromme In The AM😎

[@ericmin7645]

you also forgot purple... which is easier than green and usually generally pertains to fire roads

[@siebelspaethjens]

I should come over from Europe to see what the difference is between the systems.

[@freeridetony]

Very nice 👍👌

[@yzlvr]

Paul, I tried to get the 30% off Kenda with you link, but no discount is applied.. Help

[@PaulThePunter]

Are you in the USA?

[@yzlvr]

Yes

[@stormtrooper2463]

Sick

[@geneticallymodified7775]

I started mountainbiking in my area (middle europe near switzerland) and the trails in proximity are rooty as heck. So i basically started with complete tech xd